#47 Tomila Lankina: Who Speaks Out Against the War in Russia?

#47 Tomila Lankina: Who Speaks Out Against the War in Russia?

From #AskDifferent by Einstein Stiftung Berlin

December 16, 2025 · 25 min

About this episode

Tomila Lankina discusses the limited open resistance to Russia's war against Ukraine and the historical context of dissent in Russia.

#AskDifferent 47 - In this episode of AskDifferent, political scientist and Einstein Visiting Fellow Tomila Lankina explores why open resistance to Russia’s war against Ukraine remains so limited. Drawing on her book To Live for Freedom: A History of Dissend in Russia (which will soon be published), she traces centuries of dissent—from religious nonconformists to today’s small anti-war networks—and shows how deep social divisions and a tradition of “running away”, both literally and metaphorically, have weakened collective protest. Lankina shares her archival discoveries, contrasts Russian apathy with Ukrainian civic mobilization, and explains why Berlin is a crucial base for her research. Her message to Russians: dissent needs numbers—so keep fighting. ___ #AskDifferent, the Einstein Foundation’s podcast series https://www.einsteinfoundation.de/en/podcast

People in this episode

Host: Einstein Stiftung Berlin

Guest: Tomila Lankina

Topics covered

  • political dissent
  • Russia-Ukraine war
  • civic mobilization
  • social divisions
  • anti-war movements
  • historical dissent

Keywords

  • dissent
  • Russia
  • Ukraine
  • anti-war
  • protest
  • civic engagement
  • social movements

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: To Live for Freedom: A History of Dissend in Russia

Places: Russia, Ukraine, Berlin

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