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Russian singer Monetochka says she moved to Vilnius after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine expecting it to be a temporary stop. Four years later, she says she loves the city and may stay, while describing a sense of belonging tied more to home, family, friends and listeners than to a country.
Russian singer Monetochka, whose given name is Liza, says she may stay in Vilnius permanently after moving there at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, describing a city she first expected to be a stopover as a place where she has built a comfortable life. Her reflections appeared in a questionnaire published by Meduza on October 1, part of the outlet’s series about Russians who have left the country and are settling elsewhere.
Monetochka told Meduza that she arrived in Vilnius around the beginning of the war and initially thought she would move on. Instead, she said, she came to love the city and decided to stay, “maybe forever.” She said that after four years in Vilnius, she feels comfortable there, perhaps more so than she did in Moscow, where she had lived for less time.
Her account describes daily routines as well as a change in outlook. She rides her bike around the city with her children in a trailer, recommends local restaurants and cafés, and says she knows where to take children to Russian-language theatre. She described Vilnius as green and bike-friendly, with new corners to discover despite its small size.
She also emphasized the limits of that sense of ease. “I can’t say I feel like I ‘belong’ in Vilnius,” she said, adding that she may never feel she belongs anywhere in the same way again, except at home or with friends, family and listeners. She described home as “the world I can now take with me.”
A New Home, Without Easy Belonging
Monetochka’s account offers a personal view of how a Russian artist has made a life outside Russia during the war, without suggesting that settling in a new country erases the feeling of displacement. She describes practical signs of rootedness — friendships, familiar markets, places to take her children and routines that shape her weeks — alongside a persistent uncertainty about belonging.
That distinction matters because her comments describe more than a change of address. Vilnius has become a place where she can balance family life and work, and she said its slower pace makes creativity easier. But her reflections do not present relocation as a simple resolution: her idea of home now rests on relationships and a portable personal world, rather than on feeling fully part of a particular city.
The interview is also a cultural snapshot of an emigrant life grounded in ordinary places. Monetochka speaks about shopping, cycling and local food rather than offering a political assessment of Lithuania. Those details show how daily habits can help a newcomer build familiarity while leaving larger questions of identity open.
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Four Years of Life in Vilnius
Meduza introduced the questionnaire as the first in a series about people who have emigrated from Russia and how they are settling into new homes. The outlet said it paired the format of school questionnaires with a focus on emigrants’ experiences. It described Monetochka as having written an anthem for this wave of emigration, but the supplied report does not give further details about the song.
Monetochka’s answers mark time in Vilnius through the city’s annual Kaziukas fair, where she buys crafts, food and household items. She said she moved to the city when one of the fairs was taking place and now counts her years in Lithuania by the number she has attended. She also described weekly visits to Kalvarijos Market, where she has become a regular and made friends with vendors.
Her adjustment was not immediate, she said. Learning a new language and making friends were difficult, and she noticed that life in Vilnius moved at a different pace from Moscow. She said she adapted quickly, has since made good friends, and now values the calm and the opportunity to balance work with family life after touring.
“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 Remains an Open Question
Monetochka said she may stay in Vilnius “maybe forever,” but she did not describe a formal long-term plan or say that she has made an irrevocable decision. Her remarks are a personal account in a questionnaire, not an announcement about her career, legal status or future residence.
The report does not specify her exact move date, her current citizenship or residency arrangements, or whether she expects to return to Russia. It also does not provide independent details about her family’s plans. Her statement that her children were born in Lithuania and have never been to Russia is part of her account; the report offers no further information about their circumstances.
Her comments about belonging are also expressed as a personal feeling, not a claim about how other Russian emigrants experience Vilnius or how Lithuanian residents view newcomers. She says she has made friends and feels comfortable, while remaining unsure that she will feel she belongs anywhere beyond her home and close relationships.
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Meduza’s Emigrant Series Continues
Meduza presented Monetochka’s questionnaire as the first instalment in its series on Russian emigrants’ lives after leaving the country. The outlet said it hopes the stories will offer support to readers. The supplied report does not name the next participant or give a publication date for another instalment.
For Monetochka, the next steps described are part of ordinary life rather than a newly announced public plan: caring for her children, continuing her work and returning to the markets and places that have become familiar. Whether she ultimately stays in Vilnius permanently remains open; for now, she says the city has become much more than the temporary stop she expected.
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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 did not give further details about the circumstances of the move in the questionnaire.
Does Monetochka plan to stay in Vilnius permanently?
She said she decided to stay and may remain “maybe forever.” The interview does not describe this as a fixed or formal commitment.
Does she feel that she belongs in Vilnius?
Not fully, by her own account. She said she feels comfortable in the city and has made friends, but does not feel that she belongs there.
What does Monetochka say she likes about life in Vilnius?
She praised the city’s green spaces, bike-friendly streets and slower pace. She also described enjoying local markets, the Kaziukas fair and Lithuanian cold borscht.
What is the Meduza questionnaire series about?
Meduza said the series will feature people who have emigrated from Russia discussing their lives in their new homes. Monetochka’s questionnaire is identified as its first instalment.
Source: rss
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