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Russian singer Monetochka says she initially expected Vilnius to be a temporary stop after leaving Russia, but has grown comfortable enough there to consider staying indefinitely. In a first-person questionnaire published by Meduza, she describes family life, work and the local routines she has built, while saying she does not feel she belongs to any place in the usual sense.
Russian singer Monetochka says she may stay in Vilnius indefinitely, four years after arriving in the Lithuanian capital expecting it to be a temporary stop. In a first-person questionnaire published by Meduza on October 1, she describes building a family and working life there while saying she still does not feel she belongs to any place in the conventional sense.
Monetochka, whose first name is Liza, says she has lived in Vilnius since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She writes that she “thought Vilnius would be a stopover,” but came to love the city and decided to stay, perhaps forever. Her account is a personal reflection, not an announcement of a new residence or a change in her professional plans.
She describes a daily life shaped by the city’s scale and pace: riding a bicycle with her children in a trailer, finding playgrounds and concert venues, and recommending restaurants, cafes, shops and markets. She says Vilnius feels calm compared with Moscow and that this quieter rhythm has made it easier to create and balance work with family life, particularly after touring.
The singer also points to ordinary routines as signs of having settled. She visits Kalvarijos Market with friends, chats with stallholders and buys produce and pirozhki. She looks forward to the annual Kaziukas fair, where she buys food and handmade goods, and says she counts her years in Lithuania by the number of fairs she has attended. Her favorite local dish, she writes, is šaltibarščiai, Lithuania’s cold beet-and-kefir soup.
A Home Built Through Daily Life
Monetochka’s account offers a personal view of what long-term life in exile can look like beyond the initial move: learning a language, making friends, raising children and developing familiar routines in a new city. Her description suggests that practical comfort and emotional belonging do not necessarily arrive together. She says she feels at ease in Vilnius, yet doubts she will feel that she belongs anywhere except with her family, friends and listeners.
That distinction gives the story its broader relevance. For readers following the lives of Russians who left after the invasion, her experience conveys both the stability that can grow over time and the unresolved sense of displacement that may remain. It is one person’s account and should not be read as representing all emigrants.
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Four Years Since Leaving Russia
Meduza introduced the questionnaire as the first installment in a series about how people who emigrated from Russia have settled into new homes. The outlet said the series would use a school-style questionnaire format and feature people of interest to its readers. It described Monetochka as having lived in Vilnius since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and noted that she had written a song it characterized as an anthem for this wave of emigration.
In her answers, Monetochka says her children were born in Lithuania and have never been to Russia, so they have no personal experience of life there to compare with their current home. She says her husband is happy wherever she is happy. She also recalls that language and making friends were among the hardest adjustments, though she says she now has many good friends in Vilnius.
Lithuanian traditional market basket
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What Staying Forever Means
Monetochka does not give a specific long-term plan or say that she has made a permanent legal or professional commitment to Lithuania. Her phrase “maybe forever” describes how she feels about Vilnius now, rather than a formal decision. The questionnaire also does not detail her immigration status, future touring schedule or whether she expects to return to Russia. Her comments about belonging are personal reflections, not a statement that she feels unwelcome in Vilnius.
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More Emigrant Accounts to Come
Meduza presented Monetochka’s answers as the opening installment of a planned series about emigrants from Russia and their lives in new homes. The outlet did not provide a publication schedule or identify who would appear in later installments. For Monetochka, the account points to the continuation of the life she describes in Vilnius: family routines, friendships, local markets and creative work alongside touring.
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Key Questions
Why did Monetochka move to Vilnius?
She says she moved there around the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The questionnaire does not give a detailed account of the circumstances of her departure.
How long has she lived in Vilnius?
She says she has lived there since the start of the war and describes the period as four years in her October 1, 2026, questionnaire.
Has Monetochka confirmed she will stay in Lithuania permanently?
No. She says she may stay forever, but frames this as a personal possibility, not a formal or definitive announcement.
Does Monetochka say she feels at home in Vilnius?
She says she feels comfortable in the city and has built friendships and routines there, but also says she does not feel that she belongs to Vilnius in the usual sense.
What did Meduza say about the questionnaire series?
Meduza described it as a series about how people who left Russia are settling into their new homes. Monetochka’s questionnaire was presented as the first installment.
Source: rss
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