‘Modern-day Russia is a victim of negative selection.’
Final Statements
'I am not a foreign agent. I am a citizen of Russia.'
'I saw bags over people’s heads. Wires on their limbs. Broken ribs. Damaged kidneys. People beaten to death. Starvation for over a year. No medical help. People rotting alive—their arms, their legs. Lice and bedbugs. Two showers a year that we were allowed to, and after each one, we came out filthier than before. And beaten as well.'
'At the time I served, those territories, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), were officially part of Ukraine. Russia did not deny that.'
'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.'
'All this year, I feel like a victim of the greatest absurdity I have ever encountered in life and art.'
'I do repent, of course. Every day for a year and a half.'
'It's time to end patriarchy. The time for women has come.'
‘It’s as though we’re in a “Black Mirror” episode right now. Honestly, it all suggests my case is politically motivated.’
‘They fail to see that Ukrainians don’t need any ‘big brother’. They don’t need, much less, any so-called triune Russian people.’
'We were sentenced to 13 to 19 years for alleged terrorist activity. In this country, people get less time for actual murder.'
'War is the fastest means of dehumanization—a state of affairs when the line between good and evil is blurred.'
‘Everyone who took part in these politically ordered arrests will carry this stain for the rest of their lives.’
'I don’t want to talk and speculate about journalism, about its problems in Russia, because there is no more journalism in Russia.'
‘I decided to fight back. Ukraine is my home.’
‘I told the truth. If I had known this truth earlier, I would have said it earlier.’
'...When I told the refugee camp staff about my past service, I hoped to find at least common sense, at most justice. But now I am afraid. I am afraid, gentlemen. But not before justice. I am afraid that here, in this courtroom, I may find neither.'
'Remind yourself and others: two plus two equals four. Black is black. White is white. I am a human, I am strong and bold. We are strong and bold.'
'There is little hope for the fairness of the trial'.
'What will we tell our children and grandchildren about these troubled times?'
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