A Black American woman who relocated to Russia to escape what she called pervasive racism in the U.S. has suffered a violent attack at the hands of racist neighbors in Moscow—a brutal contradiction to the safety she once praised.

Francine Villa, who appeared in the 2020 RT documentary "Black in the USSR," had declared at the time, "I feel free living in Russia, because in Russia, no matter what time it is, I can walk outside and I'm safe." But five years later, she posted a heartbreaking video detailing a racist assault against her and her baby, shattering that illusion, as reported by The New York Post. 

Villa, who was born in Russia and raised in the U.S. from a young age, moved to Moscow seeking refuge from American discrimination after an unsettling encounter with the police. She shared footage of her injuries after the attack, which she said was racially motivated. The assault adds cruel irony to her story, as she had previously lauded Russia as a racial haven compared to the U.S.

The attack underscores the global reality of racism, challenging Villa’s earlier claims that Russia offered true escape. In her video, she described the assault as a devastating betrayal, particularly because it happened in the country she believed would protect her.

Villa’s experience also contradicts the narrative pushed by Russian state media, which has often portrayed Russia as free of systemic racism, a claim her ordeal painfully disproves. The incident also raises questions about the safety of Black expatriates in Russia, where hate crimes against minorities have been documented but often downplayed by authorities.

This comes at a time when more Black Americans are aiming to leave the US as racism, inequity, and violence from the right are on the rise. 

Villa’s story serves as a grim reminder that racism knows no borders—and that the search for true refuge remains fraught with risk.