VLESAH-media is an educational and journalistic project in Russian with more than 5,000 readers about the culture of non-capital states in the Russian Federation. With the idea of popularizing the local heritage of the regions, this project was launched in 2020, inspired by the romantic landscapes of the semi-abandoned villages of European Russia with their demolished orthodox monuments. Since then, the Russian government has illegally invaded Ukraine and imposed harsh censorship on media and activists. The conversation about heritage was an opportunity to discuss the difficult past and controversial memories, and thus a periphrasis of reflection on identity and democratic values. How to lead this dialogue today and with whom? Why has it become even more challenging than before February 2022?  

About Alexey Izosimov: Born in Moscow, Russia. Bachelor’s degree in history from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow (2015-2019), Master's degree in Medieval Studies from the Sorbonne University in Paris (2019-2021). Visiting researcher at the Ruhr University Bochum in 2022. Since December 2022, research associate at the Leibniz Institute for European History and Culture (GWZO), currently working on Soviet and heritage studies. In 2020, launched the media project VLESAH about regional tangible heritage in Russia.i