State Silencing as a Tool to Suppress Russians’ Civil Resistance to the War with Ukraine

Abstract

The 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine brought back to the main political stage questions about the state of Russian society. Research and history show that civil nonviolent resistance can change countries’ policies, overthrow authoritarian regimes, and stop wars, but Russians have not used it on a massive scale to try to stop Russia’s gross human rights violations in Ukraine. The question remains: Why? In this essay, I analyze the role of state silencing and Russians’ inability and/or unwillingness to resist the regime. Although silencing is not the only reason why Russians are not protesting against the war with Ukraine, it has greatly contributed to Russians’ civil indifference, especially because it has been used for many years, in different forms (the use of direct violence against people protesting against the war, systemic silencing through law and regulations, the use of propaganda and censorship, etc.) and at all levels of society. Understanding the effects of state silencing on Russians’ ability and willingness to resist may improve understanding of how to strengthen civil society so that it is resilient and able to resist injustice, wars, and harmful policies. It can also contribute to a difficult process of reconciliation between Russians and Ukrainians in the future.