This is really interesting, which Eastern European countries is this if you don't mind me asking? I'm a Ukrainian who grew up speaking Russian because that's what was used in schools, and speak Russian regularly with other Ukrainians and others from Eastern Europe now (in a Nordic country). Now that Ukrainian refugees have been arriving, I hear many of them speaking Russian on public transport. Even those speaking Ukrainian still appreciate a Russian speaker approaching them to help if they look lost looking for their connection.
With so many Ukrainians having grown up speaking Russian due largely to the suppression of Ukrainian throughout history, but still with a fully Ukrainian identity, stigmatizing the language they speak seems like it'll just make their lives even harder. I am honestly surprised if this is the case, especially in Eastern Europe where people are very aware first hand of the pervasiveness of Russian regardless of the speaker's nationality or identity.
That's what I heard from some Ukrainians and locals in Lithuania. Some Russian speakers even getting some services refused.
My partner is helping a family who recently started looking for housing - the phone hangs up immediately after hearing Russian. There could be many reasons - people not wanting to deal with migrants, mixing up Ukrainian with Russian language or plainly not knowing either language. Most post-Soviet kids can't even tell the difference between two, let alone understand it.
For example, your profile says "Auckland", but you seem to be in Eastern Europe which is almost as far away as one can get from New Zealand.
(So far away, that I believe there are no nonstop flights between New Zealand and Europe because planes can't fly that distance non-stop with a full load of passengers and luggage.)
> So far away, that I believe there are no nonstop flights between New Zealand and Europe because planes can't fly that distance non-stop with a full load of passengers and luggage
I did some research few years ago when flights Sydney <> London were under consideration. There's def planes that can do Auckland <> Helsinki, Warsaw, Istanbul (decent hub) and maybe even Copenhagen. Trouble is for whatever reason airlines think they first need to serve UK first!
Personally, I'm having some time off from NZ until housing market normalises (lol).
+ construction work
+ some language style signs
p.s. wonder if Russian is also frowned upon nowadays in west. It's pretty much taboo here in Eastern Europe.