The voice of the Russian opposition has long been silenced. And the deployment of troops in Ukraine is not only To make pressure about any discontent, protest or desire for change. Many opponents are already out of the game. There are big names in the opposition such as Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Andrei Pivovarov. in prison. Others, such as Lyubov Sobol, are Leonid Volkov or Mijáil Khodorkovsky, pending punishment in Russia. abroad.
this is how you see Vadim Kobzev, a collaborator with Navalny’s team, but explains that “when the war began, opposition in Russia was virtually destroyed.” He explains that it’s gotten worse in recent months. “Political activists harassed by the police for speaking out against the war. They were threatened, imprisoned, investigated,” he says. He claims that many, including himself, were “forced to leave Russia”. Kobzev, like many dissidents in Georgia, young people who do not want to go to the front, and independent journalists.
The last arrest of a rival took place this week, when police arrested the former mayor of Yekaterinburg. Yevgueni RoizmanHe is accused of discrediting the Army for publicly criticizing the military campaign in Ukraine, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
silenced voices
this independent media they had struggled for years with restrictions such as the foreign agents law. This allows authorities to tag people who may have received money from other countries. This term has connotations The Cold War very negative about traitors Y infiltrating agents from hostile countries.
And some of the few independent media resisting in the country this year have been shut down. closed echo radio Moscow and its place on the spectrum now Radio Sputnik, state official. drew the blind Dozhd channelbroadcasting the ballet in its final moments Swan Lakeone for the russians political agitation symbol – Removed during the 1991 coup Mikhail Gorbachev-. Newspaper media zone left the country. Novaya NewspaperLed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitri Muratovhas temporarily suspended its activity after receiving numerous notifications from the Russian authorities. Working from the European Union, it was reorganized abroad.
In addition to official repression, Muratov himself was subjected to threats and attacks. Stickers like “Jewish pig” were affixed to its door, and while traveling by train, it was attacked with red paint.
riot battalions
The pressure for ordinary Russians also increased. draw one banner It means being arrested within seconds, as in the case of Oleg Orlov, who was arrested on April 10 in Red Square. He wrote on a piece of paper: “Our reluctance and silence to know the truth make us complicit.” This was the case before the so-called “special military operation” of the Russian ruling party began. But nowadays it is enough to carry a sign with an asterisk, a blank or “invisible” banner to be stopped by Russian security forces.
Protesters like Yekaterina – a fictitious name to protect her identity – explains she went to one of the protest calls in early March. Peace. Arrived later than the time stated in the interview. “There was only the police, not a single protester,” he says. Therefore, he chose to leave the venue, pretending that he had nothing to do with the protest.
And groups of armored police are waiting for any protest in the nerve centers of the most important cities of Russia. Corners of the heart of Moscow, such as Red Square or Novi Arbat boulevard, are home to countless agents ready to attempt any protest. In March, it was common for them to block anyone who seemed suspicious from asking for their documents.
Source: Informacion
