"With silence, all the worst happens"

On December 21, 2021, Vladimir Putin signed the amendments to the Law “On Police” adopted before by the State Duma. In particular, this expanded the powers of the police: they were allowed to open vehicles, cordon off territories and residential buildings by decision of the head of the territorial body.

At the same time, the responsibilities of the police still include ensuring the safety of citizens and public order on the streets.

The police were called by others at the request of Osipova.

This is the name of young people whom local authorities secretly use as mercenaries to organize provocations, brawls or other actions using physical strength.

Petersburg artist Elena Osipova is 76 years old. The last 20 of them she goes to protest promotions with posters - each she draws herself. For the fact that Osipova is not afraid to openly speak out about what was happening in Russia and the world, in April she was assigned honorary citizenship of Milan.

In recent months, the artist has been haunting the “Titles”: unknown people are waiting for her from the front -line during protests, tear out posters, and surround it during pickets to prevent passers through the passers -by to see the inscriptions in her work.

"Paper" spoke with Elena Osipova about the persecution, the attitude of the police and the reactions of others.

Elena Osipova

Artist

- On May 9, you left the house with anti -war posters, and you were attacked right at the front door. How did this happen?

- A journalist came to my house, who was supposed to shoot an interview with me. He reported that two guys were standing in the yard. I thought: nothing, good people sometimes came to me to protect me - they wrote in the comments that they wanted to accompany me. But the journalist began to say that this is completely different. The guys were in tall black masks with variegated inserts, only their eyes were visible.

We left the house, the journalist went to take out the garbage, and I was left alone in the yard for a minute. At that moment, the guy attacked me: he quickly ran past, grabbed my posters that I held under my arm, and rushed on.

I thought: maybe it is worth calling the police to find this guy. But then I was not up to it - I realized that I did not have time for a promotion. I had a strong stress, I was just shaking, because I always go out as a spectator to these processions - my whole family is connected with the blockade and the war. To do this, I have a special composition on a stick. And in any case, I have the right to participate and express my attitude.

- And what happened on the posters that were pulled out from you?

-Given the fact that this event is memorable, and the “Immortal Regiment” for someone can be a completely noble procession, on May 9, I did not take sharp posters with me. I took universal people.

One was dedicated to Ukraine. There, against the background of the globe, the big head of a screaming girl. On the one hand, it is written: "Save land to the children." And on the other, "do not make bombs."

The second poster was absolutely gentle - it is very difficult to repeat. There, against the background of the pale blue ball, the baby’s head was drawn, he simultaneously resembles an angel and an alien. And he turns to people: "What world do you leave for children?"

The posters were taken. I am very sorry.

- What happened next?

- It was important for me to see the state in May 9, people are, how they react. And I still decided to return home to find another poster. There are many of them, it was possible, in general, to take anyone. I chose the one easier, and put it in a plastic bag. It was written on it: “Putin is a war” and “We do not want to be in Paradin’s paradise.”

I went out with a bag and stood on the corner of the road to take a taxi - because I go very badly and I can’t go far. And then one woman decided to help me. She ordered a taxi, and then, when I sat down, it turned out that she was behind. She claimed: no, no, do not think, I just wanted to take a walk, go with you.

I suspect that she was not by chance near me. At first she said that she admired what I was doing and that she lives not far. Maybe her appearance is actually an accident, perhaps I became too suspicious. But why didn’t she immediately tell me that she would go with me?

I asked the [taxi driver] to give closer [to the procession] - to Nevsky Prospekt or to Isaakievskaya Square. And here is a taxi driver who was in such ways that we already drove past me, and on the bridge, and on the Petrograd side were. He said that it was supposedly not to get through.

People with posters of their relatives were already walking past us along the bridge. On some there was a letter Z, someone carried St. George ribbons.

Then we again stuck in a traffic jam. I could no longer stand it and, when they began to drive closer to Palace, I asked me to release me immediately. Through the nearest lane, I went to the Palace district. There was a lot of police and there was nowhere to go. People went out of Palace through metal detectors. And I decided to turn the poster right there.

For a while I stood. People passed me and congratulated me on the holiday. And I said: “What is the holiday? Today is just a trim in Russia. ” Or some other word I said. It was impossible to call this a holiday before, because it is a day of memory of dead relatives.

Then the police came up to me. Thank God, one of them was small in stature, through it [the poster] was better visible. I tried to note that it was written on it.

Then another policeman approached. They talked with me quite respectfully - they said that they needed to go into the car. At first I resisted a little to stand again. Then they put me in a good low car and I was taken to the house, as is usually the case recently.

- You have been going to protests in St. Petersburg for many years. How is the police usually treat you?

- Of course, not all, but some of the police are good now, carefully. There were times when [unknown] tore my posters - and sometimes police, if they arrived on time, the posters saved the posters.

They have known me for a long time - since 2002 I visited different police branches and spent the night there sometimes. Although over the past year this was not the case as I remember.

Once I saw somewhere far one department where there were coffee machines, soft chairs-you could put your legs on them and take a nap. The rest of the departments, even in the center, in poor condition. There are not even normal toilets - instead of them holes in the floor, the stink is terrible. They [the police] themselves complain that they have such working conditions.

- Do you think why the police stopped detaining you for shares?

- I think they don’t delay me, because they understand: my health no longer allows you to be there [in the police]. I can at any moment ... If something happens to me, they do not need it.

In addition, I was appointed to me with the “conscience of St. Petersburg” - without my knowledge, although I really never entered my conscience. The police have long known that I am not an extremist. And apparently, some purely human respect is caused by what I draw myself. But all kinds, of course, come across.

And then, all the police are also people. I think they understand politics and welcome anti-war posters, because they do not want to lose their job at all and go somewhere. Some of them before, even after Bolotnaya , [me] said: if you are a lot, then we will support you. But the opposition was all melting and melting in recent years. Well, then, as they explained to me, they changed the law “On the police” : at first the police had to protect the people from criminals, and now it sounds so that, on the contrary, they should protect power from the people.

- You said that you met suspicious girls at the ceremonial on March 8. How did they behave and what did they say?

“They just waited for me when I left the house.” There are women, not quite well -groomed - it is clear that they are from the region.

They fraudulently began to get acquainted with me. They said that they are going to be guides. They asked what and how, with whom I live. I even spoke to them too much.

I usually go to [the same] bus [to the center] with posters, and then it dawned on me that they, apparently, already knew it and were guarded. They got on the bus with me.

Other people joined Nevsky, and about ten people turned out to be about ten. They were also in civilian clothes. And I could not get away from them anymore - they began to surround me and pull out posters. One was male, in appearance of 30 years, he had more strength. It was no longer possible to tear out the poster, he clung into it with all his might.

There was a Madonna with a baby on the background of a tree from weapons and the inscription: "Your indifference today will destroy your children tomorrow." In general, [unknown] “bombed” the poster great. I stayed with me, you can glue it, of course.

I was then glad that the police drove up . But it was too late to rejoice. We would have arrived early, and the posters would remain. I asked the police to record who he was [the attacker], I could sue him. But they, of course, did not. Then I saw how the “ Titles ” ended up in a police car. The connection with them of these people became clear-apparently, they are bored and play a role.

- Have you heard insults from the people who attacked you?

- No. I think their task was to take away the poster from me and not let it show it to people.

- Since February 2022, there have been other cases when posters were selected from you? How did this happen?

- Sometimes it happened that I was already standing with a poster, and [unknown] came close and surrounded to prevent the content to other people. But people are still trying to peek. They used to go and did not react, but since February, on the contrary, they try to look at posters.

Then there was a day when I had a poster with red tulips in my hands. A journalist from Holland brought me tulips. It seems that she brought flowers directly from Holland - it was fresh, red huge tulips. You put them in the water, and for some reason they died not standing, but somehow plastically falling down.

This reminded me of the death of young people and led me to the theme of the poster. When the war began and people have already died, they were not even taken from the streets. I wrote tulips so well, I even feel sorry for, they were a young red color. And below on the poster - the words of Vertinsky: “They released them into eternal peace”, “He sent them to death.” That is, it was such a posthumous work.

This poster also broke to me [unknown], the police took the remnants. Then they promised me that he would be returned, asked not to worry, but this never happened. I have not seen this poster anymore.

- What do you think, why are you pursuing? Who can be interested in this?

- Well, this is the city administration. Now every protest phenomenon is being persecuted.

Although passers -by did not show me negativity. When I stood with two posters on Nevsky at the “Book House”, only one person began to argue with me. Most of the others agreed. Either the thumb was raised up, or somehow they expressed their support. Someone even dresses children in a blue beret and an orange jacket.

There was especially a lot of support when I had a poster with a bird and the inscription that Russia is not Putin. On May 1, I brought a poster with a large globe, one part of it, like the Ukrainian flag, is yellow, the rest is blue. And two women of different nationalities with children in their arms were drawn on it. In the mouth, babies had nipples with signs of pacifism. And it was written that May 1 is an international solidarity, and the phrase: "There is no war." People also perceived this poster very well.

I stood for more than an hour, probably, but then a provocateur appeared, and many police officers immediately gathered. Then there were still Novaya Gazeta correspondents with me. The police somehow separated me, transferred me to another car. Then they took me home, and they continued to deal with the correspondents. They were taken to the department and there for some time were held.

- Before the war, you did not meet these "provocateurs" and those who haunt you?

-And before there were some individual cases when they could “fall”. But not so active. And then there are simply a lot of “titles” - and it’s hard to get rid of them.

“Have you received any threats from the beginning of the war?”

- No. Maybe this is due to the fact that correspondents from different countries began to take an interview from me. They are very worried about what is happening, how this happened to Ukraine, why on February 24 this all began.

They are very afraid for their countries, so I did not refuse. Sometimes she gave three interviews a day and reached a state of complete exhaustion.

-You said that you turned to the police several times due to attacks. Is there any result?

-I am now not to go somewhere and demand posters, [there is no one else to do it. The main thing is that there are photos.

- What do you intend to do next? Are you not afraid that attacks can become more aggressive?

- Anything can be. But I plan to continue to go to stocks if there is a physical opportunity. Although it is not known how much time.

It’s good that the last two posters [by May 9] I took off on my mobile phone. They helped me to publish them on VKontakte on the same day - this is the main thing.

- If this is the main thing, then why is it important for you to go to stocks personally?

- This is an educational program for people who themselves do not understand what is happening. I am actually a teacher. Since I graduated from the [art] school, I taught all my life. Probably this is manifested in me.

Well, then, since 2002 [after the terrorist attack during the musical Nord-Ost] I stopped silent. This is my main idea: in silence, the worst and worst thing happens.

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Photo on the cover: Andrey Bock