Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has widely been condemned as an act of unprovoked and unjustified aggression.
Most powerful nations of the world, including the United States, have authorised sanctions on Russia for its brutal assault that has entered a third day, leaving hundreds dead.
While the world has been protesting the 'needless conflict' a large number of Russians have also been taking to streets voicing their disapproval of Putin's act.
Several Russian sports stars and cultural figures have denounced Putin's reckless deployment. And notwithstanding a clamp down on public movements, thousands of Russians continue to agitate, in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and in no fewer than 50 other cities.
According to OVD-Info, a human rights media project, at least 2,490 Russians have been arrested for anti-war protests. But fists continue to raise before Kremlin.
Onmanorama reached out to a Russian citizen, who shares the sentiments of her compatriots who have been rallying against Putin. The woman, who for safety reasons, prefers to be addressed as 'M' is a teacher in Moscow.
Excerpts from an interview
• Hello, M, as a Russian citizen, do you approve of your government's invasion of Ukraine?
» There’s no way for me to know the real reason behind this invasion. But for me, war is never the answer. And this violence can’t be justified in my eyes.
• Although tensions were high between the countries for several years, this conflict escalated quickly. Did Russian people have any indication of things developing to an actual war?
» Personally, I never thought that a war will start. I never thought it would come to this. I think most people also thought that this would be the worst case scenario, but still very unlikely to happen.
• How is the relationship of ordinary Russians with Ukrainians?
» It’s a neighboring country, and we share our common history and heritage. Most Russian people have ties to Ukrainian people. For example, my grandfather was Ukrainian and I have Ukrainian friends. I’ve never been to Ukraine but I always wanted to go and see my grandfather’s native country. Visiting each other’s countries was not uncommon, especially for those who have relatives and friends in another country.
• The world is seeing thousands of Russians protesting, even near Kremlin. Who is organising these movements?
» I am glad the world is seeing this. I believe it was organized online, by people spreading the info. The government blocks key words like “protest”, so people came up with different names for it to spread the message. I think a lot of people had the urge to do it anyway, so the most important thing was letting each other know where and when.
• Many Russian celebrities living elsewhere are saying it is 'Putin's war, not Russia's'. Do you agree? Has Putin's popularity taken a beating because of this invasion?
» I agree. For us, loving our country is one thing, but what we feel towards the government is another. And I hope the world knows that no one asked for our opinion and most people don’t support this decision. His popularity was already declining (we have elections but they’re controlled by the government), but this felt like the last straw. Because most people never wanted this to happen.
• Western media and popular culture still portrays Russia as a villain. The state-sponsored doping row in sports and attacks on political rivals who take asylum elsewhere has given Russia a bad image. As a Russian, how do you see this?
» What can I say? It makes me sad. It’s sad that so many people have to suffer because of a decision made by a small powerful group.
• When Russians visit foreign countries, how is the level of acceptance? And do you think the wars and conflicts will/have affect/affected the image of Russia?
» I was never scared to say where I’m from. But now I think I will be. Honestly, I would be afraid of how others react, possibly in a negative way. I don’t want to be judged according to someone else’s decisions.
• What do you think countries like India and Pakistan that are friends with Russia should be doing when such conflicts emerge?
» I honestly don’t know. I just hope that people of India and Pakistan will treat Russian people with understanding. We are victims too, and we are not evil.