"Line": why people become traitors

      The documentary film "The Line" (16+) is a story that you don't 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 again — 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. At the center of the plot is Ali Litvin. Today he has already been serving his sentence for 9 years in correctional colony No. 1 in the Kirov region. 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 articles part 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 what happened 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 that very moment after which the sense of what is permissible begins to blur?

      Experts helped us understand this.

      One of the participants in the film is Sergey Karnaukhov — a specialist in the work of special services, a public figure, a political commentator, and a 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.

      Also participating in the filming was Alexey Yermolin — a candidate of psychological sciences, an associate professor of legal and social disciplines at the Kirov branch of RANEPA. 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 National Anti-Terrorism Committee, the FSB, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

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