From the Liveblog of
Friday, March 18, 2022
Russians at Putin rally say they were pressured to attend
Russian civilians at a massive, patriotic rally featuring Russian President Putin say they were pressured to attend.
Thousands of people packed into the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow for today for the patriotic rally.
Many of them told The BBC bureau in Moscow that they were public sector workers whose employers pressured them to attend.
The BBC says most people dodged journalists, many seemed ashamed, and a group of teachers were instructed what to tell reporters.
Students say they were offered a day off to attend a “concert.”
A transportation worker says he was forced to go and tells the network, “I think most people here don’t support the war. I don’t.”
Many said they worked in the public sector (e.g. schoolteachers), and that they had been pressured into attending by their employers. One group of teachers, from a town near Moscow, were being told what to say to us by a woman who appeared to be from the local administration.
— Will Vernon (@BBCWillVernon) March 18, 2022
Putin has clamped down on independent media since the war started and it’s difficult to conduct polling on public opinion, but many Russians do support the Kremlin during the conflict.
