They’ve been dismissed as a “teenage rebellion”, but the protests that took place on 26 March and 12 June suggest that some of Russia's youth are slipping through the state’s fingers. (c) Xinhua/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.On 26 March and again on 12 June, Russian cities saw thousands of protesters take to the streets. These demonstrations were framed as anti-corruption protests and, in their coverage, one after another media outlet has drawn attention to the significant participation of Russian youth, students and in particular teenagers.
While youth protest in itself is significant, as it shows that there is clearly some resentment building up among the younger generation in Russia, does this necessarily signify a generational revolt in the making? Does the sudden outbreak of mass protest by Russia's youth indicate that political change could be on the horizon?
The protests are understandably being depicted as anti-Putin protests given that they were called for by today’s most renowned Kremlin critic, Alexei Navalny. But does this necessarily mean that Russia's youth is taking to the streets based on values espoused by the west? These are questions left unanswered by the media reports on the protests.
