Member-only story
Russian Woman Arrested on Red Square for Eating Caviar
Being ‘chic’ in the new Russia is something the fascists want to discourage
Her name is Gulina. She and a friend wheeled a 30-pound bucket of red caviar out of “GUM” — pronounced “goom” like “boom” — and set up a small picnic on Moscow’s blustery Red Square. In the background, the walls of the Kremlin can be seen. The closed mausoleum, the resting spot for “Uncle Lenin” — as he was called in Soviet textbooks — is off to Gulina’s left.
Snacking on a massive slice of bread upon which butter had been slathered and then topped off with what looked to be at least 200 grams (7 ounces) of the delightful and healthy salmon roe, Russia’s finest approached and arrested Gulina and her companion.
Naumann told the MSK1.RU news outlet that her plan had been to shoot a “retro style” video at a restaurant in Moscow, but when she discovered that the restaurant was closed, she decided to film the scene at Red Square instead (Russian Woman Arrested on Red Square).
Gulina is one of those millions of Russians who have no opinion about the war in Ukraine. She is living her life as she wants because, like the rest of us, she has only one life and has decided she wants to have fun while living it. Secondly, Gulina wants to enjoy the bits and pieces of her culture that bring smiles to the faces of her fellow countrymen. The image of eating caviar with butter on a slice of white bread is something every Russian alive can relate to, and it makes pretty much every one of them smile. I challenge anyone from Russia to tell me it doesn’t bring back good memories and make their mouths water.
Gulina, after being interrogated for three hours, was released from police custody. If she had done this on Red Square on February 23, 2022, the police might have come over hoping to get a scoop or two of the caviar. In today’s Russia, however, the laws on what’s permissible and forbidden have slipped dangerously into the margins. When the laws are not clear, festering in the margins, everyone is potentially guilty. Everyone can be detained for something and nothing at all — like Gulina.
I have had run-ins with a lot of Russian cops over 30 years, so I can tell you with some degree of confidence that…
