From emojis to code phrases, how Russian protesters are evading arrest

Unauthorised protests have been banned in the country since 2014 and breaches of the rules can lead to up to 15 days detention for a first offence.

Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, social media in the country got flooded with emojis of a sunflower or a walking man. Phrases like 'let's go for a walk to the centre,' or, 'the weather is great for a walk' became common.

For those in the know, these are not random texts but a way of telling others that they are attending a protest.

Not just that, according to a BBC report, the protesters convey the details such as venue and time of demonstrations through these codes. For instance, the Pushkin code has been widely used by Russians recently. It was simple to decode — a location (Pushkin Square, in Moscow), a time and a call to protest against the government's actions.

Communication through unique codes became a trend in 2014 when the Russian government barred citizens from carrying out protests.

Those caught breaking the rules can be sent to jail for 15 years, as per government orders. According to the BBC report, Russians said that not using these codes could be extremely dangerous for those attending the protests.

Niki, a blogger, described how a close friend's brother had been detained twice once for a few hours after attending a protest and a second time, for a whole week, for sharing the details with his friends on VK, Russia's equivalent of Facebook, the report read.

Thousands of Russians took to the streets to decry the invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media.