June 06, 2024

63-Year-Old Political Prisoner Rejects Putin's Pardon


63-Year-Old Political Prisoner Rejects Putin's Pardon
Natalya Filonova being detained by police in August 2023.  RadioFreeEurope files. 

Natalya Filonova, an opposition activist from Buryatia, has refused a presidential pardon that would have freed her from a three-year prison sentence. 

Filonova was arrested in August 2023 on charges of assaulting police officers at a protest against mobilization orders. She was given the three-year sentence in May, but was offered a presidential pardon alongside 52 other female political prisoners.

In a letter to Holod, Filonova wrote that it is her right to refuse this pardon, as accepting it would require an admission of guilt on her part, and cooperating with the prison and police. "I don't want crumbs from the master's table," Filonova wrote. 

Despite worsening health conditions, Filonova wrote that she has not lost hope and looks on the bright side of her imprisonment, writing that she plans to use this time to lose weight and listen to music from her youth.

She reported that her fellow prisoners also keep her spirits up: "People are people everywhere, even those who have done something terrible. Despite the prohibitions, they help each other survive."

You Might Also Like

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

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.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

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.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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