Actively open information floodgates and write to Russian people

Ok. This action is more complex and takes a little longer. But we believe it is worth the effort.

Why?

As you already know, with the Russian military's attack on Ukraine in February 2022, almost all free information channels have been blocked. Journalists have had to leave Russia because free reporting has become impossible. At the same time, the Russian government is doing everything it can to make approval for its policies appear as broad as possible among the population. The Telegram channels that support Putin's policies are partly commissioned directly by the Kremlin. Thousands of fake profiles are created for this purpose. Conversely, other channels of the anti-war movement with real growing subscriber numbers are still not known in Russia.

Can Short Message change that? 

We believe: yes!

What does the message say? 

At the bottom of this page you will find a short message that we have voted on in the Russian-Ukrainian-German team. The message contains a link to a website that provides information about the Russian protest groups. The website was created by a group of Russian peace activists who organise abroad, work on a voluntary basis and rely on donations. The group has been active as a catalyst for protest messages since February 2022 and has published numerous actions by many protest groups on its pages. You can read about the growing Russian anti-war movement here: https://www.russian-resistance.org/

Why can't Russian people do this?

Protesters in Russia cannot use Facebook or other platforms to inform about their actions and their groups with impunity. Emails and Whatsapp are not safe enough either. If people in safe foreign countries fill a gap for Russian people here, it can help spread information about the protest where it is needed most: In Russia itself.

But I don't speak Russian...

Never mind! With the free translation platform deepl.com you can read and answer messages. The platform saves you at least 5 years of Russian lessons. The great thing about deepl.com is that, unlike Google Translate, for example, it adheres to the highest security standards. (security standards deepl.com)

Good. And how exactly is this supposed to work?

You send a pre-written message to Russia, anonymously with Telegram - or not so anonymously with WhatsApp - that contains a link to information about the protest groups.

And where do I get the telephone numbers from Russia?

We use the Callrussia.org platform for the telephone numbers. This initiative has already existed since March 2022 and is aimed at Russian speakers, who can thus call Russia from abroad with unknown numbers. The campaign has already been reported on several times. More than 40 million mobile phone numbers can be accessed via a digital telephone register. Data protection is not particularly important in Russia, and the activists have simply taken advantage of that.

Is this legal?

Sure: there are more decent ways and nicer occasions to make contact, but it is not illegal. Perhaps it is even appropriate to use special ways at special times?

Isn't that dangerous?

Sending a single short message to a country where human rights, freedom of expression are disregarded is about as dangerous as leaving the house in the morning for you. However, your contact should be cautious or at least sceptical when she/he responds to your message. If a Russian person is in contact with you, please make her/him aware that the Russian police can also look at telephones during checks. It is therefore safest for her/him to delete the messages after they have been exchanged. 

Which is better? WhatsApp or Telegram? 

Communicating via WhatsApp has the decisive advantage of reaching more people who are still unfamiliar with the protest channels and even independent Russian news channels like Meduza. Fewer people have signed up for Telegram so far. They mostly live in cities and, in the best case, are already connected to independent information channels. However, Telegram has the advantage that your message can be sent completely anonymously without your number being displayed and that the tailwind for the civil protest movement becomes more visible and gives strength to the protesters.

What if I don't get an answer? 

No problem. Maybe the person on the other side is already reading information from the free messaging channels. Maybe the person is afraid to reply to a stranger. After all, you too could be an agent of the Kremlin. Don't wait for an answer, but write to another person.

What if I get a reply? 

First of all: take a deep breath! You did a good job! Your message has arrived and a Russian person has replied to it. Before you translate with deepl.com, remember: the message may seem provocative. Accordingly, a reply could be angry. In this case, it is no use trying to calm down or even convince your counterpart in the chat. The person on the other side does not know you. In this case, it is advisable to block the person.

What if someone wants to talk to me now? 

Hey: Congratulations! You didn't get an outraged message, but an invitation to talk. Great! In our experience, about 20 per cent respond to our message. Now you can write to the other person if you want and tell them that you use a translation platform. Still, stay alert: you don't know who the person on the other side is either. Do not give out your contact details or information about other people. Before you start the direct conversation, be sure to read the BECOME A CONNECTOR page about the risks! This is very important!

Your message text to copy:

You can send the following message, which was agreed upon by our Russian-Ukrainian-German team, anonymously to a person in Russia via Telegram or WhatsApp. How to get the phone number is shown below. Please read all the instructions below the message before you really get started.

Your message text:

"Hello, I just happen to be writing to your number without much hope of reaching you with it. But what if? We people abroad hardly get any news from Russia anymore. Yet in Russia, more and more peaceful demonstrators seem to be punished and imprisoned. I find it very admirable that they do not remain silent despite this. I learn about most of the actions via the website. Here you can find many groups working for peace and ceasefire. If you want to know more, here is the link: https://www.russian-resistance.org/ I wish you and your family all the best. Take care of yourselves! Best wishes."