Mothers of the Revolution: The Women Who Ended the Cold War

On September 5th 1981 a group of women came together to change the world. These women marched from Wales to Berkshire to protest nuclear weapons being kept at RAF Greenham Common, a British airbase.

Feature-length documentary Mothers of the Revolution (2021) tells the true story of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp and how it helped to bring the Cold War to an end. Between 1981 and 2000, in one of the longest protests in history, thousands of women from around the world came together at Greenham Common to take a committed stand against nuclear proliferation. 

Joining us is a subject of the documentary, Olga Medvedkov. A peace activist in Soviet Russia along with her husband Yuri, Olga faced severe persecution, partly for her friendship with the Greenham Common Women. Olga explains how she was introduced to the Greenham Common Women and the role they may have had in the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

“You live in an Orwellian society, of course you can comply and 99% do because it’s dangerous, but 1% doesn't, and we belonged to that one tiny percent.” - Olga Medvedkov

Time Stamps:

00:40 - The trailer for The Mothers of the Revolution.
04:13 - Who the Greenham Common Women were and how Olga got involved with them.
11:46 - What motivated Olga to go against the Kremlin.
13:35 - How Olga got in touch with the Greenham Common Women.
20:49 - Getting arrested and the time Olga spent in jail.
29:40 - Olga’s views on what the Greenham Common Women achieved.
37:00 - The lack of hope Olga has for Russia’s future.
38:22 - The concerns of a nuclear crisis starting between America and China.
41:24 - The dangers of the division that is happening in America.
44:50 - What it’s like seeing yourself in a movie.  

Resources:

Mothers of the Revolution (2021)
MovieMaker Magazine
Innersound Audio
Alamo Pictures

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Transcript for Factual America Episode 79 - Mothers of the Revolution: The Women Who Ended the Cold War

Olga Medvedkov 00:00
My name is Olga Medvedkov, and I am a geographer. I retired five or six years ago. Time has flown. From Wittenberg University, which is in Springfield, Ohio. It's not in Germany. And so, I'm a retired prof. and right now I'm volunteering at the zoo and in some other places, so I switch to animals but amazingly enough, I'm talking to people all the time there, so, I just continue talking.

Speaker 1 00:45
There was this four minute warning the government would give if there was a nuclear threat.

Speaker 2 00:49
Four minutes to find her children to say goodbye.

Speaker 1 00:56
We knew there was this place called Greenham Common with foreign missiles on our soil.

Speaker 3 01:03
We had to do something. We knew we were crazy, but we had to do it. All these women with one purpose had come together.

Speaker 2 01:12
This is the story of the ordinary women who helped end the Cold War.

Speaker 4 01:17
The arms race was between two powers. You can't just focus on one without looking at the other. It's a dance.

Speaker 1 01:25
I said, I think we should go to Russia.

Speaker 5 01:27
There was this group in the Soviet Union.

Speaker 4 01:30
They were the Russian counterparts of the Greenham women.

Olga Medvedkov 01:33
The government and KGB consider us dissidents.

Speaker 1 01:36
And there's a car behind us with all these guys just looking at us. I've never had a tail before.

Speaker 3 01:41
That was the first time I was really scared. There are consequences. And I thought about my children.

Speaker 6 01:49
For a moment, you thought that you'd failed.

Speaker 7 01:55
We have to bring it back to the nuclear weapons.

Speaker 1 01:58
Whatever campaign we had, we'd started it, and it had to continue.

Speaker 8 02:03
You can't just stay at home, you have to go...

Speaker 9 02:09
We were much, much closer to nuclear war than with the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Speaker 3 02:14
The risks of doing nothing were greater than the risk of doing something.

Speaker 1 02:20
If you want to change something in the world, then you just go ahead.

Olga Medvedkov 02:24
Don't wait for directions.

Speaker 3 02:27
If you always do as you're told then you don't ever change anything.

Speaker 2 02:35
These women changed our future.

Matthew 02:43
That is a trailer from the documentary, Mothers of the Revolution. And this is Factual America. We're brought to you by Alamo Pictures, an Austin and London based production company making documentaries about America for international audiences. I'm your host, Matthew Sherwood. Each week, I watch a hit documentary and then talk with the filmmakers and their subjects. This week, it is my great honor to welcome Olga Medvedkov, one of the subjects of Mothers of the Revolution, the documentary released last month about the Greenham Common women who helped to bring an end to the Cold War. Olga, welcome to Factual America. How are things with you?

Olga Medvedkov 03:22
Thank you. I'm really glad to be here.

Matthew 03:24
Yeah, we're glad to have you. So, in your introduction, you introduced yourself as a geographer, a retired geographer, and volunteer, but I don't think this film is about you being a geographer, and a retiree. This is about the role you played back and during the Cold War. Well, I'm sure you got started more in the 70s, but 70s and 80s. So, maybe you can tell our audience - many of whom were born after this all happened - what was your involvement? Why have you been asked to be part of this great documentary?

Olga Medvedkov 04:13
Well, I've been asked to be part of this documentary because I happened to be involved in some actions with Greenham Common women. I joined together with my husband and some other friends and colleagues’ independent peace movement in the Soviet Union, but independent in Soviet Union was not compatible. You couldn't be independent in anything. We've worked in Academy of Sciences, both geographers, and the idea was if nobody told you from the top that you have to go with red banners on the street, why would you do that or any other banners or any other slogans? So, our independence was really ignited a lot of negative attention from the government and from the KGB. The last straw for us was invasion of the Soviets into Afghanistan. And, of course, the interpretation in newspapers and everywhere was that it was a brotherhood help. And, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And we just realized that we cannot just be quiet. We have to do something because Soviet had the official Soviet Peace Committee, which was not by any means, a grassroot organization; it was set up from the top; members of that committee were members of KGB, their main person in that committee was, I don't remember, Colonel or General at KGB; pretty high ranking guy. So, Greenham Common women started their activity pretty much at the same time when we joined this independent group, which was called Trust Builders, or, Group for Building Trust between East and West, because we've been determined that they cannot deal with disarmament if sides just don't trust each other. Why would I lay down my weapons if I think that you shoot first? So, you have to create people-to-people diplomacy, and, of course, in Soviet content, it was, like, absolutely impossible: what people? People do what the government tell them to do, but we just saw that we hadn't been critical of the Soviet government. That would be no way to go. But we just wanted to do something on our own. Politicians doing their stuff, and people doing their stuff. And that's pretty much what was done by Greenham Common women. Our group start functioning in summer '82. And they also start organizing in '81 and '82 when three women in Wales got together in their kitchen, and said, Enough is enough. We don't want those nuclear missiles on our soil. Because we are the target. We would be suffering from that. Let's get together and try to stop it. And initially, it looked like this preposition going nowhere. It's just been few women. And it was a long march to get to Greenham Common base from Wales. And, as you saw from the film, this movement was growing and growing, like, it grew into tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands women, initially; by the end, it's been all citizens to resist this nuclear build up. At some point - yeah, in many instances, mass media been presenting Greenham Common women as, you know, they create a nuisance, they're saboteurs, what can you do? Soviets also targeting us and da da dada da. And I remember how very prominent British historian, EP Thompson, suggested then, he said, You can't really do it just on one side. You have to reach Russians. You have to go and make contacts. And it wasn't easy. First of all, financially, they've been so poor. I remember reading the book about that and also watching this movie, when they wanted to chain themselves to the base, they had money only to chain three people. They just didn't have money to chain thirty people, you know, that was really tough financially to get money to go to the Soviet Union. Secondly, a camp has been different around Greenham Common. Some people thought, Why would you go to the Soviet Union? You want to reach those independent trust builders; you'll just make Soviet government angry. We don't need this kind of commotion. So, anyway, in order to come to the Soviet Union, these women had to get official invitation from the Soviet Peace Committee, which they did. It's a very long answer to your question.

Matthew 10:15
Well...

Olga Medvedkov 10:15
Do I keep going?

Matthew 10:18
I don't think you're ever going to stop, Olga! But I think, well, this is all - it's all very interesting. And one thing I wanted to ask you, though, getting back to even to the almost the very beginning here was, you could have easily, you know, your husband was an academic - you know, you're academics. Some of you are scientists, you're a geographer, you could have by Soviet standards, you could have had a comfortable life, right? But you chose...

Olga Medvedkov 10:51
That's right.

Matthew 10:52
You know, and you probably have thought of that a few times. But you chose to, I mean, I think you make a point in the film, you weren't dissidents, you weren't like, you know, a lot of people talk about Soviet dissidents, as you're more...

Olga Medvedkov 11:06
We hadn't been against. We'd been for.

Matthew 11:08
You were peace activists. You were trying to promote this dialogue.

Olga Medvedkov 11:12
Right.

Matthew 11:14
But even that is enough to draw the negative attention of the Kremlin and the authorities. So, what motivated you? I mean, I know you said Afghanistan was the final straw, but you could have, you could have said, you could have had that attitude that many had that there's not much we can do. How can one or just a handful of people change the system? But you didn't. You went ahead and - what was motivating you to do something like that?

Olga Medvedkov 11:46
I think that Afghanistan was the last straw. Because you live in a society where human life means nothing. When human being is nobody's, only masses; you cannot have your own opinion, you cannot express it, you have to raise your children in this double-thinking. My Mum used to tell our son, Misha, you're not telling anybody what you're listening at home? Because, they're just desperate, and the walls have ears, and all this kind of stuff. And also, you know, you live in Orwellian society. Of course, you can comply. And 99% do because it's just dangerous. But 1% doesn't. And I guess we belong to that one tiny percent. And a lot of my friends when I got in all kind of problems with KGB: they framed up me, put me on a trial when I was pregnant. A lot of friends been asking, What are you doing? You have children. I had son at that time and I was pregnant with my daughter. And I said, Well, I'm doing it for my children, just like Greenham Common women.

Matthew 13:21
Exactly.

Olga Medvedkov 13:22
You know, they've been doing it for their children, for our children, for everybody's children.

Matthew 13:29
And how did you end up getting in touch with the Greenham Common women? I mean, and...

Olga Medvedkov 13:36
That's interesting. I wish we had internet at that time, but probably it would be cut off from our apartment, anyway, because even our telephone was cut-off and our mailbox was arrested. Just by the word of the mouth. When we started our movement, we invited journalists, foreign journalists, and Soviet journalists; of course, Soviets never showed up. And that's how it started. It was also amazing that the day when we announced our existence, Daniel Ellsberg arrived on Rainbow boat, to Leningrad Harbor, also advocating, you know, nuclear disarmament and things like that. So, we kind of happened to be on the same page in foreign newspapers; of course, nothing was about either weren't in Soviet newspapers. So, that's how it started. Then, we just [sighs] - it's such a - it was such a long time ago, just little-by-little journalists been reaching us, which wasn't easy because our telephone was cut off, or I was reaching them when members of our group been arrested, and the word spread out, and it was interesting geography, because British and French and Belgian and American and Australian peace activists knew about us, but for example, we never had people - peace activists - from Poland or East Germany, which been much closer, geographically, but it was a stone wall, it was an iron curtain between us. If we wanted to pass something to East Germany, we've been trying to do it through West Germany. And that was really unusual geography but when Greenham Common - yeah, they heard about us. I don't know maybe from the journalists will also be in newspapers and Amnesty International Fitzpatrick - she's in one of the interview in this film, was spreading out the word. So, anyway, they decided to reach to us. And they came to Moscow, it was summer of '83. And long story short, which is kind of difficult to do anyway, they said, Would you like to go with us? I said, Sure. I'd just two days ago, heard on was the BBC that members of Soviet Peace Committee when they been asked about our existence, they said, Oh, it's a mirage of Western propaganda. They don't exist. I said, it's just getting on my nerves. We are doing good things. And they don't, they wouldn't want to acknowledge that we exist. But I said, we actually look very good in this field. But Greenham Common women, they've been, like, all in T shirts. And with these badges, and they have been a little bit messy. I said, I don't like not to be let in. Who does? Let me put t shirt. And I put all those badges. We had a lot of them from all over the world. I mess up my hair a little bit, and here we go. So, we went and the only person who was happened to be a doctor of mathematics so she could count. She said, Oh, we've been told it's three of you. But it's four of you. And, Ann Pettitt said, but our movement is growing every minute. And they didn't applauding. Of course, of course, like so. Like, smiling, and all this. Severe bureaucratic faces looking at us. Well, I didn't pretend I was British. I didn't speak English to them. I was just smiling. And at that time, of course, we've been all smoking because that kind of keeps you busy. And we've been invited at the table and Greenham Common were real hero in the Soviet Union, because they've been against American nuclear missiles, okay?

Matthew 18:22
Right. Right.

Olga Medvedkov 18:24
And it was, it was not direct, televised program, but it was TV there, and everything was - I don't remember we've been offered caviar, but coffee and chocolates, you know, and all kinds of stuff. And Soviets been sitting on one side, and we've been sitting on the other side of very long table, just four of us. And Soviets started then; they've been talking about the impact to peace, and then it was our turn. And I remember I kicked Jean McCollister and said, I'm the last. And when it was my turn, everybody been looking at me with, you know, smiling, and I said and just perfect Russian, what was my name, who I was. It was much more dramatic than it was in the film. It was so chaotic. First of all, it was shock. So, I could talk about our programs, about people to people diplomacy, very elaborated program. And then, Kharkhardin start banging on the table and screaming that he is the master; only he can allow - or not allow - people to talk here, and he is not allowing me to talk and all kinds of stuff. Greenham Common women who had a lot of harassment in their own country been absolutely like, What? What's going on? You know how it can be? Because Peace Committee always portrayed themselves as a grassroot, you know... Well, I took some time. In the field, I am sitting like a stone with a cigarette. That's how I felt. I was kind of frozen. And I said, it may sound strange, but that looks like only I can end this commotion, and I'm for dialogue, rather than against dialogue, and that's why I'm leaving. So, you can discuss our common issues. And I told my Greenham Common friends that if I'm not waiting for them, at the garden in front of the Soviet Peace Committee, it means I am arrested. I wasn't arrested that moment. I was arrested later, and it was revenge for this invasion. And then when Jean and Ann, and Karmen left Soviet Peace Committee, maybe half an hour later, or something like that, they been in terrible shock. I had to hold their hands to cross the street, because they just been, they absolutely didn't expect anything like that. They also been tortured by the fact that they have been sent with a peaceful mission to the Soviet Union to bring another peaceful, you know, mission from back from the Soviets, and it was innocent, but peaceful, and it isn't in the movie. It's not even in the book, but I remember that very well, when they told me, Olga, we don't think we can tell the story because we came here with a mission of peace, and we are coming back. It's anything but peaceful message. Well, I got knot in my belly at that point. And they said, You girls do what you have to do. But you need to know that in this case, I would be eaten life. And they realize that, and they've been really good comrades. So, they went to journalists, everything was in a foreign newspapers. And they, when later on, in the fall, I was put, like, I was indicted, and in March of '84, I was on trial. They've been doing wonders to save me. And they've been holding demonstrations and sitting demonstration in Soviet embassy in London. And I didn't even know how much they did for me, because at that point, very little news would come back to Russia. But that was amazing. So, as you see from the film, well, of course, I wasn't indicted for peaceful mission. I was indicted for beaten policemen, as you can see, like I was growing my muscles, all my life! What else there is very much, very little creativity in KGB. But I got - I was waiting for three years in prison. And then I was with dry... and whatever, woolen socks, whatever is on the list what you can - leaving my son behind. And my lawyer, who a brilliant lawyer, he said, What do you need me for? Your term is predetermined. I said, I want you to defend me like that. I did not commit that hooliganism I was accused in. The rest, I'll do myself. And then he learned that I'm pregnant and he said, You have to have abortion. Do you know that Soviets have special mothers' camps... where if pregnant women sentenced, you deliver your baby, the baby would be sent to the mainland and you wouldn't see the baby for years. But as we know, I didn't do an abortion and I have wonderful daughter, Masha. But that was on trial when I was about five months pregnant. And I got a probation - I was facing three years in prison - I got a probation sentence, which I totally did not expect, because never, ever political trial would end up in this way in the Soviet Union, but I think the fact first of all, this awareness in different countries, you know, peace activist, human rights activist, Greenham Common women, four Secretaries of US, British, Australian, and Canadian embassies been standing in front of the court building, of course, nobody was allowed in. And also my pregnancy, which allow them to save their face. I think that change the course of my life. You just have to think when you're asking the questions because I was making a living by talking by lecturing and so I chat!

Matthew 26:06
Well, I'd love to be in some of your lectures. I think it takes us to a point to have a quick break for our audience. And then we'll be right back with Olga Medvedkov. And the film is Mothers of the Revolution.

Matthew 27:16
Welcome back to Factual America. I'm here with Olga Medvedkov, Mothers of the Revolution is the film. Released in October on various digital platforms. And Olga, we were just - you're regaling us, if that's the right word, actually, this story, this incredible story, it must have been - you act very calm, but I can only imagine how afraid you must have been when this was all happening. Being, you know, whether you'd see your son again, you had this your as you now know, a daughter on the way. So, I mean, the end, thanks to Greenham Common women and others, your case became high profile and that helped was, I think as you've said, that's the reason you're able to get a suspended - one reason you're able to get a suspended sentence. Now, I think as the film documents that this also corresponded with a time of great change that was about to commence in the Soviet Union we know, Gorbachev came to power in '85. We had the Reagan-Gorbachev summits through the late '80s. And now - and then eventually, the Wall fell down. Eventually. The Wall came down, the Berlin Wall came down, and then the Soviet Union came to an end in '91 with the failed putsch, what do you think about all that you and this group for building trust, that you've achieved when you look back, you know, on 30 years, 30 to 40 years later?

Olga Medvedkov 29:06
It's interesting, my husband is sure that we contributed to the fall of the Soviet empire. I'm far from thinking like that. But let me just give you some short story. It was written in by a very prominent Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky. Every year in December, dissidents would get together in one of the major squares in the center of Moscow, and they would be just to give their respect to the victims of the regime. And one day, old babushka approached them and she said, Look I leave for right there. And in my window, every December, I see what's happening. You come in here, you arrested, not even five minutes after that, why are you doing that? You cannot change anything. And he said, maybe we can not change the system. But we are here. So, system wouldn't change us. And you know, until now I have goose bumps when I'm saying that. If more people resisted like that to the Soviet regime, it would be a different country now. It's been really exciting. I was bringing my students to Russia, with a colleague of mine, who is a policy prof., five times. In '90s, it was absolutely amazing. It was so interesting. I was running with my eyes on top of my head, I could not sleep. I was watching political programs on TV until five in the morning. My friends, then, advises to Yeltsin, Yes, it was very difficult economically; people didn't have much good. And, of course, on the Russians, okay, on one side, we have this democracy. On the other side, we cannot buy a loaf of bread. What's more important? And, of course, it's not everybody can, you know, sacrifice things, and it's very, very tough. But '90s being incredibly interesting in, it was a hope that Russia would take more - democracy cannot be imposed from the top, as we all know, not all, but at least in this audience, we probably aware of that.

Matthew 31:55
Yes.

Olga Medvedkov 31:57
It's also a process. It's a long process and it's probably several steps backward, one step forward. But in '90s, it was the light. I even got Fulbright to teach. I was teaching there in 2003, the whole semester, during the winter, my husband thought I'm totally crazy, which partially he's probably right! But I thought I can bring something for the students there because education system was collapsing - it's another story - but when a colleague of mine and I brought students last time to Moscow, in the summer of 2008, it was right before Soviet invasion into Georgia. After that invasion, I said, I'm not interested, anymore; the country's going in different direction. So, I just thought we did contribute to some free-thinking, not only thinking but also expression. You see in this movie that people, already, it was the very end of the '90s, beginning of this century, expressing themselves freely. You mentioned that Gorbachev came in 2005. We've been expelled in 2006. We've been given 48 hours, we could pack two pieces of luggage for each person, and 90 bucks per person. So, we started from zero, the only thing I said, I'm not leaving without my parents because it looks like now it's been changed already, but in 2006, nobody felt it - I mean, in '86. I'm sorry, it was in 1986. Senior moment. At that point, you're living forever, you'll never see your family. And they said, Oh, take them with you. And I said, my goodness, I could have maybe pick up a couple of friends who have been facing imprisonment, you know. So, we left in 48 hours, that was '86. And Gorbachev came in '85. Only in '87, some changes started, and most of all in '89. But during the second half of '80s, people from our group been arrested. I remember that one woman lost her child to social services because she wasn't supposedly raising the child in socialist ideals. That was in '86. So, those changes had been coming slowly. And then unfortunately, with Putin regime, it's all rolling back. But when they invaded Georgia, guess what I applied for Fulbright to teach in the country of Georgia. But it was before the invasion, and then the invasion start, and I said, Oh, who's going to give me Fulbright go into warzone? But they did. So, I was teaching the whole semester in Georgia, and then I brought my students next year to Georgia. So, I was trying to do my people-to-people diplomacy on the ground. Where is my students? As much as I could.

Matthew 35:40
So, I mean, you've already answered because I was gonna ask you what you think about - I mean, there's so many things, I'd loved to ask you - but about the current situation in Russia, specifically. But, you must have flashbacks, when you see things like Navalny. And these court cases that happen that are all just trumped up? It does seem like going back in time. Is there a hope? I mean, I was gonna ask you about your fears, but is there hope there? Do you see, do you have any glimmers of hope in terms of where Russia could possibly head?

Olga Medvedkov 36:26
I had those hopes in '90s. Now, those hopes are fading because the regime is changing. People are becoming again, complacent, or they live better. And, you know, I just don't know also, demographically, Russia is aging. There is very little young energy there. And the youngsters most of all trying to make money, which how can you blame them? Because their parents couldn't make any, right, under the Soviet. I hope so. But I'm afraid it'll take much longer than we thought, living through the '90s. And of course, while Putin is there, nothing is going to change.

Matthew 37:24
And do you think, I mean, and as someone, given what the role you played during the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and now you're living in Ohio, there's a lot of talk of another Cold War, the US and China. Does that something that you give thought to or makes you pause and gives you worries?

Olga Medvedkov 37:48
Yes, of course. And one of the reasons you know, I'm not, I wasn't giving interviews to everybody, but somehow March Briar she just touched my heart. She's young, and she's so full of energy, and she's just full of goodness. And also the world is facing possibly another nuclear crisis, as you said, China, and of course, North Korea; and I've been in China many times. And well, and I could not help but not compare China and development in China with development in Russia. I also been in South Africa. Somehow, I'm going to all those transitional areas, because I'm drawn to them. Just see how people make in transition. Yeah, China. It is scary. It is scary. Of course, economically, they're doing much better and even, you know, farmers who live in small, like faraway corners, doing much better. But again, there is so much suppression in Tibet. I was on the Silk Road and I wasn't Tibet. And, of course, it just breaks your heart. And it's so easy now to indict Muslim people in terrorism when they actually against Han invasion into their culture because they look anything but Han Chinese. Yeah, it's a lot of suppression, of course.

Matthew 39:56
And what do you think about the US's role in all this? Because this the other, you know, it's interesting, I think, even going back, if you look at Greenham Common. I mean, I think a lot, certainly in Western Europe, it was very sort of mostly anti-US focused. And some of those feelings are certainly understandable. But then you have now, again, a similar situation that, you know, I'm an American, but I'll be the first to say the US is, you know, it has its ills as well. But, of course, but, you know, how do you - you have this interesting perspective of someone who's grown up lived in the Soviet Union, have emigrated - well, you emigrated, you were forced to leave the Soviet Union, end up in the US. And now you, you see a similar situation arising again.

Olga Medvedkov 40:48
That's right. I just hope that with new administration, will use more diplomacy, than, you know, this agitation in terrible division inside the country. And on the global scale, I tell you that four years of Trump, I was simply suffering, I was simply suffering. I just could not believe it can happen in the United States. But it did. And it's not only Trump. He's just an appalling figure. But it's also basically half of population, they've been following him. And I understand a lot of reasons for that. A lot of people, particularly in Midwest, a lot of people in the middle of America been forgotten. They been disregard, you know, Democratic Party sounded more like party of coastal areas, east and west, and who knows what's in between. So, there are a lot of reasons for that. But it may be, you may look into that, and you may try to help it. Or you may try to make this division even bigger than it is and make people angry and move that anger in really destructive way. And destruction doesn't help. Destruction doesn't help. Yeah, it is sad. It's not, of course, simple, as we all understand, but I just hope that we can re-establish our position, American position, in the world, in better terms in be leading, rather than destroying what was built before. But again, connections with China, look at us, almost everything we're using is made in China. And economically for the US, it's advantages, particularly for big companies to build things in China. But it should be some incentives in this country. So, some companies will come back and also during this pandemic, which is going to be with us for a while, we realized that if chips are not produced in this country, cars cannot be produced, either. So, it's complicated. Also, our relationship with Saudi Arabia. It's complicated. Why we support this regime? Oil, but we have more oil that we can use to burn on this planet. Yeah, America is a great country. And I love it. But it doesn't mean I like everything what's happening here.

Matthew 44:00
And I can tell you're a geographer, as someone who's an economist by background, but that's another story. What was it like seeing yourself in a movie?

Olga Medvedkov 44:16
You know, initially Helena sent me this private link, so I could watch this film at home. And my son is in Ohio, my daughter is in New York. So, we watched together with my husband and my son, this film. And it's also it's a lot of pictures from archives of Mike and my husband, and I didn't tell my son that he will see himself there.

Matthew 44:47
Yeah, yeah.

Olga Medvedkov 44:48
So, we watch that. And I hadn't realized that it wouldn't be just some small documentary shown somewhere. All of a sudden, it's part of annual British Film Festival. And I think, Wow! I never even thought about that. And my son said, Let's go. And next week I was going to New York to visit my daughter, and my granddaughter. My granddaughter is like one year old right now. And my daughter, Masha, I watched it with them. With that private link. Sorry, Helen, I had to show it to my daughter. And she was, like, she was in my belly when I was standing that trial. And she said, Let's go. And three of us, went to this festival.

Matthew 45:42
Excellent.

Olga Medvedkov 45:43
And I was very emotional, not only to see the film together on the big screen, but to see Karmen, and to see Rebecca, and Rebecca visited us in '85. And Masha was already born and she remembered. Mike and Masha. And Karmen saved photo of Mike with our cat, Tiger, for all these years, and she didn't misplace it. I would. And she brought it to Mike and she gave it to him. And also watching this film, where half of the audience been participants in this moment, because half of the people being Greenham Common women, who been sitting there watching; and their reaction. It's not like, it's great to watch James Bond. But now we want to relate to what's happened, right? But these people been related. I was like, it was amazing. It was very, very powerful. And then we had Q&A. And, of course, I didn't have that much time for my 'A'. It was very, very short. But it was great.

Matthew 47:04
But I guess this been the first time you saw - reunited with some of these women since...

Olga Medvedkov 47:11
Exactly. Exactly.

Matthew 47:12
Oh, that's amazing.

Olga Medvedkov 47:13
It was amazing. And also, Karmen brought her daughter and our kids got connected. It was just fantastic.

Matthew 47:21
That's lovely. I almost feel like that's where we should end but I I'll give the final word to you, Olga. Any last words of wisdom you want to leave with our audience?

Olga Medvedkov 47:34
You know, the world is so unsettled right now. And I look on the younger generation and so many youngsters just disenchanted, you know, nuclear proliferation looming over our heads, climate change, which is affecting everybody, division, more racism, anti-immigrant, not even sentiment, sentiments would be understatement. And people might get, young people might get just frustrated. Nothing we can do about that. Let's just go into our small niche and just watch somehow. And you look on those three women in Wales and they kitchen, and how they started. And it is possible. You can do it guys. And sorry, you inherited such a mess. But we also lived in a very messy situation. So, you can do it. You can take it on and do it.

Matthew 48:40
Well, I think that's a perfect way to end what I think was a lovely, and hopefully perfect interview. Olga, thank you so much for coming on.

Olga Medvedkov 48:49
Thank you for having me.

Matthew 48:49
I should give you a big... Well, it was a joy. The film's, Mothers of the Revolution. It was released in October on digital platforms. So, I should give you a big [thank you]. And – no problem, because my Russian is extremely rusty, but I did manage to go to the Soviet Union as a student back in 1988.

Matthew 48:50
Uh huh. Sorry we missed each other.

Matthew 49:18
We missed each other. I was in Moscow for a few weeks and the rest of the summer was in back then it was called...

Olga Medvedkov 49:24
Was it Moscow State?

Matthew 49:25
No, it's LGU. I went to Leningrad state. So, we flew in to... yeah, we flew into Moscow. and then train, overnight train, to Leningrad and then studied at LGU.

Olga Medvedkov 49:36
Right. I went to MU.

Matthew 49:39
You went to MGU. So, we're at your rival university, so to speak [laughter].

Olga Medvedkov 49:46
I don't think so.

Matthew 49:47
Okay.

Olga Medvedkov 49:49
I'm just joking.

Matthew 49:52
So, I just want to give another big thanks to Olga Medvedkov, who was a peace activist during the Soviet period, and now lives in the United States but is one of the subjects featured in Mothers of the Revolution, an NBC Universal film that released in October. I want to give a big shout out to Sam and Joe at Innersound Audio in Escrick, England. A big thanks to Nevena Paunovic, our podcast manager at Alamo Pictures who ensures we continue getting such great guests, like Olga, on to the show. And finally, a big thanks to our listeners. As always, we'd love to hear from you. So, please keep sending us feedback and episode ideas. Whether it is on YouTube, social media, or directly by email. And please remember to like us and share us with your friends and family. wherever you happen to listen or watch podcasts. This is Factual America, signing off.

Factual America Outro 50:47
You've been listening to Factual America. This podcast is produced by Alamo Pictures specializing in documentaries, television, and shorts about the USA for international audiences. Head on down to the show notes for more information about today's episode, our guests, and the team behind the podcast. Subscribe to our mailing list, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @alamopictures. Be the first to hear about new productions, festivals showing our films, and to connect with our team. Our homepage is alamopictures.co.uk