Kathrine Frich
Even symbolic acts of protest are becoming dangerous inside Russia.
Authorities crack down on demonstrations, censor media coverage and impose harsh punishments on critics of the war.
Now an international investigation claims Russian officials go even further by allegedly hiding the death of a man who set himself on fire in protest against the invasion.
Protest in Kaliningrad
According to a joint investigation by Important Stories cited by Digi24, Delfi Estonia and Lithuanian broadcaster LRT, 37-year-old IT worker Alexander Okunev died after setting himself on fire in Kaliningrad on February 24, 2025.
The date marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Investigators say Okunev carried out the act near a major World War II monument after spray-painting the message “No to War” into the snow nearby.
Rapid cover-up
The investigation claims Russian authorities moved quickly to erase evidence of what happened before information could spread publicly.
According to Important Stories, local officials immediately removed both Okunev’s body and the anti-war message from the scene.
“Officials were mainly concerned that journalists would not find out what happened,” the publication reported.
An anonymous source close to Okunev reportedly said the Russian protester understood his death “most likely” would never appear in the press.
Hidden from public
Unlike unrelated incidents previously reported near the same monument, Russian state media reportedly never mentioned Okunev’s death.
Journalists reconstructed the case using official Russian documents, interviews with people who knew him and information from European security agencies.
The first public reference to the incident only appeared months later in a report by Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
Fear of protest
The Estonian intelligence report described the case as proof that “not all Russians support the current regime.”
Lithuanian political scientist Nerijus Malukiavicius said authoritarian governments fear symbolic acts of resistance.
“Authoritarian regimes fear symbolic sparks. They understand that a single act of protest (…) can become a moral symbol around which dispersed anxiety and discontent begin to crystallize,” he said.
Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Russia has imposed severe restrictions on anti-war activism, independent journalism and online speech in an effort to control information and suppress dissent.
Sources: TVP World, Important Stories, Delfi Estonia, LRT, Digi24
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