Exiled Russian historian gathers fellow emigrants in dark times

Russian dissident historian Tamara Eidelman was on vacation in Greece when Moscow’s tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022 and she realized she would not be going back to her home country.

With her single suitcase, Eidelman, 65, flew to Portugal, where her daughter had lived, and began a new life in exile.

“I operate under the assumption that I will not return. I am building my life in Portugal,” says Eidelman, who has more than 1.6 million followers on her history channel on YouTube. “I want to come back… but if every day I think, ‘When will it finally happen?’ I’ll go crazy.”