"Scumbag, get hell out! Glory to Ukraine!": Activist detained in Kazakhstan on day of Putin’s visit over pro-Ukrainian poster
In Kazakhstan, security forces detained opposition activist Marat Zhanuzakov during a visit by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The man posted a photo on social media with an anti-Putin protest poster and Ukrainian symbols.
Censor.NET reports this, citing the opposition activist’s daughter, Aiman Zhanuzakova, and Kazakh opposition media outlets.
What is known?
Before his detention, the activist published a photo showing him standing in front of the flags of Kazakhstan and Ukraine with a poster reading:
"Hey, scumbag! Get the hell out of Kazakhstan! Glory to Ukraine!"
He captioned the image: "Ahead of one asshole’s arrival."
Although the activist did not directly name the addressee, the detention took place on the very day Putin arrived in Astana on a state visit, where he was received by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Police asked him to delete the post
Zhanuzakov later said that after questioning, the police were forced to release him home, but demanded that he remove the controversial photo.
"Thank you all for your support. The police asked me to delete the post. I said, I’ll think about it," the activist said. The post currently remains publicly available on his Facebook page.
- Nastoyashchee Vremya noted that this was not the opposition activist’s first performance of this kind. During Putin’s previous visit to Kazakhstan in November 2024, Zhanuzakov and his associates staged a protest with a poster reading: "Your Excellency, get the f#ck out of Kazakhstan!"
- At the time, a Kazakh court fined the participants in the rally under an article on "petty hooliganism."
