Authors

Viorica Budu¹;  ¹ Cardiff University, UK

Discussion

This paper examines how Belarusian civil society abroad, diaspora groups and exiled initiatives, turned Telegram into a transnational infrastructure of solidarity and communication between 2020 and 2025. Following the 2020 presidential elections and subsequent repression, Belarusians inside and outside the country reconfigured their activism through digital means. Telegram, with its flexible architecture and low censorship, became a space where political coordination, emotional support, and everyday care converged, however it changed especially since the law on “extremism” has launched to suppress activism. Drawing on data from 42 public Telegram channels managed by Belarusian organizations abroad (153,000+ posts), as well as digital ethnography and interviews with activists, the study traces how these communities mobilized online to sustain civic life beyond the reach of the regime. Using digital methods (network and topic analysis via Communalytic), I explore how posting and forwarding practices became performative acts of solidarity, signalling trust, recognition, and belonging among geographically dispersed actors.
Analysis shows that Telegram use among Belarusians abroad intensified at key moments: the 2020 protests, the death of Roman Bondarenko, the forced landing of the Ryanair flight, and later the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. These turning points correspond to spikes in posting and forwarding, reflecting how diasporic communication rhythms mirror cycles of repression and resistance at home, but also the consolidation of a transnational community dispersed around the world. Forwarding practices connect otherwise separate national clusters, Poland, Germany, the UK, etc into a polycentric network of support. Preliminary findings highlight three interlinked themes: solidarity, resilience, and security. Preliminary analysis of Telegram discussions shows that expressions of solidarity often blend the practical and the emotional. Messages about fundraising, mutual aid, and support for others sit alongside words of encouragement and shared rituals of care. Resilience is voiced through creativity and emotional strength, through art, poetry, and the simple act of staying connected over time. Conversations about security reveal a growing awareness of risk and the need for protection, with people sharing advice on digital hygiene, encryption, and anonymous communication. From 2021 onward, the expansion of “extremism” legislation appears to have subtly reshaped how users communicate, encouraging greater caution, self-moderation, and attention to safety in online spaces. This analysis situates these dynamics within my broader PhD project on the digital activism of Belarusian civil society abroad, which investigates how exiled and diasporic organisations use digital tools to sustain civic participation.