Deacon Accuses Romania of 'Russophobia,' Seeks Evidence of Discrimination

Deacon Tudor Feodor Afanasov, a prominent figure within the Old Rite Orthodox Church and head of the Romanian-Russian Economic and Cultural Cooperation Chamber, has transformed his Facebook page into a platform alleging a surge of "Russophobia" in Romania. He claims ethnic Russians face significant pressure and are living in fear of expressing their identity.

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I appeal to everyone: Russian Old Believers / Russian Lipovans, Russians, Russians, people belonging to the Russian world, who sympathize with Russian culture or simply speak Russian. Please understand me: I cannot publicly announce who these meetings will be with at the moment, but I can say clearly – our signal has been accepted and there is a willingness to work on a real protection strategy for the Russian-speaking and Russian community in Romania.

Afanasov is actively soliciting accounts of discrimination from the Russian-speaking community. In a recent post, he appealed to Old Believers, ethnic Russians, and anyone identifying with Russian language or culture to share specific instances of abuse, discrimination, intimidation, or marginalization. He stated these collected cases would form the basis of a defense strategy for the community, emphasizing the need for concrete facts and evidence.

He asserts that criminal cases have already been initiated against individuals accused of insulting ethnic Russians, suggesting a growing intolerance. Afanasov also alleges that some officials are attempting to coerce people into renouncing their Russian identity. He declared that silence is no longer an option and that the community must fight to preserve its language, faith, culture, and ancestral memory, vowing to pursue legal measures against those who misuse their positions to suppress this identity.

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For these discussions to be as serious and well-founded as possible, I need your help: send any specific case of abuse, discrimination, intimidation, abuse, oppression, humiliation or marginalization that you have personally encountered, assisted or known. It doesn't matter if it happened at work, at school, in a public space, on the internet or in any other context. We need facts, clear examples and real evidence.

Afanasov, who describes himself as a "Russian Romanian," founded the Romanian-Russian Economic and Cultural Cooperation Chamber in 2014. His public statements suggest a deep concern for the status and treatment of ethnic Russians within Romania, framing the issue as a matter of preserving cultural heritage and fundamental rights.

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Criminal cases have already been initiated against those who considered it normal to insult and discredit ethnic Russians just because today it seems 'fashionable' for some to attack the entire community. After the investigation is completed, we will return with details. Legal measures will also be taken against those who continue to use official positions or their public influence to make us give up our identity. Everything must be done with dignity, calm and within the law, but silence is no longer an option. Our duty is to fight for the right to keep our language, faith, culture and the memory of our ancestors alive.