Katya and Dima
...No one could ever imagine that literally tomorrow you would have to turn your life around 180 degrees and leave for a foreign country.
Why do I care?
I am quite a Czech person. I was born in Prague, spent my youth drinking beer and hiking Šumava. I've always felt very safe expressing my political opinions - and holding my boyfriend's hand in mine while doing so.
My loved ones, however, are Russian. My mother was born in Moscow. The Russian half of my family still lives there.
I've met my boyfriend online. He is also Russian. He moved from Russia a long time ago however, as he could not live in a country so flagrantly against his believes.
Through my relationship with them, I was made acutely aware of my privilege. I'm a moderately active political person, yes, although I've never risked as much as they did with my actions. And yet, the people who took those risks are facing collective guilt - which is a paradox that I can't get my mind around.
I also can choose any country from the EU to stay (and to work). This choice is done by pure convinience (not for the fear of my safety).
24th February
The first days after the Russian invasion we were paralysed in shock. Then we contacted our Russian friends (a lot of them being anti-Putin activists), as we wanted to help them to get to safety.
When we started to gather information how to do that, it became obvious that it will be a very difficult task.
Overnight, we created 2 websites:
- www.safeineu.cz with practical tips on how to get safety
- www.notmywar.eu with the stories of the people who need to do so
Hopefuly they will help somehow.
Related articles
Yuma
The victor isn’t the smartest, the bravest, the most privileged — the victor is the most stubborn
Kysh (Andrey)
...do not give up and do not despair, do what you think is the right thing to do. Russia will definitely be free.
Support us
Our media platform would not exist without an international team of volunteers. Do you want to become one? Here's the list of currently opened positions:
- TypeScript developer for Ask a Russian
- Czech translators
- Editors for Ask a Russian
- Social media managers
- Writers
- Translators
- Interviewer
- Fundraisers
- Social researchers
- SEO Specialist (technical)
- Graphic designers
Explore all 11 positions
Is there any other way you would like to contribute? Let us know:
We talk about the current problems of Russia and of its people, standing against the war and for democracy. We strive to make our content as accessible as possible to the European audience.
Do you want to cooperate on content made by the Russian standing against the war?
- Our team of writers, journalists and researchers will be happy to cooperate with you on new content.
- As our content is under creative commons, we are able to allow you to publish it on your platform (with attribution).
More info for media
We want to make people of Russia, who stand for peace and democracy, heard. We publish their stories and interview them in Ask a Russian project.
Are you a person of Russia or know someone who would like to share their story? Please contact us. Your experience will help people understand how Russia works.
We can publish your experience anonymously.
Tell your story
Our project is ran by international volunteers - not a single member of the team is paid in any way. The project, however, has running costs: hosting, domains, subscription to paid online services (such as Midjourney or Fillout.com) and advertising.
Our transparent bank account is 2702660360/2010, registered at Fio Banka (Czech republic). You can either send us money directly, or scan one of the QR codes bellow in your banking app:
10 €
Donate 10 €
20 €
Donate 20 €
40 €
Donate 40 €
60 €
Donate 60 €
Note: The QR codes work only when you scan them directly from your banking app.
Our stand on the Russian invasion to Ukraine
Russia started the war against Ukraine. This war is happening from 2014. It has only intensified on February 24th 2022. Milions of Ukrainians are suffering. The perpetrators of this must be brought to justice for their crimes.
Russian regime tries to silence its liberal voices. Russian people against the war exist - and the Russian regime tries its best to silence them. We want to prevent that and make their voices heard.
Connection is crucial. The Russian liberal initiatives are hard to read for European public at times. The legal, social and historical context of Russia is not always clear. We want to share information, build bridges and connect the liberal Russia with The West.
We believe in dialogue, not isolation. The oppositional powers in Russia will not be able to change anything without the support of the democratic world. We also believe that the dialogue should go both ways.
The choice is yours. We understand the anger for the Russian crimes. It is up to you whether you want to listen to the Russian people standing against this.