Russian dissident historian Tamara Eidelman was on vacation in Greece when Moscow's tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022 and she realized that she would not be going back to her home country.
With her single suitcase, Eidelman, 65, flew to Portugal, where her daughter had been living, and began a new life in exile.
"I am operating under the assumption that I will not return. I am building my life in Portugal," said Eidelman, who has over 1.6 million followers on her history channel on YouTube. "I want to come back ... but if I sit every day thinking 'When will it finally happen?' I will go mad."