The spouses of the ambassadors of Ukraine, Italy and Estonia in Australia left the women's club in Canberra after the wife of the Russian ambassador was accepted into the organization. This is reported by Politico. According to the publication, the president of the WIC, Sandy Kane, explained that the club accepted Petrokova after receiving legal advice that denying her membership because of her country of origin would be a violation of discrimination laws. The wife of the ambassador of Ukraine, Liana Miroshenchenko, opposed this decision, saying that her objection concerns Petrakova's role as a representative of Russia, and not her citizenship. "The point is not that the Russian woman is only Russian, but that she is in Australia, and represents the country that killed my cousin, burned my friend alive, took the lives of many of my friends from school and university," Miroshnichenko wrote. Miroshnichenko noted that Petrakova "represents a Russia that kills, injures, commits sexual violence and subjects people to horrific torture." Myroshanchenko's wife's protest was supported by the wives of the ambassadors of Italy and Estonia, as well as the EU ambassador to Australia Lawrence Meredith. "The European Union cannot allow any normalization of Russia's brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine," she said, noting that the bloc is "deeply disappointed." WIC was founded in 1964 and claims to have "more than 300 members representing more than 50 countries." There are no value-based criteria for joining the organization; Membership is described as a "privilege" granted for regular participation in club activities such as bridge, mahjong, tennis, book clubs and language groups. In 2017–2018, the vice president of the club was Irina Lugbinova, the wife of the then Russian ambassador Grigory Lugbinov.

The spouses of the ambassadors of Ukraine, Italy and Estonia in Australia left the women's club in Canberra after the wife of the Russian ambassador was accepted into the organization. This is reported by Politico. According to the publication, the president of the WIC, Sandy Kane, explained that the club accepted Petrokova after receiving legal advice that denying her membership because of her country of origin would be a violation of discrimination laws. The wife of the ambassador of Ukraine, Liana Miroshenchenko, opposed this decision, saying that her objection concerns Petrakova's role as a representative of Russia, and not her citizenship. "The point is not that the Russian woman is only Russian, but that she is in Australia, and represents the country that killed my cousin, burned my friend alive, took the lives of many of my friends from school and university," Miroshnichenko wrote. Miroshnichenko noted that Petrakova "represents a Russia that kills, injures, commits sexual violence and subjects people to horrific torture." Myroshanchenko's wife's protest was supported by the wives of the ambassadors of Italy and Estonia, as well as the EU ambassador to Australia Lawrence Meredith. "The European Union cannot allow any normalization of Russia's brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine," she said, noting that the bloc is "deeply disappointed." WIC was founded in 1964 and claims to have "more than 300 members representing more than 50 countries." There are no value-based criteria for joining the organization; Membership is described as a "privilege" granted for regular participation in club activities such as bridge, mahjong, tennis, book clubs and language groups. In 2017–2018, the vice president of the club was Irina Lugbinova, the wife of the then Russian ambassador Grigory Lugbinov.