"I wish the death of the killer empire." The life of the Russian emigrant in Ukraine

In social networks, they discuss the action near the Russian Embassy in Kiev - July 1, on the day of voting on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the group of activists established the stretching of “The Death of Russia!”, And the publicist Boris Stomakhin , recently left the colony after the third term for his articles and asked for asylum in Ukraine, was stomping the Russian flag. In the hand of Boris - a cane: in 2006, he received a severe trauma to the spine when he tried to avoid arrest, going down the rope from the window.

Among the participants in the action was political emigrant Sergey Kryukov. In Russia, a case was opened against him for anti -imperial publications on the personal blog of Russia - a prison of peoples. In 2014, Kryukov was detained by the FSB, spent half a year in jail, released on his own recognizance and, without waiting for the beginning of the trial, left for Ukraine, where in 2016 he was given asylum.

In Kyiv, Kryukov participated in the activities of the International Protection Committee Boris Stomakhin, fought for the liberation of other political prisoners. Now he is trying to rescue his comrade Vyacheslav Fochenkov, who ended up in a refugee camp in Hungary.

Sergey Kryukov told Radio Liberty about the action at the Russian Embassy, his experience of political emigrant and fate Vyacheslav Fochenkova.

- In Prague on July 1 , they wore a coffin along the streets with the inscription "Russia ", and on your action was the slogan "Death of Russia!" And for some reason, a portrait of Mikhail Efremov ... What did you mean?

- The stretching of the “death of Russia” is old, she is already 4 years old, she has passed many such shares. The Death of Russia is a symbolic death of the empire, the death of the state, which brings only trouble. To Ukraine, she brought a lot of troubles. Citizens of Ukraine continue to die every day, the statistics are terrifying, it dies a lot of young guys. We symbolically wish the destruction of this state, which carries death. We are supporters that the empire breaks up as bloodless as possible. This is such a symbolic slogan. As for the portrait of Mikhail Efremov, this is a personal opinion of a person who wrote on the poster of "the life of Russians does not matter." This is a kind of flash mob in connection with the latest events in the United States.

Promotion to the embassy in Kyiv

- How did employees of the embassy, passers -by and Kyiv police reacted to your action?

We believe that Russian state events should not be held in Ukraine

- In Ukraine, any picket, any public event is notifying. This time we simply did not have time, we did not notify the administration of Kyiv that such an event would be held, we just came. Police officers reacted to this kindly. Passers -by mainly reacted indifferently, people are accustomed to promotions near the Russian institution, which is called the embassy. As we understand, Russian embassies are dangerous. There are times when preparations for murders are committed through the embassies. Voters came to vote on amendments, we tried to express our opinion to these people. We believe that in Ukraine where the war is going on, Russian state events, elections and everything else should not be held. If these people want to vote, you can go to Russia and express your opinion there.

-This week, before the American embassy in Moscow, Orthodox activists trampled the rainbow flag of the LGBT movement, and the participant in your action Boris Stomakhin stomped the Russian flag. One of the bloggers wrote that this is an answer to this Moscow action. This is wrong?

- To the Moscow campaign, where the Orthodox fanatics trampled the flag of a public organization, this has nothing to do. We are positive about the LGBT movement.

- Boris Stomakhin spent many years in Russian camps. Does he constantly live in Kyiv now?

Boris said after leaving prison that he would not follow the instructions of the Russian authorities

- Fortunately, Boris was able to get out of Russia, where, after liberation from the dungeons, the danger again threatened. He was under the so -called supervision, was obliged to appear. Boris said after leaving prison that he would not follow the instructions of the Russian authorities, since he was persecuted for his beliefs. Some organizations recognized him political prisoners. There was a defense committee of Boris Stomakhin, I entered him. "Memorial", unfortunately, did not provide him with support; Moreover, I believe that the inaction of the "memorial" untied the hands of the Russian authorities, because of this Stomakhin was held in dungeons.

“You and Boris belong to the radical wing of political emigration, so your views and your articles scare more moderate liberals.”

- That's it, yes. But I do not think that we are some kind of radicals. We consider it a necessary good word to wake the sleeping mind. Unfortunately, in Russia, many have consciousness, and the dream of reason gives rise to monsters. There is no civil society in monstrous education "Russian Federation", and hands are untied in power for political repression. The same action of Orthodox fanatics in relation to LGBT is made with the permission of the authorities. And if, for example, someone dared to trample the portrait of Stalin, he would be beaten with impunity, poisoned, did not let him sleep calmly. The persecution is also based on religious motives - in particular, Jehovah's Witnesses. In order to wake the mind of a person, such journalism as journalism Boris Stomakhin is necessary.

- How did your mind woke up, how did you come to such views?

I saw with my own eyes what this power is, on the example of one region

- My mind woke up in practice, from life in Russia. Boris Stomakhin also influenced the journalism of Boris Stomakhin. I lived in Ulyanovsk, even once went to the polls, believed that Russia could be free, until the beginning of 2000, when it became clear who came to power. The Ulyanovsk region is a special region, until 2002 there was the so -called "Red Belt", that is, the power did not actually change after 1991. Then the famous General Shamanov became the governor. I saw with my own eyes what this power is, on the example of one region. The region was looted, economic crimes were committed, there was an exposure of property, and the overlap of oxygen to entrepreneurs.

-Did you do business in the 90s?

-I was a small entrepreneur, somehow tried to fit into the business. He worked for himself.

- You were arrested for reposting articles by Svetlana Sinkova?

I was not for interrogations. Knocked, called - I did not open the door

- Yes, that was already the second thing. Prior to this, in 2009, the case was opened against me under Article 282, also for publications on the Internet on the website of Ichkeria.info. This was the first site that was blocked in the Russian Federation. "Caucasus. Center", the most hostile site for the Russian government, blocked later. I was found guilty, I had to pay a fine of 100 thousand rubles. After that, I led civil activity, and in 2014 the FSB instituted several cases against me, and I was detained in my apartment. Before that, I had calls from the FSB investigator Andrei Chernov: he stated that I was involved as a witness and should appear. I refused, because before that they had already tried to attract me as a witness in the case of the Krasnodar publicist Yevgeny Novozhilov. I also refused to appear, but then I was still detained, taken to the investigator’s office and refused to testify. I thought that now they wanted to attract me in the Stomakhin case, but it turned out that it was already in my soul. I was not for interrogations. Knocking, calling - I did not open the door. In June 2014, they simply entered the apartment through the balcony, I was at home at that time and was arrested.

- Did you spend six months in a pre -trial detention center?

- Yes, in the investigative insulator of Ulyanovsk. Subscription about non -departure, and I went to Ukraine.

Picket in defense of Boris Stomakhin in Kyiv, 2017. In the center - Sergey Kryukov

- Was it difficult to get asylum? Many political emigrants complain of a complex bureaucratic procedure. Has something changed in relation to political refugees from Russia after Zelensky came to power?

- Recently, refugee status was granted to Sergey Gavrilov . He was under house arrest in the case of "New Greatness", he managed to remove the electronic bracelet, and he came to Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities carefully check whether a person is persecuted for political reasons. With regard to me, the audit lasted a year and six months. Some get refugee status faster. After the election of Vladimir Zelensky was the famous decree on the representation of citizenship in a simplified manner for those who are persecuted in the Russian Federation, including those involved in hostilities as volunteers. Pavel Shekhtman was infinitely refused, although the case was opened against him in Russia under Article 280, and as a result, he received additional defense of the court order .

- And Boris Stomakhin?

- Now the state migration service of Ukraine is considering his petition. Everything is fine. God himself ordered Stomakhin to give refugee status.

Sergey Gavrilov fled from Russia, withdrawing an electronic bracelet, and received refugee status in Ukraine in June 2020

-Many political emigrants from Russia told me in different years that they were going to create some kind of association in Ukraine or even a political party. Nothing came of it?

Public organizations of Russian political emigrants are unsafe for Ukraine

- There is a house of free Russia here, but I do not communicate with them a few more political emigrants. In 2016, they called for participation in the State Duma elections at the Embassy of the Russian Federation. Crimea was already occupied, there was a war, people died, it was extremely immoral to make such calls. Now there is a hybrid war against Ukraine, Russian special services are working here, and custom -made political killings are taking place. Denis Voronenkov, Amina Okueva, were killed, there were attempts. Recently, General SBU Shaitanov was detained , who is accused of cooperation with Russia. I believe that creating any public organizations from political emigrants is unsafe for the state of Ukraine, since through them there may be the introduction of FSB officers.

- Now you are fighting for the fate of your friend from Ulyanovsk Vyacheslav Fochenkov. He decided to ask for asylum in Hungary, ended up in a refugee camp, swallowed the needle in protest against a police violence. Have you been familiar with him for a long time?

Vyacheslav Fochenkov "congratulates" the Chekists on the holiday

- I participated in civil activity in Ulyanovsk from 2010 to 2014, all this time Vyacheslav Fochenkov was a participant in public events, pickets, a member of the Russian Maidan group. In relation to him, the case was opened under the article "Insulting power." On December 20, 2013, we decided to congratulate the Chekists near the FSB department. We succeeded, we even strangely agreed on the event with the mayor of Ulyanovsk. Vyacheslav Fochenkov held the poster "Putin executioners from the FSB blew up houses in Moscow and Volgodonsk." After that, we were warned that there would be consequences. Vyacheslav did not testify against me. He was called to the FSB, he appeared, but did not give any testimony. I myself personally read the protocol of his interrogation when I got acquainted with the case. When I was detained, Fochenkov was the first to start looking for me. I was in the investigative insulator, and he published this information on Facebook.

- Why did he ask for asylum in Hungary?

While in a state of affect, he swallowed a steel needle

- He had, but a residence permit in this country has already expired. He filed a request for a refugee status directly at the airport. For three days he was in the transit zone of the Budapest airport. Then he was allowed to enter Hungary. He was two weeks in the Karantan hospital in connection with the epidemiological situation. It was at the end of March, and on April 18, he had the first interview with the migration service of Hungary. Everything developed normally, he lived in a hostel. In the first interview, he was invited to abandon the procedure for obtaining refugee status and extend the residence permit. He was waiting for the decision of the migration authorities. On April 23, he was called to the office of the migration service, and he was offered to leave for Russia and request a residence permit there. He refused and again filed a motion that he would enter into a refugee status procedure. After that, he was detained and sent to the Nyirbator camp, where he is. A few days later there was a court hearing, which recognized his room to be a closed camp as legitimate. A few days later, a second hearing took place, which recognized its content in the camp unlawful. In theory, he was supposed to immediately be released, but this did not happen. The next day he was called and read out a resolution in the Hungarian language, which he did not understand, invited him to sign. He turned out to be signed, asked to be invited to a migration lawyer who defends his rights. However, this was not done. After some time, the police came to the room where he was located, who said that they would deliver him somewhere, and he must collect things. Since Vyacheslav considered that he could be deported, he refused to obey these requirements. After that, police officers threw him to the floor, tried to put on handcuffs. Then, being in a state of affect, he swallowed a steel needle located with him, after which he was taken to a medical institution, while the handcuffs were not removed from it. In the hospital, doctors managed to extract a needle from the body. After the medical procedures, Vyacheslav was again taken to the camp. He contacted me and said that in the camp there are not only people who asked for asylum, but also detained by the authorities of Hungary. Most of the rights were violated, someone was beaten by the police during the detention, there were facts of physical violence by employees of this closed camp. Now they all collect their stories, are going to meet with the European Union Commission and declare violations of their rights.

- Do not regret that you chose the fate of the political officer?

- I had no other way out. I fled from Russia in the full sense of the word. It's good that I ran. Also not the first time I got to Ukraine. The first time I was detained by employees of the border services of Ukraine, and I was not admitted to the country. I stated that I was going to friends, but I had no invitation. Then the war was already going on. When I stated at the second crossing that I was asking for political ranges in Ukraine, after 3-4 hours I was passed to Ukraine. Not everything has been finalized in relation to refugees, in particular, the documentation is not improved. The so -called refugee travel document is not in full compliance with the norms of the European Union, therefore, those who have refugee status in Ukraine will not put a Schengen visa. There are different flaws. But in general, everything is fine in my case.