Eusebio R. Sheffield 
Russian women cutting their Chanel bags in front of the camera.
Some wealthy Russian women are cutting up their expensive Chanel bags to protest the company’s decision to ban them from making new purchases. Due to the war in Ukraine, the luxury brand has stopped selling bags to Russians who intend to use them in their country.
These women – models, TV presenters and nightclub jockeys – filmed themselves taking a pair of scissors from their Chanel bags and cutting it into pieces.
Model Victoria Bonya is among the women who posted the videos, expressing outrage to her 9.3 million followers. Russian TV presenter and actress Marina Ermoshkina also did the same, telling nearly three million followers that she was against “brands supporting Russophobia”.
“Not a single item or brand is worth my love for my homeland and my self-respect,” Ermoshkina said in the Instagram video before cutting her bag.
“If owning Chanel means selling my country, then I don’t need Chanel,” she adds.
DJ Katya Guseva, 39, also posted a video saying “No” to Chanel. “To show you I’m serious, I’m just going to cut up this bag. I don’t need it anymore. Goodbye, Chanel,” she tells her followers, urging them to do the same.
However, none of these celebrities cared about the millions who were left homeless by the Russian invasion, or the thousands who lost their lives. The sentiment was echoed by some users who commented on the women’s Instagram posts.
“Respect yourself? Maybe you should comment on atrocities and war crimes in Ukraine instead of acting like a victim…” one user said in response to Bonya’s video.
According to The IndependentChanel’s move aims to implement European Union sanctions that ban the export of luxury goods costing more than $328 to Russia.
Some users posted tweets showing Chanel executives asking them to sign a paper in Dubai, where Russians are free to travel, assuring they won’t use the bag in their country.
The company recognizes that its decision has “disappointed” its customers and is working to improve this approach. Chanel has already closed its stores in Russia.
