Glen Cove Barbershop Ditches 'Moscow' Name Amid Ukraine Crisis

GLEN COVE, NY — Moscow Hairstyling, a barbershop that's been a mainstay in Glen Cove for more than 30 years, is ditching its name for something a little less inflammatory.

Amid the death and destruction brought by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Edward Gavriyelov has decided to call his business "Cove Hairstyling." The name change was first reported by LIHerald.com.

Gavriyelov, who took over the shop in 2014, told the news outlet that he made the changes for two reasons. First, he disliked Russian President Vladimir Putin. And second, he was against Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

"I just want to be far from this thing, because I am just not agreeing with what is going on over there," Gavriyelov said.

The barbershop's original owner, Slava Yabek, named the business Moscow Hairstyling to honor the city where he was born, according to LIHerald.com.

The outlet reports that Yabek knows about the name change and has no problem with it. The barbershop now belongs to Gavriyelov, he said.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine late last month, unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions in a move that could rewrite the world's geopolitical landscape.

Putin, who risks turning his country into an international pariah, said he authorized the pre-dawn attacks to protect people who have been "subjected to bullying and genocide" in Ukraine.

The West has dismissed Russia's accusations, with President Joe Biden calling them "baseless claims."

"Putin is the aggressor," Biden previously said. "Putin chose this war."

Leaders around the globe say Putin is attempting to redraw the map of Europe and resurrect the country's Cold War influence.

More than 1.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia launched an unprovoked attack on its European neighbor. UN refugee agency commissioner Filippo Grandi recently called it "the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II."