Putin's Exiles

November 6, 2023
For this incisive report, journalist Starobin (A Most Wicked Conspiracy) interviewed Russian citizens who have fled their homes in protest of President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Describing the complexities of their plight—from broken ties with family members to fears of repercussion from Russian state security operatives—Starobin argues that these exiles (an estimated one million Russians have fled the country since fighting began) are “agents of change” in the tradition of Vladimir Lenin and Alexander Herzen, who while abroad honed “their visions of a better order of things.” Subjects include a 46-year-old businessman living in Switzerland, who helped design and manufacture a noise-sensor system that Ukrainian soldiers deployed to detect and shoot down Russian cruise missiles and drones; a 19-year-old anarchist who relocated to Armenia and donates his earnings as a delivery boy to a militant pro-Ukraine organization within Russia; and an Orthodox priest exiled in Georgia who dreams of replacing Putin’s brand of national orthodoxy with a “People’s Church.” Though Starobin contends that “the rebellion... has the potential to achieve its objective of a better Russia,” the picture he paints is of a community too widely dispersed and at odds with itself to be truly effective in instigating change. Though Starobin falls short of proving his thesis, this offers captivating insights into a community in crisis.

October 1, 2023
A veteran reporter introduces us to anti-Putin activists who are building a resistance from abroad. Starobin, a former Moscow bureau chief for Businessweek, cites an astonishing figure: Since Putin's forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, more than 1 million people have fled the country. Many of these exiles have settled quietly elsewhere, but others have continued to fight against Putin however they can. As the author conducted his interviewers, he found a wide range of motivations, from liberals who want to see a democratic Russia to dissident priests who could not accept the Orthodox Church's support for Putin and his war. Several exiles left because they believed that their outspoken views made them a target, and they still worry that the tentacles of Putin's security services will reach out for them. Others left Russia simply to avoid conscription into a war that seemed pointless and futile. In fact, the lack of unity is a key weakness for the exiles, and the Kremlin propaganda machine has been able to depict them as a ragtag bunch of noisy troublemakers. One figure that the Putin circle seems to fear, however, is Alexi Navalny, a longtime opponent of Putin who survived a poisoning attempt. Despite being imprisoned in Russia, he has a substantial organization working on his behalf in other countries, and he continues to attract Western support. Still, Putin remains powerful despite the collapse of his plan for a quick victory in Ukraine. Starobin notes that Russia has a history of exiles returning to play a central role, writing that "the lesson of exile movements is that they must be viewed with a long timeframe. Their lifecycle is typically measured in decades." Many readers will hope that is the case in this situation. Starobin's hands-on examination of Russia's exile community is a remarkable story of brave people looking to the future.

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