September 07, 2022

Я Вас Люблю


Я Вас Люблю

"I love you." 

                                   – Journalist Ivan Safronov after being sentenced to 22 years in prison for treason

On September 5, Ivan Safronov was sentenced to 22 years in prison for acts of treason against Russia. Less than a week prior to the sentencing, the prosecutor's office was demanding Safronov be sent to prison for 24 years. This verdict is not only shocking considering the crime, but the length as well; in Russia, the criminal code states that acts of high treason warrant up to 20 years in prison, not more.

The court claimed that Safronov committed acts of high treason by giving secret information to the German and Czech governments. However, Russian independent news agencies have shown that almost all of the information that Safronov released could be found on the internet.

The trial was not an easy one for Safronov. He spent two years in pre-trial detention, one of his lawyers was forced to leave the country, and the other is in jail. According to the court, one of the reasons behind the extensive sentence is Safronov's firm spirit and adamant refusal to cooperate.

After he was sentenced and left the courtroom, supporters cheered him on. Safronov responded by giving his love.

You Might Also Like

The Price of Dissent
  • August 14, 2022

The Price of Dissent

A Russian journalist, already arrested for speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine, has had her home raided by authorities.
Headlines for Truth
  • May 17, 2022

Headlines for Truth

Editors of a Russian news outlet surprise readers with their anti-war sentiments.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

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.
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.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.
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.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Russian Rules

Russian 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