Police arrested a masked protester Monday following a bold anti-Putin demonstration atop a billboard in central Moscow, marking an unusual public display of dissent in a country where anti-government protests have been severely curtailed.
The unidentified man scaled a billboard on Prospekt Akademika Sakharova near the Domnikov business center before 4 p.m. local time, displaying two provocative posters challenging President Vladimir Putin, according to the Ostorozhno Novosti Telegram channel.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing at least three police officers stationed beneath the billboard as the protester displayed messages reading “Putin, where are you, b****? Make space for me.” The incident occurred near an office complex housing several banks in a busy commercial district.
The protester had vanished when witnesses returned 40 minutes later, though one banner remained visible while the poster mentioning Putin had been removed. Law enforcement officials later confirmed the man’s arrest and dispatched workers to remove the remaining anti-Putin messages.
The demonstration represents a rare act of public defiance in Russia, where wartime censorship and intensified government repression have largely silenced open criticism of Putin’s leadership. Authorities have not released the protester’s identity.
