Russian opposition figures Ilya Yashin, Yulia Navalnaya, and Vladimir Kara-Murza have called for a major antiwar demonstration in Berlin on November 17 to demand the resignation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Yashin and Kara-Murza, both former political prisoners, were released in August as part of a historic prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries and now find themselves in forced exile.
Navalnaya, the wife of the late Russian corruption fighter Aleksei Navalny, said in a video on October 30 that "we must show ourselves and the whole world that there is an anti-militarist and free Russia."
Yashin added in an announcement via his Telegram channel that the march will demand the "withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, while holding [Russian President] Vladimir Putin accountable as a war criminal, and the release of all political prisoners.”
At a recent meeting with supporters in Prague, Yashin expressed that he, along with Navalnaya and Kara-Murza, would soon present an "anti-war, anti-Putin initiative" aimed at engaging many émigrés and inspiring those living in Russia.
Yashin noted that, while legal protest opportunities within Russia are virtually nonexistent, “we can still show that a peaceful, free, and civilized Russia exists.”
Russian opposition activists regularly hold demonstrations against the war in Ukraine and the Russian government in various cities worldwide, though participation is often modest.
Yulia Navalnaya (left) with her late husband Aleksei Navalny (file photo)
The last significant rallies occurred in February following Navalny's death in a Russian prison, with memorial events also held on his birthday in June.
In Russia, unauthorized protests are strictly prohibited, and authorities routinely deny permits for anti-war demonstrations.
In the months following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, thousands faced prosecution for participating in such protests.
It remains unclear which opposition organizations and activist groups in exile will join Yashin, Kara-Murza, and Navalnaya’s initiative.