Support The Moscow Times!
Contribute today

Prigozhin Met Putin in Person After Failed Mutiny, Kremlin Confirms

backroom talks Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wagner commanders who met with Putin were ready to "continue fighting for the motherland."  
2 Min read

Leftist Activist, Kremlin Critic Flees Russia After University Firing

Mikhail Lobanov told the Moscow Times that the "opportunity to continue creative political activity" inside Russia had been "temporarily exhausted."
2 Min read

Russian Army Chief Makes First Post-Mutiny Appearance Amid Rumors of Dismissal

The video showing Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov was released just days after Russian military bloggers claimed he had been dismissed.
2 Min read
off the ballot

Russia’s First Transgender Politician Says Won't Seek Election as Country Votes on Sex Change Ban

“[Municipal deputies] told me: ’How can we publicly support a transgender person if the State Duma prohibits transgender people in Russia?” Yulia...
2 Min read
Elizabeth Tsurkov

Moscow Unaware of Missing Israeli Academic’s Russian Citizenship

“I don’t know whether she is really a Russian citizen or not, where she came from and whether she entered Iraq or not,” the Russian ambassador in...
2 Min read
In depth

'Half Patriot, Half Traitor': Wagner Fighters Reflect on Botched Rebellion With Resentment, Uncertainty

Current and former Wagner mercenaries interviewed by The Moscow Times were mixed in their loyalty to Yevgeny Prigozhin following his mutiny.
4 Min read
'difficult' area

Chechen Leader’s Special Forces Deployed in Ukraine’s Bakhmut

Fighting has picked up near Bakhmut in recent days despite Wagner mercenaries claiming to have captured the city in late May.
1 Min read
In depth

Evacuated Residents of War-Scarred Bakhmut Envision a Far-Off Return Home

Five hundred days into Russia’s invasion, the day when Bakhmut's population will be able to return looks increasingly distant.
5 Min read
humanitarian target

Russian Shelling Kills 4 at Ukraine Aid Point – Governor

The town of Orikhiv is near the frontline where Ukrainian forces last month were pushing to recapture heavily fortified positions from Russian forces.
1 Min read

TMT Weekly Newsletter

Our editors take you through the biggest Russia stories as featured in The Moscow Times. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

opinion
Alexandra Talaver

'Weapons of the Weak': Why Does the Russian Opposition Need a Feminist Lens?

7 Min read
Abubakar Yangulbaev

Why Kadyrov Has Imprisoned My Mother

6 Min read
Mikhail Komin

Who Was Prigozhin Counting On to Back His Failed Mutiny?

6 Min read
In depth Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo

‘We Were Called In for a Meeting and Handed Weapons’: How the Russian Elites Survived the Prigozhin Rebellion

9 Min read
Ilya Yashin

Jailed Anti-War Politician Yashin Responds to Czech President's Call to Monitor Russian Exiles

3 Min read

Editor's Pick

In depth

Russians Appeared to Welcome Wagner Rebels With Open Arms. The Truth Is More Complex.

Local residents and analysts said much of the support for Wagner and Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don was passive rather than active.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

In depth

Shaken By Mutiny, Kremlin Goes Into PR Crisis Control

With eight months to go until the 2024 presidential election, the Kremlin is seeking to convince the nation that nothing significant happened.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

In depth

Wagner Mutiny Stirs Panic, Uncertainty and Hope for Change in Russia’s Ethnic Republics

Far from Moscow, authorities in regions like the republics of Sakha, Tatarstan and Buryatia demurred and focused on events at home.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

In depth

Wagner Head Prigozhin’s Past Life as a Children’s Author and Illustrator

Almost 20 years ago, the Wagner leader penned a playful children’s story with his son and daughter.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

'this is not over'

Anxiety, Frustration and Hope for Change: Muscovites React to Wagner Mutiny

Despite officials' efforts to portray a return to normalcy after the rebellion, some Moscow residents expressed continued fears for their safety.
3 Min read

Editor's Pick

In depth

Prigozhin's Hometown St. Petersburg Mixed on Mercenary Chief's Armed Rebellion

Many in St. Petersburg seemed to share Prigozhin’s criticism of the Defense Ministry — but also warned that Wagner’s leader had gone too far.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

In depth

Ideology, Money or Freedom? Why Fighters from the Global South Join Russia’s Army in Ukraine

Tanzanian, Uzbek, Tajik, and Zambian nationals are just some of those known to have fought for Russia in Ukraine.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

In depth

Prigozhin's Insurrection Creates Headaches for Russia-China Alliance, Experts Say

China will see the rebellion — and Putin’s failure to keep the mercenary boss in check — as a sign of Russian "incompetence."
4 Min read

Photos and Videos

western target

In Photos: Lviv Reels from Fatal Russian Strike

beer, basins, bruises

In Photos: Moscow State Technical University Sends Off Graduates in Soviet Tradition

religious holiday

In Photos: Muslims in Russia Celebrate Eid al-Adha

In depth
tarnished reputation

'Half Patriot, Half Traitor': Wagner Fighters Reflect on Botched Rebellion With Resentment, Uncertainty

Current and former Wagner mercenaries interviewed by The Moscow Times were mixed in their loyalty to Yevgeny Prigozhin following his mutiny.
4 Min read
uncertain future

Evacuated Residents of War-Scarred Bakhmut Envision a Far-Off Return Home

Five hundred days into Russia’s invasion, the day when Bakhmut's population will be able to return looks increasingly distant.
5 Min read
Deepening rift

Standing By or Choosing Sides: Wagner Mutiny Deepens Divides in Russian Opposition

Russia's opposition was divided on whether they should lend their support to the mutiny, which threatened the Kremlin's grip on power.
4 Min read
passive approval

Russians Appeared to Welcome Wagner Rebels With Open Arms. The Truth Is More Complex.

Local residents and analysts said much of the support for Wagner and Prigozhin in Rostov-on-Don was passive rather than active.
4 Min read
faraway feud

Wagner Mutiny Stirs Panic, Uncertainty and Hope for Change in Russia’s Ethnic Republics

Far from Moscow, authorities in regions like the republics of Sakha, Tatarstan and Buryatia demurred and focused on events at home.
4 Min read
More in depth

Business
currency crunch

Ruble Sinks Further Amid Mutiny Fallout

Russia’s Central Bank said Thursday that the ruble’s weakening was brought on by falling export proceeds.
2 Min read
spinoff delay

Raiffeisen Bank Hopes War Ends 'Soon' to Avoid Costly Russia Exit – Reuters

Vienna privately thinks restoring long-standing relations with Russia while publicly supporting Kyiv during Moscow’s 16-month invasion will still be...
2 Min read
barrel trimming

Russia to Cut Oil Exports in August

Moscow's announcement of a voluntary oil export cut by 500,000 barrels per day builds on production cuts announced earlier this year.
1 Min read
More business

arts and life
weekend kitchen

Enchanting Chanterelles

An easy, delicious recipe for a mushroom dish fit for an empress.
6 Min read
the word's worth

Spitting, Eating Your Teeth and Other Weird Gestures

When a person eats his teeth, is that bad or good? Or even possible?
5 Min read
in their own words

Jailed Russian Theater Director Speaks Out in Bid to End Pre-Trial Detention

Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk are charged with justifying terrorism for their play about Russian women who marry ISIS fighters...
6 Min read
More Arts and Life

the new diaspora
legal cooperation

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to Share Data with Moscow on Anti-War Russians, Conscripts

The agreement raises questions over the safety of Russian nationals who sought refuge in the two Central Asian states after the invasion of Ukraine.
2 Min read
signs of friction

Moscow Ally Kyrgyzstan Sours on Russian Anti-War Emigres

A spate of canceled concerts by Russian anti-war performers and arrests of anti-war activists reflect Bishkek's continued deference to Moscow.
3 Min read
home away from home

Russian Theater Escapes Repression at Home for Revival in Israel

Fulcro joins the list of Israeli theaters formed by and with artists from Russia in past decades.
4 Min read
More the new diaspora