Keep the ankle bracelet on. Leave late on Friday when police response times are slow. Wear a disguise. Switch cars often. And don't take a suitcase through muddy fields.
Krivtsova fled her apartment in the northern city of Arkhangelsk earlier this month, disguised as a homeless beggar, swapped cars three times, crossed an official border point and announced her safe arrival in a video in Lithuania several days later., she unclipped the electronic ankle bracelet attached by Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service when she was put under house arrest and tossed it away with a mischievous sideways glance. Then she grinned joyfully, holding a small sign: “Freedom.
“I felt relief,” she said of the border crossing. “And then I felt kind of empty. But I realized that now I could breathe. I could exhale.” First, she called her family, who had no idea where she was during her escape because she left her phone behind.For detainees, the main trick is to exploit weaknesses in the system. In most cases, there is no surveillance on detainees’ apartment buildings.
Most cross through official border points and remove their electronic bracelets after leaving Russia. Then, they can record a video, unclipping the ankle bracelet, sending a message of freedom and defiance. Her mother, Natalia, was out of town for the weekend at the time. “We did not know anything and I hope you understand,” Natalia said. “You know, no matter what I say this could be turned against me.”
Ovsyannikova said her lawyer, who has also fled Russia, kept warning that she was running out of time. Her son wanted to live with his father but she refused to leave without her daughter, who eventually downloaded a taxi app and took a car to her apartment. The pair fled late on a Friday in October, wearing baggy trousers with hats pulled over their faces. Police did not go to her home until Monday, she said in an interview.
The guide’s phone had no signal but he told them he could navigate by the stars. “He said, ‘Look at the tail of the Great Bear in the sky.’ And I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ It seems funny now but it wasn’t at the time,” she recalled. “We were hysterical. It was awful. I think we walked in the field for about 10 kilometers but it was extremely hard. We could not walk 500 meters without falling down.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
White House corrects Biden's gaffe claiming law helps keep guns away from 'domestic political advisors'CLEAN-UP CREW: The White House is backpedaling the president's comments once again — but this time, for Women's History Month. See the eyebrow-raising moment.
Read more »
White House moving to keep Space Command HQ in Colorado, report saysThe White House appears ready to reverse a Trump administration plan to relocate the U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala., according to Washington Post national columnist David Ignatius.
Read more »
GREG GUTFELD: So-called experts 'keep moving the goalposts' on climate change 'catastrophe'Fox News host Greg Gutfeld blasted the latest report by the U.N. panel on climate change for its 'fear mongering' and 'subtle caveat that contradicts the whole report' on 'Gutfeld!'
Read more »
There's an easy fix for the Android apps that keep crashing on your phoneIf your Android apps are crashing, there's a reason and a fix here. Google announced a patch but you can manually update it, too.
Read more »
Breakingviews - BoE will struggle to keep calm and carry on hikingThe 11th time might be the charm. Stung by persistently high inflation, the Bank of England extended its run of interest rate increases to 11, bringing the base rate to 4.25%. While two monetary policy committee members demurred, Governor Andrew Bailey and six other MPC colleagues who voted for the hike believe the fight against inflation takes precedence over weak economic growth and fears over banks’ health.
Read more »
Why TikTok’s security risks keep raising fearsThe battle between the U.S. and China over TikTok will come into full view when the social media platform’s CEO testifies before Congressional lawmakers. Shou Zi Chew’s hearing is happe…
Read more »