[Details] "I was detained by the police" Russians' anti-war voices

"I was detained if I opposed a military invasion,"

said a man living in Russia.

In Russia, there are people who continue to raise anti-war voices on SNS etc. under severe crackdown, and this man is one of them.

We talked about how he was detained, how it affected his life, and why he kept speaking.

Please tell me the situation when you were detained

[Mr. Alexei detained: Pseudonym]

There is a plaza in the city where I live, and there is a gathering every Saturday.

Unauthorized demonstrations have been banned in public places, so we're just gathering there to exchange opinions, but the police come every time.

So I put up a placard with a cross on the "Z" symbol that supports the Russian army, and soon the police came and picked up the placard and took me to a police car.

They may have been instructed to detain them as soon as they find a protest.

I didn't even have time to hold a placard.

How was the police response?

I was taken to the police station by police car.

The record was taken there.

I wrote in detail what I did and what law it violated.

The attitude of police officers seems normal, but some police officers were annoying that they had increased their jobs.

There are also police officers who consider me a traitor to Russia, who insult me ​​with dirty words and threaten to commit violence.

I spent a couple of hours at the police station.

In Russia you are not allowed to be detained for more than 3 hours.

After that, he was released.

No decision has been made yet, but fines will be imposed for damaging the credibility of the Russian army.

Normally it is about 30,000 rubles (about 50,000 yen in Japanese yen / as of April 23), but I have a leg disorder, so 15,000 rubles (25,000 yen in Japanese yen / April 23) At that point) I think it will be about.

(Russian average monthly income is about 56,000 rubles / as of 2021)

What is the impact on your life and life?

In fact, since 2020, when the local governor who was criticizing the Putin administration was arrested, I have been protesting against the administration.

He has been detained and fined several times for criticizing the government.

Since I started protesting the government, my friends have avoided me.

A classmate I studied with for many years removed me from my list of friends on social media.

When I asked him why, he didn't answer, but he seems to be worried that he might get into trouble.

Not just him alone, most of my friends have broken the connection with me.

That's why I stopped talking to my old friends.

What is a protest?

They gathered in the plaza and complained that the governor's arrest was unjustified and should be released, and sent out information criticizing the administration on SNS.

Although not as much as it is now, it has always been risky to raise criticisms and protests against the government.

There are risks such as being dismissed from work, reduced bonuses, and dropped out of school.

Still, there are people who are publicly protesting.

On the other hand, there are many people who want to speak up but cannot because of the high risk.

They show their thoughts and opinions by donating and supporting those who publicly protest like us.

In Russia, where the authorities are cracking down, many people are thus participating in the protest.

Donations are about 100 to 300 rubles per person (about 150 to 500 yen in Japanese yen / as of April 23), but many people sympathize with the activity and donate.

How will government regulations and crackdowns change after the invasion?

The biggest impact was that the government prevented people from browsing social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

In protest activities, we disseminated information through these SNSs and gained sympathy, so it became difficult to raise protests and connect with them because we could no longer use SNS.

The voice of support has also decreased.

Although there is a crackdown by the government, I feel that it is harder to find protests than before because these SNSs can no longer be used.

Currently, we are disseminating information on Russian SNS called Telegram and YouTube, but now we are most afraid that it will be blocked or the information will be deleted.

People will not be able to tell the truth, information will not be disseminated, and protests will be suppressed.

How to counter the government's speech control?

We show and connect with the will of protest so as not to be detained by the police and other authorities.

For example, some people have shown protests against the government by tying green ribbons (a mixture of yellow and blue) around the city to show solidarity with Ukraine.

In addition, some people dare to show their will to protest while distributing government propaganda leaflets in the city.

If you raise a placard, you will soon be found by the authorities and you will be detained or fined, so everyone is looking for different ways.

Sometimes we all get together and raise a voice of protest, but in that case, we try to change places in a short time.

The authorities can't track everything either.

Do you think raising a voice of protest will change the government?

It's best to be able to change government by protesting in Russia, but unfortunately in Russia today it will be difficult.

The way that can influence the government is from abroad.

I think many people think so.

First of all, of course, I think we have to change Putin, but even if Putin disappears, a dictator like him will appear and I think he is destined to repeat the same thing.

I have to change them all.

Why keep speaking when there is a risk?

You can't keep an eye on this situation, and you can't leave it alone.

At least I can't just stay home and do nothing.

Wouldn't it be strange to call a military invasion of Ukraine a "war" and be detained?

Looking at the devastation of Ukraine's Bucha, we cannot say that we are not protesting when this is happening.

I would like to show people in Russia the placards I made and encourage others to protest.

An independent media reporter came to the square to film where I was detained and spread it on the internet.

If you stand with a placard, the police will come and you will be detained immediately.

Therefore, it is important for many people to see it through the media.

To spread the truth.

Large independent media such as "Echo of Moscow" have been forced to shut down.

Little-known media remains, but I don't know how long it will last.

We have no choice but to pray for more activity by then so that they will not be forced into closure.