The bombardment of Ukrainian cities with missiles must be called a “special operation.” In fact, according to the agency, use of the words “war,” “invasion” and “offense” concerning events in Ukraine were out of the question. The letter said that New Times’ stories (as well as those by nine other outlets) about the “shelling of Ukrainian cities and the death of civilians” were “untrue information.” It officially is the Federal Service for Supervision in the Field of Communications, but we call it the Ministry of Truth.
On February 26, I got a letter from the Russian agency in charge of censorship. I asked to be released home the next day. My New Times was running the news, the op-eds came even when I was still asleep, and I went on air live with events and analysis on my YouTube channel right from my hospital ward. I think it became pretty apparent after he amended the Russian Constitution in the spring of 2020, making himself president for life.Īn external enemy, a threat capable of uniting the nation under the well-known Soviet wartime slogan “Fatherland is in danger!” was in his sick mind a precondition for a successful transfer of his presidency into dictatorship, or even a monarchy with divine origin and powers-the validity of which no one was to question or to challenge. I was aware that Putin was to start a war sooner or later. I was terrified by the news but not surprised. I felt sorry for him, but my brain was rolling crazy: Did my news people catch the news? Who should I ask to write an analysis right away? ‘Ministry of Truth’ “My friends, my relatives-what will happen to them …”
My surgeon, himself half Ukraine, walked into my room: “The war has begun,” he said and sobbed. I was in the hospital, a week after a total knee replacement surgery, still in pain and on sleeping pills.