Taylor Featured in ABC News Video Explainer on the Risks Russians are Taking by Protesting

April 5, 2022

ABC News

Brian Taylor

Political Science Department

International Affairs

Russia

Ukraine

ABC News

Brian Taylor

Many Russians have taken to the streets to protest the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, even as President Vladimir Putin has increasingly cracked down on dissent since first coming to power in 2000. In the ABC News video explainer, "What are Russians risking by protesting Putin?," Professor Brian Taylor says, "I think the more interesting question going forward is not simply those who are out on the streets because they're very much opposed to the war, but whether the economic situation—high inflation, increasing unemployment, those sorts of issues—will also bring out a larger group of protestors."

"If Russian protests become much larger in the coming weeks and months, I think we will see a concerted effort by the Russian state and Russian authorities to crack down hard on those protests," says Taylor. "I expect we would see increasing arrests, increasing publicity about fines and prison sentences, to try and scare and deter average Russians from joining the protests.