Several dozen Russian opponents of President Vladimir Putin’s policies gathered on Sunday on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice to demand “a Russia without Putin”, as in several other cities in France. Planted in front of the Negresco hotel with signs “Putin = war” or “Putin in The Hague”, in reference to the international court of justice, the opponents, for the most part refugees having made an asylum request in France for political, had responded to the joint appeal of the Russia Liberties association, the Sakharov Institute and Free Navalny France, which supports the opponent Alexeï Navalny.
“We participated in Moscow in the first demonstration against the war in Ukraine and following that my father was imprisoned and we were threatened, that’s why we came to France”, testified to the ‘AFP Elen Mirzoian, 19, came with her parents. A building engineer in Saint Petersburg before the war, Evgenii Burov, 42, preferred not to return to his country when registered letters calling for mobilization arrived in September 2022: “Putin has broken the Constitution, the rights of citizens and put many people in prison”, he accuses, denouncing the “aggression” of Ukraine by his country.
“All the people who came today (Sunday) took a risk”
“I have been a refugee in Nice for a year and a half, I had to flee when I heard that the sanction against those who had demonstrated against the war could be mobilization,” added Grigori Vershinin, 33, originally from Perm, in the Urals. A translator in his country, he now gives French lessons to Ukrainian refugees.
While in Nice, the former Duma deputy, Gennedi Gudkov, one of the main figures of the opposition to the Putin regime in France (he co-founded the Russian Democratic Club in France in May), joined the rally: “All the people who came today (Sunday) took a risk, because the FSB (the Russian intelligence service) has created branches everywhere to monitor the activities of opponents,” assured Evgenii Gudkov, affirming that Russia is becoming tougher on Russian refugees abroad, considering, according to him, confiscating their property at home.
France, “a country that understands the political situation in Russia”
“There are several thousand Russians who have applied for asylum in France, but unfortunately, the percentage of positive decisions is not very high,” lamented Evgenii Gudkov, wishing however to thank France, “a country who understands the political situation in Russia. Since the 19th century, Nice has traditionally had a strong Russian community, notably housing the most important Orthodox building of worship outside the borders of the Russian Federation.