A Russian military court has sentenced playwright Svetlana Petriychuk and theater director Yevgenia Berkovich to six years in prison, accusing them of “justifying terrorism.” Critics say the case exemplifies the crackdown on free speech since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Petriychuk, 44, and Berkovich, 39, have been in custody since May 2023. In addition to their prison sentences, both are banned from operating websites for three years after release.
The work at the center of the controversy, “Finist the Brave Falcon,” written by Petriychuk and directed by Berkovich, adapts a classic fairy tale by integrating narratives of women deceived online into joining the Islamic State. It reflects the true stories of several women from Russia and the former Soviet Union recruited by ISIS. The protagonist returns to Russia, disillusioned and betrayed, only to face prison as a terrorist.
Prosecutor Ekaterina Denisova said Petriychuk supports “extremely aggressive Islamic ideologies” and has a “positive opinion” of ISIS, RBK reported. She also accused Berkovich of promoting and justifying terrorism.
Both the women and their defenders have always maintained their innocence, arguing that the work conveys an anti-terrorism message.
“I don’t understand what this set of words has to do with me,” Berkovich said in her not guilty plea. “I have never been involved in any form of Islam: radical or otherwise. I have respect for the religion of Islam and have nothing but condemnation and disgust toward terrorists.”
With Russia’s conviction rate exceeding 99 percent in criminal trials, the verdict was widely expected. Judges favored the prosecution and its witnesses, including a Federal Security Service expert who argued that the play, based on a fairy tale with a happy ending, “romanticized the image of terrorism.”
Premiered in 2020, the show received two Golden Mask awards, Russia’s highest theatrical honor, supported by official bodies such as the Moscow Mayor’s Office and the Ministry of Culture.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, law enforcement officials stepped up their crackdown, effectively criminalizing peace advocacy. The case against Petriychuk and Berkovich emerged months after a pro-Kremlin actor condemned the play on VK.com, calling it “blatant sympathy for Ukraine and hatred for the current government” after the Crimean Bridge attack. The play was later deleted, and the actor, Vladimir Karpuk, became a key witness for the prosecution.
Prominent Russian intellectuals and artists, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry A. Muratov and film director Kirill Serebrennikov, have denounced the case. Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also expressed their support, arguing that women are being punished for exercising their freedom of speech.
Public access to the trial was restricted after testimony from prosecution witnesses, but supporters gathered outside the courthouse and some were allowed inside for the verdict.
This trial marks the first case in post-Soviet Russia in which a work of art has been prosecuted. Over 16,000 people have signed a letter initiated by Novaya Gazeta, opposing the charges against Petriychuk and Berkovich.
“We are against the persecution of people on trumped-up charges,” the letter states. “Against the ideology that governs art. Against the destruction of theater and culture. Against the targeting and kidnapping of people in the theater industry who have decided to stay in their home country.”