>For close friends Katya and Sascha, who live in Moscow, simply uttering a three-letter word could put their lives in danger. If they say this word aloud or write it online, they could be fined or jailed. The word Katya and Sascha can’t say is bойна, Russian for “the war”.
>On February 24, 2022, the lives of millions of people changed when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sascha says she was in “half shock, half terror”. “It was just this complete sense of things are never going to be the way they were.”
>The conflict has not only impacted the lives of people in Ukraine, but also the lives of millions of Russian citizens who are now embroiled in a war.
>”This is a terrifying reality,” Sascha says.
>She and Katya know that criticising the war poses risks for them, their careers and their families. But they are determined to speak out.
>”It’s obviously devastating and just very, very horrible what is happening to Ukraine,” Katya says.
>”Behind all these headlines, there are real people who died, Ukrainian people who are dead, who did not do anything bad in their life.
>”It’s really hard to not say, ‘I’m terribly sorry’ in every sentence.”
>She wanted to shed light on the experience of Russians, which she says contrasts with what’s depicted in Western media.
>There are many Russians, she says, who love their country but who do not support Putin or the war.
>It’s increasingly difficult for many Russians to evade authorities, with the government actively monitoring social media accounts and using surveillance cameras against activists. But in a country that’s so heavily censored, she knew speaking out was dangerous.
>In March 2022, Russia specifically banned media and schools from using the words “war”, “invasion” or “attack” to describe its actions in Ukraine. Prosecutions for social media posts and comments have spiked significantly since the war began.
>The Russian government has banned certain news sources and websites, and since the war began, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have become inaccessible. Russians could only access websites outside state-supported news and apps through a VPN, to mask their location.
>Through word-of-mouth volunteer groups, Sascha is working with Ukrainian refugees in Russia. These are the Ukrainians who get stuck on the wrong side of the front and have no choice but to flee from the war into Russia.
>She knows that volunteering in this capacity is risky, but she considers it one way of helping.
>She has helped arrange temporary accommodation and transit through Russia, as most Ukrainian refugees want to leave the country for the EU. She often travels down to the border territories for this work.
>Her approach is “to just do what I can in the situation that I’m in”.
>”I know places where I could help, including people from Ukraine that end up here. That’s what I want to do. That’s what I’ll continue to do,” she says.
>Katya supports her friend’s actions.
>”Whatever you do, you may get in trouble. And you may do nothing, and still get in trouble. So at some point when Sascha went volunteering, I was not scared for her.
>Sascha is well aware that many countries are against Russians right now, but she cautions against condemning all citizens.
>”The thing is that there are so many people here, and to just say that an entire country deserves to just, choke or whatever. Like, do you hear yourself?”
>She’s hopeful of a brighter path for Ukraine, and for her own country.
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>For close friends Katya and Sascha, who live in Moscow, simply uttering a three-letter word could put their lives in danger. If they say this word aloud or write it online, they could be fined or jailed. The word Katya and Sascha can’t say is bойна, Russian for “the war”.
>On February 24, 2022, the lives of millions of people changed when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sascha says she was in “half shock, half terror”. “It was just this complete sense of things are never going to be the way they were.”
>The conflict has not only impacted the lives of people in Ukraine, but also the lives of millions of Russian citizens who are now embroiled in a war.
>”This is a terrifying reality,” Sascha says.
>She and Katya know that criticising the war poses risks for them, their careers and their families. But they are determined to speak out.
>”It’s obviously devastating and just very, very horrible what is happening to Ukraine,” Katya says.
>”Behind all these headlines, there are real people who died, Ukrainian people who are dead, who did not do anything bad in their life.
>”It’s really hard to not say, ‘I’m terribly sorry’ in every sentence.”
>She wanted to shed light on the experience of Russians, which she says contrasts with what’s depicted in Western media.
>There are many Russians, she says, who love their country but who do not support Putin or the war.
>It’s increasingly difficult for many Russians to evade authorities, with the government actively monitoring social media accounts and using surveillance cameras against activists. But in a country that’s so heavily censored, she knew speaking out was dangerous.
>In March 2022, Russia specifically banned media and schools from using the words “war”, “invasion” or “attack” to describe its actions in Ukraine. Prosecutions for social media posts and comments have spiked significantly since the war began.
>The Russian government has banned certain news sources and websites, and since the war began, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have become inaccessible. Russians could only access websites outside state-supported news and apps through a VPN, to mask their location.
>Through word-of-mouth volunteer groups, Sascha is working with Ukrainian refugees in Russia. These are the Ukrainians who get stuck on the wrong side of the front and have no choice but to flee from the war into Russia.
>She knows that volunteering in this capacity is risky, but she considers it one way of helping.
>She has helped arrange temporary accommodation and transit through Russia, as most Ukrainian refugees want to leave the country for the EU. She often travels down to the border territories for this work.
>Her approach is “to just do what I can in the situation that I’m in”.
>”I know places where I could help, including people from Ukraine that end up here. That’s what I want to do. That’s what I’ll continue to do,” she says.
>Katya supports her friend’s actions.
>”Whatever you do, you may get in trouble. And you may do nothing, and still get in trouble. So at some point when Sascha went volunteering, I was not scared for her.
>Sascha is well aware that many countries are against Russians right now, but she cautions against condemning all citizens.
>”The thing is that there are so many people here, and to just say that an entire country deserves to just, choke or whatever. Like, do you hear yourself?”
>She’s hopeful of a brighter path for Ukraine, and for her own country.