Veronika Akopyan
Open letter by Polina Sergeyevna Yevtushenko, August 2023
01.06.25 – 30.06.25
About Polina Sergeyevna Yevtushenko
Polina Yevtushenko is 24 years old and from Togliatti (Samara region). Polina maintained an anti-war Instagram in Ukrainian. In 2022, she attached a "no to war" sign at the Waiting for a Soldier memorial in Togliatti. In July 2023, she was arrested. Polina Yevtushenko faces up to 15 years in prison for "preparation for state treason" and "calls for terrorism".
Sources
Letter: https://t.me/helpdesk_media/10080
Translation to English by activists of Feminist Antiwar Resistance (cell Berlin). Feminist Anti-War Resistance (FAR) is a group of Russian feminists founded in February 2022 to protest against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
About Letters from the Silenced
Letters from the Silenced, a project by Veronika Akopyan, sheds light on activists and political prisoners from the USSR and modern Russia who have faced state repression for their civil and anti-war stances. Inspired by The Return of Names, an annual remembrance organized by the human rights group "Memorial," this project preserves stories of defiance and hope.
Through monthly comics for KIOSK, Akopyan shares powerful biographies and letters, honoring the ongoing struggle for justice and fostering solidarity against oppression.
About Veronika Akopyan
Veronika Akopyan is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Ghent, Belgium. She holds a specialist degree in Graphic Art and Illustration from the Moscow Stroganov Art and Design Academy and a master’s in Graphic Design from KASK School of Arts in Ghent (2023).
Her work, blending storytelling with visual artistry, has been exhibited internationally, from London to Tokyo, and has earned numerous awards. These include the “Image of the Book” awards (2021, 2022), the Grand Prix for Fazil Iskander illustrations (2021), and multiple honors from the American Art Awards. With a passion for storytelling and a fondness for visual expression, she crafts narratives that engage the mind and spark the imagination.
