Break down the wall between those who left and those who stayed
Why regional communities abroad have become a platform for communication for those who remained within the country
When former St. Petersburg deputies and activists created the "St. Petersburg Without Borders" community, they thought it was primarily intended for those living abroad. But unexpectedly, a large number of current St. Petersburg residents also joined. It turned out that even people from neighboring streets sometimes preferred to communicate through those who had left, and were afraid to speak directly to each other, lest someone overhear and report them.
— Today, this community numbers about 600 people. And it confirms the existing demand for communication. Normal communication, — says Olga Galkina, a former member of the St. Petersburg parliament and two-time municipal deputy.
After the war in Ukraine began, Olga left Russia. She now serves as the space coordinator. Reforum Space Berlin, is also involved in the Interregional Initiative project.
How can we bridge the gap between those who left and those who stayed? Is it possible to build a Beautiful Russia of the future within the confines of Moscow alone? What does regional activism look like on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine? NeMoskva spoke with Olga Galkina about these issues.
"Because of the vertical power structure Putin has built, all communication within Russia goes through Moscow: logistics, taxation, economic, political, and so on. This is fundamentally wrong. But the fact remains: interaction between regions is minimal. Interestingly, European politicians, for a long time, viewed Russia solely through the prism of Moscow. And even now, when forming the platform of Russian democratic forces in PACE, we see Muscovites (10 people) and representatives of indigenous peoples (5, which is an absolute breakthrough). And that's it, not a single other region! This once again confirms the need to promote regionalism, both within Russia and in Europe. It is impossible to build a Beautiful Russia of the future from a single point: Russia's regions are very diverse," says Olga Galkina.
According to Olga, their rejection of the war and Putin's policies unites forced émigrés with those who remain, who make up Russian civil society. But in practice, the efforts of the democratic anti-war community abroad are focused primarily on aiding Ukraine and advocating for émigrés from Russia. Meanwhile, little is being accomplished within the country: it's difficult, dangerous, and there's little hope of achieving any significant results.
"The Kremlin is deliberately erecting a wall between those who left the country and those who remained. We have different resources and different capabilities, but only through cooperation can we achieve any results. That's how the idea arose to create unified teams that would include residents of a single region—both those who left and those who stayed. Several years ago, we managed to create such a team, which includes St. Petersburg residents on both sides of the border—the movement." European Petersburg"," Galkina continues. "We're working on an alternative development concept for St. Petersburg. Our team includes not only activists and politicians, but also journalists, human rights defenders, and teachers."
Among the projects of “European Petersburg” is the one that was remembered by many "Noon against Putin"There's also the "White Book," which records the names of those who continue to fight against the war within the city, and the "Brown Notebook," which, conversely, records the names of those who incite war—not only officials and politicians, but also cultural figures, teachers, and so on.
We thought it would be great to extend the experience of "European Petersburg" to other regions, and that's how the "Interregional Initiative" project came about. Everyone's talking about a Beautiful Russia of the future. But a Beautiful Russia of the future can't be created from a single region—for example, from Moscow. It would be great if regional teams created their own alternative development concepts for their regions. We'd like to unite everyone who continues to work in the regions so that we can have a platform where we can discuss, collaborate, and help each other, but also act autonomously. In addition to meeting with like-minded individuals, we're currently creating a large interregional portal, which will eventually feature information on all regions of Russia. We're also currently creating a resource center to support regional teams—we help people from the regions, find coordinators, and we, in turn, help the coordinators find teams. How does this work in practice? First, you build regional communities abroad. Then, within these communities, you find people who are willing to continue their activism and who have connections within their own region. Step by step, we help them with various projects, connecting people across regions," Olga says.
— Among NeMoskva's readers are many people from various regions of Russia who, while perhaps not ready to engage in political activism, certainly want to find like-minded people and do something useful and interesting for their region. Do you have anything to offer them?
There are various local campaigns related to ecology, urban conservation, and animal rights—not political, but social. Each region has its own challenges: for St. Petersburg, urban conservation is relevant, while for other regions, for example, the state of healthcare or the environment. As part of these campaigns, we bring people together across regions to share their situations and exchange experiences. We can offer them safety training and human rights expertise: although many have emigrated, there are still quite a few human rights activists working in various regions of Russia. We help those who, despite everything, run for municipal elections.
According to Olga, the atomization of Russian society sometimes manifests itself in rather paradoxical ways:
Two and a half years ago, my colleagues and I founded "European Petersburg." A few months ago, we decided to expand our reach and initiated the "Petersburg Without Borders" community. We thought we were primarily doing this for those living abroad. But unexpectedly, a large number of people now living in our city joined us. It turned out that even people from neighboring streets sometimes prefer to communicate through those who have left, and are afraid to talk directly to each other, in case someone overhears and reports them. Today, this community has about 600 members. And it confirms the existing demand for communication. Normal communication.
— Are there any regional communities besides St. Petersburg?
- Of course. Angry Chuvashia, Free BuryatiaThe Perm, Tomsk, and Yaroslavl communities are quite active—they help us build an interregional network. We've managed to bring together representatives from around 30 regions at our events.
Over the course of a year, we managed to create regional teams in some places, but for others, we are only now helping them build their regional networks.
— When do you plan to launch your interregional portal?
"We're planning for this to happen within a month. Then there will be clear steps and algorithms for those who want to get involved. Until then, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me—email me." galkinadeputat@gmail.com or look for me in Facebook.
