The article highlights the phenomenon of the Russia Abroad after World War II. The situation, moral and psychological state, the fate of those who emigrated from Russia after the revolution and World War II are analyzed. Much attention is paid to the attempts of the old emigrants to preserve the institutions of the Russian diaspora that existed before World War II. The evolution of these institutions' forms of activity is characterized. Much attention is paid to the phenomenon of the Second wave of Soviet emigration. The author writes that contemporaries identified two groups in that society: the so-called new emigrants (former prisoners of the Red Army, «ostarbeiters», collaborators of the Second World War) and the so-called newest emigrants («defectors», soldiers and officers who deserted from the quartered in Europe parts of the Red Army). It is shown that both groups of emigrants played a role in the historical memory of Russia mythologization (primarily associated with World War II). The author analyzes the political symbols used by the Second wave emigrants, proving that there was an evolution of this symbolism and the political vocabulary that prevailed in the discourse of the Second wave of emigration. The author proves that the interaction of representatives of different waves of Russian emigration had a great influence on this evolution. The author draws attention to the fact that various Western structures, interacted with Russian emigrants, had a serious impact on the e political discourse of the emigrants in the post-war era. Their desire to «reformat» the phenomenon of Russia Abroad in accordance with the attitudes prevailing in the circles of the political and intellectual elite of Western countries is also note by the author.
Russia Abroad; Russian emigration; Second wave of Soviet emigration; Vlasovites; perebezhchiks; Cold War; Munich Institute on Soviet studies; Mensheviks in exile.