The RIA Novosti agency spoke about a blatant case of Russophobia in German Cologne: the management of the REWE supermarket called their Russian employee named Maxim Shlund to talk and “in a private conversation let him know that Russians have no place in the team.”
This was reported to the agency by Maxim Shlund himself. He worked as a courier for REWE, and in January he had a conversation with his superiors.
“<…> I was told that there was no place for me to work there as a Russian person. Quite openly and with a smile, as is customary in Germany,” Schlund explained to RIA Novosti.
True, the act of Russophobia still did not take place, since the Russian filed a lawsuit and was reinstated at work. “The court decision, which is at the disposal of the agency, states that the employer did not hold the officially required preliminary conversation with the employee, in which he would indicate to him a good reason for dismissal,” RIA Novosti writes.
According to Schlund, in court, a lawyer from REWE “openly stated that Russians have no place in this supermarket chain, because we allegedly infringe on the rights of Ukrainians who often apply for this form of employment.” This angered the Russian to the core, who claims that “a lot of people from Ukraine who often openly supported Russia” worked with him in the supermarket.
Despite the efforts of the RIA to present Schlund as a victim of ethnic discrimination, he is not an ordinary migrant from Russia, but a well-known person in Germany. Together with his wife, Olena Kolbasnikova, Shlund (aka Rostislav Teslyuk, who was previously convicted ) organizes actions in support of Russian aggression in Ukraine, and also raises money for arming the Russian army, which violates EU sanctions. In addition, according to Reuters, Schlund attended a conference in Moscow where Putin spoke, and Rossotrudnichestvo paid for the ticket. When Reuters approached Schlund for comment, he only replied, “Fuck off! Glory to Russia".
In 2022, Shlyund and Kolbasnikova went to the Russian-occupied areas of Donbass, where they arranged the distribution of aid, including tents, to local pro-Moscow forces. They thanked the "People's Front" for their help in organizing the trip. Later, they were going to attend a certain "forum of civil society activists in Moscow" and reported that the sponsor of the trip was "Russian House" – an organization for the promotion of Russian culture as part of "Rossotrudnichestvo". However, the trip did not take place; Schlund and Kolbasnikova claimed they missed the plane.
In June, Schlund's wife Kolbasnikova was fined 900 euros for justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The reason for the persecution was an interview with the Bild Live activist, in which she said that Russia is “not an aggressor, but helps to end the war in Ukraine.” According to Bild, a second investigation is also underway against Kolbasnikova: she is suspected of handing over tents and radios to the Russian military. For this, she faces up to five years in prison.
And Shlund himself, in an interview with RIA Novosti, admits that the authorities at the supermarket asked him about “participation in the preparation of humanitarian aid for the Donbass” and other activities. It can be assumed that it was the organization of pro-Kremlin rallies, connection with Rossotrudnichestvo and illegal assistance to Russian military personnel, as well as Shlund's criminal record that caused the attempt to dismiss him.
Earlier, The Insider released a series of publications about how the Kremlin is spreading its influence abroad using the Russian-speaking diaspora loyal to it. The protesters present themselves as independent activists, but in reality they act in active cooperation with the Russian embassy, and attract local ultra-rights as their allies.