The Russian star captioned a picture with the phrase “Russianzz on Wednesday”, provoking outrage from Ukrainians and others.
Supermodel Irina Shayk has been accused of backing Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine by ‘using his ‘Z’ symbol’ on Instagram.
The Russian star captioned a picture of a traditional Olivier salad with the phrase “Russianzz on Wednesday”, provoking outrage from Ukrainians and others.
The Z-sign is seen by some as the equivalent of the swastika, and is widely used by Putin’s forces, as well as on pro-Russian propaganda.
Shayk previously posed with a book showing Putin’s image.
However, she spoke out against the war in March, saying she would be donating to Unicef and the Red Cross, adding that she was “praying for peace”.
Ukrainian journalist Maria Romanenko called for high-profile sponsors to reconsider working with her in light of her latest post.
She posted on Twitter: “Irina Shayk – world-famous model from Russia who’s recently worked for @Beyonce, Jean Paul Gaultier, @Burberry, &others – posted a weird cryptic story on Instagram with the word “Russianzz”.
“I really hope these brands reconsider working with her when Russia uses Z to kill Ukrainians.”
“You must be banned in [the] civilised world while you support Russian terrorism against Ukrainian people! Stay in Russia forever and forget about USA and Europe – hypocrisy,” wrote one critic.
“I can’t imagine! How after all death caused by Russia you support them and write Z…” posted another.
Another hostile comment read: “Hopefully one day you will feel the same like people from Ukraine who lost their children.”
One more pleaded: “@n.k.9.6.1 @burberry @louisvuitton @balenciaga @chaneloffial @supremenwyork @boss @versace @intimissimiofficial please pay attention to who you are collaborating with.”
Another commenter branded her a “Putin supporter” and asked: “@victoriassecret how does it feel to do collaborations with Russian fascist who supports Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine?”
Many comments referred to the recent carnage in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia, which left 23 dead including three children.
One asked: “Did you see those photos from [the] Vinnytsia bombardment?
“Did you see those small little bloody bodies of murdered by your Z-army kids, the age your daughter might be?
“Are you proud of it, Ms. Shaykhlislamova?
“I will never touch any brands that you promote, neither any of my friends will.
“We should boycott any company working with this monster.”
The story with the picture of the salad – a Russian specialty – vanished after 24 hours and Shayk has not commented on the hostile reaction.
The previous post with the Putin book was part of an advert for the clothing brand Suspicious Antwerp. It is not clear why she was holding the book, or whether she is particularly supportive of Putin.
Shayk shares a daughter with American actor Bradley Cooper, who she split up with in 2019 after five years.
Before that, she dated soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Originally published as Supermodel Irina Shayk accused of backing Vladimir Putin with Z symbol Instagram post
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