One of the earliest times I remember realizing the significance of my dad's political work was when the police first raided our apartment in Moscow in 2011. I was 10 years old. I distinctly recall getting a text message from my mom, Yulia, while waiting for the bus at school. She said, "Don't freak out. There are police officers in our house. Come home as soon as you can and try to hide your electronics." In Russia, the police officers who conduct politically motivated raids hunt primarily for phones and laptops, even those belonging to children. This is done to complicate and slow down the person's political work; in reality, these raids really more closely resemble robberies.
As I stepped into our hallway, I was "welcomed" by two masked policemen guarding the door. It looked like a hurricane had swept through our home. There were books and papers all over the floor. The furniture had been moved or flipped over. DVDs were scattered across the living room. People were running around. There was even a search dog sniffing through our belongings.
The confusion, fear, anxiety, and helplessness I felt were overwhelming. My dad was talking with his attorneys, while my mom and brother, Zakhar, who was then three, sat on the couch. The best plan my panicked 10-year-old brain could devise was to shove my laptop under my school uniform. Then, I quietly sat and read by my mom's side. The entire time, my dad was calm and collected, joking with us about school or our favorite TV shows to make me and my brother feel safe and comfortable. That's what he did.
This story is from the June - July 2024 edition of Harper's BAZAAR - US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June - July 2024 edition of Harper's BAZAAR - US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A League of Their Own
Emma Corrin, breakout star of The Crown, is Marvel’s newest supervillain. But they are so much more than Deadpool’s latest adversary. They are utterly, completely themselves.
Musicians RHIANNON GIDDENS and BRITTNEY SPENCER on COUNTRY music's BLACK HISTORY and why the genre is at a TURNING POINT
Country music's popularity is at an all-time high in America, with the genre boasting a more diverse audience base than ever before.
BEAUTY
THE BEACH, BOTTLED
TRIBUTE
FAITH RINGGOLD'S ART of LIBERATION
I Love MESS!
In praise of DESIGN that more HONESTLY REFLECTS our COMPLICATED, CHAOTIC, VERY REAL LIVES
My FATHER the SUPERHERO
DASHA NAVALNAYA, the daughter of the late POLITICAL ACTIVIST ALEXEY NAVALNY, on how he dedicated his LIFE to ENDING INJUSTICE in his native RUSSIA—and still always made TIME for HER
BREAKING New GROUND
A DANCE forged at the dawn of HIP-HOP will make its debut this summer at the 2024 OLYMPICS in PARIS. As TEAM USA dancers SUNNY CHOI and VICTOR MONTALVO prepare to take the Games by storm, BREAKING'S PIONEERS recall who and what brought them to this MOMENT.
Main SQUEEZE
CINCHED WAISTS are all over the runways, but the silhouette is less about cutting an HOURGLASS FIGURE (and appealing to the male gaze) than FEELING a sense of POWER and CONTROL
The DYSON Dynasty
How a British VACUUM CLEANER company has almost single-handedly TRANSFORMED the way we DRY our HAIR and become one of the BIGGEST, HOTTEST LUXURY BRANDS in beauty
WONDER Years
For four decades, MARC JACOBS has made fashion that is PERSONAL, URGENT, and ERA-DEFINING. \"Once I knew what I LOVED,\" he says, \"I just COULDN'T GET ENOUGH of IT.\"