The Washington Post - USA (2022-03-27)

A18 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, MARCH 27 , 2022

war in ukraine

who was holding a poster of an
1871 Vasily Vereshchagin artwork
called “The Apotheosis of War.”
A popular food blogger, Nika
Belotserkovskaya, was among the
first three to face charges under
Russia’s law against “fake” war
news after her Instagram feed
went from truffles and rosé to
posts about Ukrainian refugee
children. (She is outside Russia.)
The speed of Russia’s
t ransformation to Soviet-style
“ self-purification” has been as-
tonishing. When Russia invaded
Ukraine last month, state TV
went to wall-to-wall propaganda
blaming Ukrainian “neo-Nazis”
and “nationalists.” Now, shadowy
pro-Putin figures are daubing the
words “traitor to the motherland”
on the doors of peace activists
and others.
A pile of animal excrement was
left outside the door of St. Peters-
burg activist Daria Kheikinen on
Friday, and a severed pig’s head
and an antisemitic slogan were
left T hursday at t he door of Alexei
Venediktov, editor in chief of the
now-disbanded liberal radio sta-
tion Echo of Moscow. The station
was forced to close earlier this
month by state-owned Gazprom,
which controlled its board.
Websites with names have
sprung up encouraging Russians
to denounce “traitors,” “enemies,”
“cowards” and “fugitives” who
oppose the war.
One of the first three people
charged Russia’s tough wartime
censorship law was Marina No-
vikova, a 63-year-old pensioner
with 170 Telegram followers. A
day after the invasion, she fixed
her gaze on the camera, a lock of
red hair flopped over one eye.
“Those who want to think and
can think will be able to get out of
darkness,” said from the closed
Russian nuclear city Seversk (for-
merly Tomsk-7).

ARRESTS FROM A

Inside

Putin’s

‘hunt for

traitors’

In what she called a “shock

psychotherapy” session, she said

Russians “all approved the war in

Ukraine. This is our silent, total

agreement.”

Others have headed for the

borders. Actors, celebrities, busi-

ness executives, singers, dancers,

writers. IT workers and inde-

pendent journalists are among

those who have left Russia.

State television staffer Marina

Ovsyannikova — the Channel

One producer who made global

headlines on March 14 when she

held up an antiwar poster during

a news broadcast — feared she

could face 15 years in jail. But on

Friday, she was charged with a

misdemeanor offense of discred-

iting the military. Earlier, Kirill

Kleimyonov, the station’s head of

news, suggested on air that she

was a British spy.

“Treason is always someone’s

personal choice,” he said, claim-

ing she acted not out of passion

but “for 30 pieces of silver.”

But a conversation with

Ovsyannikova leaves a different

impression. Her words tumble

out, one thought after another.

She hesitates about saying some-

thing that might land her in more

trouble but says it anyway.

“Propaganda in Russia has be-

come ugly. Our country is in a

total darkness now. Anyone can

be called a national traitor or a

‘fifth columnist’ now for just tak-

ing part in a rally,” she said in an

interview before the court deci-

sion.

For years, she looked away as

repressions piled up, taking a

good state salary telling herself

she was doing it for her family.

“But you get to the point of no

return when it’s beyond the limit

of absolute evil. And a normal

person can’t stand it any longer.

You just can’t go on.”

That point came when she

woke up to hear the invasion had

started.

“I was so shocked. I could not

eat or sleep.” At work, “the atmos-

phere was very depressing and

stressful. I saw these breaking

news reports all the time. I real-

ized that I could not work there

anymore.”

In the end, she burst onto the

national state television news

with her antiwar poster in an act

of defiance.

“They’re lying to you here,” the

poster said in Russian. And in

English: “No war.”

“I don’t have any regrets, and I

am not recanting any of my w ords

or acts. I am glad that it sounded

out loud,” she said.

Despite the risk of fines and jail

time, others keep protesting.

FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Police detain a protester at an a ntiwar demonstration in St. Petersburg on Feb. 27. More than 15,000 people have been arrested in Russia since the war started, while others

have fled to the border, including actors, celebrities, business executives, singers, dancers, writers, IT workers and independent journalists.

Wouldn’t it be great if

your home had warning

lights just like your car?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t. And if you have an older roof, it

may need to be replaced before the next big storm ends up....

FREE ESTIMATES

Call Now! 8 77 -445-LONG

LongRoofing.com

....in your home!

n Best warranties in the industry

n High performance asphalt shingles, metal & flat roofing

n Awarded SELECT ShingleMaster Certification

(earned by only 1% of U.S. roofers!)

Long Roofing has been a trusted, local name since 1945.

We can give you peace of mind and a storm-free interior!

Licensed, Bonded, Insured. MHIC 51346, VA 2705048183A, DC 67006785

Expires 4/20/22. Valid initial visit only. Min. purchase required. Cannot be combined with other offers. Subject to credit approval. Interest is billed during the promotional period but all

interest is waived if the purchase amount is paid in full within 12 months. There are no required minimum monthly payments during the promotional period. Financing for GreenSky

consumer loan programs is provided by federally insured, equal opportunity lender banks. NMLS #

PAYMENTS

NO INTEREST

FOR 1

YEAR!

WINDOWS g DOORS g BATHS