Vilnius: Protest by Russian citizens, they burn passports and the flag of the Russian Federation
Several Russian citizens participated in a protest action in Vilnius against the horrors committed by the Russian army in Ukraine and in support of the Ukrainian people. They burned their passports and the flag of the Russian Federation to denounce Russian attacks against the civilians. The demonstration took place against the backdrop of the recent attack on civilians in Dnipro.
Natalia and Stanislav, both Russian citizens, fled Russia at the beginning of March last year. As they protest Russian aggression, they hope to encourage their fellow citizens not to be silent. "Through this action of burning passports we do not want to evade the responsibility that each one of us bears. I lived in this country, I worked, I paid taxes, and now a war is being fought with this money. Now, even after I renounced this citizenship, the killings continue. I did this not to run away from individual or collective responsibility, which will remain," says Natalia. "The Russian passport is a racist passport. For me, after February 24, this passport is a stigma that cannot be removed even by burning the document. It's good that I burned it, but I was born there and that can't be changed," Stanislav says. "We are ashamed of our country and hurt for Ukraine. What is happening is a crime. This is the biggest war since World War II in Europe and even in the world. It's shameful. Maybe in this way we will be heard by our compatriots who are silent for some reason. Some, and there are many, support the invasion. I can't understand why, because it's a crime," Natalia said.
