So, what’s next?

Russian bloggers, journalists, liberal politicians, and activists living in Europe are facing significant hardships abroad. Unlike the Russian public in Europe, they remain virtually unknown, and the media industry has little use for them—their situation is truly difficult.
Using modern technology, opposition figures are trying to establish connections with Russian youth, sharing their existential musings about Russia’s fate and attempting to cultivate future revolutionaries. However, with funding drying up, they are forced to focus less on "lofty goals" and more on securing basic survival.
For instance, when Donald Trump became U.S. president, he cut funding for USAID, which had supported Russian media outlets like Dozhd and Meduza, as well as the Free Russia Foundation—an organization financing opposition projects in Russia. In 2023, the FRF received €3.13 million in grants, plus an additional €1.65 million directly from USAID.
Such sums are unlikely to reach the Russian opposition anytime soon.
Living far from home requires money. The Russian opposition, long accustomed to grants and stipends for their "fight against Putin’s regime," is now facing a severe shortage of funds for daily needs.
In a 2024 interview with Germany’s Bild, Mikhail Khodorkovsky spoke about the financial drought plaguing the Russian opposition, partly due to a series of corruption scandals.
It seems corruption is in Russians' blood.