Jailed, beaten, executed … this BBC documentary gives voice to Russian dissidents and conscripts trapped in a system of violence, fear and punishment. The result is devastating
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n the dying days of the Soviet Union, there was much talk of “Afghan syndrome” within Russia. Thousands of veterans of the ill-fated war in Afghanistan were traumatised, angry and denied any sort of aftercare. A mass epidemic of untreated PTSD was let loose on the streets. After watching this horrifying documentary, it’s hard not to conclude that the country’s late-80s experience of the aftermath of conflict might have been simply a taster of what was to come.
Some of the interviewees in Ben Steele’s film speak anonymously. Many show their faces but don’t give names. A few are happy to be named in full, presumably on the grounds that the Russian state has already done its worst. All are impossibly, heartbreakingly brave.
Shortly after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a flurry of small anti-war demonstrations took place in Russia. There’s footage of one here; at the heart of it is a young man called Artyom. According to his then girlfriend (now wife) Sasha, Artyom “lived for poetry and creativity”. In the UK at the time, people marvelled at the courage of those undaunted dissidents; not only staring into the Putinist abyss but daring to hold its gaze. This is what happened to them. We see Artyom again, now in custody and apologising for his defiance. They tortured and raped him, says Sasha. His gaunt features and despairing eyes tell their own story.
