‘Russia Wants Family Violence to Persist’: Feminist Activist Zalina Marshenkulova

At 38, blogger and activistic Zalina Marshenkulova has secured her spot among the astir important figures of Russia’s women’s rights question — an “icon of Russian wide feminism,” arsenic she describes herself connected societal media. 

Since 2017, Marshenkulova has tally the fashionable Telegram blog Female Power — which present has implicit 17,400 subscribers — wherever she shares quality commentary and notes connected her idiosyncratic life.

However, astir radical extracurricular Russian feminist circles learned Marshunkulova’s sanction successful 2019 erstwhile she participated successful Reebok’s controversial societal media advertisement run that aimed to “dispel myths astir accepted sex roles.” 

Reebok utilized Marshenkulova’s punctuation “Don’t beryllium astir waiting for a man’s support — beryllium connected a man’s face” arsenic 1 of its run slogans. Though the advertisement was deleted pursuing a tempest of antagonistic reactions, Marshenkulova’s racy punctuation went down successful the past of Russia’s feminist movement. 

On Nov. 26 Marshenkulova, who has been surviving successful exile since Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine, volition talk astatine Women Against the Kremlin, a groundbreaking gathering of women leaders lasting against warfare and authoritarianism hosted by The Moscow Times successful Amsterdam. 

Ahead of the event, The Moscow Times spoke with Marshenkulova astir activism successful exile, the Kremlin’s repressive laws and the authorities of women’s rights successful Russia. 

This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

The Moscow Times: Has your activism transformed successful exile? What are the cardinal areas of your enactment close now? 

Zalina Marshenkulova: I presently unrecorded successful Germany connected a humanitarian visa and I privation to convey the German authorities for trusting maine and tending to my case. I received the visa earlier determination were immoderate transgression cases against maine [in Russia], but present I person one [on charges of ‘justifying terrorism’] and americium waiting for the 2nd 1 implicit non-compliance with the ‘foreign agents law.’

I don’t travel requirements astir my ‘foreign agent’ presumption due to the fact that I contradict each of these insane, fake charges against me. I garbage to admit the legitimacy of Putin’s junta and travel immoderate of their insane demands. 

Most of my clip close present is dedicated to survival. To beryllium capable to unrecorded successful Germany without relying connected societal benefits means I person to enactment a lot. I’m usually progressive successful 3 projects astatine once. People often presume activists are conscionable assistance recipients who don’t bash overmuch — that doesn’t use to me. I enactment each time to enactment myself and my family. I lone prosecute successful activism successful the escaped clip that I tin carve out. 

Together with colleagues from Feminist Anti-War Resistance, we’ve organized respective events present successful Germany, aiming to pass section audiences astir the concern successful Russia and assorted fabricated charges that radical are detained on. For Europeans, these stories are often rather shocking.

I myself americium facing 8 years successful a Russian situation for being against the penetration of Ukraine and for calling a antheral [pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky] who participated successful the subject enactment against Ukraine the warfare transgression that helium is. 

He died successful a violent attack and there’s nary impervious whether it was organized by the Ukrainian quality services. We don’t cognize who blew this feline up, but I americium accused of justifying Ukraine’s aggression against this peculiar serviceman — Russian authorities telephone this ‘justification of terrorism.’

I didn’t telephone Tatarsky immoderate violative names. I didn’t incite anyone to perpetrate a murder. I posted a video wherever this killed serviceman himself says, ‘We’ll termination everyone, we’ll chopped everyone down.’ [Tatarsky], the idiosyncratic who went retired [to Ukraine] to termination and called for much killings, isn’t considered a violent by Russia.

Why americium I saying each this? Because 1 of the things I americium moving connected is helping governmental prisoners successful Russia, raising wealth for them and their lawyers. A immense fig of radical are presently down bars connected absurd charges akin to mine, including theatre manager Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk and galore teenage boys and girls. 

The 2nd contented I americium moving connected is the practice of Russians successful Europe. Those of america who fled the warfare oregon opposed it portion successful Europe look issues similar slope relationship freezes oregon outright bans connected opening them. We are successful an absurd situation: contempt opposing the killings and the invasion, and pursuing European law, we inactive look assorted bans and restrictions simply due to the fact that we person a Russian passport. I deliberation this is besides an important contented that needs attention.

All successful all, similar each feminist, I americium warring 2 battles astatine the aforesaid time: 1 for basal quality rights and the different — for women’s rights.

How would you picture the concern with women’s rights successful Russia close now? 

Women are, of course, precise susceptible successful an situation wherever anyone tin beryllium jailed for nary reason. 

But women are besides subjected to reproductive unit that galore governments — including Russia — are facilitating with renewed rigorousness these days. [These acts] see termination restrictions and attempts to prohibition termination altogether. In different words: attempts to crook the authorities distant from secularism and toward spiritual obscurantism. 

The State Duma passed a arguable measure outlawing alleged “childfree propaganda” last week. It’s casual to disregard this arsenic yet another absurd invention of the Kremlin, but however volition it interaction women — and men — successful Russia? 

This is yet different repressive law, conscionable similar the instrumentality connected the alleged ‘justification of terrorism’ oregon ‘LGBT propaganda.’ These laws fundamentally forbid radical to beryllium gay oregon childfree. Laws similar this should not exist. It’s implicit nonsense. 

I was labeled a overseas cause for promoting ‘LGBT propaganda,’ among different things. But dissimilar astir Russian politicians who advocator for ‘traditional values,’ I really person a family. I person been joined to 1 idiosyncratic for 16 years and I person a child. 

Oddly enough, astir Russian traditionalists and propagandists person ne'er been married, and person nary children oregon families of their ain but are pushing everyone other astir to bash otherwise. It’s rather amusing. 

You person a ample societal media following. Do your posts inactive resonate with the assemblage wrong Russia? How bash you negociate to stay a ‘Russian activist’ portion surviving abroad? 

I deliberation I americium much of an planetary feminist activistic present due to the fact that I americium losing the transportation [with those wrong Russia], but that is wholly normal. 

Moreover, arsenic an alleged ‘terrorist’ I had each my Russian slope accounts blocked, truthful I can’t get donations from those successful Russia, but adjacent if determination was a way, they could look situation for financially supporting me. The aforesaid goes for advertisement placements successful my blogs. 

So present I person enactment from Russian speakers overseas — that’s my audience. 

Much of the treatment astir Russia’s aboriginal and contiguous present revolves astir determination inequalities and the rights of Indigenous people. Do you deliberation the intersectional attack — which takes those things into relationship — is applicable to existent Russian realities? What prism bash you use to your ain work? 

I person a analyzable narration with intersectional feminism due to the fact that I americium a wide feminist. I recognize the value of intersectional feminism, arsenic good arsenic the value of extremist feminism. All these types of feminism should exist. But, I judge that everyone should absorption connected what they bash best.

Based connected the feedback and galore letters I received passim my activistic career, I look to beryllium astir effectual astatine cleaning retired the dried-up crap of prejudice from the minds of patriarchal men and women. 

I judge it’s important to stay successful changeless dialog with society, not to isolate oneself. I am, successful fact, ever successful interaction with patriarchal members of our nine due to the fact that it’s important for maine to amended and enlighten the full satellite — not conscionable women, but men arsenic well. 

With this, I combat against dictatorship successful politics, which ever begins with dictatorship wrong oneself and successful idiosyncratic relationships. I effort to amusement radical that it is imaginable to physique one’s household and state without unit — for that, I look jailhouse time. 

The Russian authorities wants household unit to persist due to the fact that home unit enables authorities violence. If a idiosyncratic is taught that beating one’s household subordinate is ok, past they volition comprehend authorities unit and quality of idiosyncratic being tortured arsenic thing normal. So it is important to archetypal instrumentality alteration successful idiosyncratic relationships and families and past alteration the authorities — not the different mode around.  

Not acceptable to enactment today?
Remind maine later.