January 02, 2024

Up to Seven Years for Poetry


Up to Seven Years for Poetry
A penitential center in Moscow.  Senate of Russian Federation, Flickr.

On December 28, Russian poets Artem Kamardin and Yegor Shtovba have been handed prison sentences for their anti-war poems, with Kamardin receiving seven years and Shtovba receiving five years and six months in a penal colony. Another poet involved in the case, Nikolay Dayneko, received a four-year prison sentence earlier.

The Moscow court found the poets guilty of "group incitement of hostility" toward members of the armed formations of the self-proclaimed separatist republics of the LPR and DPR, as well as calls for activities against the security of the state. The charges stemmed from the poets reading anti-war poems in Moscow's city center during the September 2022 Mayakovsliye Chteniya (Mayakovsky poetry readings), a traditional cultural event where poets gather at the monument to Vladimir Mayakovsky to read poems publicly.

During the September 2022 event, the poets responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by organizing "anti-mobilization" public readings. Kamardin referred to Russia-friendly Ukrainian separatists as "terrorists" and expressed his views on the annexation of Ukrainian territories in a poem, saying, "Slava Kievskoy Rusy, Novorossiya Sosi" ("The glory of Kievan Rus is Novorossiya, suck it!").

Following the event, Kamardin was searched, and he reported police officers sexually assaulting him. Kamardin's girlfriend, Alexandra Popova, also reported torture, stating that security forces stuck stickers to her face with superglue, tried to seal her mouth, pulled out her hair, kicked her, and threatened rape. Then Kamardin was sent to a pre-trial detention center, along with Daineko and Shtovba, who repeated the reading lines from Kamardin's poem, according to investigators.

In court, Kamardin requested a suspended sentence, arguing that judging art is unacceptable as artistic statements can be interpreted in various ways. He emphasized that he had no intention of humiliating or insulting anyone and disclosed being diagnosed with "generalized anxiety disorder," asserting that his physical and mental health would not withstand a long prison sentence.

Shtovba, addressing the court, highlighted the lack of evidence connecting him to Kamardin or Daineko before their arrest. He asserted that he was unfamiliar with the other defendants, making it impossible for them to declare poems jointly. This case is one among many in Russia where participants in anti-war public actions receive lengthy prison sentences.

For instance, artist and former Bumaga employee Sasha Skochilenko was convicted of spreading "fakes" about the Russian army by placing price tags in a Perekrestok store with data about those being killed and bombed in Ukraine. According to the human rights project OVD-Info, nearly 800 people in Russia face criminal prosecution for their anti-war stance.

You Might Also Like

A Very Famous Terrorist
  • December 25, 2023

A Very Famous Terrorist

Popular writer Boris Akunin has been added to the Kremlin's list of terrorists and extremists.
An Anti-War Art Awakening
  • December 18, 2023

An Anti-War Art Awakening

Anonymous artist Zless creates anti-war art that juxtaposes traditional Russian symbols and the horrors of the invasion of Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

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 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.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

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.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

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.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

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.

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.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

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...

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

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