Mission Statement

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We work to counter authoritarianism and war by empowering democratic voices from Russia and making them heard in the UK. Our focus is advocating for peace, justice and human rights, enabling political instruments and supporting those oppressed by the regime.

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Our History

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The Russian Democratic Society (RDS) began its journey in the spring of 2022 as a group of Russian-speaking activists in London. At the time, we had neither experience nor public visibility, but we did have a clear understanding: the war against Ukraine is a crime, and it is impossible to stand by as a neutral spectator. From that point on, RDS began to grow and develop rapidly, and in our very first year we organised more than 20 protests, the largest of which brought together nearly 1,000 people. In addition, we raised a total of £30,000 for various charitable projects and fundraisers: electric generators for schools and hospitals for Ukrainian civilians; support for LGBTQ+ people; shelters for refugees in Armenia, Montenegro, and Kazakhstan. We also began organizing public events with speakers such as Ekaterina Schulmann. It was during this period that the media started paying attention to us, and in the autumn we received official status as a Community Interest Company (CIC). RDS quickly established itself as one of the leading Russian opposition organisations in the United Kingdom.

Subsequently, the scale of our activities only continued to grow, always remaining within the same framework — the struggle for peace and democracy in Russia, support for the Russian émigré community, help to Ukraine in the context of Russia’s invasion, and drawing attention to Russia-related issues in Europe. In 2023, our largest rally was attended by 2,000 people. Media coverage continued, including reports by the BBC, The New York Times, and The Guardian. That same year, our political activism led to the RDS director being invited to a meeting at Parliament. At the same time, we continued to organise lectures and public discussions (for example, with Tamara Eidelman, Linor Goralik, and Sergei Guriev), mounted an exhibition of works by the artist and anti-war activist Sasha Skochilenko, and raised funds for evacuation initiatives Vyvozhuk and InTransit.

In 2024, our work did not stop and produced new results. We coordinated a major rally following the murder of Alexei Navalny and succeeded in securing coverage in many Western media outlets, including Sky News, which interviewed our director, Ksenia Maksimova. Our support for political prisoners and participation in letter-writing evenings organised by our friend Petr Petrenko were rewarded with numerous messages of gratitude, including a letter from Ilya Yashin, who at that time had not yet been released from jail. Our list of events also expanded to include speakers such as Lyubov Sobol, Andrei Lankov, and Dima Zitser.

In 2025, our long and persistent efforts to convey the position of anti-war Russians to the British Parliament culminated in the creation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Russia and Democracy (APPG for Russia and Democracy). This was an unprecedented achievement, made possible only by years of building trusting relationships with politicians in the United Kingdom. By the end of the year, we also launched an emotional support group with a volunteer psychologist to help people adapt to life in a new country; and started an English-language news Instagram project, Russian Realities, aimed at engaging an international audience with the Russian news agenda. In addition, we continued to organise lectures and protests (for example, in support of Naoko and Stoptime), raise funds for charitable causes, and serve as a megaphone for anti-war Russians in the UK, not forgetting our roots.

Thus, RDS is completing its fourth year of existence with its head held high. We remain a small volunteer organisation dedicated to promoting the values of peace and democracy. But now we also have experience, recognition, and confidence. RDS is a member of the Anti-War Committee, the Platform of Anti-War Initiatives, and Free Russians Global. We organise meetings, lectures, and events for democratically minded Russians in the United Kingdom. We hold rallies against authoritarianism and military aggression. In two languages, we inform people about events in and beyond Russia through social media and newsletter. We help Russians fleeing the regime. We sell merchandise and raise money for charitable causes to support Ukrainians and those affected by the war. We build political connections and provide expertise on Russia. All of this is us — the Russian Democratic Society in the United Kingdom.