The literary scholar from Siberia will be based at Ruhr University Bochum from May to October, where she will research the cultural reckoning with the ecological consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Nikitina observes that “in wartime, environmental activism has become a critical site where ecological and political struggles converge. Publicly addressing issues such as the burial of nuclear waste, the creation of anthrax-contaminated livestock burial sites, the illegal exploitation of protected natural areas, or advocating for bans on hunting endangered species is increasingly framed by the state as an act of political disloyalty. Environmental advocacy is now routinely equated with ‘discrediting’ the Russian Army or ‘inciting interethnic hatred’.”
This context underscores the need for new research and ethical frameworks capable of recognising non-human life as a subject of care, responsibility, and justice. Nikitina’s work is informed by Andrei Sakharov’s example of intellectual integrity and ethical accountability, extending these concerns to forms of life and vulnerability that remain largely excluded from dominant political frameworks.
Nikitina completed her BA in Literary Studies at Krasnoyarsk State University before going on to study Polish philology in Katowice, Upper Silesia, where she also completed her doctorate in comparative literature. Her research sits within the field of Animal Studies — an interdisciplinary discipline engaging with ethical and political questions at the intersection of human and non-human life. She is a co-founder of the Posthuman Studies Lab, a post-disciplinary research platform that brings together scholars and artists to critically reimagine the ecological and political legacies of post-Soviet territories.
The Sakharov Fellowships are funded by the German Federal Foreign Office as part of the project “Pathways to Coming to Terms with War and Dictatorship” and are implemented in partnership with Ruhr University Bochum and the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam (ZZF).