Remember when the phrase “speaking truth to power” became an overused cliché? It never caught on in Putin’s Russia. Nina Belyayeva knows that better than anyone. The former Voronezh legislator spoke out against Putin’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine during a council meeting. She now lives in exile in the Baltics. That is what happens to elected officials who speak truth to power in Russia, so imagine trying it as an average citizen. Filmmakers Paul Mitchell & Anastasiya Popova interview Balyayeva and other brave dissenting Russians in Inside Russia: Traitors and Heroes, which premieres Wednesday on OVID.tv.
Every second of Mitchell & Popova’s film clearly exposes just how deeply Putin has warped the very souls of the Russian people. If you doubt it, just listen to the hateful, genocidal sentiments YouTubers Alla and Misha record during their person-on-the-street interviews for their channel @WhatTo (which ominously has not posted a new video in at least a year). They used to work for independent media outlets, but such a thing no longer exists in Russia. Mostly, the older citizenry they interview argue Ukraine initiated the war, through their Nazi aggression, so Russia should exterminate the entire nation. The perverse contradiction of the hate-filled propaganda they regurgitate is clearly lost on them.
Uliana had profound misgivings when her brother Vanya enlisted. Yet, ironically, she now struggles to justify the war in conversation, because her brother’s sacrifice would otherwise be meaningless. For Lyonya and his friends, graffiti was the only avenue available to them to criticize the government’s policies. Unfortunately, he was serving a six-month sentence for one such statement when Mitchell & Popova added the “where are they now” postscript.
Obviously, out of all their subjects, Balyayeva had the most political stature and influence. Consequently, prosecutors had to get the go-ahead from their superiors before opening a case against her. That gave her a weekend’s head-start to plan her escape.
This BBC-produced report runs for a mere hour, but it is loaded with telling moments. Viewers should feel outrage while watching, but it really produces a deep sadness. The mindless vitriol the @WhatTo citizen-journalists capture is absolutely ridiculous. Yet, it reflects the mindset of a significant portion of Russian society. How can the rest of the world hope to deal with a country that choses to live in a state of delusion and denial? That is a question Western policy-makers should be considering. They can start by watching Mitchell & Popova’s report. Highly recommended, Inside Russia: Traitors and Heroes starts streaming this Wednesday (9/19) on OVID.tv.
