The mood in the subway car changes as Ian finds the scarf from the bag.
Some people are skeptical about knitting, others smile gently to themselves.
The yellow and blue message is impossible to misunderstand.
– LONG: The big scarf starts to get long after three weeks. Photo: Mariel Mellingen
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– If someone smiles, I try to establish eye contact. Then I say something harmless like “these colors are very modern”, says Ian.
Then an innocent dialogue often arises about color choice and knitting technique.
But between right and wrong, so much more is said.
– People understand that this is dangerous for me, but express support with such small talk, says Ian.
Scary
The 33-year-old identifies as transmasculine, which in itself can present problems in Russia.
– I can be arrested just to talk publicly about my orientation, he says.
It was through the LGBTQ + community that he was introduced to silent protests.
They organized flashmobs where people bought a balloon each in one of the colors of the rainbow, got together and released them into the air.
The first thing Ian did after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 was to buy a yellow and a blue balloon, which he took with him on the subway.
If he was stopped, he could only say that he was on his way for a birthday.
– I was not caught, but I did not get much attention either. Then I came up with the idea of knitting, and it has been much more effective.
Almost every day for the past three weeks, he has been knitting on the subway in Moscow, which is one of the world’s most used subways.
– IMPRESSIVE LOOK: Few comment on the scarf, but Ian gets many glances. Photo: Mariel Mellingen
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6.8 million people use it daily. A demonstration here will be seen by many.
– Why are you doing this?
– I was so frustrated and had to get an outlet for it in one way or another, says Ian.
– Are you scared when you do?
– Yes, I think it’s scary.
And there have been some scary episodes. Like when two women came towards him from opposite sides of the subway and started shouting insults at him and said they should report him to the police.
– They called me a whore, and asked me to go back to where I came from. I can only assume that they meant Ukraine, says Ian.
The incident ended with the other passengers getting angry at the women who made noise, and threw them out of the carriage when the train stopped.
– It shows that the more aggressive you are, the more negative the reactions become. I was allowed to stay, as I sat completely still. Then people in the carriage began to discuss what had happened, and that is the very purpose of this type of silent protest action.
Broken TV 2s camera
Even when TV 2 is on, there is a great atmosphere.
– What a provocation, a man says to Ian.
Then he sees that he is being filmed, and gets furious. He grabs the camera of TV 2’s photographer, and a few seconds of tug-of-war ensues.
Finally, the man grabs the camera, throws it hard on the ground so that it shatters, and the doors disappear.
Then the train continues.
Ian behaved very calmly during this incident as well.
He explains that he has decided to focus on knitting, no matter what reactions come and situations it leads to.
– Such a violent reaction means that I have reached out with my message, so in that sense it is a success, he says.
– Watch out for the police
But for the most part, the reactions are positive.
– Someone has said that I am brave, and that’s nice.
We follow Ian’s knitting protest for over an hour. He changes carriages several times. Staying in one place for a long time increases the risk of being caught.
– CHANGE TROLLEY: Ian rarely sits on a carriage for longer than five to ten minutes. Staying in one place for too long increases the risk of being caught. Photo: Mariel Mellingen
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An elderly man leans against Ian and says he has to watch out for the police.
It does not take much to end up in custody in Moscow during the day. Ian says that people have been arrested for wearing yellow and blue socks.
Because there are several who demonstrate discreetly.
For many Russians, it has become the only way they can express opposition to the war in Ukraine.
Large mass demonstrations no longer dare people, after it was cracked down on in the days after the invasion.
– I’m just a low voice among many. But many low voices can eventually become whispers that are heard everywhere, and this is how it starts to feel now, says Ian.
Stickers and graffiti
And it’s not just underground Ian is spreading his anti-war message. In his bag he also has homemade stickers that he attaches to signs and lampposts along the streets.
– I started making the stickers myself because the printers reported people to the police if they would have made something with an anti-war message on it, he says.
– STICKERS: This is one of Ian’s many motifs on the anti-war stickers he makes himself. Photo: Evgeny Kurbatov
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He looks around to make sure there are no surveillance cameras nearby, then he attaches the stickers with drawings and words he hopes can be a wake-up call for people who see them.
– They are quickly removed, but some will see them before they are taken away, and that makes it worth it.
The graffiti Ian has been out spraying in the neighborhood at night has also mostly been removed after just a few hours.
– Where you see fresh coats of paint, you can be sure that it has said “no to war” or something similar, he says.
But the ground is not so easy to paint over, and at a crossroads we can still read the words “no to war” in red spray paint that Ian wrote several weeks ago.
– GRAFFITI: The words “no to war” are partly covered by snow. But the snow has only been there for a few days, while the graffiti has now been here for several weeks. Photo: Evgeny Kurbatov
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– I’m really surprised that it’s still here.
15 years in prison
A new law introduced on March 25 this year means that spreading “false information” about Russia’s military actions abroad can be punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
– Kyiv STATION: Ian is discreetly dressed, and hides his face with a hat and face mask. Photo: Evgeny Kurbatov
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Ian knows several who have been arrested for demonstrations.
He himself says that he has been lucky so far, in addition to being very careful. He never goes down on the subway without a face mask and his hat well pulled down.
But regardless of precautions and luck, he can never feel completely safe.
When a girl on the subway asks how long he will knit on the yellow and blue scarf, Ian’s answer is short and simple:
– Until I’m caught by the police.
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