With just a day to go before President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive in Anchorage for a high-stakes meeting on the war in Ukraine, left-leaning activist groups are ramping up protest plans across the city, and sharing tactical advice to avoid being identified.
On social media pages, organizers are urging participants to conceal their identities. One post reads: “Federal government employees especially might want to consider wearing a hat or mask or sunglasses.” The 50501 Anchorage group posted: “Fellow Alaskans! If you plan to protest this week PLEASE remember, do not take photos of yourself OR others and post them. This is DANGEROUS. Please remember to bring some sort of sunglasses and mouth cover in case people ARE filming and you do not want to be filmed.”
Other posts point to heightened awareness of law enforcement monitoring. Ivan Hodes, a prominent figure in the protest movement, wrote: “We must assume that various law enforcement agencies are reading this… Come peacefully and come correct: we shall overcome.”
Events are planned throughout the next two days:
- Thursday, Aug. 14, 4:30 pm — Seward Highway at Midtown Mall.
- Friday, Aug. 15, morning — At both Boniface and Government Hill gates to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER).
- Friday, noon — 510 L Street, across the Senate offices.
- Friday, various times — MLK Memorial at Delaney Park, where protesters say they will “unfurl one of the largest Ukrainian flags in the world” beginning around 1:30 pm.
The summit itself will take place at JBER. Both the US and Russian delegations are being housed at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Due to the height of Alaska’s tourism season and limited hotel space, federal officials requested the university’s facilities for the delegates.
The Trump–Putin meeting marks the most significant political gathering in Anchorage in years, and the protests, some openly encouraging anonymity and masks, are expected to be among the largest the city has seen in history.
Additional protests are being organized in other Alaska communities. At least one pro-Trump rally is planned for Friday in Anchorage.
