Wives of Ukrainian, Italian and Estonian diplomats leave women's club in Canberra

Reaction to the admission of an RF representative

The wives of the ambassadors of Ukraine, Italy and Estonia, who are serving in Australia, have decided to withdraw from the International Women's Club of Canberra. This move was a reaction to the admission of Iryna Petrakova, the wife of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, to the organisation's membership.

The club management's position

The club's president explained the decision to admit Petrakova by stating that refusing membership on the basis of her country of origin could contravene current anti-discrimination legislation.

Letter from Liiana Myronyshchenko

Liiana Myronyshchenko, the wife of the Ukrainian ambassador, addressed a letter to the club's members explaining the essence of her objection. She emphasised that her position did not concern the new member's nationality but was directed against her status as a representative of Russia.

«Справа не в тому, що вона росіянка просто тому, що вона російська жінка», — наголосила Мирошниченко. (The issue is not that she is Russian simply because she is a Russian woman, Myronyshchenko stressed.)

According to the Ukrainian ambassador's wife, the key point is that Iryna Petrakova is in Australia representing a state that killed her cousin, burned her friend alive, and took the lives of many of her school and university friends.

Context of the decision

The collective withdrawal of the diplomats' wives from the club was a response to the management's decision to admit a representative of Russia to the organisation despite the ongoing war against Ukraine and its consequences for Ukrainians.