In an interview with LRT, Andrey Desnitsky, Doctor of Philology, biblical scholar and translator, said that in March 2022 he began looking for work abroad and by summer he and his wife were in Vilnius. According to him, before that they had moved from place to place, leaving Russia and visiting various countries, and Vilnius became a convenient “hub” from which one could travel further. Since October 2022, Desnitsky has lived in Vilnius and worked as a research fellow at Vilnius University.
The scholar signed an open letter by Russian science journalists condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. In the conversation, he explained that he does not want to live in a country waging such a war, and felt extremely unsafe. “It was a flight,” he said.
Personal choice and family history
Desnitsky is 54 years old and has lived in Moscow all his life. According to him, his father and daughter, as well as other close ones, remain in Moscow. He admitted that the decision was difficult, but stressed: “I have a father in Moscow, and I have a daughter in Moscow. What I absolutely do not want to do is give any global assessments; there are, of course, very many reasons why people either stay or leave — and each time it is a personal choice, a personal risk.”
In the interview, Desnitsky recalled the story of his wife's ancestors — Jews from the town called Kvinsk (now Kazlų Rūda), which was part of Kovno Governorate. In 1917, after the February Revolution, they moved to Moscow, and later Kvinsk became part of the independent Republic of Lithuania. “And, of course, life there was far more interesting than in Soviet Moscow. But in 1940 the Reds came in first, then in 1941 the Nazis, and a Jewish family in Kazlų Rūda had practically no chance of survival,” he said. According to him, each time they looked back, these people probably very much regretted leaving beautiful Kvinsk, and were very glad that they had nevertheless left it.
Work and acceptance in Vilnius
At Vilnius University, Desnitsky works on Russian philology in the Department of Slavic Studies. In Russia, his main specialty was biblical studies; he worked at the Institute of Oriental Studies. “I won't say I regret it, but it is interesting to try myself in something else and quite important to me,” the scholar noted. He added that biblical studies in Russia is a very narrow field, and what he did was more popularization.
He said he fell in love with the city at first sight. He said that he and his wife have friends in Vilnius, and one close friend who moved there earlier, back in 2021, called the city “Hobbitania” — a country where everything is very cozy, homelike. “There are problems and shortcomings — but where aren't there?” he added.
Answering a question about possible fears of local residents because of newcomers from Russia, Desnitsky said that he had once encountered aggression on a bus on ethnic grounds, but more often he met goodwill. “People clearly made it understood that they distinguish between Putin and me, and that is very important to me,” he stressed. He also noted that in the Lithuanian language study group, all the others were Ukrainians, refugees from the war, and no tension arose. “We have a wonderful teacher, and I feel no tension,” the scholar said.
In his opinion, Vilnius has always been a multiethnic city and remains one. “Vilnius has gained interesting people who come here,” Desnitsky concluded.
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