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

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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.
The Best of Russian Life

The Best of Russian Life

We culled through 15 years of Russian Life to select readers’ and editors’ favorite stories and biographies for inclusion in a special two-volume collection. Totalling over 1100 pages, these two volumes encompass some of the best writing we have published over the last two decades, and include the most timeless stories and biographies – those that can be read again and again.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
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.
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.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

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
PO Box 567
Montpelier VT 05601-0567

802-223-4955