Divided Publics

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.Digital media can support democracy, freedom, and social cohesion, but it can also erode them. This book explores that tension through the stories of grassroots volunteer networks in Russia, which emerged on Telegram after February 2022 to support Ukrainian refugees. While most of these networks aim to resist the war-waging Russian state, others seek to advance its aggressive expansionist agenda. Zvonareva examines the deep divide between digitally mediated networks that perform the same humanitarian work — assisting refugees — yet pursue entirely opposing political goals. This is essential reading for students and scholars of digital media, political participation, and Russian and Eastern European studies.