title: Speech for the Defence
text: # Speech for the Defence
  
  Speech for the Defence (Russian: Слово для защиты) is a 1976 Soviet drama film directed by Vadim Abdrashitov.
  
  ## Plot
  
  The film tells about a woman named Valentina Kostina, who is accused of attempted murder of her lover and pleads guilty, but despite this, her lawyer is trying to find an excuse.
  
  ## Cast
  
  * Galina Yatskina as Irina Mezhnikova
  * Marina Neyolova as Valentina Kostina
  * Oleg Yankovskiy as Ruslan
  * Stanislav Lyubshin as Fedyayev
  * Viktor Shulgin as Mezhnikov
  * Aleksey Alekseev as Judge
  * Valentina Berezutskaya as Kuznetsova
  * Anatoliy Grachyov
  * Eduard Izotov as Arkadii Stepanovich
  * Elena Kebal as Svetlana
  