A woman who claims to be a journalist whose house is set for demolition, and purports to speak for 2,000 people who face similar fates, appeals in a recent YouTube video for help not from Russian authorities but from "the U.S. government and to every American citizen." She says:
"My fellow citizens and me tried to find any help from the president of the Russian Federation and the prime minister, Vladimir Putin, but we got no...answer. That's why 2,000 people from the Russian Federation and I have to look for support from you. Because we do believe that you are as a guarantee of democracy and the Americans can help us to protect our lives and homes. I'm Maryana Orlova. I live in Izhevsk, the city in Udmurt Republic, which is one of the parts of the Russian Federation. As I said, 2,000 residents of this city are going to lose their houses and apartments. In fact we don't have any inviolability of the home in the Russian Federation."
She goes on to decry a lack of free media and says:
"Please help us to inform everybody that we've lost all the rights in our country. We have returned to communism. When there is no person, any rights and freedom, and we can't save our property, we'll be able to save our homes only if we get the support of the U.S. citizens. Thank you very much. We hope to be heard."