Description
While Russian oligarchs have been the subject of much debate in the UK context due to their opulent lifestyles, non-domiciled status and pro or anti Putin stances, there has been less attention paid to Russian middle-class migrants to the United Kingdom and their emergence as a new diaspora. This has especially come to light following the Russian invasion of Ukraine when anti-war Russian diaspora found themselves in a challenging position vis a vis their Ukrainian neighbours. This paper explores how Russian-Ukrainian relations have altered since the invasion of Ukraine and how Anti-War Russian diasporans in London have been mobilising to support Ukrainian refugees and the Ukrainian war effort since March 2022. The paper argues that the Ukraine war has transformed relations between Ukrainians and Russians in the diaspora who have been distanced by events and through a rejection of using the Russian language. At the same time the Ukraine war has provoked the genesis of an emerging Russian anti-war diaspora mobilised to support Ukrainian refugees and the Ukrainian war effort abroad.
