When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, an image began to appear on social media: It was a photo of the Russian poet Pushkin, along with the number 7 and lines from the emoji with the man walking.
For those who knew, the message was clear: Where (Pushkin Square, Moscow), when (at 7) and a call for protest against the government’s decision to invade.
The Russians have been using the emojis code for years to talk about demonstrations. Which code is so familiar to everyone that the authorities know it.
Unauthorized demonstrations have been banned in Russia since 2014, and anyone caught breaking the rules is punished with up to 15 days in jail for their first offense and up to five years in prison for those who repeat the same offense.
Since then, activists have used code phrases to organize themselves online. “Let’s go for a walk in the center” or “It’s nice weather for a walk”, writes in the messages sent to her friends by Maria, who spoke to the BBC.
Otherwise, the consequences can be serious. Alexander took part in a demonstration in Moscow after writing about it on social media. The next morning, police officers arrested him outside his partner’s house and took him to the local police station. They detained him for several days and forced him to sign a document saying he did what his authorities rejected.
On February 24, a woman wrote on Twitter: “I have not walked to the center in a long time”, in response to another tweet that spoke more clearly about the demonstration. Five days later, he was arrested on the train. She believes she was spotted using face recognition software activated on the Moscow metro. At her trial, a document was presented containing her tweet, in which it appeared that the authorities had taken a screenshot almost immediately after she posted it.
Nearly 14,000 people have been detained by Russian authorities since the start of the war, mainly for taking part in demonstrations, according to OVD-Info. So far, most are kept for a few hours or days.
A law that has been in force in Russia since March 4, however, which the government says aims to tackle fake news about the military, carries penalties of up to 15 years.
Now, young people are afraid to write on social media, says Maria. After all, after the independent media were shut down, Facebook was blocked and TikTok was restricted, access to information has been reduced. And people judge themselves by fear. On Instagram, the posts are now 10 times less, while many close their social media accounts completely, for fear of penalties.
moneyreview.gr with information from BBC
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