Issue 1. March 2025

Revolution

Almost in each interview journalists ask me: What can/must Russians do now? I am not a politician but I leave my answer from the last interview here:

A popular answer to such a question is: “Go to the streets and protest!” I have a different opinion; I think that in the 21st century street protest has become a decorative act. It is such a peaceful theatrical show that allows the crowd to let off steam. Later, the crowd will get tired or dispersed by police. Everything is under the control of the authorities from the beginning.

I say this as a participant of the large Moscow protests that lasted during all 2012, and as a participant of the peaceful Belarusian Revolution in 2022. In Belarus, probably 80% of the citizens protested, people there were beaten, raped, tortured, and dozens of protesters were killed. Now I live in Berlin, where all kinds of rallies are taking place. People are not being dispersed, but I don’t see the results of these rallies.

I think, instead of looking for dialogue with the authorities (a protest is also an attempt of a dialogue) it is better right now to do what you find useful and helpful. For example, even in Putin’s Russia there are people who donate political prisoners, help Ukrainian refugees, develop underground culture, in one word: creating an independent universe which doesn’t cross to the universe of Putin’s regime. This is how the USSR collapsed, without any revolutions—just nobody believed in communist ideas, everyone lived in a parallel world with other ideas, dreams and goals.