Sudden Departures

Russian Exiles Between Putin and the West

Almost a million Russians went into exile after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

This study reveals how dissident activism continues in the face of repression. This book captures the largest post-Soviet exodus in Russian history, triggered by the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Through hundreds of interviews, the authors trace the journeys of those who fled Russia—crossing the steppes of Kazakhstan, the mountains of Armenia and Georgia, and even the Atlantic—in search of safety, belonging and peace.

Rejected by their homeland and confronted by global suspicion, these wartime exiles face the challenge of defining what it means to be Russian in an era of war and authoritarian retrenchment. Many turn to action as a path forward: mutual aid, support for Ukraine, anti-war activism. For others, survival is the priority.

Set against the backdrop of a shifting global order—renewed Great Power politics, tightening borders and migrant fatigue—Sudden Departures gives voice to a diaspora in motion. These stories offer a rare ground-level lens on exile, resistance and the high personal costs of standing against Putin’s regime.

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