Activists in Russia figured out a way to dodge censorship while urging citizens to vote against President Vladimir Putin next year. They posted billboards disguised as New Year’s greetings.
The Anti-Corruption Foundation paid for billboards in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian cities. They read “Russia” and “Happy New Year.”
But a internet address and QR code on the signs led to a website titled “Russia without Putin.” It encourages voters to oppose the longtime Russian leader in the March 17 presidential election.
It seems unlikely the agency that put up the billboards checked the website ahead of time. Several billboards were swiftly removed on Thursday.
Ivan Zhdanov is the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s director. The organization was founded by imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. “We understand that free and fair elections in Russia . . . unfortunately do not exist,” Zhdanov says. He acknowledges the campaign is unlikely to kick Putin out of office. But the goal is to show disapproval of his leadership.
From prison, Navalny urges Russians to vote for anyone but Putin.
“For Putin, the 2024 elections are a referendum to approve his actions, to approve the war,” Navalny said in an online statement. “Let’s disrupt his plans and make it happen so that no one on March 17 is interested in the rigged result, but that all of Russia [sees and understands]: the will of the majority is that Putin must leave.”
On Friday, 71-year-old Putin announced his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. He has twice amended the constitution, giving him the ability to stay in power until his mid-80s. He is already the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Two candidates besides Putin so far have announced plans to run. Those are former lawmaker Boris Nadezhdin and Yekaterina Duntsova, a journalist and lawyer. Other Kremlin-friendly candidates are also expected to run. But Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told Russian media group RBC that “theoretically, [elections] don’t even need to be held. Because it is already obvious that Putin will be elected.”
The website linked to the billboard campaign asks Russians to convince 10 people to vote against Putin. Efforts to convince others might include cold-calling people, posting on social media, drawing graffiti, and distributing leaflets.
“Right now, people wouldn’t dare to do that,” Abbas Gallyamov says. The Russian political consultant refers to the government’s crackdown on dissent. It has silenced independent media and imprisoned Kremlin critics and anti-war activists.
Still, the campaign may tap into frustration Russians feel with Putin. The actions of Navalny’s team might generate a “wave of anti-Putin voting” if the team “is joined by enough activists and becomes really visible both online and offline,” Gallyamov says.
If that were to happen, Gallyamov expects the Kremlin to “falsify” the vote. But the more people abstain or vote for another candidate, that’s more of a hassle for election-riggers.
