Women Fighting Back at Putin and Lukashenka
International Women’s Day: Independent female politicians and activists are particularly feared and smeared by the Kremlin and its fellows. This International Women’s Day is an opportunity to honour Russian and Belarussian women who have taken up the fight against Russian and Belarus state and pro-Kremlin disinformation and manipulation. One example is Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny who died suddenly on 16 February 2024 in suspicious circumstances in a Siberian prison camp. On 1 March, Alexei Navalny was buried near Moscow. In defiance of the Kremlin, thousands of Russians came to pay their respects while chanting anti-war slogans. Russian state and pro-Kremlin outlets have a long history of mocking feminism and women’s rights. This strategy isn’t accidental or marginal. Demeaning and degrading independent female agency is a major part of the Kremlin’s ‘threatened values’ super-narrative. […]