Visiting scholars from Memorial

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and the resulting tightening of censorship in Russia, the threat of 15 years imprisonment for calling the war war or "denigrating" the Russian army by describing the facts, many Memorial staff fled abroad. They had been threatened anyway since Memorial was banned in Russia in December 2022. A group from Memorial International Moscow, two members from St Petersburg and two from Memorial Perm have found a safe haven and connection at the FSO, where they can continue their scientific or archival work for Memorial. This is made possible thanks to the Hans Koschnick Special Scholarships, the Federal Foundation for Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship in the "Memory work" programme and the US-Russia Foundation.

From 2023 the FSO cooperate with Memorial International and Memorial St. Petersburg in the archival project "Generation 1956. Revolt and Protest of Soviet Dissenters in Testimonies of Political Prisoners of the Mordovian Camps, 1956-1968". A long-term and multi-year archive cooperation has started with the projects.