[Report File] My father is Russian, my mother is from Ukraine... this person's heart

'Oh, this man!'

Even if you don't know the exact name, the look on your face will make you think you've seen it somewhere.

The reason I asked Ms. Ilya for an interview was because a recent tweet he posted went viral online.

It's this tweet.

Only the Ukrainian flag was raised without any special mention, but that day (24th) was the time when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

When the story that he was born to a Russian military father and a Ukrainian mother became known, netizens responded that he was in a more complicated mind than anyone else.

He has also expressed his position on Ukraine before.

At the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a broadcaster was outraged that a Chernobyl photo was used in the scene where the Ukrainian team entered, saying that it is equivalent to inserting a photo of the Sewol ferry from the Korean standpoint.

Why is the Ukrainian flag raised?

"Ukraine support, no explanation needed"

This interview was held on March 5 at the SBS building in Mok-dong.

Before asking questions, the reporter asked him to introduce himself briefly.

He revealed that his father was born in Russia and his mother was born in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

(At the time of his parents' birth, the Soviet Union was still in existence, so the situation is not the same as it is now) And he said of himself as 'a proud Korean citizen who was naturalized in 2016'.

What did he mean by raising the Ukrainian flag on the day of the invasion?

His answer was:

Ilya Belyakov / Russian naturalized broadcaster (adjunct professor at Suwon University)

"I uploaded this in support of the Ukrainian side, who was the victim. To put it simply, I didn't think it needed any explanation. Because it was reported, I thought I would be able to understand that feeling and such a message even if I didn’t explain it separately…”

"Everyone in Russia says 'FAKE'...War is a taboo word"

He said it was natural to oppose war.

He said it was "shocked" to imagine what would happen in 2022, when he pulled a tank and fired a missile in the middle of Europe.

He added that the post-war situation in Russia is also very worrisome.

We are monitoring Russian broadcasters, foreign English-speaking media, and Korean media, because the content reported in Russia is very different from external reports.

"It's 180 degrees different, just think of it as no match at all," he said.

As the damage to innocent children and civilians is reported, the international community is raising the voice of condemnation. How is this being reported?

"In Russia, they say it's all fake. It's 100%. All the videos are deep fakes and all the photos are photoshop. It's very powerful. It's still like that. There was a rule. First of all, I don't call it war. It's a taboo word. It's unconditionally saying it's a special military operation.

And the first day of the war and now the situation has changed a lot. Those who oppose it are unconditionally blocked 100%. Yesterday another new bill was passed (the press that does not follow government control), which is a bill that can carry 10 to 15 years in prison."

In fact, after the interview with Mr. Ilya, news broke that Mediazona, an independent media outlet in Russia, was closed due to censorship by the authorities.

The news outlet said that independent media in Russia was virtually non-existent as they stopped reporting.

The media explained that the reason for stopping the report was that what happened in Ukraine was called 'invasion' and war was called 'war'.

Concerns over "Russia's North Koreanization"...

Why is Putin using 'anti-Naziization'?

Mr. Ilya was concerned that Russia seemed to be 'North Korea'.

That he is trying to take away my freedom of expression completely.

He emphasized that in 2016, when he became naturalized, he was not at the level he is today.

Even at that time, there were media representatives of the government's position, but there were also quite a few media outlets with different voices.

It was his assessment that 'to some extent' political freedom, though not sufficient, was now 'almost completely non-free'.

In a situation where information is controlled like this, how do the people in Russia evaluate the present Russia and the present Putin?

He revealed that two voices exist.

First of all, he said that there are clearly people who support Putin mainly from the older generation.

He also explained that it was the result of Putin's years of brainwashing them into spreading Profganda to Ukraine.

"I think that's the picture in Putin's head. There were Nazis in Germany in the 1940s, the 1930s. Hitler took power and now the system itself was the Nazis, and I think the descendants of those Nazis are now in power in Ukraine. Putin's basic idea now is that Russia should get rid of the Nazis and liberate the country's land because these Nazis naturally have anti-russian feelings. It may be possible, but in Russia, propaganda has been planted for more than 10 years.

Young people watch a lot of internet, watch a lot of YouTube, and are accustomed to various positions to some extent, but the older generation only watch state-run TV. I'm listening. People who have been brainwashed by propaganda like this will of course cheer."

"Russia, where you can go to jail just by posting social media protests... Burning your passport is at the level of rebellion"

However, I asked you to pay attention to the fact that anti-war protests are taking place.

What it means to protest in Russia, he explained.

"It may not seem that big from overseas, but it is actually quite large. I remember that nearly 6,000 people were detained (as a result of this protest). That's a huge number (in Russia). Corona 19 So, in 2020 and 2021, there were few protests, but before that, there were big protests in 2018 or 2019. At that time, there was another protest because of Alexei Navali, a politician who is called Putin's enemy. (At that time) There were a lot of absurd arrests and trial and so on, so even though the fear of protests in Russian society is already formed... I personally think that it is quite significant from an insider point of view of Russia

. It's a situation where you can go to jail just by leaving a text saying where and what time there will be a protest on social media today. It's an act (I think) (burning passports) is almost rebellious."

"Father, I'm a Putin supporter..." What does he want to say to the Russian people?

What does this war mean to him?

His answer was "disaster".

He simply said he would wait for the time when the Ukrainians could quickly find peace and be able to live with their families.

And the Russian people said it would be good for them to reconsider the meaning of what the commander-in-chief has given now.

In fact, he said, unlike himself, his father was a long-time supporter of Putin.

What kind of conversation did the father and son have about this situation?

He responded cautiously, "(Dad) has supported Putin's words and deeds and all his actions until now, but looking at this, it seems like it's not going to be the case, so he seems to be showing a shaky heart."

(Report: Kim A-young, Video coverage: Kim Seong-il, PD: Kim Do-kyun, Edit: Cha Hee-joo, Producer: D Content Planning Department)