When beauty becomes the victim of an obstinate war

Through different channels and ways, you can get to know and reach many people.

I met the wonderful Yulia, with her Russian statuesque beauty that lets herself be admired ... proud as a white snow tiger and equally strong and intelligent, as only a feline can be.

I start by letting her talk through a short biography of her life.

Together we will then go into detail through targeted questions, which may give you the opportunity to express your point of view and for us to deepen the situation that I have asked you to tell, even if you have expressed your fear and concern to me several times in the do it for fear of causing me problems.

The fact that a human being is not free or does not feel free, to be able to tell and expose themselves in 2022 is an example of how the mind of a few always wants to crush that of many.

The right to demonstrate, declare and protest ... and also the right to rebel is sacrosanct ... especially when it comes to the facts and circumstances of war.

We must always listen to all the points of view of a story and know how to reason, without judgments and sentences. Each life has its own path, and each person has his own way of seeing things and living them. Therefore, in this case, I will also leave out the animal rights activists, because I am aware that Yulia's activity stems from clearly different habits and lifestyles both in terms of geographical area and way of thinking. As such it must be respected.

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My name is Yulia Sokolova. I was born in Russia in Penza into a military family.

At the age of 4, we moved to Siberia in the city of Omsk where I grew up and completed school and art school in parallel.

The climate is cold and harsh, which is why natural fur is often used as a source of greater heat. My father and grandfather were in the trade and making of fur garments. My grandfather lived in the USSR and in his time it was prohibited by law. So he only sewed for his family and friends. My father, on the other hand, was able to earn a living, even though his main job was that of a machinist.

I learned the furrier trade since I was a child.

From the age of 14 I could make any fur garment, no matter if it was a whole fur coat or a simple headdress. I have become a versatile craftswoman.

But having done this throughout my youth, I have decided to enter a completely different field.

So I went to the polytechnic and got married while I was studying.

Graduated with honors as a mechanical engineer in metal forming, after graduation I gave birth to a son.

But I soon knew a huge pain ... My beloved husband died when my son was only 2 years old ...

So I went back to work in tailoring again, because in 1997, all the factories were closed and no one needed an engineer during the Perestroika.

I started working as my father and grandfather, to provide for my son and help my parents in some way.

While my son was a toddler, I sewed orders from home.

Customers have increased thanks to word of mouth and many came to me. Orders increased so much that I could no longer carry on the business by myself. That was when I hired an assistant. First one, then two.

In 2002 I won first place in a competition organized by the city's Chamber of Crafts. The prize in the city competition was a local of the governor of the city, which became my studio. Soon after I took a team of 7 people. So we started producing not only fur products, but also textiles and even processing sheepskin.

We are successfully working with auction furs to date. We are also developing for international orders.

Our customer-oriented approach focuses on quality first, not forgetting to keep up with the modern fur industry.

Due to the war in Ukraine, we have had to close all international sales. I cancel my purchases every day due to the fact that there is no possibility to send our products out of the country. The NATO sanctions have had these consequences among other things.

We now work only for internal consumption. I find it very offensive.

The world does not know that Russia did not attack Ukraine !!! Russia is liberating the peaceful Ukrainian people from Nazism, which has mistreated the peaceful population for 8 years.

Russia has no intention of taking someone else's territory. We have been robbed of our word everywhere and NATO shows us as occupiers.

We hope this passes soon and that peace is over everyone's heads and that our children live in a bright future.

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I decide to ask her some targeted questions to analyze and dig into her previous words more accurately ...

Yulia after reading your biography and your thoughts, albeit brief but heartfelt about the war, I would like to ask you how your son and your family is experiencing this moment so traumatic, for all of you.

You mentioned that your son was planning to move for work, can you confirm me?

Yulia with her son Andrej

Yes, it is very difficult now. I no longer have my parents, only those of my deceased husband. My son and his girlfriend lived in the city of St. Petersburg. The work was done on the foreign squares that sell our wares. Most of the buyers were from other countries around the world. Also from Australia and Japan. My son's girlfriend is from Kazakhstan, from the city of Karaganda. Due to the sanctions imposed on our country, they have to go to work in Kazakhstan. If God wills, they will succeed.

You said that there is no possibility of sending the products out of the country and that the NATO sanctions have had these consequences, among other things. What other consequences did you have then?

Unfortunately this is the truth ...

The bitter truth is that there are many repercussions and setbacks. As for the work, for example on the purchase of raw fur products. I have only worked with furs that are sold in auctions around the world, such as the one in Toronto, Canada. There is now an auction taking place in St. Petersburg. But again a complication, foreign buyers will not be auctioned and will most likely be canceled. Therefore, only furs grown in Russia remain. Yes, of course it still remains good and the domestic sales of our furs will begin to develop more. But I would like global diversity.

Related materials for products such as leather and suede sheepskin and of course textile materials, without forgetting the importance of applied materials such as threads, buttons, zippers, hooks ... Many of these goods are imported.

What do you think people should know more about this situation than what you mentioned in your bio? If you want to broaden the discussion, go ahead. It's okay to hear another person's point of view.

I would like to make people of all countries understand that ordinary and peaceful people of Russia are open to peace and friendship. We don't want war, just as everyone else doesn't. We want to live under a peaceful sky. The situation in Ukraine in no way affects the ordinary and peaceful people of Russia. We aspire to peace.

When the decisions of a president are not shared because they are considered too aggressive and unjustified, unfortunately the whole population is the loser as a result. How do you live the moment among you? How is everyday life on the streets now? Do people remain united even for the moment or are there internal conflicts even among civilians?

Of course not. We understand the whole situation and many of us are patriots of our country. Like me and my whole family. Yes, the situation is economically difficult and will become more difficult. But we see our government and our president as the liberator of the people of Ukraine. We, as good neighbors, could no longer turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the Ukrainian government against the Ukrainian population, which lasted until 2014. We could no longer look away as NATO turned a blind eye to this madness. There are of course people who condemn the Russian government, but they are very few. The majority, and especially the young, are all patriots and will even go into service to defend their country if need be.

We were the first to enter Ukraine, but otherwise they would have entered our country.

Our president is ahead of their offensive. And now all of this is confirmed.

We still live as usual, everything is calm and peaceful.

Everyone is determined for victory and world peace. We are not occupiers, we are liberators. Just as we defended the Serbian people in our time, for which the Serbian people are very grateful and support us now. Not all countries in the world are against us.

Many understand that we are for peace. Many countries have no sanctions against us. We watch the news and wait for this conflict to end.

Have you ever been to Ukraine? Do you have people you know who live there?

My grandfather on my father's side is Ukrainian, although he is German and was exiled to Siberia during the Soviet period due to his origins. We have many relatives and friends there.

How do you see your future prospects now? Do you intend to move in case of need?

I sincerely hope this ends quickly. And the whole world will understand the situation. And of course we will live in our homeland in good health and in peace.

Would you return to work as an engineer if there was a chance or did you decide to continue with your atelier?

Of course I would like to continue with my favorite occupation: creativity in the fashion industry. After all, I can be considered a happy person because my hobby is my job, which I do with love and inspiration.

What do you think of Italy and of us Italians? Have you ever come here on a trip? Have you visited it? To ease the tension of the previous speeches a little, I ask you if you love Italian fashion and which designers you like.

Of course!!! I fell in love with Italian painters and sculptors when I was still a young age in art school. The Renaissance era left a great mark on my artistic training. The great names of Italian painters, sculptors and architects cannot fail to impress and excite. Raffaello Sanzio, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo Da Vinci ...

I've been to Italy more than once. It is heaven on earth.

I love everything about this country, from architecture, to interiors, to fashion.

How not to love Italian cinema if you grew up with Celentano's films !!! And I wanted to look like actresses like Monica Bellucci and Ornella Muti in appearance !!!

I consider the Italian fashion industry as the trendsetter of world fashion.

Italian designers have surpassed everyone in the world, they are always one step ahead.

My favorites are Gucci, Prada, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Roberto Cavalli and Max Mara. It is really sad that now I will only observe their work on the internet. I will not be able to enter the salon and try their masterpieces, not having that impulse and electrocution through their work and consequently creating through mine.

You are my ideal in everything. And not because you are Italian and I say it to please you. NO!!!

I love this country more than anyone else. And I've been to many countries, almost all the countries of Europe: France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Finland.

My son studied Business Administration in International Affairs at a university in Finland.

And then again I visited Montenegro, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, China.

You know that many people are animal rights activists so they do not accept the use of real furs for the creation of clothing even if I realize that in your country it has always been a necessity, even before a whim given the very cold temperatures … In Omsk it can reach -31 °

How do you live this?

Yes, of course I know .. Man did it, however, also in the past. And yes, for our climate it's cold with duvets. When it's even -47 ° outside, you don't think about it anymore ...

We are at your last question Yulia and I will formulate it with respect and with the utmost perspective for your future ... Have you participated in the Fashion Festival, have you traveled the world and if so where have you been? Did you also do it for work? What do you wish for yourself and your business? Developments for the future and dreams in the drawer.

I participate in competitions, exhibitions and festivals that mostly take place in our region - Omsk, Novosibirsk, and most of them take place in Moscow.

Twice a year it is mandatory to declare oneself, to meet new people. To create new business contacts. These are very important moments.

I like to travel the world, but it was just tourist travel. For work only in my country.

Of course, I would like this war to end very soon and for everything to return to normal. So that there is more knowledge, so that my clients understand that we are not scammers.

In order to make agreements and contracts for the personalization of our work.

And of course I repeat world peace.

Yulia, as you may have understood, stands out not only for her infinite beauty but for an above average intelligence. Graduated with honors as a mechanical engineer in metal forming, as she wrote in the biography above, when she discussed her thesis the presentation was done not in pencil, but in ink because her secondary artistic training, before university, allowed her to do so. . She was subsequently invited to work as an engineer in 12 machine building factories. These were in different cities, including those of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Courtesy of Yulia, I show you her team of great women at work:

Julia

Tatiana

Nelda

Tatiana

It is not possible for me to publish videos related to Yulia's activity, given the blocks and limitations to which their media have also been subjected, but I will post them at a later stage.

The time has come for me to draw personal conclusions and considerations.

War is always a very delicate subject, which must not be tackled lightly.

From the point of view of the Russian people in Kiev there would be pro-Nazis threatening Russia. Putin has always spoken of the Ukrainian government in these terms, ever since Russia decided to annex Crimea. Hence the term denazification.

I deeply believe that the greatest evil lies in a political system and information that is watering from all sides ... that ignore the complexity of the events and never turn their gaze to the context. The good guys only in the West and the bad guys only in Russia? I don't think so, not for those with a good memory.

Has the West by chance forgotten the actions in Iraq and the wars around the world often carried out through pure lies?

In recent decades we can only keep quiet about it, then if we want to dig even more into the past it would lead us to be ashamed.

"Whoever has no sin, cast the first stone."

War is never just and almost never born to protect the people, but it is the choices of a few that determine the lives of many, with economic objectives at the forefront, as well as sacrificed lives. Surely there are interests of a very different nature in the United States as well. This is the greatest horror. The total loss of freedom and real seriousness towards a common goal. We Italians do not have a strategic vision and we will pay a bitter price, above all because we cannot think of doing without energy sources from Russia. Implementing pressures and sanctions, some of which are truly ridiculous, does not help peace, on the contrary it harms us even more.

The search for truth is inconvenient and many do not want to see.

I prefer a world and a multipolar order rather than being subjugated by the more "overbearing" powers and in the West, there is no shortage. The war scenario is a loop that man knows perfectly well and even if he is aware of the dangers and despite having already paid the consequences, he often re-proposes its dynamics in a more than conscious way.

Hypocrisy is certainly not the solution to problems, but a palliative.

We are good at taking measures that temporarily resolve a difficulty, removing the consequences for a while ... but eradicating something from the foundations requires a renewal that starts from people's consciences and heads, because actions are nothing but the mirror of these two aspects. united.

Where there is no internal balance, there is external imbalance.

"Errare humanum est, persevere autem diabolicum"

Evil often triumphs it is true, but good will always win in the long run.

I leave you with a gallery containing some of the creations of Yulia and her atelier