We didn't have to look very far. A red flag waving just across the street from our apartment caught our attention. It stood like a centerpiece on the corner where Communists, nationalists and other fringe political groups gather, selling their propaganda and partaking in heated debate.
We spent the entire day on the corner of "Ploshad Revolutzi" splitting our time between interviewing people like Galina, Alexanderand Lena and in return being interrogated ourselves. Once word spread that we were Americans, we were soon at the center of several volatile discussions. At one point, Lisa was cornered and surround by a crowd firing questions at her from every direction. We were both accused by some of being capitalist propagandists and lairs. and praised by others for our objective and unbiased reporting . We heard all kinds racial slurs, nationalist rhetoric, revisionist and conspiracy theories. Hidden in the mist of all the commotion stood Nicolai Mytskikh. A quiet man who comes out to the square every weekend and the main subject for our story.
Even though there was a lot of hostility directed at America, most of the people
we spoke to eventually calmed down and became pretty friendly. Even the most
rabid of them, a small man with a contorted face who at first was so upset when
he met us that he could barely speak, raised his fist in a people's salute and
smiled at Lisa as he turned to leave, asking her to say hello to the workers of
America for them.