Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Anastasia has created an anti-war message and started the day by posting it on the wall of the entrance to the apartment in the industrial city of Perm in the Urals. ..
"Don't believe the promotion you see on TV, read the independent media." Read one. "Violence and death have been going on for three months. Take care of yourself," another person reads.
She was afraid of her own safety and asked her to be identified only by her name, a 31-year-old teacher said, "Safe and easy to convey her message. He said he wanted a way.
"I couldn't do anything huge and public," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview, "I want people to think. And we I think we should influence every space in every way we can. "
Despite the massive government crackdown on such protests, some Russians , Even the simplest method has continued to speak against the aggression.
Some people have paid a lot. On an early winter day of the February invasion, authorities immediately subdued demonstrators and arrested those who marched or had blank signs or diagonal references to other conflicts. Important media was closed as the government tried to rule the story. Political opponents were elected by President Vladimirputin or a commentator on state television.
Outlawed the spread of "false information" about what the Kremlin called "special military operations", despised the army, opposed attacks, and committed atrocities by the Russian army. Has been done.
When the war was dragged into the gloomy days of Russia's summer, some people like Anastasia no more to oppose the aggression, even within the constraints of the new law. I feel guilty when I can't do anything.
When Russian troops moved to Ukraine on February 24, Anastasia said she first thought of selling all her possessions and moving abroad, but soon changed her mind. rice field.
"It's my country, why should I leave?" She told AP.
Moscow-based printer and artist Sergei Besov also felt unable to keep his silence. Prior to the invasion, a 45-year-old woman created a poster that reflected the political situation and pasted it around the capital.
When the Russians voted for constitutional amendment two years ago and Putin allowed Putin to seek another two terms after 2024, Besov used an old printing press to make a huge wooden piece. Using Cyrillic and vintage red ink, I printed a poster that briefly stated:
During the 2020 presidential election dispute in Belarus and the ensuing turmoil over the crackdown on protesters, he created a poster with the words "freedom" in Belarusian.
After the Ukrainian invasion, his project, Partisan Press, began creating posters, the main anti-war slogan "against war". The video of the poster in print became popular on Instagram and the demand for copies was so high that it was distributed free of charge.
After some of his posters were used in demonstrations on Red Square and some people displaying them were arrested, police said, "Inevitably to us. Will come, "said Besov.
They appeared when Besov wasn't there and accused two of his employees of printing the posters used and attending an unauthorized rally.
The incident lasted for more than three months, he said.
Besov stopped printing the "No to war" poster and asked for subtle messages such as "Fear is no excuse to do nothing."
He considers it important to continue his remarks.
"The problem is that you don't know where the line is drawn," Besov said. Some are specific, but others can fly under the radar. Where is this line? Very bad and very difficult.
Sasha Scotirenko, a 31-year-old artist and musician living in St. Petersburg, says she is a relatively safe way to disseminate information about fear, rather than staying under radar. It has a serious impact on the results of our thinking. Of War: She was detained for replacing five supermarket price tags with smaller price tags containing an anti-war slogan.
"Russian troops bombed Mariupol's art school. About 400 people were hiding from the bombardment," one read.
"Russian collections have been sent to Ukraine. The lives of our children are the price of this war," another said.
Scotirenko was really affected by the war, said her partner Sophia Subbotina.
"She had a friend in Kyiv, she evacuated to the subway and called her to talk about the horrors that were happening there," Subbotina told AP.
In 2020, Scotilenko taught acting and filmmaking at a children's camp in Ukraine, worried about how the conflict would affect ex-students.
"She was really afraid of these children. Their lives were at stake because of the war, bombs were falling on them, and she kept her silence. I couldn't, "said Subbotina.
Skochilenko faces up to 10 years in prison for disseminating false information about Russian troops.
"It was a shock to us that they filed a criminal case, which meant a huge sentence of 5 to 10 years," Subbotina said. murder. "
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Associated Press writer Francesca Ebel contributed.
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