[Darya Kheikinen's apartment door was vandalized two nights in a row. Other examples are even more extreme. In one case, a leading Russian journalist discovered a pig's head wearing a wig on his doorstep with an anti-Semitic sticker stuck to his door. (Photo by=Darya Kheikinen)]

Russian activists and journalists speaking out against their country's so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine have had their homes vandalized by unknown pro-Kremlin figures. Apartment doors have been daubed with threatening graffiti labeling the people inside a "traitor", with messages featuring the letter "Z" - a pro-Kremlin symbol of Russia's war in Ukraine. Such vandalism is a sign of the increasingly intimidating atmosphere in Russia for those people who publicly express their opposition to the war in Ukraine, BBC reported.
 
When Darya Kheikinen looked through the peephole on the door of her St Petersburg apartment, she noticed it had been painted red on the outside. She guessed straight away what had happened - there had been similar instances with other activists. The messages reflect the Kremlin's false claims that Ukraine's government is run by Nazis and its operation in Ukraine is necessary to "denazify" the country. Ms. Kheikinen doesn't know who was responsible for the attack but said as far as she knows the only people who have her address are her parents and the police.
 
Since Russia's war in Ukraine began, life for those who oppose it has become increasingly difficult. The government passed a law threatening people who spread "fake" information about the war with 15 years in prison.