Several Montreal Russians gathered outside the Russian consulate on Sunday to publicly express their support for Ukrainians and to protest the war that Putin initiated, despite fears of reprisals for their families who remained in their country of origin.
“Besides supporting Ukraine, I think it is very important to mobilize against the war and against Putin, for everyone who cannot do that in Russia,” explains Olga Babina, a Russian activist.
Olga Babine
organizer
On the initiative of the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance (RCDA), dozens of people gathered in front of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation on Sunday to commemorate the victims of the war.
Several portraits of Ukrainian victims were posted at the entrance to the consular building, and almost all members of the Russian community wore the Ukrainian flag on their shoulders.
“It’s much more difficult to demonstrate against the war in Russia, we have to do it for them,” says Vladimir Pimonov, who traveled from Russia last January to study. The protest against the regime exists, it was very visible at the beginning of the war. But repression eventually silenced opponents. »
OVD-Info, an independent Russian organization, lists 19,335 anti-Putin activists detained in Russia since the invasion began on February 24.
Risky, even from afar
However, the organizers admitted their disappointment at not having been able to bring more people together.
“Even if we are allowed to demonstrate freely in Canada, it is still very risky for Russians to take part in such an event,” says Olga Babina. It is not an unfounded fear, there is real reprisal for our families who stayed there, who could be imprisoned. My parents are being taken hostage in Russia. »
“Silence is not a solution,” said Vladimir Pimonov. Putin has been in power for 22 years, and silence has led to war. »
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