I want to pass that warmth on to those who need it

How to remain an honorable person in the middle of a war and in the middle of Moscow? Ms. Karina fights the evil she can handle…

A few days ago, a brave lady celebrated her birthday. I wanted to wish her well at least via social media, but because she lives in Russia, is shaken by Russian aggression against Ukraine, and is as civically active as possible (and perhaps a bit more) — and because I hadn’t read a post from her in a very long time — I was convinced that she couldn’t connect to the networks and therefore wouldn’t be able to read the wish, or that the regime had even… in short, silenced her. And then this post appeared:

Friends,

since 2022, I haven’t been able to connect to the internet.

I think maybe in ’24 it worked for a while.

Yesterday someone told me:

“Go on Facebook, you have a lot of birthday wishes there.”

Towards evening I thought: “Why not try it?”

And… it worked.

How long it will last, I don’t know.

While it’s possible, I sincerely thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday.

It warms my soul very much.

I want to pass that warmth on to everyone who needs warmth, any warmth.

If I don’t manage to answer everyone, please forgive me.

I have absolutely no doubt that the mention of those who need warmth is primarily a message to Ukrainians deprived of heat by Russian attacks, a message from the very heart of enemy territory. After several years, Ms. Karina had the opportunity to write a few words and share her joy with her loved ones. It seems characteristic of her that she shared it with those who need it so much.

Heroism has many forms.

To support the accused protesters of the so-called Bolotnaya case (2012), she attended more than forty court hearings, even though she lost her job at the children's library where she had worked her whole life because of it. She regularly stands guard at the Boris Nemtsov memorial at the site of his murder.

A civic initiative that cares for the memorial at the site of the murder of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov every day, regardless of the weather, repression, or sabotage by the Russian regime.

Established: 2015-02-27

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