War and Migration: Exiled Russian Activists and Memory Debates in Their Host Countries

• In Event: Activism among Russian Migrants

Abstract

This paper highlights Russian memory activists who went into exile after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and examines why and how they persist in striving to influence Russian society and memory from abroad despite the numerous challenges they face. In exile, memory activists face various obstacles. On the one hand, their primary sources—such as archives, collections, libraries, and interlocutors—remain in Russia. On the other hand, the precarious conditions of migration often discourage them from engaging with local memory activists in their host countries. However, when such interactions do occur, exiled activists shape how both their home and host societies remember and commemorate significant events, influencing collective memory and national identity across borders. This paper explores how these activists engage with the memory cultures of their host countries and foster transnational collective action, focusing on memory activists affiliated with Memorial who now reside in Germany.

Author

• Laura Innocenti, U of Mainz (Germany)