Dissident activist and former lawyer for the Pussy Riot group, Mark Feygin, has initiated a referendum with the Blockchain-based voting application Russia2024, aiming to oppose Vladimir Putin’s commencement as president in the country. Presidential elections were held in Russia from March 15-17, and Putin’s inauguration occurred this Tuesday.
Pussy Riot, known for its political activism and opposition to Putin, is a Russian feminist protest and performance art group. One of the group’s founders, Nadya Tolokonnikova, has long advocated for cryptocurrency and has previously raised millions of dollars through NFT sales.
The Tool Used Is Intriguing
The referendum, the first protest vote to go live on Russia2024 after two months of audits and white-hat hacker stress tests, invites citizens to use votes that challenge the Russian elections. The application was created using Rarimo’s open-source “Freedom Tool,” a surveillance-free voting solution that leverages Blockchain and zero-knowledge cryptography. Rarimo is a privacy-first social protocol developed by Kiev-based Rarilabs.
The tool provides a complete protest tool. However, Rarilabs claims it enables citizens to conduct polls, vote, and protest without being tracked. Feygin states, “Opposition in Russia is becoming increasingly risky, and tracking public opinion is getting harder. Providing reliable, surveillance-resistant ways for protest and voting is critically important. Russia2024 and its underlying technology make this possible.”
What Does Feygin’s Move Mean?
Feygin’s move can be seen as a response to Putin’s long-standing reign. Putin is on his way to becoming one of the longest-serving leaders in modern Russian history. This situation may lead the opposition to increasingly turn to creative and technological solutions.
However, whether such technological ventures will be effective and shake Putin’s power remains uncertain. The opposition in Russia faces a challenging environment, making such initiatives significant in raising political awareness and voicing demands for change.
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