More than 13,000 demonstrators have been detained across 49 cities and roughly 3,000 have been arrested as a result of anti-war protests across Russia, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights organization created to combat political persecution.
The extent of these protests speaks volumes about the initial shock and human price of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as movements of political opposition tend to be fatal in Russia. Boris Nemstov, a politician that was outspoken on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 was assassinated in 2015 and Aleksei Navalny, a critic of the Kremlin that sparked nationwide protests in 2021 accused the government of poisoning him with novichok, a soviet-era nerve agent.
Most protestors have kept an extremely low profile and those who have come forward to news outlets outside of Russia have asked to be identified only by their first name. There are lofty risks for protesting in Russia. Depending on the charges, protestors can face fines of 10,000 to 20,000 roubles, nearly £71-140 euros and at least 15 days in jail or a period of ‘correctional labor’ according to the Code of Administrative Offenses. Many of those arrested risk never being seen again by their family, friends or the public.
Even some oligarchs have come forward calling for peace such as Mikhail Fridman, a billionaire who was born in Ukraine, and Oleg Deripaska, founder of Basic Element industrial group. Fridman called the war a ‘tragedy’ and that fighting cannot be the answer. Deripaska even used his own telegram channel to call for peace talks to begin.
none of them have called out Putin directly and many Oligarchs who have disagreed with the invasion have stayed anonymous. One of Fridman’s business partners, Pyotr Aven attended a meeting the week prior to the invasion along with several other businessmen and he announced all the businessmen remained silent. One oligarch who has remained anonymous reiterated, “It is going to be catastrophic in all senses: for the economy, for relations with the rest of the world, for the political situation.”
Approximately 1,200 journalists, students and faculty at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, a prestigious institution affiliated with the ministry of foreign affairs sent several appeals and an open letter directly to Vladimir Putin. The letter was not only emotional to the relationships many Russians have with Ukraine but also the subsequent generations of Russians who will feel economic deviation from the war and future diplomats who will spend decades repairing relationships in the west and beyond.
Diplomats haven’t dared to publicly speak up against the Kremlin but surprisingly Oleg Anisimov, head of the delegation to a United Nations meeting on climate change offered an apology, “let me thank Ukraine and present an apology on behalf of all Russians who were not able to prevent this conflict. All of those who know what is happening fail to find any justification for this attack against Ukraine.”
However, many Russians still have no idea what’s going on, particularly those older than 44 who still tune into state-run news channels. Russia has been cracking down on independent news media for years and has labeled them as ‘foreign agents.’
Access to web pages have been blocked and the state requires a disclaimer telling viewers that these independent news channels are foreign agents, signaling that any media content that disagrees with the interests of the Kremlin should not have the space to share their opinions to the Russian people.
While older populations in Russia still rely on state-run news channels for information, Russia’s youth get more of their news from independent sources. The future of protestors and Russia itself remain uncertain.
