Call For Peace Marches In Russia

For the first time in six months, opposition groups in Russia want to demonstrate against the Kremlin's Ukraine policies and Moscow's propaganda machine. Observers on the ground look at the potential for protest.



On Sunday, September 21, peace marches are planned for Moscow and other major Russian cities. It has been announced that an estimated 50,000 people are expected to participate in the Russian capital alone, although it is unclear how many will actually turn up. It will be the first mass action by representatives of the opposition and civil groups against the interference of their country in Ukraine for half a year. In March 2014, reacting to the so-called "referendum" in Crimea on making the peninsula part of Russia, tens of thousands across the country took to the streets under the slogan "Hands off Ukraine."



Current surveys show, however, that a large majority of Russians still support the policy of the Kremlin towards Kyiv. Voices that question whether Moscow's actions are harmful not only for Ukraine but also for Russia are almost never heard publicly.



Passivity and Propaganda



According to the independent Russian pollster Levada Center, more than 80 percent of Russians would absolutely not participate in mass protests, even if they were taking place in their regions. Human rights activists and opposition members say this is the result of a successful fight on the part of the state against any kind of protest movement. Aggressive propaganda from the Kremlin has ensured this "success".







"The people are fooled by means of agitation and propaganda. A militaristic hysteria of the Ukraine conflict is being imposed in the country ", Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov said in an interview with