Time to read: 13 minutes(s)

The story of how apolitical artist Nikolai Boyarshinov from St. Petersburg fought for his son's release and became one of the symbols of protest in modern Russia.

April 21 was released from a Karelian penal colony Yulian Boyarshinov — one of the defendants in the high-profile criminal case against the terrorist group "Network"*. He spent time in prison five years and three monthsHis first impression was that the country hadn't changed much during this time. At least, outwardly.

You go out into the street and all the people are so fashionable, cool, in nice clothes, doing their usual things, going to school, drinking coffee, — Yulian Boyarshinov told NeMoskva. "But at the same time, many of those I spoke with have left [abroad]. And criminal cases have been opened against some."

Among those affected by the changes are his 65-year-old fatherIn January 2018, when police officers raided their apartment, he was an ordinary artist who made custom stained glass windows and didn't think it was worth wasting time on politics.

Yulian Boyarshinov learned about his father's changing views from the newspapers that arrived at the pretrial detention center. First, there were news reports of the pickets the elderly artist held every Friday. Then a photograph appeared of him leaning against the shields of National Guard officers, attempting to break their orderly ranks.

A week after his release from the colony, Yulian Boyarshinov left Russia.

NeMoskva reports on how an elderly artist waited five years for his son, and with what thoughts he sent him abroad..

Information: Criminal case on terrorism community "Network"*was excited in October 2017 yearsAccording to FSB officers, a group of young people from Penza, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Omsk and Belarus planned to violently overthrow the constitutional order and was preparing terrorist attacks timed to coincide with the FIFA World Cup and the presidential elections. After their arrest, some of those detained claimed that FSB officers tortured them with electric shocks with the aim of extracting a confession. One of 11 arrested An industrial climber from St. Petersburg became the suspect Yulian BoyarshinovDuring the investigation, he confirmed that the "Network"* did indeed exist, but that its members' purpose was merely self-defense training. At the trial, the prosecution and did not voice the details planned terrorist attacks. The defendants claimed that no terrorist organization existed and that it was invented by FSB officers.

"A stupid mistake has occurred."

Nikolai Boyarshinov learned about his son's arrest January 21, 2018When a police officer rang the intercom and asked to open the door, a group of armed men stood at the apartment's threshold within minutes.

Of his 24-year-old son The artist didn't immediately spot him among them. He said he wasn't himself: gray, battered, and in enormous handcuffs.

From somewhere behind appeared lawyer, who was working as intended. He explained that in exceptional cases, a search can be conducted without a warrantAfter which everyone burst into the apartment and scattered to different rooms.

I tried my best to control it so that they wouldn't plant anything on us, but then I realized that there were too many of them, — he recalls Nikolay Boyarshinov. "The lawyer said Yulian was suspected of some kind of illegal activity, and it was all very serious. He immediately started dropping hints, effectively extorting money for his services. He even suggested where to get such a large sum, how to quickly sell the apartment, and so on."

The theory that his son could have been a member of a terrorist organization seemed insane to the artist. As did the evidence that formed the basis of the charges. This evidence showed that Yulian Boyarshinov knew the arrested defendants in the "Network"* case from Penza and had undergone training. in the military sports club specializing in mine operations. This was enough for an arrest.

During long conversations with investigators, my father pointed out that the military sports club and it continues to work on a legal basis. Julian attended it for martial arts training, and the military training course was simply included in the package of additional services.

Nikolai Boyarshinov was sure that a stupid mistake had occurred, which would soon be corrected, and his son would be freed.

Today, I associate this period with some kind of darkness, — the artist recalls— Probably because I lay in the dark every night, debating with myself what else I could say in his defense. But the investigators turned every word upside down. I said that Yulian led a healthy lifestyle and played sports—they said it helped him prepare for the crime. I talked about his good grades at school—they saw it as "an attempt to present himself in a positive light and deflect unnecessary suspicion." I thought this madness would end in three months at most. But it lasted three months and then five years.

The right not to remain silent

Thoughts that "not everything is normal in our country" had been occurring to Nikolai Boyarshinov long before his son's arrest. But the artist considered politics none of my business and hoped that all the problems would resolve themselves.

It seemed then that we were moving in the right direction, and that any imbalances in the electoral system or the work of the courts only affected the speed of this movement, — he recalls"I thought we wouldn't become a normal country as quickly as we'd like. But we definitely will. It never occurred to me that we'd long ago strayed from that path and were heading in the opposite direction."

According to him, the hardest period was the first three months after Yulian's arrest. His father saw his son brought to court hearings to extend his detention beaten. However, his lawyers asked him to "don't make noise" и "don't make waves"They promised to resolve the matter peacefully and secure his release. But month after month, nothing changed.

In late April, parents of other defendants in the "Network"* case contacted Nikolai Boyarshinov. They reported that FSB officers had tortured their children into confessions.

Yulian, who refused to give the "necessary testimony," was by that time already in St. Petersburg's Gorelovo Pretrial Detention Center No. 6. He I toldthat lives in the cell for 150 people, sleeps on the floor due to lack of space and is subjected to systematic beatings.

The administration of the pre-trial detention center was not afraid if someone died, — says Nikolai Boyarshinov"The most important thing for them was that no information leaked out, and then they would explain everything properly. I remember one day Tatyana Likhacheva from Novaya Gazeta called me and asked if I wanted to give an interview. I started answering questions and realized I simply couldn't stop. When the interview was over, I felt completely different. Because I had finally stopped being silent. And I started thinking about what else I could do.

"I'll still be standing here"

Nikolai Boyarshinov went to his first ever picket May 9, 2018He found it outrageous that his hometown was celebrating victory over fascism while his anti-fascist son was sitting behind bars.

I wrote all this on a poster and started walking with it along Nevsky Prospect, because I had absolutely no idea about the rules for holding solo pickets, — the artist recalls— Only later did I find out that walking around with a poster was prohibited. But no one stopped me that day. People just looked at me with displeasure. I felt like I was interfering with their joy.

Since then, Nikolai Boyarshinov began to take part in pickets. Every Friday — that day was his only day off. He also began holding art exhibitions dedicated to the "Network" case* and organizing letter writing evenings for political prisoners.

Five years ago the situation was very different from today, and a picketer could even talk to people, — he notes. "Sometimes someone would come up to me who hadn't heard anything about the Network* case, and in a matter of minutes I'd be able to convince them that we actually live in a completely different reality. And that terrible things are happening that many people don't even realize."

During the World Cup, police officers approached Nikolai Boyarshinov five to seven times during his picket. They warned him not to disgrace Russia in front of foreigners and that "we'll get you out of here, good or bad."

"No, I'm still going to stand here, for better or for worse," — the elderly artist answered them.

According to him, he was rarely taken to the police station. And only once did he end up in court, and that was under an anti-COVID statute.

In his rare conversations with his son, Nikolai Boyarshinov kept quiet about his run-ins with the police. The prisoner learned these details from others who spoke of his father with admiration, or from Novaya Gazeta articles he received in the pretrial detention center.

Of course, I was worried about him because he was doing very risky things, - He speaks Julian. "On the one hand, I felt like not all was lost. On the other hand, I understood that fighting this enormous machine was very difficult and counterproductive. The price of such a struggle could be my freedom and health."

When his son asked him to be more careful, his father replied: “Well, as best I can.”

But at the same time, he asked himself: “What else can I do to attract attention to the matter?”

"There are monsters that can be defeated, and then there is Leviathan."

By the end 2018 years The investigation into the "Network"* case was followed not only by federal but also international media.

When is the trial in February? 2020 years When the verdict was announced for the first defendants, thousands of disgruntled people took to the streets of Russian cities. They demanded a review of the criminal case and an investigation into the defendants' reports of torture. Musicians, teachers, and doctors signed petitions with these demands. Bookstores closed in protest. Pickets were held outside the FSB building on Lubyanka Square. more than 500 people.

When leaving the colony, Yulian Boyarshinov took a huge bag with him with two thousand letters, which I received from a variety of people over five years.

I saw this support and at the same time I understood that we would sit down anyway, — he says. — Because we need to soberly assess who was on the other side. There are monsters that can be defeated, and then there's Leviathan. I knew the FSB wouldn't change its mind. And they certainly wouldn't say, "Well, since so many people came out, we'll let everyone go now and apologize."

The wave of public support began to wane after the online publication Meduza** released investigation into the possible involvement of Penza defendants in the "Network"* case to a double murder in the forest near Ryazan.

We crossed paths with the Penza defendants, but I didn’t know them that well, — says Yulian Boyarshinov. — When I read this story about Ryazan, I had the feeling that yes, I got into the same trouble with them [the “Network” case*], but they had some other things going on there that I didn’t even know about.

Ilya Khesin, from which started Yulian Boyarshinov calls the investigation into the possible involvement of the defendants in the murder in the Ryazan forest "a man from the very distant past."

I knew Khesin; he was very active in St. Petersburg. We fed the homeless together and organized anti-fascist events. But I don't know much about his investigation and operational work because I was in pretrial detention at the time, and he was free.

Path to freedom

After leaving the colony, Yulian Boyarshinov still eight years was supposed to be under administrative supervision. In particular, be at home from 22 to 6 o'clock and report to the police twice a month.

There are very high risks that he could be made a defendant in a new criminal case, — the father told about the reasons for Julian’s departure from the country. — At the same time, the investigation into the terrorist group “Network”* is still ongoing, FSB officers conduct Searches of new suspects. This all causes additional concern.

After five years and three months The parents spent a little less than a week with their son. Seeing him off to true freedom abroad was a mixture of joy and sadness.

It's very sad that our children are leaving the country. But that's the reality, — says Nikolai Boyarshinov. "They're doing the right thing by leaving. This will continue until the situation in the country changes."

The artist himself plans to remain in Russia, including to support other political prisoners, whose numbers are growing.

It is no longer possible to go out to picket, because they will immediately detain you, — he states. — Well, never mind, we'll come up with some other options.

*In January 2019, the Moscow District Court designated "The Network" a terrorist organization. The defendants in the case claim that such an organization never existed.

**On January 26, 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation declared the online publication Meduza an undesirable organization whose activities pose a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation.