"Russia is drowned in the blood." Protests of one family

Vitaly Ioffe first entered the protest campaign in St. Petersburg after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In 2022, after the invasion of Russian troops to Ukraine, his eldest daughter and wife began to go to the anti -war rallies with Joffe.

War and propaganda defeated many families in Russia. Relatives refuse to communicate with each other, write denunciations to each other, get divorced. But all this does not apply to Ioffe. All members of this family at the Russian invasion of Ukraine and political repressions in Russia itself look the same. And they are not afraid to talk about it.

Father

Vitaly Ioffe graduated from the Leningrad River School, then - Leningrad University of Water Transport. He studied at the navigator, but never worked by profession.

“When I finished my studies, the shipping company has practically collapsed, and people with experience went to foreign companies,” says Ioffe.

Vitaly also took up business - printed leaflets, brochures and catalogs on orders in the St. Petersburg printing house of the Almaz publishing house.

He met his future wife Anastasia at the end of the nineties in the Buddhist center "Kagyu" in St. Petersburg. Then they got married, bought a room in a communal apartment in the city center. When Anastasia became pregnant with the eldest daughter Elena, they sold a communal apartment and bought an apartment in the village of Russian-Vysotskoye half an hour from St. Petersburg. In 2007, they had a second daughter - Anna.

From politics all these years he was far away. For the first time, a protest was entered in 2014.

- I realized that I did not withdraw when all this adventure with the Crimea occurred. There was a feeling of something very bad. This was the beginning of the end of the relatively normal European model, ”Vitaly argues. -Every summer for a week, two tried to get to the Crimea. But after 2014, this is unacceptable. After that, they only went to Kharkov on retrites ( Buddhist practices. - Wed ), ”says Ioffe.

Joffe perceived the news of the beginning of the war in Ukraine "with horror and pain."

- A few weeks before February 24, I thought that all the statements of politicians about the possible beginning of the war were the next geopolitical maneuvers. I did not believe that it could be. I believed in the pragmatism of our authorities. Everything else is the rattle of a weapon purely for the extraction of some priorities. I did not believe that the war would begin, I simply did not believe, ”says Joffe.

On the evening of February 24, 2022, in the center of St. Petersburg, as in many large Russian cities, a spontaneous anti -war rally began. Vitaly also took part in it. He was detained for chanting slogans. The night spent the night in the 29th police department, and in the morning the Moscow District Court fined him for 10 thousand rubles for participating in an inconsistent campaign. On that day, according to the OVD-Info, 1817 people were detained for participating in anti-war protests in 58 cities of Russia.

In the Russian-Vysotsky, Ioffe met a local businessman Dmitry Skurikhin.

- At the School of Arts where our children studied, the new director survived objectionable teachers, and we tried to make them stay. - recalls Ioffe.

Dmitry Skurikhin, like Joffe since 2014, has been opposed to hostilities in Ukraine. They did not hold joint stocks, but each other's views are completely shared. In 2023, Skurikhin received a real term for the "re -discredit" of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. But this did not stop Ioffe. He continues to go to protest.

In early June of this year, Vitaliy Ioffe and another activist Tatyana Sichkareva went to solitary pickets at a contract for a contract service in order to influence the decision of people who were going to conclude a contract from the Ministry of Defense and go to war. For these single pickets, Ioffe fined 20 thousand rubles. The materials of the Sichkareva case were returned to the police to eliminate errors.

-I believe that, firstly, they (those who sign a contract from the Ministry of Defense.-SR ) unfortunate people. This is some kind of terrible auction of slaves where slaves sell themselves. They ( in the Ministry of Defense.-SR ) say: “Slave, we give you 200 thousand. Someone has come, but the slaves are still not enough. We will raise a plank and give 400 thousand,” Joffe argues. - Let at least one person doubtfully, to go or not go to the army, saw my action and returned home, and decided to think. He will not die himself and will not kill others.

Two weeks later, late in the evening, Vitaly Ioffe came to the same point for a set for contract service. When he got inside, he told the employees that they "trade in death." Ioffe says that act was an emotional breakdown.

After 10 minutes, the police arrived and detained him. In the second police department, he spent about a day.

- The senior outfit beat me up the liver right on the spot. And in the department he screamed at me that I was an enemy, I need to destroy me. He proved this with foam at his mouth to his subordinates, ”says Joffe.

The police indicated in the protocols that Joffe was intoxicated. Ioffe refused a medical examination. While he was in the police department, he was not allowed to contact either his family or a lawyer. The next day, the court arrested him for 10 days for refusing a medical examination.

In August, he again went out with an anti-war picket to the large airborne ship "Ivan Gren", which arrived in St. Petersburg from Severomorsk. On the anniversary of the tragedy on the Kursk submarine on the ship, an exhibition with the "trophies" from Ukraine opened on the ship.

- I wanted to say that it is impossible. It is worth noting that back in 2000, our president in an interview with Larry King to the question "What is with the Kursk submarine?" He answered: "She drowned." Now Russia is drowned in blood. Who drowns her? The one who was joking then about the submarine, - Joffe argues. - On August 12, it was 23 years old “Kursk”, and in the Serafimovsky cemetery there were neither gubers nor admirals. The press also almost did not remember. The only one who mentioned this in his personal telegram channel was the vice-governor of Belsky, because he is a naval officer. All. Nobody needs them - just like those who are now dying in Ukraine for money or an idea. They think they will not forget them. And they will not need them in the same way.

Ioffe says that pickets for him are "an attempt to live in peace with himself." He hopes that he can affect the decision of a person who still doubts to conclude a contract for military service or not.

“At the BDK (a large landing ship. - SR) there was not only this exhibition, there they still deployed a couple of draft points, the calls stood,” says Joffe. - Maybe a person will see me with a poster and change his mind.

Ioffe goes to court hearings on political matters. Attention and public publicity protects the prisoner from the arbitrariness of the FSIN employees, he believes.

- They try to land these beautiful people for a huge time according to completely absurd laws. It is impossible to stay away. How can a serious crime be considered that you expressed your opinion? Moreover, the opinion is peaceful, not with a call for violence, but rather, with a call to the world, ”says Ioffe.

He understands that in today's Russia it becomes more dangerous to get to protests.

- I do not see the future of Russia, but I do not want to leave, although I understand that they can plant. Yes, I'm afraid of criminal prosecution, but staying in Russia is my choice, ”he says.

Mother and daughter

The eldest daughter of Vitaly Elena studies a historian and also connects her future with Russia. She went to her first mass action on the evening of February 24, 2022.

-At some point, almost a hysteria began because of this. I had the feeling that if I did not do something, I won’t get out of this state. Because of this, I went to the first anti-war meeting. And she went out for the next two weeks, says Elena.

She participated in anti -war actions until March 6. On that day, she and her mother were detained after the rally when they went to Isaacievskaya Square.

- The column in which we walked scattered, and we just walked along the sink embankment. Without slogans and posters, nobody around. We went to Isaacievskaya Square, and we and several more random passers -by grabbed and put in a car gut, ”recalls Elena Ioffe.

The next day, the Moscow District Court arrested her for 10 days, she was serving her arrest in Podporozhye due to lack of places in the special receptions of St. Petersburg. The same court fined Anastasia Ioffe, the mother of Elena, for 15 thousand rubles for participating in an inconsistent rally.

“On March 6, when they detained my daughter and my wife, they gave many days,” says Vitaliy Ioffe. - Who was judged before lunch - everyone received arrest, and who after - fines. My daughter was taken to Podporozhye, because the places ended even in the most remote specialists.

After March 6, there were no large protests in St. Petersburg for a long time. So far, on September 21, Vladimir Putin has not announced mobilization. In the evening, Elena reached the rally again, she was detained and arrested for 10 days. Vitaly Ioffe did not go to rallies against mobilization.

“Because in mobilization I see simply the beginning of the end of this system,” he explains.

In June of this year, Elena entered a picket against a new bill on the ban on gender transition and floor change operations.

- I was caused by a very great anger how exactly in the State Duma they spoke about this law. No sympathy, only hatred and hostility to people dissimilar to them, simply the complete absence of an attempt to seem adequate people. It was very angry with me, ”says Elena. - Each new round of repression begins with the oppression of the most vulnerable groups. Obviously, the trans-community is one of the most vulnerable groups in Russia and one of the most vulnerable groups within the LGBT community.

An hour later, Elena was detained, and in the police department a protocol for the propaganda of non -traditional relations was drawn up for her. Now the case is under consideration. Elena says she does not want to leave Russia, although she understands all the risks.

“I don't want to leave here.” I feel good here. I have life, study, family, friends here. I love my country. I love my city, and of course it would be interesting for me to travel to other countries, but I do not want to leave for no time. And I will try not to do this until the moment as long as it is possible, ”says Elena. -Now it’s hard to talk about some kind of future. I can’t even say that I have, how can I plan something and assume something? It's just pointless. It seems to me that it will only be worse here.