Alisa Freindlikh is an eminent Soviet and Russian theater and film actress and singer, People's Artist of the USSR, and four-time laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation. Renowned star of iconic films such as "Office Romance", "D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers", "Stalker", and "Cruel Romance". Born on 8 December 1934 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg).
Freindlikh's stance on the war in Ukraine
Alisa Freindlikh's stance regarding the Russo-Ukrainian conflict appears contradictory. In 2016, the actress publicly endorsed the annexation of Crimea; however, following the full-scale invasion, she signed an anti-war appeal by Russian cultural figures.
Support for the annexation of Crimea (2016)
In 2016, during a media interview, the actress justified the annexation of Crimea. She asserted that Nikita Khrushchev's transfer of Crimea to Ukraine was "pure nonsense":
I believe that Crimea was ours from time immemorial. And as for Khrushchev, may he rest in peace, creating such nonsense by handing Crimea to Ukraine — he didn't know that the Soviet Union would collapse, that never crossed his mind. If he had known, maybe he wouldn't have done it back then.
Freindlikh also did not rule out traveling to the occupied peninsula, stating:
If they invited me, I would go. And I would go to Crimea — why not?
Due to her public justification of the annexation of Crimea and potential illegal visits, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine added Alisa Freindlikh to its blacklist of cultural figures posing a threat to national security, and her details were entered into the "Myrotvorets" database.
Anti-war appeal following the invasion (2022)
On 26 February 2022, Freindlikh signed an open anti-war appeal by Russian theatrical figures addressed to Vladimir Putin. In the letter, which was also co-signed by Oleg Basilashvili, Yevgeny Mironov, and others, they appealed to stop military hostilities:
We speak now not only as cultural figures, but as ordinary people, citizens of our country, our Motherland. Among us are children and grandchildren of those who fought in the Great Patriotic War, witnesses and participants of that War. In each of us lives a genetic memory of war. We do not want a new war, we do not want people to die...
Remaining in Russia
The actress did not emigrate and continues to live and perform in Russia. In an interview with Tatyana Tolstaya, she remarked:
God forbid. My profession is intertwined with Russian culture, the Russian language. Where could I find my space? Nowhere. The spoken word is my instrument. Probably not, nowhere
Alisa Freindlikh has made no other public statements concerning the war in Ukraine.
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