MONITOR.
STAN'S LOVE COUTURE, THE FORMER
TELEVISION HOST.
JULIA, LET ME BEGIN WITH YOU.
YOU WERE WATCHING THIS
COVERAGE.
WERE YOU EXPECTING THAT AT SOME
POINT, SOMETHING LIKE THIS
MIGHT HAPPEN ON RUSSIAN
TELEVISION?
>> HELLO, LAWRENCE.
NO, I ACTUALLY NEVER EXPECTED
TO SEE THAT ON STATE CONTROLLED
TELEVISION, BECAUSE IT IS SO
TIGHTLY CONTROLLED BY THE
KREMLIN, AND THIS WOMAN, MY
HEART GOES OUT TO HER FOR HER
BRAVERY.
I'VE NEVER EXPECTED TO SEE
ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT MADE AN ENORMOUS IMPACT.
>> STAN'S LOVE, YOU WORKED IN
RUSSIAN MEDIA AND YOU OBVIOUSLY
KNOW AND WE ALL KNOW JUST HOW
TIGHTLY CONTROLLED IT ALL IS
AND WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO
SEEING THIS AND WITH THE IMPACT
WILL BE?
?
>> THE FIRST THING I DID WHEN I
SAW IT, I POSTED IT ON MY
TELEGRAM CHANNEL.
I WANTED TO SHARE THE NEWS WITH
AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. BUT I WANT TO SAY, OF COURSE I
BUT I WANT TO SAY, OF COURSE I
WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT, BECAUSE
MARINA IS DEFINITELY --
THE KIND OF PEOPLE, THANKS TO
PUTIN REGIME, WILL FALL APART
LIKE THE HOUSE OF CARDS,
PROBABLY SOONER THAN WE EXPECT.
THAT IS EXACTLY THE IMPACT OF
WHAT HAPPENED, OF WITH MARINAS
BRAVE, COURAGEOUS AND OBVIOUSLY
HISTORIC ACT, MORE PEOPLE IN
RUSSIA WILL NOW SEE THAT
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
THEY WILL SEE THAT IT'S NEVER
TOO LATE TO ADMIT YOU WERE
WRONG AND DO SOMETHING GREAT.
SO THAT YOU WILL BE OKAY IN
TERMS OF YOUR CONSCIENCE.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT MARINA DID.
AND OBVIOUSLY, EVERYBODY AND
MYSELF INCLUDED ARE NOW WORRIED
ABOUT WHERE SHE IS.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN TOUCH WITH
THE GUY WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE
GROUP EARLIER MENTIONED.
THE HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP AND I DO
HOPE THAT IN THE NEXT HOUR AS
WELL, WE WILL KNOW WHERE SHE IS,
BECAUSE SHE SPENT SEVERAL HOURS
WITH THE POLICE RIGHT THERE.
THE TELEVISION CENTER WHERE
EVERYTHING HAPPENED, AND THEN
HER TREES DISAPPEARED.
NOBODY HEARD FROM HER.
>> AND JULIA DAVIS, WE'VE SEEN
VIDEOS OF PEOPLE BEING ARRESTED
IN THE STREET FOR --
LITERALLY A PERSON HOLDING UP A
BLANK PIECE OF PAPER WITH NO
MESSAGE AT ALL.
THAT WAS TAKEN BY RUSSIAN
POLICE.
SHE KNEW, MARINA KNEW WHAT WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN TO HER IF SHE
DID THIS.
>> ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE PUTIN'S
RUSSIA IS ESSENTIALLY AN OPEN
AIR PENAL COLONY.
SHE TOOK AN ENORMOUS RISK.
SHE KNOWS THAT WE'D BE SEVERE
REPERCUSSION.
HE SHE DID IT ANYWAY.
THAT WILL ENCOURAGE OTHERS,
BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS
UNSTOPPABLE AND COURAGE IS
CONTAGIOUS.
YOU KNOW SOME OF THESE
EXECUTIVES AND RUSSIAN MEDIA,
TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS HAPPENS
ON SCREEN.
IT COULD BE THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN
WAS WATCHING TONIGHT WHEN THIS
HAPPENED.
DOES HE PICK UP THE PHONE?
DID EXECUTIVES GO INTO FULL
PUNISHMENT?
WHAT HAPPENS, WHO GETS FIRED,
WHAT'S THE POINT REACTION?
>> WELL, FIRST, IT'S WORTH
MENTIONING THAT YOU CAN ASK HER
ABOUT THE NEWS SHOW HOST WAS
THERE.
SHE'S ONE OF PUTIN'S FAVORITE
PROPAGANDA PEDDLERS AND RUSSIA.
SO, YES, IT CAN'T BE EXCLUDED
THAT HE WAS WATCHING WHEN THIS
HAPPENS.
AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT EVEN
IF HE WAS NOT, HE EITHER HAS
BEEN SHOWN THAT FRAGMENT
ALREADY, OR WILL SEE IT FIRST
THING IN THE MORNING.
WHAT HAPPENS?
WHEN I WAS FIRED FROM NATIONAL
TELEVISION AND RUSSIA AS FAR AS
THAT WAS 21 YEARS AGO ALREADY,
WE HAD A SHOW --
AS FAR AS I KNOW, PUTIN'S PRESS
SECRETARY, THE GUY IN CHARGE OF
THE SO-CALLED MINISTRY OF
TRUTH.
HE CALLS RIGHT AWAY.
HE CALLS THAT UTTER-IN-CHIEF OF
THE CHANNEL.
AND THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENS.
EVERYBODY GOES CRAZY, OF
COURSE.
SO, I DON'T THINK ANYTHING HAS
CHANGED DURING THE PAST 21
YEARS.
IT WAS BAD BACK THEN, AND IT'S
PRETTY MUCH THE SAME RIGHT NOW,
I THINK.
BUT, ONE THING I'M PRETTY SURE
OF IS THAT CONSTANTINE, WAS THE
PRESIDENT OF CHANNEL ONE, I DO
THINK HE WILL RESIGN IN THE
NEXT FEW DAYS.
EITHER HE WILL BE FIRED, OR HE
WILL FILE A RESIGNATION LETTER
HIMSELF.
>> AND, JULIA DAVIS, WE'VE SEEN
THE CLAMP DOWN ON RUSSIAN MEDIA,
AND WHAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WAS,
WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WOULD PEOPLE
WITHIN RUSSIAN MEDIA HAVE TO
EXPRESS THEMSELVES THIS WAY?
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ALL
THESE RESTRICTIONS ON RUSSIAN
MEDIA, THIS IS ABOUT ALL YOU
CAN DO IS GRAB A SIGN AND RUN
ACROSS A SET WITH THE CAMERAS
ROLLING.
>> THAT'S BASICALLY IT.
AND THERE WAS NOT A GUARANTEE
THAT THIS WOULD EVEN WORK.
BUT IT'S VERY POWERFUL WHAT'S
SHE DID, AND IT RESONATES SO
DEEPLY WITH PEOPLE NOT ONLY IN
RUSSIA BUT ALSO IN UKRAINE
SINCE RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA IS
SELLING THIS IMPENETRABLE IMAGE
OF TOTAL SUPPORT FOR PUTIN'S
WAR AGAINST UKRAINE.