"President, change the course!"

Elena Osipova, a 77-year-old artist, has been going out on the streets of St. Petersburg for twenty years with her plane paintings written on the anger of the day.

Some call her the conscience of the city, others call it with a shame. Just as some consider the “special operation” of a humanitarian catastrophe, others - a liberation action. But Elena Andreevna is most frightened by indifferent people, even more than opponents.

In the building of the late XIX century, where Elena Andreevna lives, there was never overhaul. Her communal apartment is forced by furniture, which was bought at least half a century ago. By the arrival of guests, the artist takes out a new small white towel with embroidered Christmas toys. Elena Andreevna treats us with rice with vegetables. He lays him on plates with the words: "It is delicious, there is even meat." It is glad that she has a pack of tea in reserve. It unpacked it, explaining: the other day they brought a grocery set from the service as poor.

Photo: Elena Lukyanova / "New Gazeta"

All her life, Elena Osipova, who graduated from the Art School, taught visual arts in schools. But thirteen years ago she retired.

“Children need to smile,” she says, “and after the death of the only son ( in 2009. - N.P. ) I could not ...

Elena Andreevna's pension is six thousand rubles. Another one and a half thousand - the allowance is like low -income.

- The last month was added a little more - about 9 thousand it turned out. And the rent is five thousand. Pay, go to bed and die? - the pensioner asks rhetorically. - Naturally, I do not cry for anything. I spend only on food. The city phone was chopped off for non -payment. Fines ( after street detentions. - N.P. ) have not been appointed to me for a long time, because they have nothing to take them.

Photo: Elena Lukyanova / "New Gazeta"

- Sometimes unkind people reproach me: “They paid you”, “You go out for money” and all that. What is the money? - the artist is perplexed. - All my posters are in my house, I have not sold a single one in twenty years. Other people photograph them, make copies and sell them. But I can no longer answer for this. Sometimes on the street people try to give me money, sincerely want to help, I see. But I can't take them. If I take at least the ruble, then this will cross out everything I do.

And I do this not for money, but from my beliefs. I do not trade with beliefs.

At home at the artist. Photo: Elena Lukyanova / "New Gazeta"

A few years ago, the townspeople raised 5 thousand rubles to the artist to pay a fine for participating in a rally. But she sent this money to the children convicted of the “swamp business”.

To express their views and beliefs publicly-with posters in the hands on the street-Elena Andreevna began in 2002, after Nord-Ost, and has not stopped since then, despite the intimidation and prohibitions from the authorities. The artist’s works, posters and paintings today from floor to ceiling are forced by her room in a communal apartment, and a closet, and a corridor.

“On the night, when there was a storm of the theater center, I worked at home - I wrote a picture, sitting on a sofa in front of the TV,” she recalls. - On the air showed the events on Dubrovka. Everyone was waiting for the denouement, I, too, and became a witness to this horror. I saw a girl with a huge scythe - she was carried like firewood, and the braid dangled from behind. I saw buses filled with people with their heads thrown up ... And then, after a few days, the news showed how

Putin comes to the hospital, holds out his hand, and people who were almost hilarious with gas, who lost their relatives and friends, squeeze this hand.

Photo: Elena Lukyanova / "New Gazeta"

En She spent all day on the steps in anticipation of like -minded people or at least interest in herself, but in vain. In the fall of 2002, so many cannibalnic laws have not yet been adopted for single pickets. However, the artist did not seem to notice: the deputies intentionally did not look in her direction, passers -by walked past.

““ Nord-Ost ”the Russians suffered,” says Elena Andreevna. - No one was openly indignant. As a result, Beslan happened. His society also swallowed. Only the parents of the dead children went outside with home -made posters. And the country was asleep. People endured all the time. So they got into. We survived to <...> with Ukraine. To the fact that the whole world turned away from Russia. How could the country of Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky get to this?

Photo: Elena Lukyanova / "New Gazeta"

“At first I was shocked that a lot of Russians support a“ special operation, ”Osipova admits. - When it began and I found out early in the morning, I went outside with a poster in a completely suicidal mood. But people saved me. On that day, I saw that there are a lot of people, young and not only, shares my views. Suitable, they say "thank you." One middle -aged man even cried: “Well, how to help? How to help Ukraine? " For the first time after the start of the “special operation” I stood with posters on Nevsky Prospekt, near the monument to Catherine II, against the background of the theater, it was convenient to attach posters there, because it was already hard for me to keep them. Then I managed to stand for a long time, because I did not go to the Gostiny Dvor. There were police officers, and there, of course, they would immediately take me. And the youth that day came up with a new form of protest: they ran in groups all over Nevsky Prospekt and shouted anti -war slogans. It was such an action of the world. They had no posters. But they all shouted. I didn't even expect this. It just resurrected me.

Photo: Elena Lukyanova / "New Gazeta"

“People who argue with me scold me, attack me too,” says the artist. - Recently, ladies attacked the metro as they were sitting in the district committees, solid, well -groomed, wealthy. They called the police, and they took me away. And a week ago, the “Titus” people attacked me at the “Chernyshevskaya”, men and women did not allow the poster to deploy the poster, tried to take it away and even broke it. Then I myself asked the passers -by to call "02" so that the police arrived and protect me. It is difficult for me to evaluate which people are more: those who attack and condemn, or those who support. But for sure - most indifferent. Those who pass by. They do not want to think about the future and their children. The most important trouble is that all this will remain our children. They will have to rake everything after us. A society that does not think about the future has no right to exist.

The past twenty years did not add to Elena Osipov’s health. Now it is already difficult for her to stand, if there is nothing to lean about - her back hurts, her legs whine. It’s hard to hold posters in your hands for a long time. It does not have to be introduced to the police car carrier because she resists, no, he simply cannot rise herself. However, the artist categorically insists that she is not experiencing neither fatigue, nor disappointment, nor apathy, nor powerlessness.

“On the contrary,” she claims, “it is not clear where the forces come from!” Physically, I feel very bad. After a pandemic and due to age.

I can die at any moment, I am only holding on drugs. But the forces come from somewhere, and I go to people in order to have time to say something important.

Photo: Elena Lukyanova / "New Gazeta"

The main words of Elena Andreevna are still addressed to the president: it is never too late to change the course.

“Even now,” the artist is sure, “this situation is insanely tragic, you can wrap it to benefit.” In order for those who died on both sides to be killed at least in vain, it is necessary to immediately accept an agreement on the non -use of nuclear weapons all over the world. It would be very correct if Putin did it. He is a person at such an age when it is time to think about repentance for the harm that you caused people in your life.