Feminist and women's rights groups in Russia's regions say they feel unsafe as the Putin government's promotion of so-called "traditional" values leaves them increasingly vulnerable to prosecution under the country's vague and haphazardly enforced laws against "extremism."
President Vladimir Putin and other officials have linked Russia's so-called "traditional values" with national security. As a bill that would virtually ban the mention of same-sex relationships and transgender issues wends through the legislature, LGBT citizens and activists are sounding the alarm.
On the first day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, more than 1,800 people were detained at anti-war demonstrations in 60 Russian cities as the authorities increased the pressure against civil society. Yet the country's nascent anti-war movement pledges to press on.
Manizha will represent Russia at Eurovision this year. The Tajikistan-born Russian signer won the national competition to go to the contest with
Russian Woman song interpreted on behalf of a Russian Woman (or the one born in Russia) pursuing her goal breaking stereotypes. Read more in Realnoe Vremya’s report.
From Dushanbe to Moscow, from pop music to independent
Manizha Sangin herself explains that
Russian Woman is a “song about a transformation of the woman’s self-perception in the last few hundreds of years in Russia. The Russian woman covered a surprising road from a peasant’s hut to the enfranchisement and the right to be elected (one of the first in the world), from factory shops to flights to space. She has never been afraid to oppose stereotypes and assume responsibility”.