Miss Russia has hit out at this year's Miss Universe contest, stating that her fellow competitors "avoided" her amid growing anti-Russian sentiment.
Anna Linnikova competed on behalf of Russia in the 71st international annual beauty pageant that was held in New Orleans.
She has since revealed that her time in the competition was "very difficult" and that she received a barrage of hate from Ukrainian social media users due to her participation, per Insider.
Linnikova revealed that she has still continued to receive online vitriol even after the contest ended.
This week, the beauty queen was interviewed by Evening Moscow, where she explained how she was subject to threats and intimidation by other Miss Universe hopefuls, revealing that she "faced a continuous stream of insults and threats from Ukrainian social media users" throughout her time competing, and even faced "negative comments from longtime acquaintances from Ukraine."
Linnikova did not expressly state that the vitriol stemmed from Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, however, she did appear to imply that she had been "shunned" due to the escalating violence between the two nations. "And many others avoided me and shunned me simply by learning about my origins. The girls from Ukraine and Switzerland simply ran from me like fire!"
She accused Miss Ukraine Viktoria Apanasenko of ignoring her because she is Russian, claiming: "I tried to make contact, but all efforts were in vain. Everyone saw Viktoria's demonstrative behavior - this is her choice, and I do not hold a grudge."
However, Apanasenko had painted a very different story. She previously spoke to The Daily Beast about competing alongside Linnikova, telling the outlet that Miss Russia had only wanted something to do with her when it came to taking a selfie.
"Until the very last moment I hoped that Miss Russia would come up to me and say sorry, but she only came up to me to get a selfie for what I think were propaganda purposes," she stated. "Miss Russia did not say a word about the war. People told me it would be dangerous for her."
Miss Ukraine then said the Miss Universe organization had underestimated how jarring it would be to compete against Miss Russia, remarking: "I am more than grateful to Miss Universe for their support, but I am not sure the organizers understood what it felt like for me to be standing and smiling on the same stage with Miss Russia who was wearing a red dress, the color of blood."
