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BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, now native Russians in Colorado are hearing hateful rhetoric. 

One Colorado Russian language teacher is asking people to stop spreading hate. 

She said people have made generalizations that all Russians are aggressors and she has received hurtful and insulting messages.

For Daria Molchanova, the conflict is not happening in some distant dot on the map – the politicians at the head of this fight share her home. She is from Siberia, a region of Russia. 

She is in the state for work and lives in Boulder with her family. She teaches the Russian language at the University of Colorado, as well as to thousands of online subscribers through a podcast and a YouTube channel. 

“[I received] tons of hate. Surprisingly, I guess it was just the instant reaction to be angry at anything connected with Russia,” Molchanova said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Russian restaurant, if it’s a local Russian shop or a Russian language teacher.” 

So she took a poll of her online students to see if they wanted to take a break from the Russian language for a while. Several boycotters contacted her personally, however, she said  96 percent of her students want to continue learning. 

“A lot of people told me that they are done with Russian or they are not interested anymore,” Molchanova said.  

As for those that want to stay the course, she felt relieved.  

“Russia is not just its president,” she explained. “Language is about culture, first of all, and it should be something like a bridge between people between cultures, not something that divides people.” 

She still loves her country and is not ashamed to call Siberia home. 

“I hope that I will never be ashamed of being Russian. I am ashamed of some things that our government is doing now that I am ashamed of but to be Russian, I am very proud,” Molchanova said.  

She said many of her Russian friends don’t support the siege of Ukraine, however unlike America, freedoms there are limited.  

“People can’t just go and protest. Even if you come alone and hold a little banner or something instantly, they’re taking you into this little police boss and who knows what’s gonna happen to you,” she said.  

She’s speaking out because she wants the hate to stop.  

“We should not spread more hate there. There is already enough hate in the world and we see the results,” Molchanova said.  

She said she has a lot of support from her university students as well as offering comfort and offering hugs instead of hate.