Russian offensive Ukraine The persecution of dissident voices has intensified in Russia. Among those who criticize the Russian ruling party, prominent names such as Alekséi Navalny, Vladimir Kara-Murzá and even nationalists such as Igor Girkin, nicknamed the ‘gunman’ of Donbas, come to mind. But besides the big names, anyone who protested was subjected to public ridicule, arrest, job loss, expulsion from university, and fines and possible prison sentences. Therefore, most of those who had the opportunity to leave their home country chose to go to neighboring countries such as Kazakhstan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Georgia, among others. And the most militant ones realized that they could also work to change Russia from the outside.
In Lithuania, the Russian community is organizing to help each other and also try keep your finger on the pulse To the power of the Kremlin. The bohemian center of the city, in the heart of the Užupis neighborhood VilniusIn addition to supporting exiles and displaced independent media, they also come together to carry out cultural activities. The documentary ‘Moscow Revolt’ is shown, which tells about the activities of an anarchist group that participated in the protests against Putin in 2011.
The moderator of the ensuing discussion is Konstantin Fomin, one of the group’s leading voices in Vilnius. He has previously worked as a press officer for the Greenpeace NGO in Russia. “We decided to leave the country when we saw the direction it could take in the following months and years (…) from an authoritarian state to a dictatorship pure and simple,” de Catalunya of the Ibérica Press Group explains to El Periódico. “[El Gobierno] shut down all independent media and there is only one version It is easy to convince millions of people of the truth. Additionally, they also launch conflicting information “Maintaining the flow of information from outside“For those who cannot leave the country and have limited opportunity to listen to alternatives, it is something they do by supporting independent media working from abroad.
Go out to show
Inside TallinnEstonia’s capital city, the Reform area, is one of the places where the opposition is governed from exile. One of its members, Nikolai Artemenko, recalls that he, too, was detained a few days after the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022. “I was then held in preventive detention for 14 days.” When he was released from prison, he decided it was time to take his personal belongings and leave the country. He has been an active member of the Reformum community ever since.
At its headquarters, all kinds of posters Against and for the Russian regime make up Ukraine, that they use in themselves Call for demonstration and protestAmong them are those held in front of the Russian embassy, where some Ukrainian flags were displayed, as well as all kinds of posters mocking Putin and calling for the attack to be stopped. Reformum is a civil organization that has been trying to open public debate since 2020. The changes Russia needsLike the detainees, he received the support of important figures among the Russian dissidents. Vladimir Kara-Murzapolitical scientist Ekaterina Schulman – Branded a foreign agent by Russian authorities – or a member of Navalny’s team Leonid Volkov, among many other names. On October 1, an open-air exhibition was opened in the center of Tallinn, containing images of Russian reprisals, with the aim of publicizing the situation in the country.
support from the Caucasus
Nikita lives in Georgia and says he left Russia because “The authorities say that if you’re against Putin, you’re against Russia,” and he believes he can do it from the outside.”Help opposition protest and organizeThe protests he participated in overlap with other Russians, as well as Belarusians, Georgians and Ukrainian refugees, who are opponents of the current regime in their country. He participated in symbolic actions such as burning Putin’s doll. An action symbolizing protest against the Russian president.
Other Russian residents Tbilisi They even chose collect food and money Sending them to Ukraine knowing they could be harshly judged as traitors in their home country. Maksim, not his real name, explains that he does not plan to return to Russia “until the dictatorship ends.” He states that he will continue to support Ukraine “as much as possible” until then. He prefers to remain anonymous because “people who can’t go out“.