Russian feminists go underground, shifting to direct aid amid tightening abortion bans
Feminist activists in Russia have moved from public protests to covert support networks, focusing on practical help as the Kremlin tightens abortion restrictions and promotes traditional values.
After President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, Russia’s feminist movement has been forced underground, with activists in the Chelyabinsk region abandoning public demonstrations for clandestine reading circles and direct service work. Facing a wave of regional bans on private abortions and new “coercion” laws, groups now concentrate on delivering money, medication, and transport to women seeking abortions, as well as supporting domestic-violence survivors, refugees and homeless women.
Leaders such as Oksana, Marta and Dasha Yakovleva report growing solidarity among women and a strategic outreach to sympathetic men. The election of pro-life lobbyist Natalia Moskvitina to the State Duma intensifies fears of a federal ban on abortion information. Despite repression, activists continue to adapt, viewing feminism as a framework to address broader social and economic crises in Russia.
Why it matters
It shows how civil society adapts to authoritarian crackdowns, affecting women’s rights and public health in Russia.
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