In June he returned from the front and asked to leave the army. During his absence, his two daughters, 18-year-old twins, demonstrated in Russia against the Kremlin offensive. According to them, their father came back “broken”.
The story of this conflict-torn family, told to AFP by the sisters, illustrates the lack of general support in Russia for Vladimir Putin’s military campaign, and gives an idea of its human cost on the Russian side, that Moscow downplays.
Physically, their father “has not changed, but the war obviously had an impact on his mental state”, breathes Anastassia Grigorieva, a shy teenager with a face studded with piercings, like that of her sister, Elizaveta.
Both live in Pskov, a pretty city in western Russia renowned for its medieval history. It is also the garrison of the Russian 76th Airborne Division. That of the father of the Grigorieva sisters.
In January, they say, he announced to them that they were leaving for a few days for maneuvers in Belarus. He would not return until six months later, after taking part in the massive attack ordered by Vladimir Putin.
Shocked, the two sisters demonstrate almost alone, on March 6, in the center of Pskov with a sign “Peace in Ukraine, Freedom in Russia”. They are immediately arrested by the police.
Taken to the police station, threatened with prison, released, lectured at their homes by soldiers, then at school by their teachers, they will finally, in July, be fined 20,000 rubles (328 euros) for “organizing” an unauthorized demonstration.
During their legal setbacks, their father, a non-commissioned officer, fought in Ukraine. His division takes part in the Battle of kyiv. Faced with Ukrainian resistance, Russian troops withdrew from the north of the country at the end of March.
Russian investigative media ‘Important Stories’ claims that members of the 76th Airborne Division from Pskov were present in Boutcha, near kyiv, during the execution of civilians. Accusations denied by Moscow.
The Grigorieva sisters wonder if their father has committed crimes.
“He says he didn’t kill anyone,” Elizaveta points out.
– But war in itself is a crime, retorts Anastassia.
– Yes, so to participate or support the war is a crime”, concludes Elizaveta.
– Confessions at the dacha –
In May, the 43-year-old father asked his family to start administrative procedures to return from the front. In mid-June, he was evacuated for “health reasons” and is now carrying out a procedure to be demobilized after around 20 years of service.
As a soldier, he cannot speak publicly without authorization, under penalty of heavy penalties. But this summer, during his many days of brooding, in their apartment or in their dacha far in the countryside, his daughters say that he confided in them his torments.
“He was in the hottest places, under the bombardments. Morally, he is not well, as he says, spending six hours under the rockets, it has a big effect, so many deaths, he must be treated”, pours out Elizaveta.
“This stress changed his vision of the world, he lost men, saw corpses everywhere,” she continues. She describes him as aggressive in these dark times and claims to have had many arguments with him.
The two sisters say that he is not followed by a psychologist. According to Elizaveta, the return of more traumatized soldiers will lead to increased discontent and criminality in Russia.
In August, the two young women left the family home and now live in an apartment found with the help of a feminist association. They live in part thanks to donations received during an online collection to pay their fine.
However, they do not plan to break up with their parents. “We love our father, we are not going to deny our family”, underlines Elizaveta. They have distanced themselves and avoid talking to them about the conflict.
According to them, their 38-year-old father and mother are not interested in politics, like many disillusioned Russians. Conversely, they claim to have developed a militant fiber very early on with the videos of imprisoned opponent Alexeï Navalny.
The Grigorieva sisters swear that they will continue to militate in the opposition. They say they have “no fear” of prison and admire the “strength” of Ukrainians in the face of extreme violence.
And while they often speak in uncertain voices, punctuated by nervous laughter, some things are perfectly clear. “We are liberals,” says Elizaveta. “We criticize power, we must build democracy at home.”
