Arshak Makichyan

Arshak Arturovich Makichyan (Russian: Аршак Артурович Макичян [ɐrˈʂak ɐrˈturəvʲɪt͡ɕ mɐkʲɪˈt͡ɕʲæn], Armenian: Արշակ Արթուրի Մակիչյան [ɑrˈʃɑk ɑrˈturi mɑkiˈt͡ʃjɑn], born 2 June 1994) is a climate and anti-war activist from Armenia who was based in Russia until the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1][2]

Early Life and Education

Arshak Makichyan was born in Armenia in 1994, but moved with his parents to Russia's capital, Moscow, in 1995. In the early 90s, Armenia was torn apart by the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, which resulted in many leaving the country.[3]

He studied violin at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.[1][4]

Climate Activism

Until he was arrested in December 2019 he staged a solo school strike for the climate every Friday in Pushkin Square, Moscow,[5][6] for more than 40 weeks.[2][7] In Russia, individual protests are lawful but anything larger requires police permission.[8] Makichyan has applied to hold a bigger demonstration unsuccessfully more than 10 times.[7]

He has inspired others across Russia to take part in school strike for the climate, including other single person pickets in Moscow.[9] In December 2019 he was jailed for six days, hours after returning from Madrid, Spain, where he spoke at the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25).[7][10]

Anti-War Activism and Exile

After Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine he expanded his protests, writing "I'm against the war" on dozens of his climate stickers, since he wasn't able to find a shop that would print the word "war."[2] Makichyan was a social media manager, until his job "ceased to exist" after the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to websites being blocked in Russia.[2]

After having to leave the country, he was put on trial while in exile in Germany, losing his Russian citizenship as a result. The Court accuses him of providing false information about himself when applying for his Russian citizenship in 2004, despite being just 10 years old at the time.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Brown, Jonathan (2019-06-30). "Moscow's lone climate protester: 'We need to talk about it now'". Al Jazeera News. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  2. ^ a b c d Andreoni, Manuela (2022-04-01). "How war has upended life for climate activists in Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  3. ^ Bundgaard-Laursen, Rosa (2025-05-23). "From Climate Activist to Stateless: The Story of Arshak Makichyan". SEIN (in Danish). Retrieved 2025-11-08.
  4. ^ Rainsford, Sarah (2019-10-04). "Climate strikes: Why Russians don't get Greta's climate message". BBC News. Moscow. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  5. ^ Gorst, Isabel (2019-10-10). "Could Arshak Makichyan be Russia's answer to Greta Thunberg?". The Irish Times. Moscow. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  6. ^ Götze, Susanne (2019-07-24). "Fridays for Future in Moscow: Teen Challenges Putin's Climate Inactivity". Spiegel Online. Moscow. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  7. ^ a b c Watts, Jonathan (2019-12-20). "Russian climate activist inspired by Thunberg is jailed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  8. ^ Bargain, Héloïse (2019-04-26). "Meet Moscow's Lone #ClimateStrike Protester". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  9. ^ Wordsworth, Ada (2019-11-15). "I joined Moscow's secret climate strike movement and this is what I found". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  10. ^ "Russian Climate Activist Jailed After Greta Thunberg-Led Protest". The Moscow Times. 2019-12-20. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  11. ^ "Climate Activist Arshak Makichyan Stripped of Russian Citizenship". The Moscow Times. 2022-11-01.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arshak_Makichyan