Ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started almost three weeks ago, several hundred and thousands of Russians themselves have been protesting against the act.
President Vladimir Putin and his government have been putting up bans and censors left and right, trying to liit as much free speech and information as possible, making it next to impossible for the Russian people to learn what is actually happening in Ukraine.
Most of the channels, internet sites and more are all state-run at this point, speaking out only authorised content and nothing else. However, that has not stopped some brave Russians from trying to get the truth out there and speak their mind.
As per a recent report by Al Jazeera OVD-Info has reported more than 14,000 arrests being made in the country in relation to anti-war protests.
Then how are Russians evading arrest while still continuing to protest against the war?
How Are Russians Evading Arrest?
On March 4th, 2022, the Kremlin had passed the law of “criminalising independent war reporting and protests against the war” the punishment for trying to do so could include 15 years of jail time.
Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith stated that “It’s very difficult for people to go to the streets and protest,” and that “Anyone trying to go out or looking like a protester has been violently dragged away.”
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But this does not mean that Russians have stopped protesting, instead, they are just finding round-about ways in order to evade arrest while still continuing to oppose the war. They are doing so by using codes, specific emojis and more in order to get the message out but also get by the censorship and surveillance that they are under.
Emoji
The Pushkin code is being used a lot, wherein people put an image of Russian poet Pushkin, the number 7 all surrounded by the walking man emoji. The meaning of this code goes like, Pushkin stands for Pushkin Square, in Moscow, the 7 is the time of the protest and the emoji is a call for action against the government.
The most popular emoji for protesting right now is the walking man emoji, and a group of them being sent is for a collection of people to protest.
Code Words
Certain code words or phrases have become popular for Russian anti-war protesters.
Beyond emojis, code phrases like “Let’s go for a walk to the centre,” or, “The weather is great for a walk,” are also used as a way to not have actual evidence of someone attending a protest. If someone is sent this message along with a time, then it is code for them planning to attend a protest.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature Image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: BBC, Firstpost, Al Jazeera
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: anti-war protesters, anti-war protesters russia, russia anti-war, russia protesters, Russia ukraine, Russia ukraine invasion, russia anti-war, russia protesters arrest, russia protesters emoji, russia protesters arrest, russia protesters evade arrest, russia protesters code words, walking man emoji, russia censors, emoji, pushkin emoji, Russian Protesters
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