‘We Are Exactly Like the White Émigrés 100 Years Ago’: The Cultural Repertoire of Exiled Public Intellectuals Fleeing Russia after Its Invasion of Ukraine

More than one million Russian citizens have left Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. Emigration has emerged as a prominent symbol of Russian opposition to the government and the ongoing war. Within the popular discourse of Russian dissidents and public intellectuals who have left the country, a comparison has been drawn between the current wave of emigration and the White anti-Bolshevik emigration that took place exactly a century ago that highlights their own destiny as exiles. This article aims to analyse this popular comparison, which has been reiterated in the digital space by well-known public émigré figures and vocal opponents of Putin’s regime. A close look at their public appearances has elicited three key similarities between these two waves of exiles: the shared cultural heritage of the White émigrés, the forced departure from Russia, and the persistent hope for eventual return to the homeland. The article claims that drawing parallels with White émigrés endows Russian exiles with valuable cultural repertoire enabling them to present themselves as an exclusive social group and thus gain social prestige and legitimacy in their host societies.