Two military servicemen were arrested for "insulting other peoples' religion" by washing their shoes in holy water in a Kaliningrad cathedral. They were arrested using a 2013 law that criminalizes insulting other peoples' religions, which blurs the lines between church and state.
The history of drug activism in Russia following the fall of the Soviet Union is one of great significance and turmoil, spanning over twenty-two years and a variety of movements. While calls for the humanization and medical treatment of drug-users in Russia have been persistent, victims of the country's opioid epidemic are continually oppressed by law enforcement, as civil dissent is increasingly prohibited. As Russia's opioid epidemic worsens, and more individuals fall victim thereof, many aspects of the calls for change in the country are strikingly familiar to social justice movements globally.