When the politician Vladimir Kara-Murza was arrested in Russia last April, his wife Yevgenija realized that she had to take over the baton.
Now she travels around the world to tell about her husband’s fate, and about the new, dark reality millions of Russians live in.
– I didn’t feel I had a choice, she tells TV 2 during an event organized by the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington DC this week.
ARMY LEADER AT HOME OFFICE: Vladimir Putin is making more and more mistakes and must expect more demonstrations in the future, the Russian opposition movement believes. Photo: Mikhail Klimentjev/NTB.
– The world must not give up on us Russians. There are many Russians who do not agree with Putin, who distance themselves from his policies and do what they can to oppose the regime. No matter what kind of measures they are subjected to, says Jevgenija Kara-Murza.
Lying about supporting the war
Opinion polls shows that most Russians apparently support Putin’s warfare in Ukraine.
Throughout the last year, at least 70 per cent of those questioned have answered that they are positive about the invasion of the neighboring country.
The opinion polls probably don’t lie, but it is likely that the Russians who are asked do, explains former US ambassador to Ukraine, John Herbst at the Atlantic Council think tank.
– The Russians are not idiots. When someone calls from a polling institute, they understand very well that other than the researchers on the other end can listen to the conversation, says Herbst to TV 2.
Jevgenija Kara-Murza agrees. She says that it is not the least bit surprising that the Russians do not take to the streets to demonstrate against the war.
– You can get ten years in prison for standing alone on the street with a placard that doesn’t say anything, or for posting something critical of the Russian army’s war crimes online. It’s frightening for people, says Kara-Murza to TV 2.
BRUTAL: Russian police brutally crack down on demonstrations against the war. Here, a woman is arrested during an anti-war demonstration in St. Petersburg on September 21, 2022. Photo: Reuters.
Poisoned, imprisoned and condemned
Her own husband, the politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, is a good example of what Putin’s opponents can risk.
For over 20 years, he has fought for a more democratic Russia.
Twice he almost died after being poisoned. According to investigative journalists from the journalism collective Bellingcat, the assassins were probably affiliated with the same government the kill command who used nerve agents against opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
However, like his politician colleague, Kara-Murza refused to give up his fight, and in April last year he was arrested. He now risks up to 24 years in prison for having spoken critically about the war and about Putin.
– Of course I fear for his life. Twice the regime has tried to clear him out of the way, and I think they see him as a personal enemy. After trying to kill him, they put him in prison, so of course I’m worried, says his wife Jevgenija to TV 2.
CHARGED WITH HIGH TREASON: Vladimir Kara-Murza risks 24 years in prison for criticizing Putin and his warfare in Ukraine. Photo: Natalija Kolesnikova / NTB.
Resistance in secret
According to human rights organizations, almost 20,000 Russians have been arrested in the past year for publicly demonstrating against the war in Ukraine.
Due to strict state censorship, the demonstrations never find their way to the TV screens, says Natalija Arno, who chairs the board of the organization Free Russia Foundation.
– The protests take place quietly. And many acts of sabotage are carried out. There is an active underground movement there, says Arno to TV 2.
UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT: The war resistance in Russia is greater than people in the West think, says Natalija Arno of the Free Russia Foundation. Photo: Øystein Bogen / TV 2.
To all those who criticize the Russians for being passive supporters of the war, she has this message:
– We ask the world to be patient with us. The situation is changing and the Kremlin is making more and more mistakes. There will be more demonstrations as soon as people realize that the regime is weakening.
Yevgenija is now fighting a parallel battle – for the man Vladimir’s life, and for the world not to give up and forget the Russians’ desire for freedom.
– In order for us to get it, the regime must collapse and Russia must become a democracy. Then we need support and solidarity from the world. But it is we ourselves who will build a new and democratic Russia, says Kara-Murza to TV 2.
