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Kremlin Reiterates Putin’s Call for Istanbul Talks, But Remains Silent on Possible Zelensky Meeting

“Overall, we remain committed to a serious effort toward a long-term peaceful resolution,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.  
2 Min read

What Prospects Are There for Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Istanbul?

Putin has proposed resuming negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, three years after the two sides held failed talks in the Turkish city.
4 Min read

Russia's State Nuclear Giant Is Now Inseparable From Its War on Ukraine

opinion The company's slick commercial rhetoric belies the fact that Rosatom is a company that is literally at war.
4 Min read

Russia Launches Drone Strikes Across Ukraine, Effectively Rejecting Ceasefire Proposal

Ukrainian authorities reported damage in the Odesa, Mykolaiv, Donetsk and Zhytomyr regions as a result of the overnight air attacks.
2 Min read

Trump Floats Idea of Flying to Istanbul for Russia-Ukraine Talks

"I've got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there," the president told reporters at the White House.
1 Min read

Wildfires in Zabaikalsky Region Spread Rapidly Amid Strong Wind and Dry Weather

The local diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church announced services this week that would include prayers for rain in the Far East region.
2 Min read

Senior Russian Lawmaker Calls Trump ‘Weak’ Over WWII Comments

Trump claimed on Sunday that Allied powers were “not even close” to defeating Nazi Germany before the United States intervened in the conflict.
2 Min read

Poland Shutters Russian Consulate in Krakow Over Warsaw Shopping Mall Fire

Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russian intelligence services of orchestrating the May 2024 fire that burned down a shopping mall in Warsaw.
1 Min read

Iran Preparing for Putin Visit, Tehran Says

"Putin's trip to Tehran is currently being worked out, preparations are underway," an Iranian spokesperson told Russian state media.
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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Women Against the Kremlin

‘We Need to Recognize Russia’s Colonial Violence’: Buryat Illustrator Seseg Jigjitova
Alla Gutnikova: ‘Dictatorships End, Walls Fall and Prisons Burn’
‘Extermination of Entire Nations’: Scientist Maria Vyushkova Counts Russia’s Indigenous War Dead
‘What Motivates Me Is My Love for Komi’: Indigenous Activist Lana Pylaeva

opinion
Charles Digges

Russia's State Nuclear Giant Is Now Inseparable From Its War on Ukraine

4 Min read
Jade McGlynn

Letting the Dead March Again: How the Immortal Regiment Occupies the Present

5 Min read
Saahil Menon

Why an Indo-Russian Newcomer to the Forbes List Matters to Putin

5 Min read
Alexander Baunov for Carnegie

Putin’s Unilateral Easter Truce Was Never Intended to Last

4 Min read
Ayman Eckford

Would You Send Asylum Seekers at Risk of Torture Home? That's What Europe Does to Chechens.

5 Min read

Editor's Pick

In Russia’s Bashkortostan, Fresh Tensions Grow Over Planned Copper Mining Site

After the republic was rocked by protests and repressions, locals are once again fighting to protect their Indigenous lands from irreversible harm. 
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

As Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Flounders, Moscow Presses Onward With Massive Amphibious Assault Ship

Analysts say the Ivan Rogov may prove more symbolic than strategic, as the fleet it is meant to bolster has suffered heavy losses in Ukraine.
6 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

With Access to Europe’s Rights Court Lost, How Can Russians Still Seek Justice on the International Stage?

Human rights lawyer Karinna Moskalenko discusses the international mechanisms still available to Russian citizens and her current work on Belarus.
6 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

A Disastrous Black Sea Oil Spill Unites Z-Activists and Anti-War Russians Alike

Volunteers are leading the fight against one of the worst environmental disasters in recent history. The authorities aren't thrilled.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

'We Have Our Own Gestapo': A Russian Military Deserter Recalls His Time Inside a Secret Jail for Defectors

Georgy, 44, describes his ordeal in secret detention facilities where defectors were held in brutal conditions.
7 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

Trump Tower Moscow, Rare Earths and Geopolitical Perks: How the Kremlin Plans to Bait Trump Into a Grand Bargain

The Kremlin wants an outcome far more ambitious than a mere ceasefire in Ukraine. For that, it will need extraordinary incentives.
6 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

Public Pride, Private Torment: The Russian Women Waiting for Men at War

State propaganda glorifies the image of a military wife waiting for her husband at the front. Beneath the surface, these women face a complex reality.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

‘A Lot of Devil in This’: Russians Use Tarot Cards to Predict Peace in Ukraine

In uncertain times, many Russians are turning to tarot cards as a way of seeking answers.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

Hundreds of Ethnic Germans Are Dying for Russia in Ukraine. This Man Is Tracking Them.

Andrej Triller, a descendant of Volga Germans deported to Kazakhstan by the Soviets, has been documenting the new tragedy hitting his community.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

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

Photos and Videos

In Photos: Russia Marks 80 Years Since Soviet WWII Victory With Grandiose Military Parade

In Photos: Schools Across Russia and Occupied Ukraine Hold Anti-Terrorism Drills

In Photos: Kyiv Reels From Deadly Russian Missile Attack

Features

Ukraine War Creeps Into Victory Day Commemorations in Russia’s Regions and Ethnic Republics

Local governments fueled patriotic fervor, while relatives of soldiers killed in Ukraine seized the chance to mourn loved ones.
4 Min read

In Kazakhstan, Russia Looms Large Over World War II Commemorations

The 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II has brought up complicated questions about Russian influence and colonialism.
5 Min read

A Disastrous Black Sea Oil Spill Unites Z-Activists and Anti-War Russians Alike

Volunteers are leading the fight against one of the worst environmental disasters in recent history. The authorities aren't thrilled.
5 Min read

With Access to Europe’s Rights Court Lost, How Can Russians Still Seek Justice on the International Stage?

Human rights lawyer Karinna Moskalenko discusses the international mechanisms still available to Russian citizens and her current work on Belarus.
6 Min read

Silence or Jail: Teens Targeted in Russia’s Wartime Political Crackdown

Schoolchildren who voice anti-war views are increasingly pressured, from teachers reporting them to the authorities and interrogations to being jailed...
4 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

Alrosa Discovers Russia's 'Largest-Ever' Diamond as Mir Mine Reopens

The 468-carat, amber-colored diamond has been named “80 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.”
2 Min read

Putin and Xi to Discuss Stalled Power of Siberia 2 Pipeline in Moscow – Bloomberg

Despite the revived talks, a final agreement is not expected to be signed during Xi’s visit, sources told Bloomberg.
2 Min read

EU Unveils Plan to End All Russian Gas Imports by 2027

EU officials admit that phasing out Russian energy is easier said than done, as some member states are more dependent on imports than others.
3 Min read
More business

arts and life

Alexei Navalny’s Posthumous Memoir ‘Patriot’ Shortlisted for Pushkin House Book Prize 2025

Part-memoir, part-prison diary, and part political manifesto, Alexei Navalny's last word is a captivating read.
12 Min read

When Kitchens Became Factories in the Soviet Union

Soviet authorities had the idea of building enormous factory kitchens that would provide hot mid-day meals to the masses. How did it go? Not very well...
7 Min read

Remembering the War: Grigory Baklanov and a 'Life, Twice Given'

A story of the war that ended 80 years ago by someone who fought and by a miracle came home.
10 Min read
More Arts and Life

the new diaspora

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

3 Years Since Leaving Russia, Emigres Seek to Memorialize the Diaspora Experience

A new outcropping of projects seeks to give voice to a generation of Russians who have left their homeland, perhaps for good.
5 Min read

'Nothing Will Ever Be the Same': The Russians Returning Home After Years of Wartime Emigration

Their stories reveal the personal cost of war, the weight of leaving everything behind and the uneasy feeling of returning to a changed Russia.
6 Min read
More the new diaspora