Seljonka attack

Alexei Navalny after a Seljonka attack in Moscow (2017)

A Seljonka attack ( Russian зелёнка , brilliant green ) is a form of protest, provocation or violent attack on a person that is doused with a green color solution, mainly on the face. In the 2010s this was widespread in Russia and Ukraine . As a result, the seljonka - and the green color in general - became a symbol of political protest in Russia.

Sacrifice and Influence

The victims of Seljonka attacks are usually Russian opposition figures, including Sergei Mitrochin , Mikhail Kassyanov , Alexei Navalny , Lyudmila Ulitskaja , Julija Latynina or Ukrainian politicians ( Arsen Avakow , Arsenij Jazenjuk , Oleh Ljaschko ).

After numerous attacks, some of the Russian opposition leaders began to understand Seljonka and the green color as a "badge of honor". The corruption hunter and presidential candidate Alexei Navalny, who organized the student protests and repeatedly called for new protests, was himself the victim of an acid attack . An ultra-nationalist devoted to the government ambushed him in front of the office of his anti-corruption foundation and doused him with the green, hard-to-remove disinfectant Seljonka. But this time a chemical substance was added to the product that caused burns to his right eye. Meanwhile, Navalnyj's followers proudly have themselves photographed in green paint, as if it were anti-corruption war paint. The blogger Nikolai Danilov , who appeared in Red Square with a green face , was arrested by the police. When Kassyanov was attacked on the Nemtsov memorial march , shouts were loud: "You will not pour Seljonka on us!"

Seljonka (brilliant green) vial

On May 4, 2017, Alexei Navalny stated that the Seljonka incidents contributed to numerous donations flowing into his fund. On the same day, the Russian poet Dmitri Bykov published a poem Vivat, Green Russia! in which green paint was referred to as the color of the "Russian Revolution".

Photographs of numerous Seljonka attacks on famous personalities - along with other people who were also doused - resulted in the print media explaining to their readers what "Seljonka" means, because the majority of the population usually knew nothing of the meaning of the brilliant green Attacks.

literature

• Brent Hierman . Russia and Eurasia 2017–2018. - Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. - P. 94. - 345 p. - ISBN 9781475835175 .
• In Russia, a green-colored antiseptic becomes a weapon in attacks against opposition activists and journalists // Los Angeles Times . - 2017. - 3 May.
• Sarah Sloat : What Is "Zelyonka", the Russian Green Dye Weapon of Choice? // Inverse. - 2017. - 2 May.
• Isabel Gorst : Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny attacked with green dye // The Irish Times . - 2017. - April 28th.
• Kirstin Fawcett : Why These Russian Activists Are Painting Their Faces Green // Mental Floss. - 2017. - April 28th.
• Eva Hartog : Why Russia's Opposition Now Takes Pride in “Brilliant Green” Attacks // The Moscow Times . - 2017. - 23 March.
• A Russian Man Wore Green Face Paint to Red Square in Support of Alexei Navalny. So the Cops Arrested Him // The Moscow Times . - 2017. - March 20.
• Dan Bilefsky , Oleg Matsnev : A Putin Opponent Is Doused in Green. He Makes It Work / A Putin Critic Is Doused Bright Green; Selfies Follow // The New York Times . - 2017. - March 21. - P. A10.
• Yulia Krylova : How the Soviet-Era Antiseptic "Zelyonka" Became a Political Weapon in Russia and Ukraine // International Policy Digest. - 2017. - 6 May.
• Alexandra Arkhipova, Dmitry Doronin, Elena Iougaï, Anna Kirziouk, Darya Radtchenko Légitimation et disqualification par l'histoire dans les manifestations de rue en Russie (2011-2016) // Le Mouvement Social. - 2017. - Vol. 260, livr. 3. - P. 129. - ISSN 1961-8646. - doi: 10.3917 / lms.260.0129 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Julia Smirnova: Russia: When it comes to chemical attacks on critics, the Kremlin looks the other way . The world . May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
2. ↑ Nikolay Syrov: 'Zelyonka': the Anti-Putin Antiseptic . Global Voices . March 23, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
3. ↑ The Economist explains: Why are Russian opposition leaders' faces turning green? In: The Economist . May 10, 2017 ( economist.com ).
4. ↑ Lamia Estatie: Russian opposition leader goes green and Australians share stories of racism (en-GB) . In: BBC News , March 21, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017. 
5. ↑ Opponents of Putin react to color attacks with humor . In: Tages-Anzeiger, Tages-Anzeiger , March 20, 2017. 1422-9994. Retrieved May 6, 2017. 
6. ↑ The Kremlin is not green for him: Putin's rival smiles after a color attack . In: look . Retrieved May 6, 2017. 
7. ^ Damien Sharkov: What is zelenka and why does Kremlin critic Navalny keep getting splashed with it? (en) . In: Newsweek , April 28, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017. 
8. ↑ Dmitry Bykov: Виват, "зеленая" Россия! (ru) . In: Собеседник.ру . Retrieved May 6, 2017. 
9. ↑ Emmanuel Grynszpan: Le “brilliant vert”, nouvelle arme contre l'opposition (fr) . In: Le Temps , May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017. 
10. ↑ Russie. Les attaques au produit colorant, nouvelle poor contre l'opposition? (fr) . In: Courrier international , March 21, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017.