"Line": why do people become traitors

      The documentary film "The Line" (16+) is a story that one does not want to turn away from, even when it becomes uncomfortable. We at Newsler.ru worked on it for several months, and honestly: it is hard work. Not technically. Morally.

      Why "The Line"? The title works in several senses here. It is both the boundary that a person crosses themselves. And the line after which they will never be the same — neither for their loved ones nor for the country. And the thin line between "ordinary person" and "convicted of terrorism and treason."

      We are publishing the film on the days of the 81st anniversary of Victory. The Great Patriotic War became one of the most terrible lessons about the price of betrayal and the price of loyalty to the country. And, as time shows, this lesson remains relevant to this day. The plot centers around Ali Litvin. Today he has already been serving a sentence in correctional colony No. 1 in the Kirov region for 9 years. According to the materials of the criminal case, he contacted representatives of Ukrainian special services, transported explosive devices, and participated in activities for which he was convicted under parts 3 of article 30 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Preparation for a crime and attempted crime), part 2 of article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Terrorist act), part 2 of article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Participation in a criminal community (criminal organization)), part 4 of article 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, mailing, or carrying of explosive substances or explosive devices), article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Treason). In an interview with our editorial team, Litvin shared his version of the events and how he perceives the events of those years.

      But the film is not just about one story. It is about how recruitment works in general. Why do people agree to cooperate with foreign special services and organizations that create threats to the security of the state and the lives of its population? And where is the very moment after which the sense of what is permissible begins to blur?

      Experts helped us to understand this.

      One of the participants in the film is Sergey Karnaukhov — a specialist in the work of special services, a public figure, political commentator, and former deputy chairman of the government of the Kirov region. Today he works as a host and commentator on "Solovyov Live." In the film, Karnaukhov talks about modern recruitment mechanisms, methods of foreign special services, and why the perpetrators of such crimes are increasingly ordinary people without special training.

      Alexey Yermolin, a candidate of psychological sciences and associate professor of the Department of Legal and Social Disciplines at the Kirov branch of RANEPA, also participated in the filming. In the film, he explains what psychological traits make a person more vulnerable to manipulation and why some people gradually lose their sense of the internal boundary of what is permissible.

      The film uses materials from the criminal case, as well as open data from the NAC, FSB, and Ministry of Internal Affairs.

      You can watch "The Line" below. It is a film that requires careful viewing.