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Russian singer Monetochka says she moved to Vilnius at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine expecting it to be temporary, but now may stay there indefinitely. In a Meduza questionnaire published October 1, 2026, she described building routines and friendships in the Lithuanian capital while still feeling that home is tied to family, friends and listeners rather than a place.
Russian singer Monetochka says she may remain in Vilnius indefinitely, four years after moving to the Lithuanian capital expecting it to be a temporary stop. In a questionnaire published by Meduza on October 1, 2026, she described settling into the city while saying she still does not feel that she belongs to any particular place.
Monetochka, whose first name is Liza, told Meduza she moved to Vilnius at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She said the move happened by circumstance and that she initially expected to leave. Over time, she grew to love the city and decided she might stay “maybe forever.” Her account is a personal reflection, not an announcement of a new residence or a change in her professional plans.
She said she now feels comfortable in Vilnius, perhaps more comfortable than she did in Moscow, where she lived for less time. She described cycling around the city with her children in a trailer, discovering new neighborhoods and learning where to find restaurants, markets, children’s activities and concert venues. She also said that adapting to a new language and making friends were difficult at first, but that she now has many good friends in the city.
Everyday places feature prominently in her account. Monetochka named Kalvarijos Market as a favorite, describing regular visits to buy seasonal produce, talk with stallholders and meet friends. She also singled out the annual Kaziukas fair, where she buys food and crafts, and šaltibarščiai, Lithuania’s cold beet soup, as a favorite local dish. These details frame her account of exile through routines and relationships rather than through a claim that she feels fully at home.
How Exile Became Daily Life
Monetochka’s account offers a view of long-term life in exile from someone who expected her stay abroad to be short. Four years on, she describes a settled daily life in Vilnius, including friendships, family routines and familiar places. At the same time, she draws a distinction between being comfortable in a city and feeling that she belongs there.
That distinction matters to readers following the lives of Russians who left after the invasion of Ukraine. The profile does not measure the experiences of emigrants as a group, but it shows how one public figure describes adapting over time: language and social connections were challenges, while the city’s calmer pace became a source of support for her work and family life.
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A Stopover After Leaving Russia
Meduza introduced the questionnaire as the first installment in a series about how people who left Russia are living in new homes. The outlet said it combined a familiar school questionnaire format with interviews about emigrants’ lives and described Monetochka as the first participant. Meduza also characterized her as having written an anthem for this wave of emigration; that description is the publication’s framing.
Monetochka’s own timeline is straightforward: she said she has lived in Vilnius since the start of the war, referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and that she arrived when a Kaziukas fair was taking place. She uses the number of fairs she has attended as a way to count her years in Lithuania. She said her children were born there and have never been to Russia, while her husband is happy wherever she is happy.
“I thought Vilnius would be a stopover, but I ended up loving the city so much that I decided to stay — maybe forever.”
— Monetochka, speaking to Meduza
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Belonging Beyond Vilnius
The questionnaire does not establish whether Monetochka has made a formal or permanent decision to remain in Lithuania. Her words that she may stay “maybe forever” express how she feels now, rather than a fixed plan. The report also does not give details about her immigration status, future touring or work arrangements, or whether she intends to return to Russia.
Her reflections are personal and should not be read as representative of all Russian emigrants. The profile records what she told Meduza; it does not independently examine the practical circumstances of her move or the wider experiences of Russian residents in Lithuania.
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Meduza’s Emigrant Questionnaire Series
Meduza presented Monetochka’s responses as the opening installment of a continuing series about people who have left Russia and how they are settling elsewhere. The source does not provide a publication date for the next profile or name another participant.
For Monetochka, the account describes an established routine rather than a newly announced next step: she says she rides her bike with her children, visits Kalvarijos Market regularly and returns to the Kaziukas fair each year. Whether she will make a formal commitment to stay in Vilnius remains unstated.
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Key Questions
Why did Monetochka move to Vilnius?
She told Meduza that she moved there at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She described the move as something that happened by circumstance and said she originally thought Vilnius would be a stopover.
Is Monetochka staying in Vilnius permanently?
She said she decided to stay and may remain “maybe forever.” The profile does not report a formal declaration of permanent residence or a fixed long-term plan.
Does she feel at home in Vilnius?
She said she feels comfortable in the city but does not feel that she belongs to a place in the usual sense. She described home as being with her family, friends and listeners, or in the home she can carry with her.
What does Monetochka like about life in Vilnius?
She praised the city’s green spaces, bike-friendly streets and calmer pace. She also named Kalvarijos Market, the Kaziukas fair and Lithuanian cold beet soup, šaltibarščiai, among her favorites.
Source: rss
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