Hacking the border: Digital narratives of Russian asylum seekers after 2022

Abstract

The announcement of the ‘special military operation’ in February 2022 led to waves of emigration from Russia, further intensified by the mobilization campaign in September 2022. While most Russian emigrants chose countries with visa-free or facilitated visa regimes or took advantage of company relocation, some opted for the more challenging route of seeking asylum in Schengen countries or the USA. This article analyzes the digital narratives of Russian asylum seekers in Western European countries, focusing on six personal Telegram channels detailing their asylum processes in Sweden, Germany, and Spain. These channels serve as both personal diaries and platforms for sharing their journeys with a Russian-speaking audience. Their primary challenge is to cross the legal rather than physical border by interacting with state bureaucrats and other actors involved in borderwork. The authors describe their experiences of the state borderwork and the liminality they endure while awaiting decisions on their fates. These accounts highlight the asylum seekers’ efforts to re-empower themselves by proactively navigating bureaucratic processes, seeking information about their rights, and asserting their agency in ‘hacking’ the system.