The London real estate brokerage Egre announced her sacking after complaints from a Ukrainian activist, who argued that she should be punished for voting for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A Russian woman, Yulia was fired from her job in London, United Kingdom because she voted for Vladimir Putin in last week’s election.
The London real estate brokerage Egre announced her sacking after complaints from a Ukrainian activist, who argued that she should be punished for voting for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The three-day election in Russia saw Putin win 87% of the vote, according to the official tally published on Monday. Russians living abroad were also able to cast their ballots at embassies and consulates, including in the UK.
However, in the sack letter shared on X account @BRICSinfo, the company accused the staff member of posting a pro-war message on social media, even as it maintained that it has no direct employment relationship with her.
🇷🇺 🇬🇧 A Russian woman was fired from her job in London, United Kingdom because she voted for Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/BhSszli9Wa
— BRICS (@BRICSinfo) March 20, 2024
The letter partly read: "It has recently come to our attention that one of our consultant agents, Yulia, has posted a pro-war message on social media. We want to take this opportunity to unequivocally condemn such views and clarify the stance of EGRE London.
"At EGRE London, we operate as a real estate platform whose agents are self-employed. While we provide a platform for real estate professionals to connect with clients, we do not have direct employment relationships with these individual agents.
"Yulia is no longer associated with our company."
The firm said that it doesn't support or tolerate any sentiments that advocate for violence, aggression, or conflict, adding that it stands in solidarity with the United Kingdom government and its stance in supporting the Ukrainian people in their war efforts.
"We want to make it crystal clear that as a company, we do not endorse, support, or tolerate any sentiments that advocate for violence, aggression, or conflict. We firmly stand against any form of war or military action that brings harm to innocent lives.
"Moreover, we want to emphasize our solidarity with the UK government and its stance in supporting the Ukrainian people during these challenging times. Our hearts go out to all those affected by the ongoing crisis, and we are committed to supporting humanitarian efforts in any way we can.
"As members of the EGRE community, it's imperative that we all uphold the values and principles that define us. We trust that all members of our community will continue to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the values of our company. Thank you for your attention to this important issue," the letter reads.
Following a massive queue or impressive turnout of Russians at the embassy in London to cast their votes during the presidential election, one Nazar Smyk, who lives in the UK and described himself as a buyer of equipment for the Ukrainian military, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday: “Not all Russians are oppositionists.”
Щойно спілкувався з власником компанії, компанія аби показати свою проєвропейську позицію задонатять кошти на гуманітарні потреби українців через британсько-український фонд.
І при працевлаштуванні будуть провіряти кандидатів.
— Nazar Smyk (@nazar_london) March 19, 2024
“There are also c**ts such as Yulia Vorobyova. She openly votes for Putin while living in London. Do you know what happens to supporters of war?” he added.
A follow-up post showed what Smyk claimed to be screenshots of Vorobyova’s Instagram, in which she purportedly said she was on the way to cast her vote at the embassy despite the pouring rain.
“When Western media think we (Russian people) don’t vote for Putin. Well, we do!” one of the captions from the screenshots said. “Mission accomplished,” another read.
Smyk then posted the address of her employer, with a call to “show Yulia what she needs to be responsible for.”
When Vorobyova made her account private, Smyk called her a “dumb c**t” and said it was too late. “We will f**k you and the company you work for,” he added.
On Tuesday, Smyk posted a letter he received from Egre, revealing that Vorobyova had been dismissed.
Smyk also said he had spoken with Egre’s owner and that “in order to show its pro-European position, the company will donate funds for the humanitarian needs of Ukrainians through the British-Ukrainian fund,” as well as vetting any new hires – presumably to ensure they aren’t Russians with unapproved political beliefs.
After Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the US and its allies moved to ban Russian officials, artists, and even certain letters of the alphabet, all to show their support for the government in Kiev.