Miss Russia, Anna Linnikova, spoke out about her difficult experience at the Miss Universe pageant that took place on January 15th. In an interview with Evening Moscow, she claimed that the competition was “very difficult” and that she continues to receive threats from Ukrainian social media users. She also stated that some of the other contestants avoided her and shunned her simply because of her origins.
According to Linnikova, when the public found out the location of the hotel where she and the other contestants were staying, she received threats and was frightened for her life. She said that it was “very symbolic” that both an American and a Ukrainian won two nominations and that it was a “pity” the Ukrainian contestant who did not want to stand next to her in the group photo wouldn’t communicate better with her.
Linnikova believes that everything about the top-16 stage had an “exclusively political context” and that her inability to reach the final stage had “nothing to do with the quality of her performance”. The pageant took place the same day a Russian missile killed more than 40 people in a residential building in Ukraine. The United Nations estimates that upwards of 7,000 civilians have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine 11 months ago.
This story has been making headlines in the fashion industry and has become one of the most trending news items in the last 24 hours. The Miss Universe competition is one of the largest beauty pageants in the world and is watched by millions of people. The recent controversy and the claims made by Miss Russia have raised questions about the impartiality of the competition and the treatment of contestants from different countries.
The events and experiences of Miss Russia at the Miss Universe pageant are still developing and will continue to be followed closely by the fashion industry and fans of the competition.
