A diplomatic row has erupted in a Canberra social club over membership for the wife of the Russian ambassador.
High-profile members say they quit the Women's International Club because their concerns went unheard and its president labelled them "bigots".
Liana Myroschnychenko, wife of the Ukrainian ambassador, wants the club to postpone Irina Petrakova's membership.
An international diplomatic row has erupted and members have walked out of an historic Canberra social club over the organisation's decision to admit the wife of Russia's ambassador to Australia.
Liana Myroschnychenko — wife of Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroschnychenko — this month informed the Women's International Club (WIC) of her resignation as a member because she felt her concerns over the admittance of Irina Petrakova, wife of ambassador Mikhail Petrakov, went unheard.
"This is not about a Russian woman simply because she is Russian … This is about a specific individual — the spouse of the ambassador of a country that is, at this very moment, destroying my country and devastating the lives of my people," Ms Myroschnychenko wrote in a letter to the club's board and members.
"The argument that an ambassador's spouse is apolitical and has no connection whatsoever to the work of the Russian Embassy does not reflect the reality of diplomatic life."
