One‑man protestor challenges Putin with daring message
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 older Russian man decided to break 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 he is capable of destroying almost any opponent of his policies. Among the casualties 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. It was on his orders that in the first days of the war, protests by dissenting Russians were brutally suppressed throughout Russia. Consequently, many of them were expelled from their jobs or universities.
It is no wonder that Vladimir Putin has managed almost completely to 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 emphasized by the fact that for similar acts of rebellion, many Russians were imprisoned for at least several years.
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.
