‘It hurt to breathe’ Oksana Shalygina reveals years of domestic violence during relationship with Russian artist Petr Pavlensky
In an interview with the website Wonderzine, Oksana Shalygina, the former partner of Russian political performance artist Petr Pavlensky, opened up about her newly released book, in which she recounts shocking stories of domestic violence during their relationship. Here’s what she told Wonderzine, in brief.
In France, we were separated for 11 months. I started to understand the level of cruelty we had reached. He beat me every day. “My body really was black [and blue], my lower body was black, my legs and everything else, it hurt to breathe.” When you’re beaten up, it’s one feeling, but when you're raped — it’s completely different. He never touched our girls, he was a loving father. “Even in the most macabre personal stories, he always thought projectively […] He warned me that he would act as cruelly as possible with me.” The moral breakdown began almost immediately. He didn’t like my son from my first marriage. “I gave up my child in favor of a new life, a new love.” “He’s actually an intellectual. He’s smart, an introvert.” Things changed after he got out of Butyrka prison. We acted like the perfect couple, no one knew. We lived parallel lives. “In the first I was stupid fool, in the second, a respected partner, friend, and lover.” I was involved in all the actions [Pavelnsky’s performance art], I curated everything. “Wherever you can’t see me, I’m there.” I wanted to prove to Petr that I’m worthy of him, to show that I’m as cool as he is. I’m not urging people not to believe the actress [Anastasia Slonina], but if I were to speak to her now, I would ask her: “Why did you ask Petr to cut your hands?” She provoked Petr deliberately, she seemed to like it. “Petr flew to such a height that he soared above human conventions in general, above everyday life.” I was quiet all these years, but when it became unbearable I decided to speak, to say farewell to the past. “If someone sees this as betrayal, so be it.”
You can read Oksana Shalygina’s full interview with Wonderzine here.
For more about domestic violence in Russia
- Domestic violence surge Here’s how Russia’s authorities responded to rising domestic abuse during the coronavirus lockdown
- #MeToo, round two Social scientists dissect Russia’s latest wave of activism against sexual violence
- Average fine for domestic violence in Russia is $70, rights group says
- ‘Instead of her face, I saw a pizza’: How women in Russia are fighting back against sexual assault
Arrest in France
On October 17, 2017, Petr Pavlensky set fire to two street-level windows at the Bank of France office in Paris. This “action” was later named “Lighting.” Pavlensky and Oksana Shalygina were taken into custody and charged with property damage. Shalygina was released from custody in January 2018, while Pavlensky spent 11 months in jail. The court sentenced both Pavlensky and Shalygina to a hefty fine and prison terms, but they were released from custody due to time already served in pre-trial detention.
Pavlensky and Shalygina’s children
Pavelensky and Shalygina have two children: Alisa, who was born in 2008, and Liliya, who was born in 2010.
Imprisonment in Russia
On the night of November 9, 2015, Pavlensky set fire to the door of the FSB headquarters on Lubyanka Square in Moscow. This “action” was later named “Threat.” Pavelensky was arrested and held in pre-trial detention until his trial in June 2016. The court sentenced him to a 500,000-ruble fine (about $6,500 by today’s exchange rates) for damaging a cultural heritage site. The court also ordered him to pay more than 481,000 rubles (about $6,250) in compensation to the FSB as part of a civil suit. Pavlensky refused to pay the fine or the compensation.
Sexual assault allegations
At the end of 2016, Teatr.doc actress Anastasia Slonina accused Pavlensky of sexual assault and beating up her one-time boyfriend, actor Vasily Berezin. Pavlensky called the allegations politically motivated and said that he was forced to flee Russia. Pavlensky, Shalygina, and their children left for France, where they were granted political asylum.