I was born and raised in Russia. It was a different country back then. I loved my life. I respected elders and all living beings, appreciated nature, and life itself. I grew up with the understanding that life is a sacred gift. But while I was growing up, my country slowly, step by step, morphed into a soulless monster. It was happening all along; I was just too young to notice. I started noticing it in the 2010s, when, after the sudden death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who exposed a scheme of money laundering and tax fraud, Russian authorities took a countermeasure—the so-called “Dima Yakovlev” law—focusing on one tragic incident and restricting the adoption of Russian children by foreign countries. It was wild. I couldn’t understand that.
Then came Bolotnaya: peaceful protesters were beaten, handcuffed, and literally crushed by police. Putin came back to power, and it became clear that he would never leave again.
In 2014, the annexation of Crimea occurred. I saw happy crowds gather on Red Square for a meeting announced by Russian authorities. It was their triumph, but I knew that these crowds often attend such events because they get paid a small amount of money to create the illusion of national unity and consolidation. Of course, the civilized world condemned that operation and imposed restrictions and sanctions on Russian authorities. In retaliation against Western sanctions, Russia banned the import of many foreign food products, including cheese, meat, and fruits. Even more bizarrely, authorities ordered the public destruction of confiscated banned products with bulldozers, showing it on state media channels. It was an absurd move, especially given the economic struggles and poverty.
And then absolute hell started: the downing of MH17, the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, the poisoning and imprisonment of Alexei Navalny on his return home, the crushing of protests in 2021, and then, all of a sudden, the cowardly full-scale invasion of Ukraine, early in the morning, when people were sleeping in their beds.
Living far from home now, I start my day reading the news about what happened to my home, and what my home did to Ukraine. As I go to sleep, I read how many “Shaheds” and “Kalibr” missiles Russia has launched at Ukraine, or how many ammunition depots have burned in Russia. No need to panic; everyone knows that downed drone fragments tend to ignite objects on impact, but our fearless firefighters will fix it all in the blink of an eye.
I love the absurdity of life, but what is happening now is a bloody absurdity.
One would think everything is clear: Russia attacked Ukraine. Explosive drones with the screaming name “Shahed” cannot be a gesture of goodwill. Murderers and rapists released from prisons and sent to kill innocent people in a neighboring country while simultaneously “nullifying” one another cannot be liberators or heroes. Conscripts cannot be forced to fight until the end of the “Special Military Operation,” while the aforementioned killers return home after six months of “washing away their sins with blood.” The Patriarch cannot call upon one person to kill another. The involvement of children in the intricacies of warfare cannot nurture individuals who respect what matters most—the value of human life.
This entire absurdity could be enumerated endlessly, yet an explanation will always be found, for we do not know the whole truth. Propaganda brainwashed millions of people. These people can be your relatives, your childhood friends. At first glance, they seem decent and clever. But when you dig deeper, you just can’t stand it anymore. Since the first day of the war, I couldn’t believe it. It was crystal clear to me what was happening. And these people still wish for Ukraine to perish?
I cannot switch the settings back from “evil” to “good.” And so, I am forced to picture evil.
I open AI and adjust the settings prompt: humanity set to minus one hundred, violence cranked up to ultra-violence, logical connections turned off. A dash of conspiracy theories, imperialism, Russian exceptionalism, and nuclear orthodoxy. The value of human life is replaced with a death cult, good is swapped for evil.
Now, when the prompt is ready, I press “generate” and look at the result. Voilà, ПУТИНИZМ unravels in front of our eyes.
Series dedicated to 1st of september, Knowledge day and start of a new school year. The Russian state uses schools as a tool for indoctrination, teaching children that the invasion of Ukraine is justified and positioning Russia as the victim of Western aggression. History books rewritten and present a distorted version of reality, depicting NATO and the West as threats to Russia, while portraying Ukraine's sovereignty as a lie. "Heroes" who are often convicted criminals, brought in to give lessons steeped in patriotic fervor. These sessions twist the reality of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, painting aggression as defense and dissent as betrayal.
Kasta was formed in 1997 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, profoundly shaped the Russian rap scene by blending poetic lyricism with socially charged themes, elevating hip-hop to an art form that resonated across generations and inspired countless rap artists. Kasta has built a massive fan base over the decades, with millions of listeners across Russia and the post-Soviet space, as well as in communities abroad. The group, which publicly condemned the invasion of Ukraine from the start, has faced concert cancellations and other restrictions in Russia.
Recently released new album, "Novelties of Foreign Rap", which takes an anti-war stance and critiques the Russian regime, including its colonial legacy and invasion of Ukraine. This bold position has led to the album being banned on Russian streaming platforms, aligning with the country's crackdown on dissenting voices. Honoured to create an album cover for my fellow rostovchane. They were a torchlight of meaning, depth, and principles, who i listened to since i was a schoolboy.
Series i made to mark the visit of North Korea by Putin in june 2024. While posting them on instagram, i noticed that my stories were monitored by official instagram page of the press and photo pull of Vladimir Putin. What an honour.
The funny thing is - platform was banned in Russia in 2022 after invasion of Ukraine and was labeled as "extremist"
Russian orthodox church takes stance in this war, no surprise. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, made a statement in March 2022 regarding the war in Ukraine. He suggested that those who participate in the war could be absolved of their sins, drawing on the idea of spiritual cleansing through sacrifice. Specifically, Kirill stated:
"If a person sincerely repents, then even the most terrible sin can be forgiven. We believe that if a person sincerely repents and goes to fight for the truth, for justice, for the defense of their country, and if they die in this war, their sins will be washed away."
