May 28, 2023

A Very Scary 77-year-old


A Very Scary 77-year-old
Yevgenia Osipova protesting in 2019. Alexei Kouprianov

Paintings by the St. Petersburg artist Elena Osipova, seized in a February 1 raid by police, have been handed over to the Investigative Committee.

Osipova, 77, is a St. Petersburg artist who has been an active dissenter and protester for over 20 years. On January 31, an exhibition of her protest signs was opened in the branch of the St. Petersburg Yabloko party offices on Shpalernaya Street.

The police arrived on February 1, allegedly responding to a bomb threat. The threat was not confirmed, no exposives were found, and all of Osipova’s posters were seized “for examination” and to be checked as “fakes” (a euphemism for anti-war or anti-regime content).

Police say that security forces “have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the seized paintings, to organize their examination and research as quickly as possible.”

Yabloka protested the seizure, and two weeks ago, on May 10, the St. Petersburg City Court agreed to consider a complaint against the actions of the investigator who seized Osipova’s paintings.

Osipova was born in November 1945 and, in said she has "been a teacher my whole life." She began protesting in 2002, after the terrorist act and botched state storming of the Nord-Ost theater in Moscow. "When there is silence," she said, "the worst and most horrific things happen."

You Might Also Like

Endless February
  • April 28, 2023

Endless February

One year on, the Russian language is changing, imbued with Newspeak and Aesopian diversions.
With Mouths Sewn Shut
  • July 15, 2022

With Mouths Sewn Shut

Art is a powerful realm for protest. The Ukraine War has inspired a new wave of brave works.
Sweet Discrediting
  • May 01, 2023

Sweet Discrediting

A court in Moscow fined a pastry chef for anti-war and anti-Putin cakes.
A Painter's Protest
  • March 08, 2023

A Painter's Protest

A Crimean artist who painted a political message was beaten and forced to publicly apologize to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Art and Punishment
  • December 18, 2022

Art and Punishment

Unearthed archival documents show that Vladimir Putin investigated a dissident artist as a junior KGB agent in Leningrad.
Why I Will Demonstrate
  • January 01, 1990

Why I Will Demonstrate

Victor is a 21-year-old student in Moscow. In this guest post, he explains why he, and so many of his generation, is fed up with Russia's electoral system, and why he will be going out to protest on December 10.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

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.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 

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