Dialogbüro Vienna

This Wednesday we met here at Dialogbüro Vienna space to discuss how Russian fossil fuels continue to affect Europe despite sanctions, and how energy exports, environmental degradation, authoritarianism, and the war in Ukraine are interconnected.

Thank you to all the participants (you!) and the expert panel:

— Anton Lementuev
Co-founder of GreenThinkTank.life; researcher focusing on Russian extractive industries, energy, and environmental risks

— Arnold Khachaturov
Director of CEDAR, Head of Data Team at Novaya Gazeta Europe

— Artem Kochnev
Climate & Energy Economist, Denkfabrik Initiative

— Olga Pindyuk
Economist at The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw)

— Anna Zamejc
Moderator of the discussion, Founder and Director of Impact Lens Foundation; journalist and international advocacy expert focusing on civil society and democratic resilience.

The panel’s overall conclusion was that sanctions have significantly reduced Russia’s access to European energy markets but have not eliminated Russian fossil-fuel revenues. Russia has adapted through new trade routes, intermediaries, and alternative financial systems. The speakers argued that Europe should continue closing sanctions loopholes, accelerate the green transition, and reduce remaining economic ties that indirectly support Russia’s fossil-fuel economy and war effort.

What did you think of the discussion and the research?

Russia's coal industry did not collapse after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. Though it loses its sustainable economic model and damages the whole planet.

Russia may hide 55% of its methane emissions. But how?

Join us on June 10 at Hidden Risks: Russian Fossil Fuels, Climate, and Europe’s Sanctions Blind Spots We'll present three new investigations:

— Russian Coal Industry 2022–2025
— Shadow Routes: How Russia Learned to Live With Oil Sanctions
— Russian Natural Gas Industry in the Context of Russia's Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

The numbers tell a different story.

When: Thursday 10 June 18:00
Where: Dialogbüro Vienna Esslinggasse 9 / 6, 1010, Vienna
Language: English\Russian
Admission: free, register here https://forms.gle/ZXcgQCwE1SXugWGv8

In case you've missed the exciting news: we are looking for a new team member! (M/W/D)

A detail-oriented Project & Office Manager to join our NGO on a part-time basis (20 hours/week). This role combines project and document-flow support with day-to-day office and event management.

Salary, requirements & all the details:
https://dialogbuero-vienna.at/tpost/project_office_manager

Have questions? We are happy to answer you here or on [email protected].

Presentation of a breakthrough report on Russian fossil fuels, climate, and Europe’s sanctions blind spots; a Pride Month film night; a documentary play about Memorial in Berlin; and much more. Check out our June program👇

https://dialogbuero-vienna.at/tpost/june_2026

Tonight at Dialogbüro Vienna
WWII Photography: Unknown Negatives

Arthus Bondar's Photo Project Presentation & Artist-Talk

When: 13 May 2026 18:30
Where: Dialogbüro Vienna, Eßlinggasse 9/6, 1010 Vienna, Austria (only offline)
Language: English
Admission: last free seats here https://forms.gle/WRZn5Qjp9f9k2a3A9

Will the decline of Putin’s approval rating affect the war against Ukraine?

When Vladimir Putin announced the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine (a “special military operation” how Russian propaganda calls it), only a handful of people in Russia had seriously anticipated this decision, and even fewer knew of it with certainty. It came as a shock to nearly everyone within the Russian political and economic elite, and very few embraced it enthusiastically. Nevertheless, the majority accepted the war and supported it, whether openly or passively. Four years of financing the war and resisting external economic and political pressures have dramatically altered the composition and power dynamics of Russia’s ruling class, making it increasingly militarized, loyal, and dependent on the state.

The protracted nature of the conflict and its heavy casualties demanded sustained support from the population. State media propaganda alone was no longer sufficient, prompting the introduction of “military-patriotic” education programs in schools, coupled with intensified repression of alternative or critical opinions and a de facto ban on independent civil society organizations and non-government-controlled media. Political opposition has all but ceased to exist, and the number of political prisoners has skyrocketed.

Western sanctions have severely impacted the Russian economy, but it has largely managed to reorient itself toward the “East,” primarily China. Some sectors have even shown growth, largely driven by the surge in military-industrial production, indicating that the new economic model is highly dependent on the continuation of the war. Meanwhile, the civil sector has steadily declined, affecting the welfare of the population and resulting in lower living standards.

This panel will examine how four years of war have reshaped daily life inside Russia.

When: Tuesday 26 May 18:00
Where: International Institute for Peace (IIP)
Möllwaldplatz 5 / Top 7 Vienna 1040
Language: English
Admission: free, please register via the link https://www.iipvienna.com/event-calendar/2026/05/26/behind-closed-borders-the-domestic-consequences-of-russias-war1

Photos: Alyona Malkovskaya "Empire Z" for Dialogbüro Vienna's Project "After February 24".

How Belarusians Are Building Free Elections / Як беларусы будуюць свабодныя выбары Livestream of the public discussion and a presentation dedicated to the Coordination Council elections 2026. A collaboration event of the 'European Choice' electoral list and Dialogbüro Vienna.

Дэмакратыя ў выгнанні: як беларусы будуюць свабодныя выбары

Program
• an overview of the Coordination Council — its mandate, structure, and the issues it addresses on behalf of a democratic Belarus;
• presentations by all electoral lists running for the IV convocation, including their programmes and visions;
• first-hand insights into the process of building political institutions in exile;
• an exploration of how modern technology helps counter authoritarianism and enables secure voting for alternative political institutions.

We welcome to join and ask questions in the live chat representatives of the Belarusian diaspora, as well as politicians, diplomats, journalists, and all those who care about democratic resilience.

Together with European Choice

Democracy in Exile: How Belarusians Are Building Free Elections Дэмакратыя ў выгнанні: як беларусы будуюць свабодныя выбарыLive Translation of the public discussion and a presentation dedicated to the Coordination Council...

For many years, Ukrainian photographer Arthur Bondar has been collecting unknown WWII negatives from around the world. He has spent years searching flea markets, estate sales, and forgotten archives for hidden visual testimonies that could shed new light on the war.

Arthur carefully restored and preserved each photograph, bringing fading images back to life. Today, the collection includes more than 15,000 previously unknown photographs and historical objects.

Most importantly, these unpublished visual records of WWII bring together images taken on different sides of the front by both professional and amateur photographers — soldiers and civilians alike.

May 8–9 are not days to celebrate war. They are days to remember the catastrophe that war brings to everyone, everywhere.

Arthus Bondar's Photo Project Presentation & Artist-Talk
WWII Photography: Unknown Negatives

When: 13 May 2026 18:30
Where: Dialogbüro Vienna, Eßlinggasse 9/6, 1010 Vienna, Austria (only offline)
Language: English
Admission: free, please register https://forms.gle/WRZn5Qjp9f9k2a3A9