1. "Of course, that’s a risk. But it is better to risk than to self-destruct". A story of an anti-war action by Oleg Orlov in 1983 Одиночный протест

“One-man protest” is a documentary podcast made by Memorial Society about people in USSR who were speaking up against the war during the Soviet times. In December 1979, the Soviet troops entered Afghanistan but not everyone in the country agreed with that decision. Oleg Orlov, a young scientific researcher printed and put up anti-war leaflets in different neighborhoods of Moscow. The text of the leaflet stated that the unjust war should be immediately stopped, and the Soviet troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
Oleg Pyotrovich — right now a human rights activist and one of the co-chairs of Memorial, — shared his disagreements with the Soviet government, the fear of arrest, and the reasons that motivated him to print and put up leaflets at night.
Moreover, after the start of the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, the employees of the Russian Memorial are constantly under pressure from the Russian authorities, the police and the FSB.
As an example, on March 21, Oleg Orlov, 8 more Memorial employees and their loved ones were searched in the case "on the rehabilitation of Nazism". But Oleg Orlov was waiting for another interrogation. On the same day, it turned out that another criminal case was initiated against him for "re-discrediting the army." The reason was a Facebook post with a translation of his article "They wanted fascism — they got it", published in the French edition of Mediapart.
We present you the translated version of Oleg Orlov’s story. Oleg Orlov is voiced by our friend Lev Blumenfeld. You can listen to Orlov’s original interview at this link: https://singleprotest.mave.digital/ep-1