'All this year, I feel like a victim of the greatest absurdity I have ever encountered in life and art.'
Final Statements
'Right now it may seem to you that I am out of my mind and all of you are sane, for one cannot swim against the current. But to me, it seems that you have gone mad.'
'The generation that has already passed has bequeathed to us to protect the world with all our might, as the most valuable thing on Earth for all its inhabitants. And we have neglected his precepts and devalued our memory of these people and the victims of that war.'
'It is unacceptable to persecute for art.'
'And none of this is about the law. Nor is it about the truth. And in this sense, of course, it is much easier for me, because in 20 months I have not had to lie once. And telling the truth is easy and pleasant. Ultimately, truth and justice always prevail.'
'We can see that the government, while proclaiming that it’s fighting terrorism, is in reality only trying to retain its monopoly on terror.'
'It's time to end patriarchy. The time for women has come.'
'I don’t want to talk and speculate about journalism, about its problems in Russia, because there is no more journalism in Russia.'
'One cannot seek justice only for oneself and silence one’s conscience when justice is being violated in relation to others.'
'And you, please promise to remain hopeful and to remember how to smile. If we lose the ability to enjoy life, it would mean they have won.'
'The generation that has already passed has bequeathed to us to protect the world with all our might, as the most valuable thing on Earth for all its inhabitants. And we have neglected his precepts and devalued our memory of these people and the victims of that war.'
'I know my verdict. I knew it already a year ago when I saw in the rear view mirror the people in black uniforms and black masks running after my car. Such is the price in today’s Russia for refusing to stay silent.'
'We are dealt guilty verdicts convicted for doubtings that an assault on a neighboring state is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.'
'Allah sees that my conscience is clear.'
'Without the freedom of speech, without the ability of citizens to express their opinion, without fear of prosecution, a country is doomed to collapse.'
'Making the right choice, raising the level of honesty and common sense — that is our path. Without us, elections cannot make themselves fair. It is people who make them fair.'
'For some reason, it is now customary to take pride only in military successes. Excuse me, but the motherland is like a mother. Mothers sometimes get sick, and sometimes things don't work out for them. Does that mean we stop loving them? No.'
'War is the fastest means of dehumanization—a state of affairs when the line between good and evil is blurred.'
'We are accused of seizing power in the Russian Federation. But, excuse me, when did we personally come to live in the Russian Federation? We lived in Ukraine, and none of us moved to the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation came to us itself. It annexed our homeland Crimea as part of its country. Moreover, it did so illegally. And this is not my personal opinion, but the opinion of the entire international community.'
'We were sentenced to 13 to 19 years for alleged terrorist activity. In this country, people get less time for actual murder.'
Our newsletter to read a weekly Final Statement