The “Ark”
project
Was founded in March 2022 as a response to the exclusion of Russians who disagree with the war in Ukraine. Mass arrests of protesters, repressive laws, “military censorship” and mobilization forced huge numbers of Russians to leave the country. The Ark is the first initiative that centrally helps people from Russia who left because of an anti-war stance.
Now the audience of the Ark is about half a million people.
What We Do
We deprecate war! Support anti-war initiatives of the Russians, give them the site for activities within the Ark centers, conduct educational events for them, and also involve new emigrants in anti-war projects through the bot. The Ark organizes online events with Western foundations and experts on the one hand and Russian anti-war initiatives on the other. The Ark talks about the activities of the Russian anti-war movement in English on Twitter.
We provide housing for the first few weeks in apartments and houses of shared accommodation, where emigrants can catch their breath, solve basic everyday problems and meet like-minded people. The Ark’s co-living spaces in Armenia, Turkey and Poland have 52 beds and have hosted more than 4,000 people to date. From September 2022 to March 2023, Kovcheg co-living spaces operated in Kazakhstan.
We provide legal and psychological support. Lawyers and volunteers of the Ark answer questions about emigration, legalization and adaptation abroad; and professional volunteer psychologists provide psychological support in the format of individual and group consultations. During the existence of the project, the support service has processed more than 120 thousand requests, and the psychological service has helped 5 thousand emigrants.
We organize language courses. Thanks to 120 volunteer teachers, emigrants are studying 20 foreign languagesand are preparing for language exams. In professional retraining courses, emigrants can master remote occupations.
We have made our social networks useful for everyone. On social networks, we regularly post current job offers, internships, scholarships, volunteer offers, and information about other opportunities for emigrants, as well as information about war crimes, ideological and value information, and counter-propaganda. Today, the audience of the Ark on all platforms (Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and chats) reaches 500 thousand people.
We create a community of Russians abroad and build a dialogue with the local community. The Ark Resource Center operates in Yerevan, which hosts events for emigrants, has a co-working space and a video recording studio. Regular meetings also take place in Istanbul, Warsaw, Almaty and other cities. The events, among other things, are aimed at interaction between the diaspora and local politicians, experts, and representatives of non-profit organizations to build dialogue and adaptation. The Ark’s space is provided free of charge for anti-war initiatives and civil projects.
We create communities of mutual assistance. In its chats, the project brings together more than 170 thousand people in 49 countries and 8 professional communities. More than 3,200 volunteers help us.
We are engaged in non-formal education. With the help of volunteers and partners, we conduct webinars on employment abroad, features of legalization and adaptation in some countries, psychological self-help, and others.
As part of the Ark. Business direction, we support emigrants who started their own business abroad or relocated companies after the start of the invasion.
The “Ark” Project team
Alexander Menyukov
The Mutual Aid Chat Coordinator at Kovcheg
Politician, election observation coordinator, member of the board of the Moscow branch of the Civic Initiative party.
From: Saratov
For cooperation:
Telegram: @KovchegPartner
Email: [email protected]
Documentaries
about the Ark:
«The Witness Trauma»
Directed by: Taya Zubova
The heroes of the film – Yulia, Kirill, Ilya, Inna, Alevtina – fled Russia at the very beginning of the war. A photographer (during the filming, her husband was taking his grandmother and mother through Bucha), an opposition journalist, a manager, an anthropologist and a volunteer – common people without connections and big savings.
Today, their fate has turned out differently, but each of the heroes has retained the main thing – mercy, human dignity and freedom.
NOT a minority
(English subtitles are available)
Authors: Without Prejustice project
The heroes of the film are people whom the Ark helped with temporary housing and provided a place in co-living when they left Russia because of the war. WP were filming from May to December 2022 and were able to follow the changes that had taken place in the lives of our heroes. In lives, one of the main criteria of which is freedom.
Media about us
To watch:
Основатель проекта «Ковчег» Анастасия Буракова и Елена Серветтаз /Высокие лбы
Как сейчас уехать из России. Отвечает юрист
Opening of the Ark in Warsaw
Russians are leaving Russia because of the war - who helps them abroad and how?
Проект “Очевидцы”. Война идёт и против своего народа
Сергей Росс
Как россияне живут в эмиграции?
Что будет с Россиянами вне России
«Мы помогаем не только россиянам, но и насильственно перемещенным украинцам»
Savaş karşıtı Rus olmak: "Bu benim savaşım değil"
To read (RU):
Медуза
Вы в России, ненавидите войну и не знаете, что делать?
Гид по самым важным антивоенным проектам (в которых может поучаствовать любой человек)
Republic
«Теперь каждая страна понимает, что этот режим может нести угрозу ее безопасности»
Интервью с Анастасией Бураковой («Ковчег»)
Forbes.ru
«Место, где можно отдышаться»:
как эмигранты создают сообщества и помогают друг другу
Медиазона
«Человек, избежавший мобилизации — это минус солдат путинской армии»
Как волонтеры в Грузии и Казахстане помогают бегущим из России
Idel.Реалии
"По себе знаю, как это тяжело, когда ты внезапно уезжаешь из страны". Что стало с шелтерами для россиян в Казахстане
Теплица Социальных Технологий
Много и срочно: как крупнейшие социальные проекты координируют волонтеров
Медуза
«Место, где будет возможность отдышаться»
Из-за войны россияне уезжают в Турцию и Армению. Там им помогает проект «Ковчег». Вот его история
To read (other languages):
iNews
EN
The Ark: Inside the network of young Russian activists working to take down Putin from afar
Meduza
EN
‘Everyone at home thinks I work for the State Department’
Tens of thousands of Russians have fled to Turkey and Armenia. A new project seeks to ease their transition.
Açık Gazete
EN
Being anti-war in Russia:
Interview with Russian activists, Eva Rappoport and Kate Yasnaya
d – Journalismus von links
EN
An ark for war opponents
The Kowtscheg organization helps Russians in Istanbul who are fleeing their homeland before mobilization
Meduza
EN
‘We won’t be destroyed. And we won’t be silenced’
A guide to the most important anti-war initiatives in Russia and abroad
NTV
DE
Immer mehr Russen fliehen nach Istanbul
(More and more Russians are fleeing to Istanbul)
NTV
DE
Immer mehr Russen fliehen nach Istanbul
(More and more Russians are fleeing to Istanbul)
Russland News
DE
„Die Arche“: Ein Projekt hilft Russen, die ihre Heimat verlassen mussten
Desk Russie
FR
Géorgie. Un couple d’expatriés s’engage pour la protection des dissidents politiques russes
Yle
FI