Anti-war opinions can cost Russians their jobs

Anti-war opinions can cost Russians their jobs

Manafly, it all began with an Instagram post.

"I don't want to be a reflection of state propaganda," he wrote on the social media site, just a few days before it was restricted in Russia. "I have my own opinion! Lots of teachers do. And you know what? It's not the same as the opinion of the state."

Qazet.az reports that he felt compelled to write the comment after a staff meeting at his secondary school in central Moscow, in which he and his colleagues were told how to talk to their pupils about the situation in Ukraine - not to deviate from the government position.

Two hours after posting, he received a call from the school's headteacher telling him to delete it immediately, or leave his job.

"I didn't want to delete it," Mr Manafly told. "I knew straight away there was no point in arguing, so I thought it was best to just resign."