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NATO Breathes Sigh of Relief After Tiptoeing Around Trump at Summit

News Analysis Moscow’s shadow loomed over the conference that saw alliance members pledge to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP.  
4 Min read

In Altai Republic, a Kremlin-Backed Government Reform Aids the Tycoons

opinion Despite staging one of Russia's largest wartime protests, Altai's peoples are set to lose political representation and in some cases their livelihoods...
5 Min read

Alleged Coup Attempt in Armenia an ‘Internal Affair,’ Kremlin Says

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said security forces foiled a coup plot involving what he called a “criminal-oligarchic clergy.”
2 Min read

Sanctions-Busting Kyrgyz Cryptocurrency Moves $9 Bln – FT

The stablecoin, A7A5, is pegged to the ruble and backed by ruble deposits at Russia’s state-run Promsvyazbank.
2 Min read

U.S. ‘Not Ready’ to Fully Restore Work of Embassies, Putin Adviser Says

“I can assume the American side, despite some progress, is not yet ready to say goodbye to the difficulties that have been created around the work of...
2 Min read

NATO Declares Russia ‘Long-Term Threat’ to Its Security

The alliance also committed to spending 5% of GDP annually on defense and security, which Moscow had earlier dismissed and promised to counter.
2 Min read

In a Prolonged Israel-Iran Conflict, Russia’s Economy Stands to Reap the Benefits

Moscow benefits most from a protracted conflict that leaves uncertainty over energy supplies but does not spill over into all-out war.
4 Min read

Plagiarism Campaigner Zayakin Jailed 5 Years in Absentia for Navalny Donation

Dissernet co-founder Dmitry Zayakin is believed to have fled Russia in October 2022 after he was arrested and charged with “financing extremist activities...
1 Min read

FSB Arrests 2 Moldovans on Suspicion of Spying

Authorities claimed the men entered the country using fake identification and attempted to carry out tasks “directed against the security of the Russian...
1 Min read
Russia labeled The Moscow Times an "undesirable organization." If you are in Russia or plan to travel there, it's still safe to read us - but you cannot share our articles on social media, link to them or quote them. Here's what else you need to know.

TMT Weekly Newsletter

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Stories of Political Prisoners

Belgorod Court Sentences Activist Who Helped Ukrainian Refugees to 22 Years in Prison
Shlosberg Placed Under House Arrest Pending Trial
'Find Joy in Everything': Election Monitor Grigory Melkonyants' Last Word in Court
Silence or Jail: Teens Targeted in Russia’s Wartime Political Crackdown

opinion
Leyla Latypova

In Altai Republic, a Kremlin-Backed Government Reform Aids the Tycoons

5 Min read
Sarkis Darbinyan

Western Tech Companies Are Capitulating to Russian Censors. Here's How Russians Can Fight Back.

5 Min read
Jason Corcoran

Putin’s Davos Reduced to Taliban, Nepo Babies and Pariah States

5 Min read
Ruslan Suleymanov

Putin Wants to Mediate Between Israel and Iran. Is That Even Possible?

5 Min read
Ayman Eckford

How Autistic People Are Caught in Russia's War on Difference

5 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

By Employing Putin’s Alleged Daughter, Paris Gallery Sparks Debate Over Collective Responsibility

The news raises questions over safety risks for Russian artists in exile and ethical risks for Ukrainian artists. But the gallery defends its choice.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

Crime and Punishment: An Ex-Wagner Mercenary Recounts Russia’s Suicide Warfare in Ukraine

After surviving a suicide assault and sustaining severe shrapnel wounds, Alexander Platov shared his story with The Moscow Times.
7 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

‘You’re a Second-Class Citizen’: Arrests, Club Raids and Extremism Charges Define LGBTQ+ Life in Russia in 2025

Russia's queer community has been subjected to growing pressure, fear and repression, prompting many people to hide their sexuality altogether.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

NATO to End Disclosure of Ukraine Aid and Defense Planning, Fearing Russian Exploitation

The alliance is worried that Russia is using its policy of transparency for propaganda and military purposes.
2 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

Exiled Artist and Activist Leda Garina: ‘We Must Stop Believing in the Myth of Greatness’

The founder of the feminist cultural project Eve’s Ribs challenges authoritarianism, patriarchy and war through her work.
6 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

‘Hero Under Fire’: As Putin Visited Kursk, the Kremlin Told Russians That He Was Dodging Ukrainian Drones

The PR stunt sought to convince Russians bearing the domestic brunt of the war that he, too, is making sacrifices for the country, officials said.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

‘Plush Troops’: The Pro-War Children’s Toys Taking Over Russia’s Online Marketplaces

Experts say these pro-war toys give children positive reinforcement of the media and propaganda messaging that they encounter daily.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

News Analysis

We Analyzed New Drone Footage of Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web

The Moscow Times examined new footage released by Ukraine's Security Service, showing a range of aircraft targeted across four air bases.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

Russia’s New Indigenous Policy Enables Unchecked Resource Exploitation, Experts Warn

Beneath the lofty language, the policy framework offers few, if any, tangible benefits to Indigenous communities, Indigenous experts told MT.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

Russian Tourists Defy a Toxic Black Sea Oil Spill as Summer Season Begins

Authorities have banned swimming off the coast of Anapa due to December's disastrous oil spill. Tourists have been seen enjoying the waters anyway.
4 Min read

Women Against the Kremlin

Fatima Suleymanova: 'Europeans Have Far More in Common With Chechens Than With Russians'
Exiled Artist and Activist Leda Garina: ‘We Must Stop Believing in the Myth of Greatness’
‘We Need to Recognize Russia’s Colonial Violence’: Buryat Illustrator Seseg Jigjitova
Alla Gutnikova: ‘Dictatorships End, Walls Fall and Prisons Burn’

Photos and Videos

In Photos: Promoting a ‘Multipolar’ World at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

In Photos: Russia's Muslims Mark Eid al-Adha

On This Day in 1995, a Devastating Earthquake Struck Sakhalin

Features

‘You’re a Second-Class Citizen’: Arrests, Club Raids and Extremism Charges Define LGBTQ+ Life in Russia in 2025

Russia's queer community has been subjected to growing pressure, fear and repression, prompting many people to hide their sexuality altogether.
5 Min read

Crime and Punishment: An Ex-Wagner Mercenary Recounts Russia’s Suicide Warfare in Ukraine

After surviving a suicide assault and sustaining severe shrapnel wounds, Alexander Platov shared his story with The Moscow Times.
7 Min read

Fatima Suleymanova: 'Europeans Have Far More in Common With Chechens Than With Russians'

The activist discusses her advocacy for Chechen independence, her support for Chechen refugees and her fight against misunderstandings about Chechens.
6 Min read

‘Blacklist’: The Groups Shaming Russian Women Who Marry Soldiers for Money

Women suspected of marrying a soldier for money rather than love can increasingly expect to become a target of widespread vitriol online.
5 Min read

By Employing Putin’s Alleged Daughter, Paris Gallery Sparks Debate Over Collective Responsibility

The news raises questions over safety risks for Russian artists in exile and ethical risks for Ukrainian artists. But the gallery defends its choice.
5 Min read
More features

climate

Major Fires in Siberia, Far East Mark Ominous Start to Russia’s 2025 Wildfire Season

Experts agree that Russian authorities — like in previous years — remain ill-prepared for the 2025 wildfire season.
4 Min read

As Russia’s Regions Battle Floods, Local Officials Hide Real Damage and Pray to God

As peak flooding season hits regions across the Urals and Siberia, regional officials appear ill-prepared to manage such disasters.
3 Min read

Warm Temperatures Bring Ice Melt and Flooding to Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region

Rescuers evacuated 70 residents, including 20 children, in the city of Asha, around 260 kilometers from the Kazakh border.
1 Min read
More climate

Business

Sanctions-Busting Kyrgyz Cryptocurrency Moves $9 Bln – FT

The stablecoin, A7A5, is pegged to the ruble and backed by ruble deposits at Russia’s state-run Promsvyazbank.
2 Min read

1 in 3 Russian Businesses Say Conditions Have Worsened in 2025 – Survey

The results mark the highest level of pessimism since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
2 Min read

Russian Military Electronics Supplier Faces Shutdown Over Underpriced State Contracts

Optron-Stavropol, a supplier of power semiconductors for MiG, Sukhoi and Tupolev aircraft, as well as the next-generation MC-21 airliner, halted operations...
2 Min read
More business

arts and life

Actor Yefremov to Join Pro-Kremlin Director Mikhalkov’s Theater Troupe After Parole Release

Mikhail Yefremov was convicted in 2020 of killing a delivery driver in a head-on collision while driving intoxicated in central Moscow.
1 Min read

Benjamin Nathans' 'To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause' Awarded 2025 Pushkin House Book Prize

"Patriot" by Alexei Navalny and translated by Arch Tait and Stephen Dalziel was given a special recognition award.
2 Min read
Feature

By Employing Putin’s Alleged Daughter, Paris Gallery Sparks Debate Over Collective Responsibility

The news raises questions over safety risks for Russian artists in exile and ethical risks for Ukrainian artists. But the gallery defends its choice.
5 Min read
More Arts and Life

the new diaspora

Exiled Artist and Activist Leda Garina: ‘We Must Stop Believing in the Myth of Greatness’

The founder of the feminist cultural project Eve’s Ribs challenges authoritarianism, patriarchy and war through her work.
6 Min read

Salaries for Russian Freelancers Abroad See 14% Increase in 2024

Among IT workers, web developers saw the largest wage increases, with average monthly pay up 26%, followed by a 15% rise for programmers.
1 Min read

Russian Dissidents Stranded in Spain After Residency Requests Allegedly Denied

The exiled activists claim Spanish officials promised them fast-track residency, but those efforts were later stalled.
3 Min read
More the new diaspora