Led by a Russian lawyer and human rights activists Anastasia Burakova, The Ark provides legal and psychological support, integration assistance.
The Ark was founded by a Russian lawyer and human rights activist, former head of the Open Russia foundation, Anastasia Burakova.
[1][2][3] The Arc received initial support from the Anti-War Committee founded in 2022 by the Russian politician Dmitry Gudkov and entrepreneur Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
[12][13][14] In late 2022, State Duma member Vasily Piskaryov approached the Russian Prosecutor General's Office with a request to designate the Ark among 30 other organizations as "undesirable or extremist" in Russia, though no legal actions followed.
[15] Due to the outbreak of full-scale war and political repression in 2022, an estimated 500,000 to 1,3 million people left Russia in a year.
[16][17] The Ark provides psychological support, language classes, legal advice on obtaining residence permits, opening bank accounts, and acquiring visas.
[25] In Summer 2023, the Ark launched the "By The First Flight" (Russian: Первым рейсом)initiative to educate emigrants the best practices of democratic governance and develop a legal framework for future reforms in Russia.
[29] The Ark received its initial funding from Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the co-founder of the Anti-War Committee of Russia, which allowed it to launch the first shelters.