Q&A: Moscow’s ‘lone climate protester’ confronts war on Ukraine

Al Jazeera speaks to Arshak Makichyan, a outstanding local weather activist who requires an finish to Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.

'For those who’re not an activist now, then you're a part of the crime,' activist Arshak Makichyan informed Al Jazeera [File: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]

Arshak Makichyan, 27, is a outstanding activist who has been protesting within the Russian capital for years, warning individuals in opposition to the hazards of local weather change.

He earned the title of Moscow’s “lone local weather protester” as a legislation in Russia bans unsanctioned protests of multiple individual.

To be an activist in Russia, beneath an “authoritarian regime”, he mentioned, was already tough and harmful as arrests and prosecution are frequent.

However now, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, massive protests are wanted to alter the state of affairs, Makichyan mentioned.

“For those who’re not an activist now, then you're a part of the crime,” he mentioned.

Al Jazeera spoke with Makichyan to search out out what it's prefer to be a protester in Russia, and the way he sees the state of affairs in Russia altering with an all-out warfare being waged in Ukraine.

Al Jazeera: How did you go from a local weather activist to a peace activist?

Arshak Makichyan: In 2018, I didn’t find out about local weather. I began to learn, and I discovered that there's a big disaster, and other people in Russia don’t find out about it. And I felt that I ought to do one thing as a result of it is extremely essential. I used to be already involved with totally different environmental points. I used to be attempting to alter my habits and stuff like that.

However with the local weather disaster, you can not simply change your habits to be extra environmentally pleasant, you need to do one thing extra as a result of we want change on a number of fronts. And I then began to do weekly strikes – like [Swedish climate activist] Greta Thunberg.

Earlier than, I used to be pondering to proceed my schooling in Europe, however I made a decision to remain in Russia as a result of we want activism right here as effectively, as a result of Russia is in fourth place for CO2 emissions. The local weather disaster is a worldwide disaster.

Makichyan holds a cardboard poster, studying: ‘Strike for Local weather’ throughout a single-person demonstration in central Moscow, Russia [File: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]

My technique has been altering over the last two years. After the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, I used to be changing into extra political as a result of there was an enormous disaster and so they began to prosecute plenty of my political pals. So I turned extra politically engaged, since you can not struggle for our future or local weather with out primary human rights. Now, you can not struggle for local weather whereas your nation’s concerned in a horrible warfare.

Al Jazeera: Lots of people, actually within the West, consider Russia is an exceptionally tough and harmful place to participate in protests and activism. Do you suppose that is true? And what issues do you face?

Makichyan: Sure, it’s fully totally different to be an activist in an authoritarian regime, and particularly in Russia, a wealthy nation that’s used oil cash to construct this big propaganda machine and to repress civil society.

It’s extraordinarily tough and harmful to be an activist in Russia. A whole lot of my pals had been arrested and prosecuted. Even for those who’re not arrested … it’s so tough to organise protests in a rustic the place individuals are afraid as a result of they're arresting individuals only for writing tweets.

It’s actually tough and complex. A whole lot of activists in Russia are pondering that they can not proceed since you don’t really feel suggestions as a result of individuals are afraid to assist you. Activists are being marginalised.

However now the state of affairs’s beginning to change as a result of President Vladimir Putin has crossed the pink line, and for those who’re not an activist now, then you're a part of the crime, as a result of the warfare in opposition to Ukraine is a criminal offense. And for those who’re not protesting now, the state of affairs might be worse and worse and we are going to lose our nation.

Law enforcement officials arrest a demonstrator throughout a protest in opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Saint Petersburg [Sergei Mikhailchenko/AFP]

Al Jazeera: The warfare started on Thursday, February 24 – your marriage ceremony day. That will need to have been a shock.

Makichyan: Sure, we had been shocked. We had been planning this marriage ceremony for a month, since you ought to ship the applying a month earlier than your marriage ceremony. We determined to get married as a result of it’s a type of safety for us – you've gotten this proper to have conferences along with your spouse or husband in case you are jailed.

We don't wish to hand over and depart this nation regardless that we had tickets to Armenia already. We determined to remain in Russia to struggle this madness as a result of individuals want hope. If activists are leaving the nation, then individuals will develop extra pissed off.

Al Jazeera: What are the protests like in Moscow?

Makichyan: It’s tough to protest in Moscow now as a result of there’s plenty of police. They’re nearly in all places. Nearly all our political leaders are imprisoned now or overseas, so it’s tough to get organised. There are difficulties, however we're holding protests nearly on daily basis within the centre. They arrested about 7,000 individuals throughout these protests in Russia.

We're fascinated about what we will do as a result of we want massive protests to alter the state of affairs. There's increasingly horrible information in Russia: they shut down Echo of Moscow, one of many final free radio stations. We have to do one thing to cease this.

Al Jazeera: What's it like coping with the police?

Makichyan: We had been arrested once we had been leaving our home, they had been ready for us simply outdoors. Polina, my spouse, was planning an motion, and I walked her all the way down to the taxi. They arrested us regardless that we had been with journalists who had been going to document Polina’s motion, and so they arrested the cameraman.

We spent about 4 or 5 hours within the police station, speaking with the police and naturally, we had been speaking about warfare as effectively. They had been saying they're simply the cogs of this machine; they can not change something.

Al Jazeera: Will isolating Russia make it tougher to repair issues similar to international warming?

Makichyan: It’s scary for us activists to be alone on this struggle as a result of it’s not simply our aspect. Europe was shopping for fossil fuels, and so they had been serving to to construct this horrible regime.

So I believe that activists and civil society in Russia shouldn't be left alone on this struggle in opposition to Putin, as a result of it’s not really easy to struggle a person with thousands and thousands of police. I believe we have to unite to struggle them. It’s irritating to really feel your self alone on this struggle.

The state of affairs might be worse for everybody as a result of there isn't a straightforward answer to this international disaster. However we have to cease Putin’s regime invading Ukraine. We have to cease him now as a result of it will likely be late tomorrow.

We have to use each device to alter the state of affairs in Russia as a result of it was insufferable to be an activist earlier than this warfare and now it’s even worse, as a result of they are saying they’ll arrest individuals for spreading what they name faux information on Ukraine for 15 years. They've a brand new legislation they’re planning simply in opposition to individuals who communicate up in opposition to this warfare.

So now the state of affairs is horrible, however possibly it's going to assist us to alter the horrible regime that was killing our nation for 20 years. However I hope this regime will collapse quickly as a result of what Putin is doing is insane, and there might be modifications in Russia earlier than it’s too late, as a result of I don’t wish to spend 15 years in jail.

This interview was frivolously edited for readability and brevity.