On January 23 and January 31, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Russia. In response, the authorities unleashed an unprecedented wave of violence and repression: more than 12,000 detained, thousands beaten and arrested. There was a time when Putin at least pretended to have a constructive agenda and a vision for the future. Now all that remains are the batons of the OMON riot police. Putin has decided to make fear his main—and only—weapon. That means we need to arm ourselves with something stronger than fear. Solidarity. Mutual support. And, of course, love. On January 23 and 31, tens of millions of people watched those who went out into the streets. They watched and sympathized. We, the opponents of Putin, have long since become the majority. He has simply placed chains of OMON riot police between us to make it harder for us to unite and see how many of us there really are. So we looked for a way to overcome that. To hold an action that OMON definitely could not disrupt, one that everyone could join without fear. The idea was suggested to us by Alexei Navalny, when he made a heart sign to Yulia in the courtroom. And also by the people of St. Petersburg, who, after filling all of Gorokhovaya Street on January 31, raised their phones with flashlights into the air.
We are asking all residents of Russia’s major cities to do one simple thing on the evening of February 14, at exactly 8:00 p.m. Go out into your courtyard. Turn on your phone flashlight, raise it high, and stand there for a few minutes. The first person will feel a little scared and awkward, but the rest will not. Did you think you were the only person in your building who cares about what is happening in the country and disagrees with the authorities’ repression? You will realize that is not true when your neighbors come down to join you. The action will end at 8:15 p.m. No OMON, no fear. It may seem to you that these 15 minutes will change nothing—but in fact, they will change everything. Why is this action so important? Millions of people watched the film about Putin’s palace. Over the past six months, millions have seen who Vladimir Putin really is. They learned about his attempt to kill Navalny and to beat with batons everyone who is outraged by it. What is happening has opened people’s eyes; they are ready to turn away from Putin. We need to help them, to support them on the path toward clarity and understanding of how things really stand. A person who has only just begun to grasp what Putin has managed to do to Russia over twenty years in power is not ready to immediately go to a rally or even vote for the candidates endorsed by “Smart Voting” (an opposition tactical voting strategy), however much we might want that. That person needs support. They need to understand that they are not alone in this realization. Right now, we are seeing an incredible influx of such people—those who are uncertain, who sympathize with us, who have turned away from Putin. We cannot afford to push them away—we need to welcome them and help them. By demonstrating solidarity and love.
Many people understandably have questions right now. We answer some of them in this video:
You can already tell your neighbors about this action by printing out and posting a flyer in your building entrance, which you can download in black-and-white or color.
So, what should I do if I live outside the city? In a private house? — Come to friends in a district center or a large city and join them there. How will this action affect Putin, and will it affect him at all? — Putin hates the people and their solidarity against him. But there is no need to expect a single action after which he will simply run away. We are working for the long term, and right now it is important to think about how to peacefully unite even more opponents of Putin. But you yourselves said there would be no actions until spring. And now you are announcing a new one—how does that work? — We saw insane violence and cruelty and understood that Putin is ready to suppress peaceful protest. At the same time, his willingness to crack down depends entirely on numbers: the more people come out, the fewer violent dispersals there are. That is why we are preparing a major street action for the spring—we will announce it soon. But in the meantime, nothing prevents us from holding actions in other formats that avoid confrontation with OMON riot police. Flashlights are nonsense—we need to act differently! — We do not have a monopoly on protest, and we are not stopping anyone from doing what they think is right. Let people protest in whatever format they prefer. What we are proposing now does not mean we are abandoning other forms of action. But right now, we want to demonstrate solidarity and overcome the fragmentation of everyone who dislikes Putin and his regime. And what else can be done before taking part in the action? — As always, try to involve as many people as possible. Tell your friends and acquaintances about it on social media and in person. And also put up flyers in your building entrance. Let people know that a solidarity action is taking place in their courtyard. Love is stronger than fear. Light is stronger than darkness. Let’s unite to win!