THEATER DISTRICT, Manhattan (PIX11) – They’ve been boycotted and vandalized for the food they sell, but that didn’t stop a Russian restaurant in New York from raising money for Ukraine on Sunday.

There is a sign on the front door of the Russian Samovar making it clear to customers how the staff feels: “Stand By Ukraine. No war.”

Most of the restaurant staff are actually from Ukraine. Despite, Russian Samovar’s business dropped by 60% at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The door to the restaurant was smashed in and hate-filled calls, emails and social media called out the Russian-born owner, married to a Ukrainian, a Nazi.

“Coming from a Jewish background, being called a Nazi is something that I find very hurtful,” owner Vlada Von Shats told PIX11 News. “When this restaurant opened in the 80s during the Cold War, we had Russophobia. They called us commies and now they call us Nazis.

But the tide is turning as regular customers return and new ones show their support.

“The Russian people are against what their president is doing,” said Lucille Prevete, a new customer from Long Island. “And the food is out of this world.”

The Russian Samovar held a fundraiser on Sunday for family and friends of suffering staff in Ukraine. The restaurant pianist’s niece, a 36-year-old mother of three, was killed in the early days of this war.

“They bombed a village near the airport,” said Andrey Solodenko, a Ukrainian-born pianist. “She worked there in the army. The first bomb got it.

Other restaurants across the city are also during their game. At Veselka, a Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village, they collect donations and 100% of their borscht proceeds go to Ukraine. At Russian Samovar, they were expecting a sold-out crowd Sunday at 4 p.m. with a $40 cover charge.

“We want to help family, friends and loved ones,” said Valery Zhmud, a Ukrainian violinist. “It’s very important right now.”