Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hasn’t just drawn international criticism. Some of Russia’s most prominent celebrities and businesspeople ripped into their president on social media on Thursday morning.
After what Ukraine called a “full-scale invasion” kicked off in the early hours of Thursday morning, Russian celebrities voiced their shock and disappointment to audiences on social media.
“Today something happened that could and should never have happened. History will judge everything one day. Now I want to beg you to stop military action and sit down to negotiate,” Russian pop star Valery Meladze said in a video shared with his 500,000 followers on Instagram.
“Fear and pain. NO to war,” television host and comedian Ivan Urgant commented while sharing a black square on his Instagram.
“We are now all trapped in this situation. There is no exit. We Russians will spend many years digging out from the consequences of this day,” television presenter Ksenia Sobchak also wrote on Instagram.
Russia’s entertainment industry is largely state-owned, and while no celebrities have criticized Putin by name, their outcry could lead to bans from any exposure on state media.
Some figures in Russia’s cultural scene have gone as far as to preemptively quit their jobs as a sign of protest.
Yelena Kovalskaya, director of the state-owned Meyerhold Theater Center, announced on her Facebook page Thursday that she would be resigning immediately.
“It is impossible to work for a murderer and receive salary from him. I will finish the work I’ve started, but without pay,” Kovalskaya wrote.
Journalists and Russian media outlets have also been quick to unite and express their disdain for the invasion. Elena Chernenko, a reporter from political and business daily newspaper Kommersant, assembled an anti-war petition signed by 100 journalists from dozens of outlets.
It may be early days, but Russian authorities have shown to be willing to clamp down on dissent when necessary. After activist Marina Litvinovich posted a video on her Instagram account calling for Russians to join her in a protest on the streets of Moscow, she was detained by police outside her apartment Thursday evening.