Anti-war Protest in Russia

People in Russia are not able to protest peacefully without fear of reprisals. A week into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia introduced war censorship laws to make criticism the invasion a grave offence. Two years on, many people are serving lengthy prison sentences for peaceful anti-war dissent.

War Censorship Laws

Russia’s war censorship laws, introduced in March 2022, criminalized criticism of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and of war crimes committed by Russian forces, as “fakes” and “discreditation” of the Russian Armed Forces (Articles 207.3 and 280.3 of the Criminal Code), carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment.

The laws led to an exodus of independent media and activists from Russia and a crackdown on any form of anti-war dissent. Even calling the war “a war” instead of a “special military operation” is considered a crime.

Two years after the adoption of the war censorship laws, people in Russia continue to protest against the war in Ukraine. However, the Russian authorities are determined to shut them down completely. In 2023 the number and length of prison sentences for anti-war posts on social media increased. In 2024, a new law was introduced to allow confiscation of the property of people who were charged under the war censorship laws.

Russia must repeal these repressive laws and immediately release all those imprisoned for raising their voices against the war of aggression. Help us protect the protest.

Protesters

Despite the severe punishments, people in Russia continue to protest against the war in Ukraine. However, the Russian authorities are determined to shut down dissent completely. Many people are imprisoned for anti-war protest. You can show your solidarity by sending a personal message to some of them here.

DMITRY SKURIKHIN

Dmitry Skurikhin painted the front of his village shop in north-west Russia with anti-war messages and continued to protest after being fined. In August 2023 he was sentenced to 18 months in a penal colony.

VLADIMIR RUMYANTSEV

Vladimir Rumyantsev built a portable radio station to transmit uncensored news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian authorities tracked the source of the radio signal and he was sentenced to three years in prison.

Reprisals

In 2024, people in Russia are not able to protest peacefully without fear of reprisals. This didn’t happen overnight. Most legislative amendments used to curtail the right to the freedom of peaceful assembly in Russia were introduced after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014. Later, the Covid-19 pandemic was used as a pretext to enforce a ban on assemblies in major cities across Russia that is still in place today.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drastically reshaped the civic space for protest in Russia. Over 20,000 individuals have been subjected to severe reprisals for their anti-war positions. Protesters continue to face reprisals even in custody – some are denied healthcare they require or are subjected to forced psychiatric treatment, placed in isolation, or receive new arbitrary charges. There are cases of anti-war protesters being deprived of, or threatened with, the removal of their parental rights.

The Russian government’s crackdown on freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression aims to eliminate peaceful protest Those who defend these rights have been facing reprisals too. Journalists and independent monitors have been silenced in order to prevent reporting of protests.

Amnesty International works to protect the protest in Russia and globally.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ArbdHEQLo&t=1s