St. Petersburg, RUSSIA — Eighty-five-year-old Lyudmila Vasilyeva survived the siege and famine that devastated St. Petersburg, then known as Leningrad, during World War II.
Today, she is one of the few residents of the city who still openly protests against Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On Saturday, as Russia marked the anniversary of the Soviet victory over the Nazis, one of its most important public holidays, Vasilyeva staged a solo protest near the Solovetsky Stone, a monument to the victims of Stalinist repression.
Her placard bore an appeal to the authorities: “Do not use the people’s Victory to cover up your crimes.”
She was soon arrested by the police. Vasilyeva had previously been fined for “discrediting the army,” a crime under Russian law that can lead to prison time for repeat violations.
