Russians who live abroad say Moscow is hardening views of those back home

Daria Leshchenko said a close friend, a progressive in Moscow who fought for women’s rights in Russia, doesn’t speak to her anymore.

Despite their hours-long discussions about their home country’s invasion of Ukraine over the past few weeks, Leshchenko said she was shocked when her friend recently posted a message of support for President Vladimir Putin on social media and stopped responding.

Leshchenko, 24, works in London now but kept in touch with peers prior to the war. Since the invasion began, those dynamics have changed and relationships have started to unravel, she said.

“I don’t have many friends back in Russia to talk to anymore after these weeks, and I had plenty of them before,” she said.

That is a challenge for a growing number of Russian expatriates living in the West.