“I played my best role when I was communicating with the FSB”

The play is based on the thoughts and feelings of forced migrants from Crimea and the ATO area, activists, volunteers, and simply not indifferent people from Lviv, Chernivtsi, Kyiv, and other cities. This art project was organized by the Republic Institute jointly with the Les Kurbas National Center and Enlightenment and Culture House “Master Class.”

The participants of the play are not professional actors. Besides, most of them have come to our capital from different cities of Ukraine. Not all, including Halyna, will be able to go home soon. The Day discussed with the director and actress after the premiere of the festival, dedicated to the latest Ukrainian events, what made her go to the mainland Ukraine and what is going on in her small homeland.

You were forced to leave Crimea because of the too much interest paid to your person by the FSB. What did the Russian special forces want from you?

“This did not come unexpected to me. When Russia annexed Crimea, we could expect troubles coming. But I understood how serious it was in the end of May, when I saw on Kiselev’s TV show an interview with ‘one of the saboteurs of the Right Sector’ Hennadii Afanasiev, who planned before the Victory Day to organize several terrorist acts on the territory of the Republic of Crimea. But now we know the details of what really happened and we felt shocked when he accused film director Oleh Sentsov of everything and named other people who allegedly contributed to the terrorist plot. I understood that Oleh’s arrest wouldn’t be end to everything and began to wait till they come for me. My mother was supposed to bring everything in case they detain me in the street. I understood that innocent people, my colleagues, and friends can confess in the ‘crimes’ against the Kremlin only under tortures, that was why Hennadii ‘cracked.’ But it is hard for a person to live in constant tension, so I relaxed a bit. We even started to work in theater, although one person told me that a case was launched against me, and that I shouldn’t stay in Simferopol. In fact, FSB invited my acquaintances for conversation and they filed invented accusations to them. But the FSB had to show to the public that there were no terrorists in the Crimea namely owing to the struggle of this ‘heroic’ organization with such people as Sentsov, me, and our other friends. They needed a precedent that the terrorist acts were prepared and that they were successfully fighting them. Why? To justify their force actions against otherwise-minded people. The same thing is going on with the Crimean Tatars, who are called extremists in Lubianka, although this nation over more than 20 years after return from exile to their land behaved very peacefully. But everything they do will lead to announcing the entire people terrorists, which will be followed by clear actions of the Russian forces.”

Have you been invited to a conversation?

“Yes, I was apparently left for the last bit. Most likely, my pro-Russian acquaintance told them about my plans to go to Odesa on business, so they invited me for a conversation, being afraid that I will stay in mainland Ukraine. We had a ‘nice’ conversation, and I understood at once: the most important thing is to make them understand that you’re not afraid. They immediately stated that I was accused of terrorism and told me what I was facing. At the same time we were talking about theater, the Crimean wine, mountains, but all the time returned to the main topic. This means that they try to catch a person on some minor details. It was important for them to understand who from ‘Sentsov group’ stayed in Crimea. They showed photos and asked me whether I knew the people who took part in pro-Ukrainian meetings. Later we had two meetings; during the second one they offered me to give written evidence. But one friend of mine from St. Petersburg, a human rights activist, warned me against signing any papers during unofficial meetings. Therefore I refused to put my signature, referring to the fact that the status of our conversations was unofficial. I even invited these men to a performance, and they came: an FSB worker from Moscow and our former SBU worker from the Crimea. At our last meeting I told them that I needed to go to Odesa, and they replied, ‘Yes, of course, go, but you should promise that you will return. You understand that an investigator will come from Moscow.’ I promised that I would return. I’m an actress and that was probably my best role. I never was playing unnaturally. Before my departure another meeting, this time an official one supposed to take place at a wonderful address in Simferopol: 13 Franko Street, and they would have tried to make me sign the necessary papers. But by that time my friend from St. Petersburg already came to Crimea. She knew very well what FSB was, she talked me out of going there and advised to urgently go to mainland Ukraine, and saw off to the newly established border. I think namely because I listened to her and left Crimea a day before than I planned, we are now talking with you.”

But as a person who sticks to her words, you will return to Crimea, because you promised the special services?

“I will return for sure. I want to go home very much, my elderly parents are living there. I’m only waiting till it becomes cleaner in Crimea. But I’m afraid, this won’t happen soon. In five years, maybe. Believe me, I didn’t want to leave, so I delayed my departure for as long as I could. This is very, very sad. Of course, the patriotic moods among those who supported the annexation of Crimea by Russia have calmed down. There are much fewer Russian flags than before, but the situation is complicated.”

I think you will return home much sooner. The sociopolitical processes have speeded up very much. All the more so, you said before the beginning of the play that in the height of Russian aggression on the peninsula they heard young people singing the Hymn of Ukraine in the yard of your house. It is strange for us to hear about such manifestations of Ukrainian patriotism in Crimea.

“There is nothing strange about it. There are many pro-Ukrainian minded citizens. Another thing is strange, in the capital hardly anyone understands this. For some reason many people in Ukraine consider that Crimea decided to break away with Ukraine and become part of Russia. Yes, many people there indeed support Russia. But for some reason the fact that there are very many Ukrainians on the peninsula is ignored. It is simply that a large part of active youth has left Crimea, because it is dangerous there. Some of them left before the so-called referendum, because portraits with inscriptions that they are traitors were hung in Simferopol. Don’t forget that there are Crimean Tatars there. And it is profanation that they are creating the ‘opposition’ Mejlis together with Kazan Tatar. Most of Crimean Tatars are against Russia. And the government of this country understands that they won’t forget the deportation of 1944. People who have human dignity will never put up with the occupation of Crimea, which started with scoffing at everything Ukrainian. It is worth recalling how hard it was for the residents of Crimea to preserve Ukrainian citizenship, because the term was limited to two weeks, and people stood in huge lines to keep the Ukrainian passport. You can only imagine how many people were unable to get the needed paper and were forced to become the citizens of the RF.”

When Russian occupation of Crimea began, which was practically surrendered by current Ukrainian power, didn’t you and your partisans have a feeling that Kyiv betrayed you?

“Of course, we had. Every day we gathered in theater and said that it looked like they were betraying us. But we tried to do something, supported Ukrainian military men who were left in isolation, while the government was doing nothing. I live according to the principle ‘Do what you must and come what may.’ You understand that you can’t be living with this, you need to do something. Staying idle is the same as betraying yourself. Therefore we were actively working with journalists, mainly representatives of foreign mass media: looked for translators, vehicles to take them to the troubled spots, organized connection with Ukrainian military units for them, and so on. And we also brought help to our military men who were blocked. Together with Ukrainian military men we were waiting for the command to start resistance. Apparently, if Ukraine defended Crimea, we wouldn’t have had current events in the Donbas. Yes, Crimea could have suffered, but our country would have defended its dignity and preserved thousands of lives. At that time it was easier to stop the aggression of Russia in Crimea. This is not only my opinion, serious historians and political analysts say the same. But what is going on in the Donbas is a shame.”

Not only ethnical Ukrainians, but also Russians, Jews, Poles, Tatars, and representatives of other nationalities are fighting for Ukraine today. At the same time we meet separatists among ethnic Ukrainians. In your opinion, how can Ukrainian patriotism be determined?

“I think this is not the question of blood, but the question of intellect. There are people who resist the propaganda because they can think critically. You can find them in different social layers and nations, as well as among those who don’t have higher education. They understand that something is wrong about it and start to sort it out, they don’t believe what is said on television. Argumentation from both sides and following analysis are important for them. But there are people who in spite of diplomas of higher educational establishments and high social status are not able to resist propaganda. Besides, the people of the first category have a keen feeling of justice, they have a notion of human dignity, a thing the people who are called ‘vatniks’ lack. The latter, unfortunately, are unable to understand that you cannot grab someone else’s things, that it is unfair, that you cannot let uninvited guests in dirty boots with dirty intentions to your house. Not everyone is able to understand that you should repulse these ‘guests’ immediately. For this a person must have the feeling of the truth and justice.”