Oxford New Russian Society

Wind from the East: Theremin and Piano

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 18:00:00 GMT

A concert of Russian and Japanese music for theremin and piano.

End of Term Drinks

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

An informal social to close term and welcome new members.

Language, Identity and Belonging

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:30:00 GMT

A moderated discussion on language, background and student community.

The Irony of Fate (1975)

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:30:00 GMT

A seasonal classic and a relaxed introduction to Soviet cinema.

Russian Literature in Exile

Thu, 28 May 2026 17:45:00 GMT

A talk on language, memory and publication after displacement.

Leviathan (2014)

Fri, 22 May 2026 18:00:00 GMT

A darkly comic drama exploring power, corruption and morality in contemporary Russia.

Building the ONRS website: a technical postmortem

Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

How we built a bilingual editorial website using Notion as a CMS, Astro as the renderer, and Cloudflare Pages for hosting — and what we would do differently next time.

The samizdat playlist: underground music in Putin's Russia

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

From banned rappers to encrypted Telegram channels, how Russian musicians are circumventing censorship to reach their audience.

Galina Timchenko on exile, journalism and Russia today

Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The co-founder of Meduza discusses independent media in exile, the cost of telling the truth and why solidarity matters.

Mapping the diaspora: where did everyone go?

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A data-driven look at Russian emigration patterns since 2022 — the top destination countries, demographic breakdowns, and what the numbers miss.

Masha Gessen on language, identity and the politics of naming

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The acclaimed journalist and author discusses how language shapes political reality, the power of naming, and writing in exile.

Borscht diplomacy: food, identity and the diaspora table

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Who owns borscht? A lighthearted but pointed essay on how food becomes a battleground for national identity — and how the diaspora kitchen might be the place where peace is made.

Anton Dolin: Cinema from Brother to The Boy's Word

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Notes from a conversation on memory, genre and post-Soviet film culture.

The Lost Libraries of Moscow

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A deep dive into the fate of private book collections confiscated during the Soviet era and the ongoing efforts to catalogue what remains.

Saturday schools: how the diaspora teaches its children Russian

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Across Europe, weekend Russian-language schools are booming — but the curriculum has become a minefield. What do you teach children about a homeland that is waging war?

The weight of two alphabets

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A personal essay on growing up bilingual in Russian and Ukrainian, and what happens to language when borders become walls.

Watching Tarkovsky in Tbilisi

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

An essay on how Georgian cinema clubs have kept the spirit of Soviet-era art-house film alive, and what it means for a new generation.

Permafrost and politics: climate research in Siberia under sanctions

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

International sanctions have severed scientific collaborations that tracked melting permafrost across Siberia. The data gaps are growing — and so is the methane.

Five books that shaped the Russian dissident imagination

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

From Bulgakov to Shalamov, a curated reading list exploring the literary roots of Russian dissent.

The long arm of the law: extraterritorial prosecution of dissent

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Russia's use of Interpol red notices, in-absentia criminal cases, and diplomatic pressure to pursue critics abroad. A legal analysis.

Voices from Berlin: Three stories of relocation

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A short documentary featuring three Russians who relocated to Berlin after 2022, exploring what they brought, what they left, and how they are rebuilding.

Rehearsing in exile: the Meyerhold Project in Amsterdam

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A short film following a group of exiled Russian theatre actors as they rehearse a new production in Amsterdam, grappling with language, identity, and the meaning of performance without a homeland.

Artemy Troitsky — Two Centuries of Rebellion: A Russian Rock Story

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Legendary critic Artemy Troitsky traces two centuries of rebellion through the story of Russian rock and music as resistance.

Anton Dolin: The Bad Russians — Cinema from "Brother" to "The Boy's Word"

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Film critic Anton Dolin on Russian cinema's morally complex "bad" heroes, from Balabanov's Brother to The Boy's Word, in conversation with Artemii Levkoy.

Screening of the film “Katyn” with the Oxford University Polish Society

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

A screening of Andrzej Wajda's 'Katyn' (2007), with the Oxford University Polish Society.

Returning the Names

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

How public remembrance, archives and student communities can meet.

Frontline Journalism: In Conversation with Luke Harding

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Guardian foreign correspondent Luke Harding on frontline reporting from Ukraine and Russia, in conversation with Artemii Levkoy.

How to Study a Closing Country: A Lecture by Ekaterina Schulmann

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann on studying a closing Russia by rational methods — what the system learned from mobilisation, and what brings authoritarian regimes down.

Meduza's Mirror: Independent Media in Exile — In Conversation with Galina Timchenko

Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Meduza co-founder and CEO Galina Timchenko on building Russia's largest independent newsroom, reporting from exile, and surviving the Kremlin's "undesirable organisation" ban.

Reporting from a Lost Country: Public Interview with Elena Kostyuchenko

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Novaya Gazeta reporter Elena Kostyuchenko on her book I Love Russia and the risks of reporting from an authoritarian state.

Roerich's Crossroads: Soundscapes from Russia and India

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

A concert bridging Russian and Indian musical traditions in honour of Nicholas Roerich.

Celebrating Andrei Platonov with Roma Liberov: 125th Anniversary Film Screening & Director's Talk

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

A 125th-anniversary screening of 'The Innermost Man' with director Roma Liberov.

The World of Boris Pasternak: A Piano Recital by Hannah-Elizabeth Teoh Featuring Special Literary Guests

Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT

A piano recital celebrating the artistic and literary legacy of the Pasternak family.

Abyss: Art Presentation and Public Interview with Pavel Otdelnov

Sun, 26 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Artist Pavel Otdelnov on memory, Soviet history, and ressentiment, in a public interview with Artemii Levkoy.

ROARing Times: Linor Goralik on War Poetry and Her Novel "Bobo"

Fri, 17 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Writer Linor Goralik on her antiwar journal ROAR and her novel Bobo, an elephant's journey through a dystopian Russia.

Boris Grebenshchikov and BG+ in Holywell Music Room

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT

A concert by the legendary Boris Grebenshchikov and his band BG+.

Poetry and Power in the Post-Stalin Era: Interview with Andrei Zorin

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Oxford professor Andrei Zorin on the entangled relationship between poetry and the Soviet state, in conversation with Egor Sokolov.

Beyond the Mother Tongue: Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry on Her Debut Novel and Exophony

Sat, 18 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Novelist Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry on her debut novel, exophony, and writing across languages, in conversation with Artemii Levkoy.