Miss Russia reveals she was ‘shunned’ by Miss Universe participants

Miss Russia has opened up about the repulsive attitude she experienced during her time in the Miss Universe competition.

The 71st annual beauty pageant was held earlier this month, where Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel was crowned the title.

In an interview with Evening Moscow, Anna Linnikova, who represented Russia in the competition, revealed she "faced a continuous stream of insults and threats from Ukrainian social media users" during the competition due to ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

"And many others avoided me and shunned me simply by learning about my origins," she continued. "The girls from Ukraine and Switzerland simply ran from me like fire!"

She added that it was a "pity" Miss Ukraine Viktoria Apanasenko refused to interact with her because of her nationality.

"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," she said.

Linnikova shared that she feared for her safety during the Miss Universe pageant because of harassment she received on social media.

She claimed that when the public learned of the hotel address where she and the other participants were staying, she received threats and "was really scared for my life because there were threats of physical violence on the condition that I go on stage."