The #MeToo movement immensely shifted public discourse in many Western countries, but it experienced slower development in Russia. It was dismissed at the highest levels of government as well as in provincial regions across the federation. Many of the tenets of the feminist movement were considered incongruent with Russian culture, views on gender and public discussion of private matters.
Domestic violence is a serious problem in Russia. Police statistics show that 15,381 women have been victims of violence in their home in the first nine months of 2019 and, according to Russia’s interior ministry, 14,000 women are killed each year as a result of it.