"Not all Putin Shrovetide." How they are pursuing for burning stuffed camouflage

21-year-old Sofya Semenova in March this year left Russia after a criminal case was opened against her and her friend Igor Maltsev for burning a scarecrow of Shrovetide in camouflage form. They were accused of inciting hatred for military personnel and discrediting the RF Armed Forces. At the end of March, Sofya managed to go abroad. On June 23, she was put on the federal wanted list. Igor Maltsev is now in the St. Petersburg pre -trial detention center. In his case, the court began.

Sofya Semenova, a former student of St. Petersburg State University, worked as the coordinator of the election headquarters of Irina Fatyanova in the elections in the ZAS last year. Fatyanov, who headed the headquarters of Alexei Navalny in St. Petersburg, was removed from the elections due to communication with extremist organizations. Sophia studied sociology, was an active participant in various volunteer organizations, social and university projects.

On March 7, 2022, she was detained on charges of "hooliganism" based on political and ideological hatred, perfect by a group of persons (part 2 of article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), in the case of the burning of "scarecrow in camouflage form of green color on the ice of the Neva River." It was written "Take it up", the action was dedicated to the request to take the body of Russian soldiers who died in the war from Ukraine.

The day before, her friend and co -author of the promotion Yegor Maltsev was detained (he Igor according to his passport, but prefers to call himself Yegor), which is now in the pre -trial detention center of the New Crosses.

In an interview with North. Reali, Sofya Semenova talked about how it was - to be on the run, feeling like an "enemy of the state."

-Is it hard when life completely changes due to a video that lasts one minute?

-For many of us, life changed when the war began, and it was already difficult to continue their studies or some volunteer initiatives that I had previously studied, because it all depreciated against the background of the war. And it was necessary to invent what could be done; How to express your anti -war position or accumulate people, or do anything to stop. A criminal case, "escape from Russia" - for me it was just a continuation of everything that began on February 24th.

- How did your detention go?

- It was March 6, Shrovetide. We burned a scarecrow, and the next day the cops came with a search. At first, to Yegor, my friend’s friend, and he is now in jail. After him, they came to me and conducted searches. We sat for two days in the IVS - at first they chose me a preventive measure in court (this is a "ban on certain actions"), and Yegor was put in a pre -trial detention center. After some time, in less than a week, the prosecution wanted to appeal the court decision to put me in a pre -trial detention center, and therefore I ran away from Russia while there was such an opportunity.

- In what relations are you with Yegor, how did you meet?

-At the beginning of the war: on the 25th I went to meet my friend after the trial, Yegor came there, and there we met. He was very energetic and charged, and I invited him to hold an action.

At first we just joked that they usually burn a scarecrow on Shrovetide, and whom will we burn this year ...? As they say, not all Putin Shrovetide. So they came to the fact that you can dress up a stuffed man in a military uniform and set fire to. This was not planned as an action that was supposed to "blow up the Internet, wow." It seemed that the information farmers at that time were enough: some banners appeared; The whole city was in leaflets, all of them glued around the city, and something constantly happened.

- But your metaphor "farewell to the war", let’s say, the police interpreted as "discrediting the armed forces"? Why, what do you think, clung to you, after all, someone got off just a fine, and you or Sasha Skochilenko were not lucky?

-One of the reasons is that our video was posted in the telegram channel of the Vesna movement. The police have a very stretched relationship with the "spring". Apparently, we fell under a hot hand. They probably thought that we were somehow connected with them. Plus fire and military uniforms.

At first I saw the news that they came to Yegor with a search and started an article on him. I was with friends, and a few hours later they came to my friends too. And then they reached me. I learned about this, so to speak, by knocking on the door. [Laughs]. No, there was nothing special in the detention. I had two searches: one with friends in the apartment, and the other for parents, and while we were driving from one place to another, one of the police officers said something in the spirit: "Here, I have a day off, I was pulled out, and I fried barbells in the country." He showed photos of his dogs-something like that. It is unlikely that they had a goal in their heads to punish me, rather they performed their so -called work.

Then I was sent to the IVS. I know three places now where the detainees are sent - this is a special receiver (for administrative detentions), the IVS (sent there, if it is criminal prosecution) and then, after several hours of waiting and the court, you are sent either under house arrest or awards a “ban on certain actions” (this is softer than house arrest, as, for example, DOXA). Or is it a pre -trial detention center where Yegor is now and, for example, Sasha Skochilenko. And you are in the pre -trial detention center while the trial is going on, and the court will not bear the measure of punishment. And this can last long. Egor, for example, has been sitting since March. And then they only choose punishment, and they can be sent to the colony.

- The court, as it is suppressed in your case, took place quite “softly” - as if the judge was not interested in hiding you immediately for a long time.

- My judge resigned, and my case was one of the last in his arms. Therefore, he was not somehow "harshly" to follow the instructions. As well as my friends, my colleagues in the university and various volunteer groups collected characteristics about what I did, in which projects they participated - they are taken into account during the court when deciding where to send you. Also, the municipal deputies, Vitaly Bovar, Boris Vishnevsky signed the characteristics, so maybe this played a role, because Yegor did not have such support. Plus, my parents came to the court, who were very worried, and this was visible. Therefore, the judge somehow treated me humanly. Yegor already had another judge ... Many friends, colleagues and colleagues came to the court, so this is also one of the small factors that could influence the judge, because Yegor did not have all this.

- What happened after the trial?

- The proceedings began, the investigator called me: I took fingerprints, saliva, my boots were sent for examination. In the place where we burned the scarecrow, they collected some bottles in order to "restore the crime scene"; To establish that we were there. They arranged all this circus, which is done by the investigator and opera, involved in this matter, in order to do some kind of action, some imitation of work on the "establishment of criminals". I went for interrogation after the trial, then paper came that there would be a appeal of a court decision. After that, I left, and then there was a trial without me, and then some other court without me, my parents called for interrogation twice. It seems that there was still a court, and there will still be a court, and Yegor had the same thing. So, a criminal case is a whole process.

- You said that parents were very worried in court. How do they relate to everything now?

- They, let's say, reacted with understanding of what was happening. Of course, I was not accused of the fact that I was bad and did some terrible thing, because everyone understands what our courts and investigators have. I reassured them and explained what was happening, but when I realized that I needed to leave, I simply said that everything would be fine and left.

- Do you think that back to Russia, for you now there is no road?

- Since I am put on the wanted list, I will definitely be sent to a pre -trial detention center after crossing the border.

- And the movement around the world? Can you leave somewhere from the country where you are now?

- Yes, because I am on the federal wanted list, and not in the international. As I believe, it is very difficult for Russia to submit someone on an international wanted list through an interpol-all its applications are carefully checked. Many European countries have already completely refused to interact with Russia in this regard, and now, as it seems to me, it is in some isolation. In the country in which I am, I am not the only criminal investigation declared in Russia, and nothing has happened to others for some time. Therefore, I think that everything will be fine. I can’t imagine the situation in the current situation when Russia is an aggressor country, so that in some country they detained me and decide to send me back to Russia. Only if it is not the DPRK.

- What awaits Yegor in the future, what do you think?

-On the 27th, the court began with the trial on the merits, because before there were courts as they stop, now they will be directly in the maintenance of the case and punishment. Recently, Yegor’s friends and I created the support channel - there you can follow how the case is going on.

- And what are your own plans for the future? What will you do in exile?

- There are many ways to engage in anti -war activism without being in Russia. As long as I have the strength, and while this regime exists, I will continue to fight. People have thoughts that since they are not in Russia and are not in the field where they can act, everything is pointless, but this is not true, because there are Internet and social networks in which you can collect some information about the war, about participants and victims, distribute it. Help some funds that help Ukrainians. To invent methods of anonymous dissemination of information for those who remained in Russia, or actions that will help anti -war movement.

I will continue to fight because this mode has taken everything I had.

-Will you return home someday, what do you think?

- Yes, of course, when this regime collapses. Petersburg is my house, and I want to return home. I am a Russian woman, I am Russian. And I connect my life and my activity so that my house is good. It’s good for me, my friends, my neighbors, to everyone.

Egor Maltsev himself explained the meaning of the action conducted by Yegor and Sofia: “It was an anonymous anti -war artistic performance. Better a camouflage form, nothing can symbolize the war, militarism. If it were an act of political hatred, then instead of the demand to return the soldiers home back to Russia, would not be used in the traditional celebration To a person, but is just a symbol of something bad-in this case of a war, which is a real evil, and from which no one becomes happier. ”