The savage purging of independent thought and creativity among Russian intellectuals since Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine continues apace.
In 2020 a play called Finist the Bright Falcon by Svetlana Petriychuk premiered in Moscow. The state-funded production was directed by Evgeniya Berkovich. The play won two awards at Russia’s prestigious Golden Mask theatre festival in 2022. Its title is drawn from a popular Russian folk tale. The tale describes the long and hazardous journey undertaken by a fair maiden in order to find true love with a young prince who had visited her in the guise of a bird with magnificent plumage.
Petriychuk’s play seeks to understand the naive decisions of young women who have been seduced online to go and become brides of Isis fighters, and who are charged with terrorism offences when they return to Russia. It was partly based on court transcripts.
