We talked with Russian photographer and student at the renowned Central Saint Martins University in London, Anastasia Tikhonova:

Why do you think Russia often resembles Orwell’s 1984 novel, where “ war is peace, slavery is freedom and ignorance is strength”?

This is such a monumental question! Every intellectual, from Russia and abroad, is trying to answer it at the moment. If I am not mistaken, 1984 was "inspired" by Stalinism and Nazism, that identified with two regimes that were simultaneously unraveling in front of Orwell’s eyes as he was writing this novel. Germans have atoned for the atrocities committed and have made an effort to dissipate fascist ideology. Following generations in Germany continue to reflect on these atrocities. However, Russians have not done this (maybe because they won that war?). A totalitarian system was swept under the carpet when Stalin died and remained there for years. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the KGB reappeared under new names. They put up a democratic facade, but nothing was new behind the curtains. With the help of propaganda slowly replacing all the independent media, memories of the atrocious era were disappearing from the collective mind, filling it up with nostalgia over the powerful USSR instead. The final blow to these tragic memories was the Moscow court-ordered closure of Memorial, an international human rights organization that was collecting information on millions killed under Stalin’s dictatorship. The Memorial agenda was proceeding without any support from the Russian government, and I would say despite it. Many suggest that ressentiment is what fuels today’s Russian fascism. A national identity was built on the victory over German fascism, but now it seems Russians identify more with the aggressor.

Fortunately the Russian blitzkrieg in Ukraine has not been successful. This means that propaganda has to work even harder to distort reality, which has now reached a certain Orwellian absurdity. At the beginning of this war I re-read Hanna Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (1963), which also echoes the many paradoxes of war.

You are open about your frustration with your mother believing Kremlin propaganda. Have you been able to change her mind? What is your relationship like right now?

My mom understands there is a war in Ukraine. However, she is convinced that Russia was “pushed” into it, and that the war is a preventative measure to save Russia. She believes that all the action that's taken in Ukraine is absolutely necessary (Seemingly, the Russian government believes the same and translates these convictions on national television, just like Hitler who had the same belief that there was no choice other than to attack in order to save Germany). I have not been able to change my mother's mind. I think my family has concluded that they lost me to Western propaganda (yes, they believe there is propaganda from the West). I don’t know anyone who has succeeded in convincing a relative in Russia. Propaganda is pain. I hardly maintain any connection with my family. I even started to think it is easier for them. Conformism is always more safe when you live in totalitarianism. An that is where Russia is headed at the speed of light. Naively, I still treasure the hope that this regime will collapse soon enough and I'll be able to reconnect with my family.

Please describe your feelings towards Ukrainians in one word.

I have a few: love, pain (for them) and admiration.

Out of your photos, which one is your favorite?

I love this photo. It’s been 11 years and I am still not tired of it.

What is the benefit of being tall?

Being able to photograph the moment from above.

Anastasia Tikhonova

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