In Photos: The Images That Defined Russia in 2025
Russia in 2025 was defined by extremes of weather, war and political control as well as by moments of uneasy normality.
In the fourth year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war remained ever-present, from damaged border towns and muted protests to tightened mobilization rules and recurring disruptions to everyday life.
At the same time, the Kremlin leaned heavily on history and spectacle, staging vast Victory Day commemorations and reviving Cold War-era international cultural events after Russia’s isolation from much of the West.
While Donald Trump’s return to the White House raised hopes for a U.S.-Russia rapprochement, peace in Ukraine remains nearly as elusive as it was a year ago.
These photos capture the defining moments of 2025 in Russia:
In the fourth year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war remained ever-present, from damaged border towns and muted protests to tightened mobilization rules and recurring disruptions to everyday life.
At the same time, the Kremlin leaned heavily on history and spectacle, staging vast Victory Day commemorations and reviving Cold War-era international cultural events after Russia’s isolation from much of the West.
While Donald Trump’s return to the White House raised hopes for a U.S.-Russia rapprochement, peace in Ukraine remains nearly as elusive as it was a year ago.
These photos capture the defining moments of 2025 in Russia:
JANUARY
January 2025 became the warmest on record in Moscow in 245 years. The city’s snow cover completely disappeared on Jan. 19.
Maxim Shipenkov / EPA / TASS
FEBRUARY
Supporters of late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny pay tribute on the first anniversary of his death at Moscow’s Borisovskoye Cemetery, Feb. 16. In this photo, Navalny’s parents, Anatoly (R) and Lyudmila (2nd R), stand by his grave.
Alexander Nemenov / AFP
FEBRUARY
Russians stage muted protests on the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Leningrad siege survivor Lyudmila Vasilyeva holds a rare anti-war protest in St. Petersburg.
Leningrad siege survivor Lyudmila Vasilyeva holds a rare anti-war protest in St. Petersburg.
SOTAvision
MARCH
A serviceman rides a motorbike past a building damaged in combat in Sudzha, Kursk region.
Russia said on March 13 it had taken full control of Sudzha, a town seized by Ukrainian forces during their August 2024 cross-border offensive. The town had a pre-war population of about 5,000.
Russia said on March 13 it had taken full control of Sudzha, a town seized by Ukrainian forces during their August 2024 cross-border offensive. The town had a pre-war population of about 5,000.
Yegor Aleyev / TASS
APRIL
New cars stand parked outside a dealership selling Chinese brands near Moscow. More than 200 Chinese-brand dealerships closed in Russia between January and March amid falling sales.
Maxim Shipenkov / EPA / TASS
APRIL
Volgograd's airport is symbolically renamed to Stalingrad International Airport on April 30 in tribute to the city’s role in the bloodiest battle of World War II.
Dmitry Rogulin / TASS
MAY
Russia marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany with a large military parade on Red Square, May 9.
kremlin.ru
MAY
Wildfires burned across eastern Russia in May. Houses destroyed by fire stand in the village of Smolenka in the Zabaikalsky region.
vk.com/prokzabkray
JUNE
A train from North Korea arrives at Moscow's Yaroslavsky railway station. Passenger train service between Pyongyang and Moscow, one of the world’s longest passenger rail routes, resumed in June after a five-year suspension caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency
JUNE
AvtoVAZ unveils the Lada Azimut, the first crossover in the company’s history, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Kirill Kukhmar / TASS
JULY
Thousands of airline passengers across Russia had their travel plans thrown into chaos this summer, with hundreds of flights delayed or canceled due to the threat of drone attacks — while airlines themselves incurred massive financial losses.
Yuri Kochetkov / EPA / TASS
JULY
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded strikes Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, triggering tsunami waves.
Flooding is seen in Severo-Kurilsk on the Kuril Islands.
Flooding is seen in Severo-Kurilsk on the Kuril Islands.
Sakhalin regional administration
AUGUST
August 15: U.S. President Donald Trump greets Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia-U.S. summit in Anchorage, Alaska, Putin's first visit to a Western country since launching the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite the fanfare surrounding the summit, it did not result in the landmark peace deal that Trump had been hoping for.
Despite the fanfare surrounding the summit, it did not result in the landmark peace deal that Trump had been hoping for.
Daniel Torok / The White House
SEPTEMBER
Chinese tourists walk on Red Square after Russia introduces a one-year visa-free travel regime for Chinese citizens.
Sergei Savostyanov / TASS
SEPTEMBER
Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc celebrates winning Intervision 2025 in Moscow, Sept. 20.
Russia revived the Cold War-era international music contest after its suspension from Eurovision.
Russia revived the Cold War-era international music contest after its suspension from Eurovision.
Yuri Kochetkov / EPA / TASS
OCTOBER
Street singer Diana Loginova, known as Naoko, attends a court hearing after being sentenced to administrative arrest for performing songs by exiled anti-war musicians on the streets of St. Petersburg.
After spending a month in custody, Loginova and Stoptime guitarist Alexander Orlov fled Russia in November.
After spending a month in custody, Loginova and Stoptime guitarist Alexander Orlov fled Russia in November.
Olga Maltseva / AFP
NOVEMBER
Stoptime drummer Vladislav Leontyev seen waiting for the results of his appeal on Nov. 2.
By the time he was released on Nov. 10 after serving his second administrative sentence, this photo had gone viral on the Russian-speaking internet.
By the time he was released on Nov. 10 after serving his second administrative sentence, this photo had gone viral on the Russian-speaking internet.
SOTAvision
NOVEMBER
Conscripts stand at a military enlistment office. On Nov. 4, Putin signed a law moving the military toward a year-round conscription model starting next year while maintaining biannual call-up periods.
Vasily Kuzmichenok / Moskva News Agency
DECEMBER
A woman looks at her phone as fog hangs over the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Recurring cellular internet shutdowns have been a part of daily life in dozens of Russia’s regions for months as the government has cut mobile internet service for security reasons linked to the war in Ukraine.
Recurring cellular internet shutdowns have been a part of daily life in dozens of Russia’s regions for months as the government has cut mobile internet service for security reasons linked to the war in Ukraine.
Valentin Yegorshin / TASS
DECEMBER
Putin’s annual televised phone-in show and press conference is broadcast on a screen in the Russian capital, Dec. 19.
"Russia has achieved complete digital sovereignty," the screen reads.
"Russia has achieved complete digital sovereignty," the screen reads.
Alexander Gronsky / Instagram
DECEMBER
New Year’s decorations light up the Chistye Prudy metro station in Moscow.
Denis Voronin / Moskva News Agency
