It is time for Budapest to move to Russia, with Maria Mikaelyan — architect, activist, and co-founder of the Community of Free Russians in Italy, and one of the voices challenging Vladimir Putin's regime from exile.

We start from a straightforward question: can you fight an autocracy from abroad?

For Maria, the answer came at a personal cost. Supporting Alexei Navalny's movement, opposing the war in Ukraine, and refusing to remain silent gradually transformed her from an ordinary citizen into an enemy of the state. As repression intensified, exile became not a choice but a necessity, also to protect her loved ones.

Keeping in mind the price that individuals pay when authoritarianism turns disagreement into betrayal, we discussed the legacy of the Soviet Union and the resurgence of repression which turned the Russian Federation into a regime of police surveillance.

This is the story of nostalgia for the enduring appeal of empire, which normalised the limitation of the basic rights affecting citizens' daily lives, let alone those of the soldiers sent to fight an unfair, useless war in Ukraine.

Exhaustion is spreading, and economic pressures are mounting. As Maria recalls, the consensus that once appeared solid may be less stable than it seems.

And sometimes, resistance begins simply by refusing to forget.

In this episode:
∙ The loneliness of life in exile
∙ Why Navalny became the symbol of a generation
∙ The nostalgia for the Soviet Union and the myth of empire
∙ How Russia became a police state
∙ Pro-Putin narratives beyond Russia's borders
∙ Surveillance, fear, and everyday life inside the Federation
∙ Ukraine's right to sovereignty and self-determination
∙ Why understanding history matters more than ever

With reason, not rage.

Timestamps:
1:45 – Frontiers are flexible
3:50 – The Armenians no longer trust the Kremlin
8:00 – Navalny's legacy
12:00 – Russians did not have their 1968
15:00 – When protests became dangerous
17:45 – They made an enemy of me
21:20 – The nostalgia for the Soviet Union
25:00 – Moving within Russia: what you need to know
30:45 – The beginning of the police regime
35:00 – The solitude of living in exile
39:00 – The Ukrainian land belongs to Ukrainian people
45:00 – Even war supporters are exhausted
48:00 – The economic struggle is affecting consent
51:40 – Pro-Putin Italians can be nasty
56:55 – First of all, study history

Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto
Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano
Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo
Visual identity: Martina Santurri
Sound designer: Enrico Cabua