Among the Russians and Ukrainians who gather at Princes Bridge in the heart of Melbourne CBD, is one Australian regular with no connection to either country.
Daniel Mitchell started following the story of Alexey Navalny five years ago. The Russian opposition leader was poisoned with Novichok – a chemical nerve agent – in 2020 and imprisoned right after returning from rehabilitation in Europe the following year.
“I came across Navalny and the points he made. I started following him on Facebook and social media. And through that, I kind of followed the protest in Belarus as well, against Lukashenko, that created an interest in Russian politics,” Mr Mitchell tells SBS Russian, wondering if this could be the reason why he’s involved in the Russian community’s anti-war rallies on Princes Bridge.
During the first 100 days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, these small rallies became an almost daily affair with protestors gathering in the evenings after work, and they later became weekly.
The movement was started by Russian-Australian activist Petr Kuzmin who actively participated in and organised demonstrations against Russian president Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine and also supported Mr Navalny.
In his first attendance at Princes Bridge, Mr Mitchell recognised Mr Kuzmin.
“I was walking along Southbank wearing a T-shirt in support of Ukraine when a lady came up and took my photo. And then she started talking to me. She told me she was Russian and also spoke about the protest,” he says.
Mr Mitchell wondered if being Australian, he was welcome to join the protest. The lady liked the idea of him joining the group at the bridge.
“So, the next night I turned up, Peter was standing there. I recognised him from his photo in the newspaper. At first, I walked past him because I was a bit nervous, but later, I went back, said hello and stood with him that night.
Daniel Mitchell (L) stands with Russians against the war in Ukraine. Source: Supplied by Maya Sim
“Then I started attending these rallies regularly. I made my own poster that said, ‘I am Australian, Putin is a threat to us all’,” adds Mr Mitchell.
He explains his thesis with the idea that “Mr Putin threatens liberal democracy in general”, which is why “it’s important Australia is involved in the ending of this conflict”.
“Australia being involved, from my point of view, is the humanitarian and moral perspective of helping the Ukrainian people. But the bigger perspective is that there is a risk to all liberal democracies and humankind. So, you have to protect these foundations,” Mr Mitchell says.
Mr Mitchell is one of the few Australians who stayed at the bridge with members of the Russian-speaking community. Many of them were born in Russia, like Ksenia Sayapina, who found out about the event by walking past it and “was amazed”.
Daniel Mitchell with another activist at Princes Bridge. Source: Supplied by Olia Astralnaya
“At the bridge, I felt like I was not alone. I could discuss this disaster with like-minded people, vent a little to help my mental state and express my views,” she tells SBS Russian.
I felt especially privileged as you cannot do this in Russia.
Ms Sayapina says it was important for her to know that Russians were not “all barbaric and blind” and do not support the war.
“And also, I could tell people in Russia about it, those who think that the whole world hates them, that I stood on the bridge and received support from Australians from all walks of life,” she adds.
For some people, this experience was therapeutic, while others didn’t find it too helpful. Like Maria Vasileva. She talks about the movement as being “very important” and attracting the interest of passers-by.
“Not everyone really understands there are Russians who are against the war. However, the numbers on the bridge were rarely significant. Plus, I am an active person and it seemed too useless to me to just stand there. So, I chose to help physically – meet people arriving from Ukraine at the airport, help them with English translation to overcome the Australian bureaucracy,” Mrs Vasileva says.
Demonstrations on Princes Bridge started in early 2021 when Mr Navalny was detained at Moscow airport after his return from Germany.
On the 4 June, Kremlin’s chief critic celebrated his 46th birthday in prison. On that very day, appeared a mural with a portrait of Mr Navalny at Hosier Lane, Melbourne’s fabled graffiti show window.
Rally in support of Alexei Navalny on Princes Bridge on 6 February, 2021. Source: SBS Russian
The same graffiti with a politician folding his fingers in the shape of a heart and smiling at his wife in the courtroom appeared in 2021 in St Petersburg. But it lived for only a few hours. The municipal services of the city promptly painted over it with yellow paint.
This is said to be a typical reaction to all things about Navalny in Russia, where it is said that if the streetside snow has not been cleared for a long time, you just need to write ‘Navalny’ on it using a can of paint. By the next morning, there will be no snowdrift left.
Navalny’s mural appears on a wall in Hosier Lane on 4 June. Source: Supplied by Petr Kuzmin
Interestingly, even in Melbourne, it took less than 24 hours for this portrait of Mr Navalny to be defaced. On 5 June, word bubbles saying “I love Putin” and “Putin will save Russia” appeared on it.
The next day they were painted over.
On 6 June, someone again defaced the graffiti with red paint. It stayed in this condition for three more days before another mural began to grow over it.
In Russia, 12 June was a state holiday called the Day of Russia. On that day, dozens of cities across the world saw rallies against Putin’s regime. In Australia, such events dotted Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne where activists demonstrated anti-war placards.
The mural was defaced on 5 June. Source: Supplied by Irina Ponomaryova
Navalny’s mural was restored on 6 June. Source: SBS Russian
The defacing continued on 7 June for a couple of days. Source: SBS Russian
Speaking with SBS Russian on that occasion, Mr Kuzmin said, “Melbourne has been one of the centres of the worldwide Russian anti-war movement since the start of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Anti-war protests have been regularly held on Princes Bridge in Melbourne on a daily basis for the first three months of the war and weekly since the start of June”.
He adds that new protestors join the rally every time to demonstrate their solidarity with the people of Ukraine and their opposition to Putin’s war.
Anti-Putin protestors in Melbourne CBD on 12 June. Source: Supplied by Petr Kuzmin
“Passers-by express their support and approval quite regularly and sometimes stop for extended conversations to discuss the war and our views on why it started, whether people in Russia support it and how the war might end,” he adds.
The tradition of gathering on the bridge is going to last, Mr Mitchell weighs in, because “coming to the bridge makes him feel better than staying at home”.
“If I’m at home, I’m just reading the news all the time and watching videos and feeling sad and depressed about humanity. But then, I come to the bridge and meet a lot of really lovely Russians and Ukrainians and people from other places too.
“I’ve done a couple of fundraisers. Everyone’s so appreciative that I’m involved because they don’t really expect Anglo-Australians to be involved. So that definitely makes me feel good,” he concludes.
