Keeping Russia Within: Identity and Value Orientations of Russian Emigrants In Today's Germany

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2026-3/150-167

Abstract

The article examines the mechanisms of Russian culture functioning and value orientations among emigrants from Russia residing in Germany from the 2010s to the present. The study substantiates the relevance of distinguishing a fifth migration wave, driven not so much by political, economic, or ethnic factors as by academic mobility, the development of international educational programs, and widespread digitalization that removes information barriers. The empirical basis of the research comprises 34 semi-structured interviews with informants who relocated to Germany during the specified period, as well as data from participant observation of the cultural life of the Russian-speaking community and materials from virtual ethnography (analysis of emigrant blogs and diaries). The central research question addresses emigrants' value attitudes toward the preservation of Russian culture within German society, with value orientations interpreted as a system-forming element of identity. Special attention is paid not only to positive strategies of cultural self-realization but also to narratives of indifferent attitudes toward cultural heritage preservation. This required a methodology aimed at achieving a high level of trust with informants. The study attempts to capture the multidimensionality of everyday practices among Russian emigrants, including both offline communication (e.g. leisure activities or intergenerational gatherings) and digital reflection on migration experience. The conclusion is drawn that the nature of contemporary emigration is undergoing transformation, with professional and personal strategies of self-realization beginning to dominate over ethnically determined reasons for relocation.