Issue and Opponent: Opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s return to Russia, where he was subjected to a rapid trial on January 17, 2021, sparked an online protest movement in the form of parody videos. The movement spread to the streets when Navalny’s anti-corruption organization broadcast a documentary about a palace belonging to Vladimir Putin on the coast of the Black Sea. With a worth estimated at more than a billion euros, many see it as proof of widespread corruption in the upper levels of Russian politics. The investigation conducted by Navalny’s team also revealed some unusual details about the palace, which includes a hookah lounge, a hockey rink dug beneath a nearby mountain, and Italian toilet brushes, worth 700 euros each. On TikTok, young users posted numerous videos denouncing Nalvany’s arrest as well as the corrupt political system which, according to them, governs their country.
Dilemma Action: A protester applied golden spray to a simple plastic brush and brandished it at a rally organized in front of Tomsk University on January 23, 2021. His video received more than 180,000 likes on TikTok. Protesters in Russia are using golden toilet brushes to mock President Vladimir Putin after the release of the documentary and the vast majority of protesters were walking around with golden toilet paper in their hands. Many protests were filmed and uploaded to social media, generating attention from all over the world. TikTok users also filmed themselves throwing away or even burning their Russian passports in protest against the government.
Outcome: The Russian government issued a warning against TikTok and the Russian equivalent of Facebook asking them to block all content encouraging minors to participate in illegal activities. Thousands of people were arrested. Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, was among the thousands detained in the protests across Russia. The Kremlin said the documentary on the palace was pure nonsense.