Hartford

‘The Ukrainian Lady': Downtown Hartford Bar Changes Name Amid Crisis

NBC Universal, Inc.

Hartford's Russian Lady is changing its name to "The Ukrainian Lady" amid the ongoing international conflict between the two countries.

The popular bar and nightclub destination announced the change on Facebook.

Many people came out Thursday night to celebrate the name change with music and drink specials.

"It is just a name. We don't support what Russia's doing and we feel really bad for the Ukrainian people. On one hand, it is just a name but that name has a lot of history for the city," said partner Jonathan Heggenhougen.

The bar said they are hoping to hold a fundraiser for Ukraine, but they want to make sure the funds are going to the appropriate people first.

"Anything we can do to band together, not only as a country but we're a business trying to survive in a tough time, especially the last couple of years. So anything we can do to stick together and show support, we'd love to do so," Heggenhougen said.

The bar was named "The Russian Lady" because the original partner's mother was Russian and growing up, when his friends would come over, they would refer to her as the Russian lady.

"The name kind of stuck for her as like a cute little nickname," Heggenhougen said.

They said they've received positive feedback on social media and people understand the change is in support of Ukraine.

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