I moved to the Czech Republic in 2013. There may be nothing special in my story, but thanks to that I am finally here.
I graduated from university in 2010 and after that I immediately plunged into adult life, and with it into harsh realities of my country. Three years before my departure, many laws violating human rights and freedom, were adopted in Russia that directly affected my life and the lives of my friends:
The “foreign agents” law, which essentially shuts down the mouth of all anti-Kremlin media, the “undesirable organisations” law, which is supposed to protect national security, but in fact endangered any organisations that protect human rights. But the final straw, when I realized that life in this country is simply unbearable, were two laws: “offense of peoples religious sentiments”, which contradicts the original definition of a secular state and violates the right to freedom of speech and any religion other than Orthodoxy (under the pretext of violating this law hundreds of cultural organizations and artists were closed and arrested), and the law on “propaganda of homosexuality”, which essentially discriminates a significant part of society and unties hands of all homophobes and haters. As a member of the LGBT community, dating a girl at that time, I fully felt the impact of this law.
I realised that in Russia I would never be able to live in peace, feel safe and, most importantly, not worry about my family.
It wasn't a relocation, it was an escape. I am happy that Czech Republic has become my home, for 8 years of living here, this country has given me more than my homeland
...do not give up and do not despair, do what you think is the right thing to do. Russia will definitely be free.
Note: the opinion and word choice in the interview may not coincide with the opinion of the editors. Adnrey is coordinator of the Czech ...
VK, Russia’s own social media network, is now placing a special warning plaque on communities which can contain so-called LGBT content, ...
The victor isn’t the smartest, the bravest, the most privileged—the victor is the most stubborn.
Yuma is an LGBTQ+ activist and feminist. In 2021, BBC included her to the list of “100 Influential Women'' from around the world. In Russ...
...No one could ever imagine that literally tomorrow you would have to turn your life around 180 degrees and leave for a foreign country.
Katya and Dima (names changed) are engaged. They met during a course of anatomy at the medical school, where they are still studying. Kat...
When we think about politics and society, we tend to think in democratic terms. Russia however is not a democratic state. We try to explain the Russian terms and principles in simplest terms possible to give a context to the current happenings.
It is not easy to find texts from liberal Russian authors. Such communities tend to be a bit introverted, above all for historical and social reasons. This is the list of the most interesting texts about politics, culture and social issues created by Russian authors that we know about - in English.
On 24th February 2022 Russian Federation shocked the world when it invaded Ukraine. Was it entirely unexpected or were there signs of such an event long before? And could it have ended in any different way?
Russian post-Soviet history is a fascinating story full of both optimism and despair, civic resiliance and passivity and many unexpected turns. Some eras brought hope of more liberal society and cooperation with the west, while others crushed that dream entirely.
