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Articles by Felix Light
‘GET VACCINATED’
Will Russia’s Belated Promotion of Sputnik V at Home Sway a Doubting Public?
The vaccine has met with a cool reception and muted promotion among skeptical Russians, despite international fanfare.
UNIQUE RISKS
Navalny Hunger Strike a Dangerous Step After Poisoning, Allies Fear
The jailed Kremlin critic is refusing food until prison authorities allow his doctor to treat crippling back and leg pain.
WANING TOLERANCE
Facing Heightened Threats, Russia’s Main Independent Paper Contemplates a Bleak Future
The latest attack on Novaya Gazeta is making some of its editors wonder how long it can survive in the country.
STRATEGIC SHIFT
Kremlin Push Against Opposition Ramps Up Ahead of Fall Elections
With opposition leader Alexei Navalny in jail, authorities are doing their best to neutralize his Smart Voting scheme.
‘ONLY THE BEGINNING’
Is Russia’s Twitter Clampdown a Harbinger of Wider Restrictions?
Activists fear Chinese-style censorship of foreign social networks could be on the horizon.
INTERNAL EXILE
Left Out in the Cold for Decades, Russia’s ‘Gulag Children’ Battle to Return Home
Russians born in Stalin’s camps are still fighting for compensation the law says they are entitled to.
‘IRON FELIX’
A Vote on Restoring a Secret Police Chief’s Statue Opens Old Wounds in Russia
Three decades after anti-communist protesters toppled the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky outside the KGB’s headquarters, it could be set to return.
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Looming Supply Glut of Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine Could Pave Way for Exports
Pharmaceutical industry experts told The Moscow Times that manufacturers are set to overshoot targets while Russians remain indifferent to the jab.
TWO HALVES
Russia’s Communists Are Split Over Support for Navalny
The opposition activist’s jailing is upsetting the balance between the party’s pro-Kremlin leadership and radical grassroots membership.
MASS CRACKDOWN
As Moscow’s Jails Overflow, Navalny Detainees Are Held Outside the City
Friends and relatives of people arrested at rallies in support of the opposition leader are queuing with care packages in the village of Sakharovo.
HARSH SENTENCE
Poisoned Putin Critic Navalny Gets Almost 3 Years in Prison Colony
The opposition leader was convicted of violating a 2014 suspended sentence for fraud while he was recovering in Germany.
IDEOLOGICAL JOURNEY
True Beliefs and Opportunism: Navalny’s Tangled Political Development
While Russia’s opposition leader has veered from liberalism to nationalism and populism, his core values center on anti-corruption.
SPUTNIK V
From Skepticism to Relief: Why I Got the Russian Vaccine
“I sank into a strange, semi-feverish state.”
Wave of unrest
Protests for Jailed Kremlin Critic Navalny Sweep Russia
Police clash with demonstrators in major cities and detain thousands.
NEWS ANALYSIS
‘A Step Into the Unknown’: Russians’ Relationship With Jailed Navalny Is Complicated
As the opposition activist calls for protests, polls show his support is small but growing.
WANING TOLERANCE
Could Navalny’s Detention Derail His Movement?
Some analysts believe the opposition figure’s arrest could lead to a broader crackdown on his supporters.
FRAUGHT RETURN
Russia Detains Poisoned Kremlin Critic Navalny on Return to Home Soil
The opposition leader has spent months in Germany recovering from an attack with a poison Western experts concluded was Novichok.
NOT JUST A PLACEHOLDER
A Year After Shock Appointment, Russian Prime Minister Mishustin’s Star is Rising
Some experts are predicting that the well-connected technocrat might be destined for a long career at the summit of Russian politics.
SUDDEN DEPARTURE
Resignation of Yakutsk’s First Female Mayor Raises Questions About Russia’s Ruling Party
Some experts believe Sardana Avksentiyeva was forced out by a Kremlin keen to clear the field ahead of Duma elections.
“WAGING WAR”
The Kremlin Tightens the Screws on Public Dissent
Russia has cemented sweeping new restrictions on political protests, social media and “foreign agents.”
2021 LOOK AHEAD
Russia in 2021: Looming Elections Dominate the Domestic Scene
The vote to elect deputies for Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, must be held by September.
2021 LOOK AHEAD
Russia in 2021: As Climate Crisis Rages, Scientists Fear the Worst Is Yet to Come
The world’s largest country faces an accelerating emergency as warming weather sparks more environmental disasters.
POLITICAL PROFILE
A Feminist Pro-Kremlin Lawmaker Who Supports LGBT Rights
Oksana Pushkina tells The Moscow Times her views aren’t oppositional — they’re just common sense.
‘NOT A BELIEVER’
Vaccine Fears Slow Moscow’s Sputnik V Rollout
Initial numbers indicate that as few as 14 people per clinic per day are receiving the vaccine.
LACK OF TRUST
As Russia Begins Mass Coronavirus Vaccination, Its Medics Aren't On Board
Skepticism among the medical community will make a nationwide Sputnik V push difficult.
'DARK FORCES'
QAnon Gains Traction in Russia
The coronavirus pandemic has boosted the popularity of the pro-Trump viral conspiracy theory.
IVANOVO DISPATCH
In a Poor Russian City, Coronavirus Hits Hard
The pandemic has combined with poverty to push Ivanovo’s healthcare system to its breaking point.
geopolitical crossroads
5 Things You Need to Know About Moldova’s Presidential Elections
Former prime minister Maia Sandu's unexpected victory could push the ex-Soviet eastern European nation further away from Moscow’s orbit.
CONSPIRACY UPON CONSPIRACY
Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Flourish in Russia’s Republic of North Ossetia
The fringe Soviet Citizens movement has co-opted the pandemic for its agenda.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Coronavirus Hits Hard in Russia’s Volatile Republic of Ingushetia
Poverty and political unrest are making a bad situation worse in the tiny North Caucasian region.
TRACKING CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus Outbreak Is Major Test for Russia’s Facial Recognition Network
Russia wants to follow China’s example in combating the virus with technology, but its systems are embryonic.
Watching you
Russia Is Building One of the World’s Largest Facial Recognition Networks
According to some projections, it may even be bigger than China’s 200 million camera system.