"The authorities infuriate that we do not want to pretend." The story of a LGBT activist who asked for refuge in Finland

In November 2013, the “Rainbow Coffee”-a weekly meeting of the LGBT-Young District of St. Petersburg-two people entered the pretext of “Searching Friends”. The first took out a pneumatic gun and began to shoot. The second beaten the gathered baseball bat. As a result of the shots, one of the participants in the coffee house lost his eyes, the others were injured by arms, legs, chest. With such attacks, 30-year-old Svyatoslav Parshikov, urbanist and LGBT activist, has come across more than once. In October 2022, he asked for asylum in Finland: formally due to mobilization, but in fact due to the fact that homosexuals became targets, objects for ships and distraction from problems in Russia.

Text: Kirill Kozhemyakin, "Pskov province"

That coffee house Parshikov missed, but he knew well those who received injuries. He himself faced an attack when among the two hundred people was locked in a small hall on Quirfest-2014 . The attackers let into the premises through ventilation strangling gas. “We found ourselves in the gas chamber, many began to feel sick, it took an ambulance,” he recalls.

The door of the "gas chamber" was blocked by the deputy of the St. Petersburg Zaks Vitaly Milonov. Together with the "Orthodox assistants," he often burst into gay clubs, tore off art presentations and exhibitions. “They said about Milonov: Vitalik knows better gays where in St. Petersburg cool“ Rainbow Parties, ”Parshikov jokes. But at that moment it was not laughing.” After the dose of gas, we were eager for fresh air. The attackers fired again. This time from syringes with green. All in sweat, Milonov shouted: "You are perverts, you are dill."

Habit of handing over with giblets

A series of attacks, bullying in social networks, threats to relatives by 2013 convinced homosexuals to have a foreigner and a visa ready. In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, they already said to each other: if they attach the “Nazi” label, they adopt homophobic laws , it means that war begins with us, as with Ukrainians. A LGBT man needs to be quickly responded, to evacuate abroad in time. Svyatoslav Parshikov had to leave for similar reasons native Naberezhnye Chelny. There, Little Glory spent the school years. “Today we want to delve into construction sites, find scrap metal, the elders were asked from the area ,” classmates were invited with them. “The scrap metal does not catch very much,” answered the ten-year-old Svyatoslav. Such a dialogue was not uncommon in Tatarstan-one of the most criminal points of the country of the 90s and the beginning of zero. The organized crime group was called from the school bench, and the assignments were given to find fragments of pipes, and better metal rods. They were used in attacks, gangways of a hundred per hundred.

“Girlfriends appeared at the age of 14,” Svyatoslav recalls. “And my eye clung to the guys. I climbed on special sites and gradually realized orientation. In the last grade I made several camming outs. Friends were shocked.” Their reaction prompted to dissolve in a big city. It was dangerous to stay in the criminal province.

In St. Petersburg, Parshikov graduated from the University of Hus , fell in love with urbanism. He worked in a construction company where, according to him, they did anything, but not built. 80% of the salary was given in black cash. "On the day of the competition (for example, for a state order from Russian Railways: repairing 50 km of canvases and buildings near the paths), the director, going to the office, commanded: not to breathe! We held your breath, and he hinted:" Rolling up "for victory in the competition, but you can exhale only after paperwork." Further, the company resold the subcontractors in a row twice as much as it was more expensive and lived on the difference in price.

To breathe freer, the young urbanist went to work in the district library. He compiled a selection of books on architecture, arranged urban lectures. In February and September 2022, he participated in anti -war rallies. “The protesters were attributed to a telegram, they prompted what streets the astronauts“ landed ”on Sadovaya? So, we teleport to the Griboedov channel. I could be detained in the toilet at Palace Square. Cosmonaut went there through natural needs,” recalls the Parshikov.

Professor of the University of Tartu, Andrei Makarychev in an interview with Radio Liberty : “The state began to bring the rights to the bodies of Russians within the framework of biopolitics more than 10 years ago. This began with the“ privatization of children ”“ Dima Yakovlev’s law ”on the prohibition of US citizens to adopt from Russia. In the same row - laws that allow gays. In Chechnya, they became a signal for detention , torture, torture, torture, torture, torture, torture, torture, torture, torture, torture, torture The murders of homosexuals want to ban the abortion.

In the fall of 2022, a list of arrested, foreign agents, emigrants among the acquaintances of Svyatoslav grew significantly. The designer of his books on Kazan’s architecture was detained three times. Once she was handcuffed for 14 hours to a chair, never giving neither water nor food. The Urbanists of Peter were watched with an anti -war position by the employees of the E -E -Masks, providing psychological pressure, interfering with excursions.

At work, male bibetics were warned: "We will hand over to the military commissars with giblets." They promised to transfer addresses to the military enlistment office, telephones at the first request. “It was lucky that the beginning of mobilization coincided with the planned vacation,” says Svyatoslav. September 27, 2022, taking 400 euros with me, I went on a trip: Finland is Estonia. Leaving, I was not sure whether I was returning or not. Now I understand: the trip will drag out for a long time. Perhaps even forever. ”

Juggling passport

In Lappeenranta, Yuvyaskul, Tallinn, Rakvere Frende from Russia overtook Parshikov with messages: "On hay square they are caught in packs, then mobilized." Colleagues reported: "At work, they gave the summons supposedly for reconciliation of documents, we do not want to go." With other colors, parents painted Russia: “They asked me not to worry and trust the president,” they said: “It doesn’t smell like a war” that “Zelensky is soon a surgical ****”.

“Meanwhile, the money ended, and the decision, to ask asylum or not, was not yet made. I rushed off from saving to transference: today I considered Eurocent, I was looking for bananas at a discount in the stores, the next day I broke and went to the expensive museums of Alvar Aalto , Kiasma . I fed for friends for the night, I used the corpcuing ,” recalls the Plischikov. The apartments in Helsinki, Alex, convinced him not to wait for the complete pi *** tsa, not to play Russian roulette, to accept refugee status. on October 17, 2022, Alex and I entered the police station of Pasil (the Finnish capital) and took the coupon under the number "018", as if in Sberbank.

From the excitement, the coupon is already a detour in the hand when they were invited to the office. Behind the glass, a blond sat, in appearance a trainee of 20 years with a toothpick in the mouth. “I Need asylum (I need a refuge),” I said in an uncertain voice, ”Parshikov recalls.“ The employee took my passport, measured his height, weight. Then we waited for a senior officer for about five minutes. At that time, the police officer threw my foreign roller. He flew at half a meter and then a meter. We looked at Alex. Suddenly the passport fell. We laughed.

Parshikov spent three days in a transit center of refugees near the Vanta Airport: was worried whether he indicated the reasons for the appeal for the asylum - the threat of participation in war crimes and forced to carry out criminal orders? “With the word“ mobilization ”they could refuse,” says Svyatoslav. Eight beds on the room, drafts, monotonous food forced to ask for a friend for several days. Lilith: A German, working in Finland, sheltered Svyatoslav in the official apartment of the Botanical Garden. A week later, the phone rang at breakfast. “Oh my god!” The friend cried out, hearing the voice of a social worker on the speakerphone, “You will go to kemijarvi!” Lilith knew: Kemiyarvi is very far from Helsinki - already behind the polar circle. "

In Lapland, the Russian sailed three times a week in the pool on a preferential subscription - 50 cents per session, visited the Finnish colloquial club and distribution points for winter clothes for free. At the same time, the pocket has already been warmed by the payment card, where every month of the first day the requested asylum dries by Finnish standards - 348 euros and 50 cents. This is enough for three meals a day, but it is difficult to buy, for example, a new electric browing, emigrants admit.

Those who closed the "Memorial"

Having mastered, Parshikov continued the campaign against the war in Ukraine in VKontakte: since the end of October, he published anti -war posts in a group called Urban Geek, which he created 5 years ago. According to his stories, 134 members of the group, connoisseurs of architecture and design, when there are no posts “there is no war”, “glory to Ukraine”, “Russia - a terrorist state”, “the Russian Federation has bombed the peaceful city of Mariupol” did not leave it, but, on the contrary, supported the publications. The authorities, Z-trolls and Z-patriots did not react to content for several weeks.

“The trolls on the salary were excited when I began to supply the posts of hashtags with bars,” Parshikov recalls. “The hashtags increased the distribution of information, the anti -war posts became noticeable, and this kapets do not like the supervisory authorities.” Soon, insulting comments rained down on the page: “What bitch gave birth to you”, “I would bomb not only Ukraine, but also the scum” and warnings from the VKontakte administration: “Delete unlawful content to avoid blocking”.

On December 15, 2022, the group of Urban Geek was blocked . “There is a complete stripping of info,” answers the question “why” of the Parshikov. “Even groups of five participants were blocked for friends. Anti -war phrases are looking for machine methods, ITSHANS and analysts are setting up, lawyers draw up decisions and decisions.”

In order to publicize the names of such "lawyers" and the departments where they work, Parshikov sent letters with a rhetorical issue about the reasons for blocking his group to Roskomnadzor and the Prosecutor General. The answer came from the Office of the Prosecutor General’s Office with a long name: by supervision of the implementation of the laws on federal security, interethnic relations, counteracting extremism and terrorism with the signature of the deputy head of the department, Alexei Zhafyarov.

Prosecutor Alexei Zhafyarov is known for his indictment in the trial about the liquidation of the "memorial" - a human rights and charitable organization that explores mass repressions in the USSR. Zhafyarov in particular said: “Memorial”, speculating on the topic of political repressions of the 20th century, creates a false image of the USSR ... Why are we, descendants of the winners, are forced to observe attempts to rehabilitate the traitors of the Motherland? ”

Closer to Christmas day in the Arctic, he strove to zero. For the prevention of the spleen with emigrants in Kemiyarvi, psychologists periodically worked. The endless polar night Svyatoslav Parshikov thought about returning to the regions of the country, "where there is more light and the pace of life is higher." On the Internet, he found links to the so -called folk colleges , which are absolutely free in Finland and invite migrant training. They allow people from different countries to learn language and get a diploma of Finnish secondary education.

In Suomi Life No. 2 - it is happier than the previous

“For study, you are not just waiting for an interview in the migration service, but as if you go towards the Finns, communicate, penetrate the culture, language,” Svyatoslav explains. Having written letters in 20 colleges, he received a response out of five and chose the city of Loymaa for study - 65 kilometers from Turku. Before the new 2023 year, he and three more friends asked about the transfer from north to south. On January 5, 2023, at the railway station Loymaa at 7 in the morning they were already met by a cozy student minibus. To begin with, the company was determined in the hostel, but in August they moved to a two -room apartment with all amenities.

“People of different ages from anywhere in the globe are studying at the college: Afghan, Nicaragua, Somalia, Ukraine, Russia,” Svyatoslav lists classmates. “There are young people, but there are students with experience: for example, a familiar Afghane 72 years. All objects: algebra, social studies, bases of health - we study in Finnish. But the first and main subject is the Finnish itself with absolute zero. Before the war, our Christian college did not want to close due to the lack of applicants.

The college helped Russian emigrants to unite in the Loymaa against war group, which regularly conducts pickets and rallies against Russia's aggression in Ukraine in Loymaa, Turku, Helsinki and Tamper. “We, the Russians, and everyone who came from the totalitarian countries, we must learn to use democracy,” Parshikov convinces. “We notify the local police about the time and place of its holding. At first we were surprised, because the coordination took place quickly, and the police unexpectedly offered not to heat with a club, but the protection.”

Last week, Russian activists had an anniversary - the tenth - a rally. “We try, we spend every 24th day in Loymaa at the prism hypermarket or in other cities,” Svyatoslav invites to participate. “The Finns take pictures with us, offer help. Motorists, passing, raising the thumb up. We print the posters in the library using the Canva program. My favorite is Putin with a blot of blood on the collar”, and Below, the inscription is a killer! He reads well and got to the first pages of the Finnish and world media on a large procession in Helsinki on the anniversary of the Russian attack. ”

Since November 30, Finland closed all the checkpoints on the border with Russia and for a long time (from September 30, 2022) does not allow Russians with Schengen visas. But the affairs of those who managed to ask for asylum and expect an interview in the migration service (such, according to Migri, 1109 people ), the Finns plan to start considering after the New Year. Svyatoslav Parshikov does not worry about the "puff" and "suspended status." “The girls in the college say that in case of refusal to asylum, I will instantly have to look for the Finnish husband, I reply: to me too,” he jokes. “In Russia, the authorities infuriate that gays are internally free and do not want to pretend. In Suomi this is not required. My second life begins, and it is happier than the oldest.”