OutNewsGlobal has been contacted directly by a Moscow-based, Russian LGBTQ activist who has played an integral part in organising protests in the Russian capital against President’s Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The direct message, sent via the “contact us” tab on OutNewsGlobal, is transcribed below as follows:
“Dear OutNewsGlobal. My name is Iulia and I am part of the LGBT community in Moscow. Tonight we have been on an antiwar protest in Moscow and watched police attack many protestors.
“Please tell the world that many Russian people including LGBT stand with Ukraine [and] are against Putin and we thank the British for their support of our Ukraine friends. LGBT community also face violence and discrimination from Russian government. Please tell [the] United Kingdom that Putin’s actions are not in our name.”
We should emphasise that we have been unable to verify the source of this message in accordance with customary journalistic standards. The sender did not leave her surname, perhaps out of fear of being identified by the Russian authorities who, as Iulia mentions in her message, have long harassed and oppressed Russia’s LGBT community, and Russian state regulators have placed heavy restrictions on social media. That said, the m
As UK broadcasters have been showing, President Putin’s actions have by no means been universally welcomed in the Russian Federation, with heavy-handed police having made thousands of arrests at protests and demonstrations in towns and cities across the country.
