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This study explores how migrant activists in Germany have been working to help civil society actors, who are fleeing their authoritarian home countries, gain access to protection in democratic host countries. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its subsequent escalation of domestic repression, Germany introduced a humanitarian visa procedure for Russian civil society actors, creating an important route to safety and providing a tangible expression of international support. This paper examines how activists, working through informal networks, became pivotal to its implementation. Their engagement, grounded in moral commitment and political solidarity, also contributed to the performance-based construction of deservingness. Through an interview-based case study, the paper highlights how migration assistance reflects the responsibilization of civil society actors and is shaped by the ambiguous interplay between solidarity and neoliberal humanitarianism.
Tatiana Golova (Fri,) studied this question.