NewsRussian man stages daring protest against Putin's nuclear exercises

Russian man stages daring protest against Putin's nuclear exercises

An old man from Perm began his protest against Putin alone
An old man from Perm began his protest against Putin alone
Images source: © X | perm36
Kamil Różycki

18 May 2024 19:12

It has long been known that not everyone in Russia agrees with the current government. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these people choose to remain silent due to the brutal treatment of Kremlin opponents. An elderly Russian man broke this trend by starting a one-man protest.

A few weeks ago, Vladimir Putin was sworn in for another term. During this time, he repeatedly proved that he is capable of destroying almost any opponent of his policies. Among the victims were Alexei Navalny, who died, and Boris Nemtsov, who was brutally killed near the Kremlin.

The escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2022, also showed another dark side of Putin. On his orders, in the first days of the war, protests by dissenting Russians were brutally suppressed throughout Russia. Consequently, many were expelled from their jobs or universities.

It is no wonder that Vladimir Putin has managed to almost completely intimidate this multimillion-strong nation. Nevertheless, there are still a few people who are not afraid to express their disapproval of the Kremlin's actions. Among them is undoubtedly one elderly man who decided to stage a one-man protest.

He had the courage to protest directly to Vladimir Putin

The man directed his protest directly at the President of the Russian Federation. On a small white card, he wrote, "Mr. Putin! Are nuclear exercises a diplomatic panic?" This is a reaction to the increasing number of exercises involving nuclear weapons, which are meant to be a kind of scare tactic towards the West.

The stance of this 78-year-old man is commendable. Few people in a police state dare to send such a strong message. His considerable bravery is further emphasised by the fact that many Russians were imprisoned for at least several years for similar acts of rebellion.

It is unknown what happened to this elderly man afterwards. It is possible that even if the authorities did not react decisively, other Russians might have taken justice into their own hands. After all, the country has no shortage of those who treat Vladimir Putin with obsessive admiration.