Putin’s main enemy is in Greece
Emotion, tension and many truths about Putin’s Russia were told at the packed Olympion on Saturday afternoon by the two Russians, Vera Kritsevskaya and Natasha Sidegeva, who were the creators of Russia’s only independent station, have been persecuted in different parts of the country. . Of Europe. The chronicle of the adventure of the owner of the station DozhdTv (RainTV in English) Natasa Sidegeva was filmed in a documentary by her friend Vera Kritsevskaya entitled “F @ ck this job”, presented in Thessaloniki with the two friends explaining in detail and vividly on the Olympion stage their adventure: “It was a surprise to me that Natasha managed to come here today as she is on the front pages of newspapers around the world and today she makes her first public appearance since shut down Dozhd TV, “said Vera Kritsevskaya’s girlfriend.
The moment when Sidegeva is applauded at the Olympion after the screening of the documentary
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As the film describes how the station revealed shocking truths for the persecution and even the assassinations of Putin while it was the only station that gave voice to the opposition politicians such as the now imprisoned Navalny but also to the gays, the two Russian women even risked their presence in Thessaloniki. And they did not hesitate to talk about Vladimir Putin, likening the characteristics to Stalin, as Vera Kritsevskaya characteristically said: “Vladimir Putin’s working rhetoric Stalin. In his speech to the Russian people three days ago, he said that there are traitors to the state in Russia, who have their eyes on Europe and share European values. He talked about our friends and our values. These people make up 20% of Russia. The West, in this endeavor, can only help morally and spiritually: we have been crying over the situation for three weeks now and I may cry now. I do not see any scenario according to which the war will end. I see the terror in the eyes of the people and my sense is that no one can stop Putin, otherwise I can not explain the devastated Ukrainian cities. At the premiere of our film in New York and then in Europe, people approached us and said: “we have never seen Russians like you”. “I hope it becomes clear now that not all Russians are supporting the war.”
“The Russians do not want to believe that Russia is bombing Ukraine”
In fact, as Krychevskaya characteristically conveyed to us, the picture we have of the war is different from that of the Russians, who can not believe that Putin is leveling entire cities: in Europe it is transmitted normally, in Russia it never reaches. Russia does not show images of destruction from Ukraine. For the first two weeks of the war, they did not show anything on television.
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“The Russians themselves do not want to believe that Russia is bombing Ukraine.” To add characteristically that “The analysis of society is contaminated by propaganda, we can never be sure how many people support Putin. A poll has been published on how many Russians support the war, and those in favor of war reach 59%, the vast majority of whom are informed exclusively through television. 22% of Russians reportedly vote in favor of amending the constitution, while 22% of the country’s citizens are opposed to the war. Of the 59% who support the war, most are over the age of 60. “If we talk to them, we will find that they have been brainwashed and we will be able to convince them otherwise.”
For the Russian journalist who was arrested live
Natasha Sidegeva could not help but talk about her reaction to the war inside Russia, after the video of the journalist protesting live and the repercussions of her arrest around the world: “We do not know the journalist personally, but we know that she a fine of 30,000 rubles was imposed. But there will be a continuation, as the law on fake news has been passed in Russia: if charged under this law, he could be sentenced to 15 years in prison. Maybe she will leave Russia, maybe she will be punished by example so that no one does something like that again.
Watch video: The latest broadcast on DozhdTv
Many journalists are now resigning from state channels, which shows that they do not support what is happening in Ukraine. However, these people have known for many years what they did and how they influenced people in Russia who do not have critical thinking. Were it not for propaganda, we might not have gotten to this point. Too many people support this war, but they do it because they have been brainwashed. Putin really believes that he is saving the country with his decisions. “Journalists probably have the biggest share of responsibility.”
“We were scared but we did not put it down”
That is why they believe that journalists should not be afraid because if they all fight together, if they raise their voices, they will succeed. As for the threats she received during the years of the channel’s operation, Natasha Sidegeva said that she was scared many times but that the threats were indirect as the war was psychological: “There was a period when they were afraid and received threats indirectly, as seen in the film. “However, many journalists received threats and saw their personal information published, and many times we received threatening messages in the offices but the threats were indirect.”
Regarding the Dozhd TV audience, Natasha Sidegeva commented: “I do not like criteria such as gender, age and education. We want to attract an audience that shares our values. We want people like us: open, honest, advocates of justice. For a long time we had a great age in our audience, from the opponents of the Soviet Union. There were also many young people and students, who saw hope in our channel. “When we launched the YouTube channel, we attracted a different audience.” “Until recently, they did not manage to close us down,” she said, characteristically proud of the work they had done on the channel. “We had, of course, many interruptions in our operation. Nevertheless, we always found a way to continue.
Watch the official trailer for the documentary “F @ ck this job”
In 2014, our blockade of all platforms began. They cut off our legs, arms and, finally, our heads. We found ways to broadcast the news, we changed broadcasting models. In terms of financing methods, in the first years we relied on personal savings, mainly my ex-husband’s money. We even sold our house. From 2014 we believed that we would start to make a profit. After the annexation of Crimea, however, the Russian government set a goal of closing. We were kicked out of our offices.
However, we did not give up. We found the way, we changed space. We had difficult years: we reduced the number of journalists, while we were in constant debt, the subscriptions to the channel were not enough. We found a solution with money we got from subscribers and our YouTube channel. In this way, in recent years we have managed to make a profit and expand. Our channel has always enjoyed freedom of speech: we have never set limits on journalists. We only demanded that they comply with Russian law.
We have a book in the office that lists the laws we need to keep in mind to protect journalists. “Many journalists were very bold and said things that were not heard on any other channel.”
Regarding the private channels in Russia, but also the interruption of the broadcasting of the big American and European television networks, Vera Krychevskaya commented: “In Russia, several private channels, but they belong to companies like Gazprom, so in fact they are not private. . Political channels in Russia have not existed since 2006: Dozhd TV was the only channel in the industry. We had no competition, this sector did not concern any other channel. “In the first week of the war, the BBC and Deutsche Welle were blocked from major communications networks abroad, and CNN has been shut down for several years.”
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Of course, despite her hatred for Putin and her outspoken condemnation of the war, she has reservations about sanctions against the Russians: “I will express my personal opinion, as I am not here as a politician but as a human being: the These sanctions make no sense, as they put Russia in an economic blockade for which the West is responsible. This exclusion does not affect Putin, the people who surround him: they only affect ordinary people, who have been victims of propaganda for many years and have a well-established mentality, which we can not change.
Ordinary people can not demonstrate in the street. After many interviews with the Western media, we realize that in the West there is no clear picture of how Putin makes his decisions. The Russian tycoons are not going to pressure Putin: he lives in isolation, no one knows who is close to him. There is a philosophical dimension to this issue: we all have a responsibility, from the point of view of collective responsibility. “Maybe the understanding of our collective responsibility will come after many years,” he said characteristically.
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The screening of the film that preceded the discussion was prefaced by Eliz Zalando, General Director of the Festival, who welcomed Vera Krychevskaya and Natasha Sidegeva: “We are very proud to be able to welcome this screening at the Festival. He talks about issues that are constantly arising, not only in Russia, but also around the world. More than 20 years ago, I was producing a film by a Ukrainian director and witnessed an attack on an independent television station with which they work. Its owner was forced to emigrate.
At that time, the war was raging in Chechnya. Today, it hit Ukraine. Attacks on freelance journalists have never stopped. That is why it is so important for us to show this film, because it is a lesson of bravery and a lesson of freedom “. Truly a great, historic moment for the 24th Documentary Festival.
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