'War is the fastest means of dehumanization—a state of affairs when the line between good and evil is blurred.'
Final Statements
‘For me, it was not enough to know that my voice would not be a ‘yes’–it was important to me that my voice would not be a ‘no’.’
'We had no involvement in the alleged offence. I have nothing further to add. I am innocent.'
‘These handcuffs are temporary, sooner or later, they will be removed.’
‘I do not at present see any reason to prove my innocence with regard to the charges brought against me, since the greater part of them are absolutely unfounded and do not correspond to reality.’
'We can see that the government, while proclaiming that it’s fighting terrorism, is in reality only trying to retain its monopoly on terror.'
'I don’t want to talk and speculate about journalism, about its problems in Russia, because there is no more journalism in Russia.'
'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 also declare before the court that I am innocent of both espionage and nationalism.'
'Every teaching, including the one I teach, is a teaching of freedom.'
'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.'
‘...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.’
'I would also like to draw attention to the fact that, as a result of my actions, no citizen of the Russian Federation, including military personnel, was harmed. Nor was any civilian object damaged.'
‘I have never been an enemy of the Soviet government.’
‘I told the truth. If I had known this truth earlier, I would have said it earlier.’
‘When I think about everything I have been through over the past few years, I still cannot figure out for myself whether it was all worth it or not.’
'Carrying out this special operation under consideration was part of my military duty, my duty as a citizen of Ukraine, and my work.'
'All this year, I feel like a victim of the greatest absurdity I have ever encountered in life and art.'
'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.'
'One cannot seek justice only for oneself and silence one’s conscience when justice is being violated in relation to others.'
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