Civic Engagement in the Wake of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

CBEES Advanced Seminar with Ekaterina Kalinina, Associate Professor in Media and Communication, Stockholm University and Project Researcher, Södertörn University.

Speaker: Ekaterina Kalinina, Associate Professor in Media and Communication, Stockholm University and Project Researcher, Södertörn University.

Discussant: Nadezda Petrusenko, Senior Lecturer in History, Södertörn University.

Chair: Florence Fröhlig, Associate Professor in Ethnology at the School of Contemporary and Historical Studies, CBEES, Södertörn University.

Abstract:

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, civic and political activism has faced intensified repression, prompting mass emigration and a reconfiguration of strategies among those who remained or returned. By 2023–2024, activists developed a clearer understanding of the regime’s informal red lines and began operating within cautiously defined limits. While threats of imprisonment exist, many anticipate less severe consequences like intimidation or disqualification, allowing for continued, though restricted, activism.

With many experienced civil society actors who left the country, younger activists in their 20s and 30s took the lead. Often motivated by frustration and practical goals, they see activism as a tool for problem-solving and local change. They frequently work across party lines, expressing skepticism toward centralized, hierarchical party structures, and instead favoring flexible alliances and community engagement.

Overall, Russian activists continue to demonstrate adaptability and resilience, maintaining civic engagement and political networks in a hostile environment through cautious, localized, and strategic action.

This presentation, built on the 60 interviews conducted in the period between 2023 and early 2025 within the frames of Baltic Sea Foundation Project Sustainable Urban Development, will be dedicated to an analysis of survival and adaptation to repressive conditions of civic and political activists in Russia. The presentation will provide an overall picture of activism in Russia focusing on the major trends that took place in the period of 2022-2025.