'Without the freedom of speech, without the ability of citizens to express their opinion, without fear of prosecution, a country is doomed to collapse.'
Final Statements
'I do repent, of course. Every day for a year and a half.'
'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.'
'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.'
'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.'
'And please stop calling me a soldier. I do not want to associate with bio-trash.'
'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.'
‘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.'
'I am not a foreign agent. I am a citizen of Russia.'
‘We are the independent journalists of this country, we have no obligation to please the president.’
'All this year, I feel like a victim of the greatest absurdity I have ever encountered in life and art.'
‘...I found myself in a world depicted in the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. It's a completely different world with its own unique science of punishing people.’
'What will we tell our children and grandchildren about these troubled times?'
‘Modern-day Russia is a victim of negative selection.’
‘I demand the maximum sentence. Because I despise you. I will not live on this land or in this country with you.’
'It's time to end patriarchy. The time for women has come.'
'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.'
'...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.'
'You’re not trying a terrorist in this court. You’re trying a musician, an artist, a pacifist.'
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