Miss Russia Haters: Our Winner Is 'Not Russian Enough' (PHOTO, VIDEO)
So-called "Miss Russia haters" have been controversially attacking newly crowned Miss Russia, Elmira Abdrazakova, labeling her as "not Russian enough."
Since winning the crown, Abdrazakova has had to endure an array of abusive messages from so-called "haters" who are angry that she won the title this year.
According to The Sun newspaper in the U.K., Abdrazakova's critics say that she is not Russian enough because her father is Tatar, a Russian ethnic minority, and she herself was born in Kazakhstan and not Russia itself.
The 18 year old Miss Russia winner had to endure numerous abusive comments on her Facebook page after the Miss Russia pageant. Many of the comments were so abusive and upsetting to the teenager that she has now closed down her social media account.
Abdrazakova has since said, "The nationality question – I don't really understand it, I don't understand why men would write to a young girl offensive things about her nationality … It humiliates first of all not me, but those people who write it. It was bizarre for me when men were writing things like that to me, I was surprised we have people of that sort here."
The Miss Russia winner has confirmed that she will not be put off from competing by her critics, and that she will compete in the Miss World contest representing Russia. She hopes that by competing and doing well she can turn some of her critics into fans and supporters.
Abdrazakova has said: "For many teenage girls Miss Russia will become a role model, a measure of beauty. Maybe some girls will look at me and get inspired by my experience to grow, to develop, to work hard. I hope they can see that in life you can reach something without big money."
Here is a video news report in Miss Russia 2013's win: