Daria Serenko, 30, exiled in Georgia since March 2022, founded the “feminist anti-war resistance” movement, which opposes the regime of Vladimir Putin, from outside but also from inside the country. It is the largest anti-war movement in Russia, and it has thousands of women.
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Piercing blue gaze, tattooed poppy in the neck. Daria Serenko has just celebrated her 30th birthday in exile. The day before the war in Ukraine, the activist leaves prison, where she served a 15-day sentence for extremism. On February 24, 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine. The next day, the poet created “Anti-war feminist resistance”, a resistance movement which now has 40,000 subscribers on her Telegram channel. “History has shown us that in the event of conflict, women in anti-war movements have always played an important role”she explains.
“It is precisely women, including our activists in Russia, who write complaints, who allow certain cases to be made public and who sometimes hide 17 or 18-year-old guys, and help them to leave the country.”
Daria Serenko, Russian anti-war activistat franceinfo
“We have saved several people from suicide, and many write to us, to tell us that what we are doing gives them the strength to live, and to believe that what is happening now will come to an end, it is important”she says.
Ten years in prison for anti-war stickers
The movement publishes an underground newspaper, in PDF version, printed and distributed in Russia by volunteers, which gives advice on how to sabotage the Kremlin offensive in Ukraine. “Our mission as an anti-war movement is to exhaust the resources of our country, so that Putin has less resources in men at hand, less money, means”she explains. “That’s what the international community is trying to do, that Putin has fewer resources, and that Ukraine, on the contrary, has more. Only that can help.”
In Russia, Daria Serenko is now considered a “foreign agent”. His portrait was displayed in his old building hall in Moscow with the mention “enemy of the people”.
“What can they do? I’m not a big enough personality for them to poison me with Novichok! What I fear is that they will attack our relatives who have remained in Russia. I think about that every day.”
Daria Serenko, Russian anti-war activistat franceinfo
A friend of Daria Serenko, the artist Sacha Skotchilenko, member of the movement, risks in Russia up to ten years in prison for having stuck anti-war stickers in a store in Saint Petersburg.
Meeting with Daria Serenko, Russian anti-war activist – Virginie Pironon
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