April 11, 2022

Protesting Horror


Protesting Horror
Protesting near the Kremlin walls. Telegram, Holodmedia

Even as free speech continues to suffer under President Putin, Russians have found creative ways to voice their distaste for the war and its ensuing atrocities in Ukraine.

The "Bucha-Moscow" protest is one example of a new form of protest appearing in Russia. During the protest a man is seen lying on the ground, hands tied behind his back, and is pictured with his head covered by a black wool hat. The protests are done in well-known parts of Moscow, such as Red Square, the bridge near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (the main Orthodox cathedral in Russia), and the Old Arbat.

Activists have also taken to protesting inside grocery stores in a way that is both obvious and hidden. The activists put a new price tag next to the original. Along with a different price written on the tag, there is also text above it describing its meaning revealing the true effects of the war, such as recent inflation rates and the number of people killed in a recent Mariupol bombing raid.

While it is of course difficult to account for exactly how many Russians object to the war, protests like these reveal that there is an undercurrent of dissent.

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