The war in Ukraine has profoundly reshaped the conditions for studying Russian society and media. For many researchers based abroad, direct access to the field has become impossible. At the same time, the Russian media landscape has undergone dramatic change: some outlets have been blocked or disappeared entirely, while others have been re-established in exile by emigrated journalists. Researchers now face new methodological and ethical challenges in tracing media practices, narratives, and audiences across shifting and fragmented information spaces.

This roundtable will discuss how the war has transformed both the object and the practice of research. What does it mean to study Russian society without physical access to the field? How can we responsibly analyze exiled media while accounting for those who remain inside Russia? And finally, what new collaborations, methods, or sources might enable us to continue studying media and society responsibly and productively under these circumstances?