Opening Event • Voices of Resistance – In Conversation with Elena Kostyuchenko and Nadya Tolokonnikova

The Fightback! Resisting Authoritarianism in Today's World program opens with a conversation between exiled Russian journalist and author Elena Kostyuchenko and Nadya Tolokonnikova, artist, activist, and founding member of Pussy Riot. The discussion will explore the intersections of art, dissent, and truth-telling under authoritarian regimes-and the personal costs of speaking out. The event will feature opening remarks by Yulia Navalnaya, wife of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and a leading voice for democracy and human rights in Russia. This is a hybrid event, held on Zoom and open to a live audience on the Duke University campus.