Vice President of FDDCA
Born on September 14, 1986, in Leningrad, Maksim Baidak is a public intellectual and socio-political figure with roots in both Russia and Ukraine.
Education
In 2008, Maksim graduated from the Producing Faculty of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts with a thesis on franchising as a new model of media production. In 2010, he completed his studies at the Law Faculty of Saint Petersburg State University, where his dissertation examined the international legal aspects of the recognition of self-proclaimed states. In 2012, he obtained a master’s degree in International Relations from the same university, defending a thesis on the diplomacy of isolated states. Between 2010 and 2012, Maksim also pursued studies in political science at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia.
During this time, he served as a judge in the Saint Petersburg Parliamentary Debate League, contributing to the development of Russian-language professional lobbying and public political debate culture. He was also one of the coordinators of the Conservative Club affiliated with the Faculty of Philosophy at Saint Petersburg State University.
Currently, Maksim is studying contemporary Islamic theology through a postgraduate program offered by the Institute for the Integration of Knowledge (Malaysia, Georgia, Ukraine).
Academic Work
From 2008 to 2013, Maksim worked on a candidate of sciences (PhD equivalent) dissertation at Saint Petersburg State University of Economics, focusing on the causes and mechanisms of autarky under globalization. From 2015 to 2020, he pursued doctoral research in historical linguistics at Atatürk University in Turkey. Since 2009, Maksim’s works—under his own name and various pseudonyms—have appeared in Russian and Ukrainian news agencies, journals, academic compilations, conference proceedings, analytical reports, and collective monographs on topics including economics, Oriental and African studies, religious studies, international relations, and energy and social policy.
Professional Career
Maksim began his professional journey in 2008–2009 as an assistant to the Vice President of the International Bar Association “Saint Petersburg.” From 2008 to 2012, he served as a lawyer and later head of the legal department for companies involved in the West Siberian oil industry. Between 2012 and 2016, he was Executive Director of a Russian-Latvian linguistic consulting agency specializing in technical and military translation. From 2017 to 2020, Maksim headed the international projects department of the Yemeni Youth Foundation in Ukraine. Since 2020, he has served as the Head of Analytics and Media at the European Muslim Forum (Denmark, UK, Turkey), the largest platform for Muslim opinion leaders from 36 countries of Greater Europe. Since 2023, he has also been the Editor-in-Chief of Bashnya, a pan-Caucasian analytical media outlet, and since 2025, the Director of Voice of Truth, a media holding based in Turkey.
Political Activity
Maksim’s political engagement began in Russia, where he co-founded the Labor Party of Russia and became a leading figure in the National Organization of Russian Muslims. He initiated the “Idoloborets” (Idol-breaker) project, promoting resistance to the Kremlin through the lens of national anarchism. This project represented Russia within the International National Anarchist Movement, headquartered in the United Kingdom. During the anti-government protests in Russia between 2010 and 2012, Maksim co-authored and signed the Islamic Civil Charter—a platform advocating for political representation of the country’s 20-million-strong Muslim community in the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition.
Due to persecution by Russian authorities for his civic and journalistic activism, Maksim has lived in exile since 2013. His status as a politically persecuted individual has been recognized by reputable organizations, including the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Memorial Human Rights Center, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, PEN International, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Since 2018, he has resided in the Kingdom of Norway, which granted political asylum to him and his family.
Maksim is closely associated with the liberation struggles and democratic transformation of the North Caucasus. He has worked alongside allies of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and witnessed firsthand Armenia’s “Velvet Revolution” led by Nikol Pashinyan. He is a member of the Ingush Independence Committee and, since 2016, has been a citizen of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Maksim also plays a role in supporting Ukraine’s resistance against Russian neo-colonialism. Russian state media has alleged that he helped transfer the tactics of the Kyiv Maidan to Armenia, acts as a Russian-language ideologist for the Azov Regiment, and recruits volunteers to fight on Ukraine’s side. His role in the formation of the Civil Union—a coalition organization supporting Russian nationals fighting within the Ukrainian Armed Forces—is widely acknowledged.
Engagement with Central Asia
Maksim’s involvement in Central Asia began between 2013 and 2015 when he served as a political advisor to Umarali Kuvvatov, leader of the Group 24 opposition movement. His tasks included facilitating democratic reforms in Tajikistan and providing resistance tools to members of the Tajik diaspora in the Middle East confronting the corrupt regime of Emomali Rahmon.
During this period, he also served on the Advisory Council of the “Turkestander” Association in Istanbul, where Dr. Namoz Normumin Muhammad—former presidential candidate of Uzbekistan and co-founder of the People’s Movement of Uzbekistan—was Vice President. While residing in Turkey, Maksim acted as press secretary for the Association of Russian-speaking Muhajirs, highlighting the issues faced by expatriates and political exiles from Central Asia for Western audiences.
Maksim Baidak is recognized for his broad intellectual outlook, diverse educational and leadership background, deep understanding of democratic transitions in authoritarian regimes, and expertise in international legal issues affecting closed states and national liberation movements. He also benefits from a wide professional network and notable ideological charisma.
Maksim is married and the father of three children, born in Argentina and Norway. He speaks Russian, Ukrainian, English, Turkish, and Norwegian. He is currently studying Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Swahili, and Indonesian and is able to read German, French, and Spanish.