Have you ever heard about protests? You may have heard them on the news or read them in articles. Often people might regard them as a small quarrel between two forces. To be exact, a protest is a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something. Furthermore, citizens often are involved in protests to express their disapproval of the government or their specific policies. Since there is no definite form for protests, they are carried out in multiple ways in varying countries. Recently, many forms of protests took place globally.
Nonetheless, especially in Russia, there has been a very active protest against Vladimir Putin, who is the president of Russia. At the center of this protest, there is Alexei Navalny, a Russian political activist, and he has been criticizing the current Putin government and system of Russia. He has fought against Putin for more than a decade to overthrow him, thus the government has pressured him to stop him by giving threats. The incident began on January 17th, 2021, when Navalny returned to Russia after receiving treatment from Germany. For more information on why he got treatment, he was exposed to the deliberately exposed poison from someone who had hostility against him. He claimed that Putin, the Russian president, might be involved in such a scheme. On his return, the police were waiting for him at the airport and he was arrested. People reacted with anger for this dogmatic arrest. On January 23th, according to other sources, at least 110,000 people in 120 cities of Russia began participating in a protest for his release. The protests were not only about his release but the corrupt government under President Putin. People claimed that their taxes are not properly utilized in the government, and it is used to accumulate Putin’s wealth.
The protests are still ongoing even after a few months. If the government doesn’t address the issue properly, the protests could lead to countless injuries, deaths, and even to the collapse of Russia.
By: Hanseul Chang