Between the Individual and the Collective: Identity Dilemmas of Russian Migrants after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Sample Research in Poland and Germany

This article considers the issue of identity dilemmas of Russian migrants in Poland and Germany after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It is based on face-to-face interviews conducted within the first twelve months following the outbreak of open war, a period when our interlocutors faced dilemmas of various kinds, including questions of self-perception. The chosen timing of the study allowed, on the one hand, to register the freshness of our interviewees’ impressions and, on the other hand, to have them share some reflections that came after the initial period of surprise and shock. The experiences of these migrants span between what is unique and individual and what is common and representative for the entire Russian emigration of that time. The article attempts to capture their changing approach to their own “Russianness”. Stigmatized by the aggressive policy of their country of origin, they develop individual survival strategies, such as political engagement or volunteering, and try to create an alternative image of a Russian man/woman, without reference to state/ national categories. Our small pool of interviews does not aim to provide a representative portrait of all Russian migrants in Poland and Germany: it is focused on the micro-world of a migrant in the hope that this perspective can shed additional light on the subject and inspire further research.