Kirill Zadov is a political commentator for a Russian-speaking radio station in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. 

“I have to present a certain point of view that is acceptable to all part of our Russian-speaking community," said Zadov. "And that is a very tough spot.”

Zadvoc has worked at RUSA Radio for more than a decade, and for the last eight years he’s been navigating the growing threat of war between Ukraine and Russia.

What You Need To Know

  • With 148,700 Ukrainians, New York is home to the largest Ukranian population in the U.S.  

  • The U.N. says more than 870,000 people have fled Ukraine in the first week of the conflict

  • RUSA Radio is the only syndicated Russian-language FM station in the United States, reaching hundreds of thousands of Russian speakers

“My point was always all these years to tell Ukrainian audience, Russian audience, all Russian-speaking people that this is possible. We should be prepared for that, especially in an environment of not willing to compromise on issues,” Zadvoc said.

What he once viewed as a possibility is now a turbulent reality. After Russian attacks on crowded Ukrainian cities, almost 1 million people have fled Ukraine. Zadov’s political program “Boutique Politic” is not a call-in show, but lately he is inundated with messages from listeners across the five boroughs – both Russian and Ukrainian. 

“They want to hear that regime is gonna change. They want to hear that sanctions are gonna work. They want to hear that everything the West is doing is right and justified and whatever Russia is doing is pure evil,” Zadvoc said.

Instead, Zadov tells his listeners to separate themselves from the decisions of political leaders so they can form a united front in America.

“I don’t see any hostility between Russians and Ukrainians right now here in New York and that was our main goal, to tell people, ‘Listen, we here are not responsible for what’s going on. We did not cause the war.’”

Zadov said it’s impossible to understand what is happening on the ground in Ukraine without seeing the war unfold with our own eyes. 

“They listen and they want to hear that everything will be alright. It’s gonna be alright. And I think it’s gonna be alright soon. A couple of days. But it might not happen like that,” Zadvoc said. “Independence doesn’t come from peaceful negotiations."