I love Russian dolls – but I’m worried about my Russian friend

Ilove Russian dolls. Ever since Mum took me around to Aunty Jean’s as a wee little ‘un and she introduced me to the magic of the brightly-coloured dolls with that special secret, more dolls inside more dolls, I was captivated. I have a collection. I’ve bought them in Prague. I’ve been gifted them, and my Russian friend Olga has brought me back sets from Russia each time she’s travelled home, pre-pandemic.

I sort of sense they’re not flavour of the month at the moment. I had a cute Russian doll brooch attached to my plain black cloth mask recently, and was about to boldly stride out in to public wearing it. My son stopped me with a subtle: ‘‘What the f... do you think you’re wearing on your face?’’

It clicked. My mask may have signalled I was a fan girl of Putin. I’m not. I replaced it with an ‘‘I love Wellington’’ button.

I have three Russian friends, all called Olga. My closest Olga moved her family back to Moscow at Christmas. She felt NZ had turned into a ‘‘nanny state’’ and wanted to go home. I thought she was mad, but you don’t get into a debate with any of the Olgas, so I wished her bon voyage and off she went.

Recently I went on Messenger to contact her and ask how they’re doing in all that snow and storm of conflict. Olga had unfriended me. Well I wasn’t taking that lying

down on my Russian doll duvet cover and pillow cases. I

messaged her: ‘‘Oi bro! Why are we not friends? I love you!’’

She refriended me and replied: ‘‘Yeah I though you wouldn’t want to know a Russian anymore.’’

I replied: ‘‘Don’t be silly. You are not your president. How are you?’’

The next reply was very unexpected. ‘‘We are great. The boys love the snow. Husband learning Russian.’’

And then: ‘‘Screw the West. You’re only getting one side of the story. We were taught via skewed history that we were lesser than. Our side of the story has been written out of the history books. We don’t need McDonald’s, Hollywood or Coca-Cola. Ninety per cent of Russians in Russia are pro-Putin.’’

It made me stop and think. I wondered if there was any truth in what she was saying. I agreed we were not getting much of the Russian viewpoint, but I also wondered if Russians were concerned about the rigorous scrutiny they and their social media were under.

It appears ‘‘Big Brother’’ is watching. Folk are being arrested at speed for pro-Ukrainian posts.

Are they also monitoring all outgoing messages to the West? I wondered whether these were Olga’s real thoughts, or if she was simply toeing the Putin company line.

I don’t know. I really don’t know. I recall how the Russian people were utterly terrified of Stalin, and no one dared speak against him. – not even to lifelong friends – lest they end up with a bullet to the head.

I miss Olga. She probably does believe Russia has the right to invade and plunder, but part of me worries everyone there is being creepily monitored.

I might need to start collecting other themed nesting dolls, but damn it, they’re just not as beautiful.