Please mark your calendar to join us in Washington, DC on November 8, when returning fellow Aron Ouzilevski will deliver his fellowship report at the United States Institute of Peace about his two years writing about Russian exiles fleeing authoritarianism, militarism, mobilization and a deteriorating economy at home before and after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Based in Tbilisi, Georgia, Aron traveled widely to emigre hubs in Europe and beyond, observing on a granular level how creative and tech professionals, activists, journalists and civil society actors are adapting to new lives and careers, how they’re affecting their host countries and what they reflect about Vladimir Putin’s Russia. You can read his ICWA dispatches here.
Following his talk, Aron will join a panel discussion with the leading exiles Lyubov Sobol and Anna Veduta to discuss wider implications of his research and what the future may hold for Russian emigres and their home country, moderated by ICWA’s Gregory Feifer.
Friday, November 8
2 p.m. ET
US Institute of Peace
2301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC
and via Zoom
Aron Ouzilevski has worked as a freelance journalist, editor and cybersecurity analyst. His research and writing has focused on Soviet and contemporary Russian politics and culture, and his work has appeared in The Guardian, The Economist and The Moscow Times. He holds a joint masters degree in global journalism and Russian/Slavic Studies from New York University.
Panel
Lyubov Sobol is a Russian opposition politician. 
She conducted journalistic investigations into corruption in Russia while serving as a lawyer for Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. Currently, she leads anti-propaganda projects on YouTube, attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers. In 2023, Sobol was a senior fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis.
Anna Veduta is director of strategic engagement at the Free Russia Foundation. She is an expert in strategic communication and international affairs who began her career as the first press secretary to the opposition leader Alexei Navalny. She served as a global outreach director for the leading Russian media platform Meduza, spearheading its international presence. Returning to the Navalny-founded Anti-Corruption Foundation as vice president, she later led advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.
Moderator
Gregory Feifer is executive director of the Institute of Current World Affairs and a fellow in Russia in 2000 – 2002. A former Moscow correspondent for National Public Radio, his books include Russians: The People Behind the Power. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs and The Times Literary Supplement, and is working on a biography of the Russian politician Boris Nemtsov.
