– To be completely honest, I don’t understand what other option we have. Seeing what is happening in Ukraine is unbearable. For me, it was impossible to be calm and do nothing, says the Russian journalist Alexandra Miroshnikova. CNN.
In the morning hours of Russian Victory Day, May 9, Many articles about the war in Ukraine have been published by Lentaone of the most visited news site in Russia.
Now the two initiators behind the publication – journalists Igor Polyakov and Alexandra Mirochenkova – speak on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360°”.
Articles He was highly critical of the Russian war and the Russian authorities, and signed several employees of the state-controlled news agency. It has now been removed, but is archived online.
Pictures claim to show terror bombs
An enormous amount of tension
“Putin lied about Russia’s plans in Ukraine”, “The Russian army turned out to be an army of thieves” and “Putin provoked one of the bloodiest wars of the 21st century” were among the headlines in the articles – which according to Watchman He also described Putin as a “pathetic and paranoid dictator”.
Polyakov told Cooper that he felt he had “lived two lives” in the lead up to publication.
– It was a tremendous amount of tension. But I agree with Alexandra. There is no excuse not to do so, not even the danger it poses to me and to our relatives, friends and colleagues.
Miroshnikova says that she is currently unemployed, and has uncertain future prospects.
– no regret
Miroshnikova admits that she was frightened.
– Yes, of course. But fear is just a feeling. We cannot allow emotion to control our actions.
Polyakov is clear:
– I don’t regret anything. There is no excuse for not doing something. No excuse for silence, he says.
Miroshnikova concludes by urging ordinary Russians to resist – either through direct activism, or by donating to large organizations that support Ukraine, or by helping Ukrainians who are in Russia.
The protest of journalists is not the only one of its kind since the beginning of the war.
On March 14, Marina Ovgannikova, a former journalist for Russia’s Channel One, broke into Live broadcast of Russian news with a sign reading “No to war.” Subsequently, she was fined 30,000 rubles, which is just over 2,500 kroner.
In early March, the Russian National Assembly passed a law criminalizing the spread of what the Kremlin calls “fake news” about the Russian military. The penalty is 15 years.
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