Reflecting on the ERDAM Conference 2025: Rethinking Migration, Mobilization, and Diaspora in Times of War

On 25–26 September 2025, the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) in Berlin hosted the ERDAM Conference Emerging Russian Diasporas – Exploring New Dynamics and (Im)Mobilisation Patterns. Bringing together over 30 scholars, human rights advocates, and civil society actors from across Europe, the two-day event examined the shifting realities of Russian and Belarusian migration against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the transnational reverberations of authoritarian repression.

Three years into the war, the conference offered a much-needed reassessment of how exile, displacement, and political violence are shaping new diasporas, and how these communities navigate the blurred lines between civic mobilisation and withdrawal. Discussions touched on evolving east–west and south–south migration routes, the impact of authoritarian policies on (im)mobility, and the complex civic lives of migrants across host societies.

Opening Events: Public Conversations on Exile and Repression

In Conversation With… Russia’s Wartime Migrants
The conference opened on 25 September with two public-facing events: a semi-closed dialogue among researchers and a public forum that brought the lens back to repression inside Russia. This semi-open session, intended for policy decision-makers, explored the dynamics of Russian wartime migration and diaspora politics, moderated by Tsypylma Darieva (ZOiS). Susanne Bygnes (University of Bergen) discussed how Russian migrants in Europe organized transnational anti-war protests to reclaim a dissident Russian identity and counter regime-aligned narratives. Joanna Fomina (Polish Academy of Sciences) examined the formation of armed resistance groups like the Civic Council, showing how some exiles transitioned from civic activism to military engagement alongside Ukraine. Tatiana Golova (ERDAM) focused on the German context, where Russian-speaking migrants, across generations, played a key role in implementing humanitarian visa procedures, while also navigating internal divisions. Margarita Zavadskaya (Finnish Institute of International Affairs) presented research on why many politically active Russian exiles disengage after migration, identifying barriers such as fear, burnout, socioeconomic hardship, and moral ambivalence.

ZOiS Forum: Repression in Russia – Targeted Groups and Opportunities for European Solidarity
Held later that evening, this public event explored how political repression in Russia is no longer solely based on dissenting actions, but increasingly targets people based on identity — such as sexual orientation, ethnicity, or their perceived ties to foreign actors. Denis Shedov, analyst at the human rights group OVD-Info, outlined how repression has expanded beyond traditional opposition circles to include LGBTQ+ individuals, activists branded as “foreign agents,” and ethnic minorities disproportionately mobilised for the war. Evi Chayka, founder of Equal PostOst, spoke about the criminalisation of queer identities and the closure of queer public space. Stephan Dudeck, a social anthropologist at the University of Tartu, drew on long-term research with Indigenous communities in Siberia to discuss repression in Russia’s peripheries. The session, moderated by Tatiana Golova, highlighted how domestic repression intersects with global patterns of authoritarianism, and what scope remains for solidarity work within Europe.

Day Two: Academic Panels and Roundtable Reflections

Panel 1: Diasporic Mobilities and Ambivalent Agency
Chaired by Félix Krawatzek (ZOiS), this panel explored the fluid and context-dependent nature of political agency among Russian wartime migrants navigating exile. Susanne Bygnes (University of Bergen) examined how many migrants in Europe oscillate between democratic ideals and political disengagement, often opting to avoid politics entirely. Bahar Baser (Durham University) highlighted the precarious situation of Russian exiles in Turkey, where legal ambiguity and geopolitical pressures constrain activism. Tsypylma Darieva (ZOiS) focused on Georgia as a key site of both migrant (im)mobility and shifting engagement, showing how political activism often fades under pressure. The OutRush research team presented new findings on the return intentions of political emigrants from autocracies, arguing that regime incentives, host-country conditions, and prospects for change shape decisions to return or stay abroad.

Panel 2: Migrant Interactions in Host Countries
Chaired by Inta Mieriņa (University of Latvia), this panel focused on how Russian wartime migrants interact with and are perceived within their host societies. Yuliana Melkumyan (Yerevan State University) analyzed the integration experiences of Russian migrants in Armenia, highlighting how the sudden influx has affected both the newcomers and the local population. Vadim Romashov (University of Eastern Finland) examined how Russian-speaking minorities in Finland experience everyday insecurities and marginalization amid growing societal militarization, which in turn shapes patterns of political mobilization. Tatiana Golova (ERDAM) and Galina Selivanova (FernUni Hagen) traced the evolving roles of different generations of Russian migrant activists, showing how the war has reconfigured activist networks and intensified intergenerational dynamics.

Panel 3: Comparative Perspectives on Russian and Belarusian Exiles
Chaired by Diana Rafailova (SCRIPTS), this panel offered comparative insights into the experiences of Russian and Belarusian exiles following the rise of authoritarian repression and the war in Ukraine. Olga Bronnikova and Tatyana Shukan (Bordeaux Montaigne University) examined the trajectories of political exiles from both countries in Georgia, highlighting shared challenges of displacement, insecurity, and activism in exile. Olga Gille-Belova (Bordeaux Montaigne University) explored how Belarusian parents in exile develop educational strategies to preserve identity and provide stability for their children in unfamiliar contexts. Christian Fröhlich (University of Hamburg) analyzed how the war has reshaped intergroup relations and identity constructions among migrants, particularly in terms of how Russian exiles are perceived and how they negotiate their position as the "Other."

Final Roundtable: What Comes Next?
Moderated by Tsypylma Darieva (ZOiS), the final roundtable gathered scholars including Margarita Zavadskaya (Finnish Institute of International Affairs), Inta Mieriņa (University of Latvia), Guri Tyldum (Fafo Foundation), Vlada Baranova (University of Hamburg), a representative of the OutRush project, and Gwendolyn Sasse (ZOiS) to reflect on future directions. The discussion considered emerging research perspectives on Russian and Belarusian wartime diasporas, with attention to long-term dynamics, policy implications, and the evolving role of exile communities.

Interdisciplinary and Transnational Perspectives

Throughout the conference, participants drew on work across sociology, political science, anthropology, and linguistics, representing institutions in Germany, Norway, Georgia, Armenia, Finland, Poland, and the UK. Several are engaged in collaborative projects addressing migration and repression, including RAW, OutRush, and EXILEST.

By centring diasporic knowledge and transnational experiences, the ERDAM Conference 2025 underscored that post-2022 migration is not only a consequence of war and repression, but also a site of identity-making, civic reimagination, and political possibility. As the war continues and exile becomes protracted, the challenge now is to develop frameworks that capture the complexity of displacement in a time of crisis—not only as rupture, but as resistance.

The conference roundtable discussions highlighted several key directions for future research: the importance of de-essentialising and de-exoticising Russians conceptually; the development of comparative approaches that account for how different host-country contexts (democratic and less democratic) shape diasporic mobilisation and integration strategies; and the value of comparing Russian migrants with other national groups (such as Belarusians, Syrians, and Iranians) within specific countries. Participants also emphasised the need for multi-method research strategies to overcome the limitations of single-approach studies.