May 07, 2023

Detained for Criticising ISIS


Detained for Criticising ISIS
Theater director Zhenya Berkovich. OVD-Info English, Twitter

Award-winning theater director Zhenya Berkovich and acclaimed playwright Svetlana Petriychuk were arrested in Moscow for "promoting terrorism" after staging a play criticizing the Islamic State (ISIS). Both women have been outspoken critics of President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. Berkovich was previously detained for attending anti-invasion demonstrations.

In 2020, Petriychuk compiled a play from real stories of Russian women who became ISIS brides, "Finist, The Bright Falcon." Its title and story are based on a Russian folk tale. The plot portrays how the women were seduced and brainwashed into extremism, even at the cost of their own freedom, and what in Russian society allowed this to happen. One of the most infamous scenes includes a character getting married to a man in Syria via Skype. An estimated seven thousand Russian women were recruited by ISIS.

In 2022, Berkovich and her theater company, "Daughters of SOSO," won two Theater Union of Russia's Golden Mask awards for her directing work on the play. However, for authorities, the play was the straw that broke the camel's back. The feminist director went on a solo picket for 11 days after Russia invaded Ukraine and has written popular anti-war poetry on Facebook.

On May 5, 100 people protested outside the court where Berkovich was being tried, including Nobel-Laureate and head of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov. The director was ordered to serve two months in jail.

You Might Also Like

Spring 2023
  • May 01, 2023

Spring 2023

The Evolving Language of War * A Defiant Teacher * A Hopeful Priest * A Village Stand-Off * A Trip to Ukraine * Books We Liked * Last Words of Convicted Dissenters
Flagpole Ripper
  • April 13, 2023

Flagpole Ripper

A man was arrested for tearing down a Russian flag at a police department.
Don't Wear a White Coat
  • March 19, 2023

Don't Wear a White Coat

An art group in St. Petersburg put up a sculpture criticizing Russian society's blind-sightedness on the war.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Russia Rules

Russia Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955