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Articles by Pjotr Sauer
TURBULENT FLIGHT
Navalny Plane Diversion Was 'Reckless,' Says Pilot of Another Hindered Flight
The pilot of a separate plane that had its landing delayed told The Moscow Times fuel ran low.
opinion
Pjotr Sauer
Foreign Policy Experts Map Russia’s Plans for 2021
We asked 10 experts to predict what Russia has in store for the world next year.
COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE
‘Gross Violation’: In Open Letter, Russian Scientists Criticize Lack of Vaccine Data
Russia has launched mass Sputnik V vaccinations. But concerns over weak data and cut corners continue to mount.
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.
DIGGING UP THE PAST
Russia Summons Veterans to Help Drive Its New Nazi War Crime Investigations
Research is extending beyond the archives in probes observers say reflect a newfound interest in World War II and how the world remembers it.
LONG READ
Is the WHO Too Soft on Russia?
Critics fear Russia is using the WHO’s structural weaknesses to validate its coronavirus approach.
CRY FOR HELP?
'Uighur Jail' Note Found in St. Petersburg Shoe Alarms Human Right Experts
In the wake of reports implicating the fashion industry in use of forced labor activists say “burden of proof” lies with The North Face brand.
SOVIET LEGACY
A Russian Town Gets Rid of Its Lenin Street and Emotions Run High
Tarusa’s decision to rename streets honoring communist leaders has exposed Russia’s complicated relationship with its past.
RISING TENSIONS
Shock and Fear Grips Chechens in France After Teacher’s Beheading by 'One of Our Own'
Chechen emigres are worried the killing will lead to stigmatization, or worse, deportation back to Chechnya.
Second Wave
‘We’re in Hell’: Russia’s Second Wave of Covid-19 Is Catching the Regions Off Guard
Medics in hospitals across Russia voiced frustration that authorities failed to use the summer respite to prepare for a second coronavirus wave.
Very Good Boys
Russia Recruits Rare Dogs to Sniff Out Coronavirus as Second Wave Tightens Grip
Breeders believe Shalaika canine-jackal crossbreeds have a unique sense of smell that can detect illness in humans.
PATRIOTIC FERVOR
‘I Want to Join the Final Battle.’ Armenians in Russia Flock to Karabakh
Members of the diaspora are desperate to join the fight, regardless of experience.
NO END IN SIGHT
‘We’re Out of Beds’: Russia’s Resurgent Coronavirus Outbreak Is Approaching First Peak
Moscow has readied additional hospitals for Covid-19 patients after the Russian capital reached capacity last week.
ESCAPE FROM BELARUS
‘A Bag of Snickers to Survive in the Forest.’ Lukashenko Critic’s Unlikely Journey From Belarus to Poland
Andrei Ostapovich says he had to flee after speaking out against the Belarusian president.
Strange Patterns
Leading Scientists Question 'Highly Improbable' Russian Vaccine Results Published in Lancet
“It’s like if you throw a dice and you get exactly the same sequence of numbers several times.”
VIRUS OUTBREAK
The Coronavirus Is Crippling Baikonur, the City That Sends Humans Into Space
Covid-19 came late to the Kazakh city rented by Russia. It now threatens to overrun the vital spaceport.
RESURGENT PANDEMIC
As Russians Went to the Polls to Extend Putin’s Rule, Yekaterinburg’s Hospitals Were Overflowing
Doctors in Russia’s fourth largest city told The Moscow Times they are treating coronavirus patients in hallways as more keep arriving.
OBLIGATORY PARTICIPATION
Coronavirus Frontline Doctors Ordered to Vote on Changes Allowing Putin to Stay in Power
“This isn’t right. We shouldn’t be told what to do after all we have done.”
UNRELENTING CRISIS
Coronavirus Is Just Getting Started in Some Russian Regions. Their WWII Parades Are Going Ahead.
Meanwhile, 20 cities have canceled or delayed the June 24 parades because of the pandemic.
GUINEA PIGS
Russia to Start Testing Coronavirus Vaccine on Paid Participants – Head of Study
Participants who complete the trial will be paid 100,000 rubles ($1,450).
CONTENTIOUS DRUG
As Russian Officials Back Hydroxychloroquine, Doctors Take Matters Into Their Own Hands
Some experts suspect that the controversial anti-malaria medication causes higher death rates among coronavirus patients.
Siberian Jesus
For This Russian Messianic Cult, Coronavirus Isolation Is a ‘Blessing’
As the pandemic sows fear and uncertainty, some are looking to a Siberian mystic for answers.
FAULTY TECHNOLOGY
‘Our Equipment Is Dangerous’: Russian Doctors Expected Ventilators Tragedy
Russian-made ventilators sent to the U.S. last month have been blamed for hospital fires that killed six Russian coronavirus patients in recent days.
Excess Mortality
Moscow Sees 20% Surge in Mortality in April: Official Data
The data comes as Russia sees the fastest growth in coronavirus infections in Europe.
SHADES OF GRAY
Russia Is Boasting About Low Coronavirus Deaths. The Numbers Are Deceiving.
Increasing transparency by Russian officials shows that 233% more coronavirus-positive patients died in two regions than reported in the total count.
CORONAVIRUS DRAFT
Russia Is Coercing Medical Students Into Coronavirus Fight
Students told The Moscow Times they face academic repercussions if they reject a government order to work in coronavirus hospitals.
VIRUS HOTBEDS
Inside Russia’s Secretive Prisons as Coronavirus Takes Hold
Prisoners described an anxious state of affairs in jails across the country. Meanwhile, calls for amnesty have been ignored.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Exclusive: First Russian Doctor Treating Coronavirus Patients Dies From Virus, Medical Workers Say
A colleague told The Moscow Times that 64 of the Moscow hospital’s staff had tested positive last week.
SYSTEMIC CRISIS
Russia’s Healthcare System Faced Cuts for Years. Now Medical Students Are on the Coronavirus Frontlines.
In Moscow, medical students have been deployed to hospitals strained by the pandemic.
STRATEGIC ERRORS
Italian Doctors Warned Hospitals Are Coronavirus Vectors. One Russian Region Proves Their Point.
The sparsely populated northern Komi Republic is one of Russia’s coronavirus hotspots. Six of its hospitals are now under quarantine.
Perfect Storm
When Your Home Isn't a Safe Space. Russian Women Fear Rise in Domestic Violence as Coronavirus Quarantine Starts.
In a country plagued by domestic violence, being forced to stay at home with an abusive partner could be a living nightmare.
CORONAVIRUS CLASS DIVIDE
Exclusive: Rich Russians Are Hoarding Ventilators to Protect Themselves Against the Coronavirus
Meanwhile, doctors worry that Russia’s regions don’t have enough.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Russia Says It Has Very Few Coronavirus Cases. The Numbers Don’t Tell the Full Story.
Experts say Russia’s testing procedures have been hampered by bureaucracy.
MH17 Trial
MH17 Trial Postponed as Prosecution Slams Russian 'Misinformation'
The defense team for one of the four suspects has asked for additional time.
MH17
MH17 Trial Begins With Emotion and Legal Technicalities
None of the murder suspects will be present for the hearings.
IN SEARCH OF JUSTICE
Everything You Need to Know About the MH17 Trial
At a highly secured court near Amsterdam, four men will be tried for the death of the 298 victims on the ill-fated flight.
CORONAVIRUS IN RUSSIA
Litany of Blunders: Treatment of Coronavirus Patient Highlights Russia’s Shortcomings
David Berov is the first known Russian national to test positive for coronavirus while in the country. He told The Moscow Times his story.
WHITE BEAUTY
How North Korea’s Leader Buys Purebred White Horses From Russia’s Stud Farms
The Moscow Times spoke to horse breeders and agents who have sold many of Russia’s famous Orlov Trotters and a Welsh pony to Kim Jong-Un.
Great Escape
Russians Escape Coronavirus Quarantine ‘Cages’
Three patients have fled clinics. It’s not clear if their actions were illegal.
STRATEGIC PLAYER
How Mishustin Rose to the Top: Old Ties, Savvy and a Knack for Systems
Vladimir Putin shocked the world when he named a little-known tax chief his number two. We delve into the new Russian prime minister’s background.
2020 LOOK AHEAD
Foreign Policy Experts Map Russia’s Plans for 2020
We ask seven experts to predict what Russia has in store for the world next year.
Concentration Camps
Uighur Twins’ Asylum Plea Rejected as Deportation to China Looms
The brothers fear they will be placed in a concentration camp for Muslim minorities.
Growing Pains
In Push for Africa, Russia's Wagner Mercenaries Are 'Out of Their Depth' in Mozambique
The secretive Kremlin-linked group is growing in scope and ambition, winning contracts normally reserved for local security firms.
CLIMATE CRISIS
11,000 Scientists Warn of ‘Untold Suffering’ From Climate Change. Only 4 of Them Are Russian.
The Moscow Times spoke to one of the Russian scientists about his reasons for signing the open letter and his fears for the future.
Wagner Group
7 Kremlin-Linked Mercenaries Killed in Mozambique in October — Military Sources
Army sources told The Moscow Times about two separate incidents involving ambushes by Islamic State-linked insurgents.
RE-EDUCATION CAMPS
‘If They Send Us Back to China We Will Die’: Uighur Brothers Fight Deportation From Russia
Twins seeking refugee status are desperate to avoid the fate of a friend, who tells of his time in a re-education camp in China for the first time.
concerned clergy
Russian Priest Who Signed Open Letter in Support of Protesters Says 'Government Threats' Not the Answer
"A state devoid of justice is no better than a band of robbers."
No return
Russian Billionaire Car Dealer Doesn’t Fear Extradition From Austria
Sergei Petrov faces charges in Russia of illegally transferring money from the country.
Nuclear Fallout
Arkhangelsk Doctors Weren’t Warned About Radiation, Surgeon Confirms in First Public Account
“My colleagues found themselves in front of the victims with jack s***, not even a respirator," the surgeon said.
radioactive anger
Exclusive: Russian Doctors Say They Weren’t Warned Patients Were Nuclear Accident Victims
One doctor was reportedly later found to have a radioactive isotope in their muscle tissue.
'mass unrest'
A Student Arrest Puts Elite Moscow University to the Test
The Higher School of Economics, a bastion of free thinking since the 1990s, has become caught up in the opposition protest movement.
LGBT fears
Russian LGBT Activists Fear More Violence After Brutal Murder of Campaigner
Human rights groups fear Yelena Grigoriyeva's killing will “normalize” violence against sexual minorities in the country.
Marathon Man
Putin’s Annual Marathon Phone-In Will Focus His Attention Homeward
Protests, pensions and poverty will overshadow geopolitics during Putin's annual live call-in show Thursday.
Article 228
A Change in Russia’s Draconian Drug Laws Could Be on the Horizon
The fiasco surrounding the case of investigative journalist Ivan Golunov is bringing the country’s controversial Article 228 into the spotlight.
Golunov's Arrest
Why Russia’s Leading Papers Joined Forces In Solidarity With Arrested Journalist
The Moscow Times spoke with the editors of Vedomosti, RBC and Kommersant about their historic headline.
Leaving Afghanistan
Director of ‘Unpatriotic’ Movie Says Russia Not Ready for Truth About War
As the country prepares for its annual Victory Day parade, a movie on the Soviet war in Afghanistan is raising uncomfortable questions.
Pussy riot
Back In Moscow, Pyotr Verzilov Continues to Search for Answers
Six months after surviving an apparent poison attack, the activist is undeterred.
Vodkagate
'No Idea,' Says Russian Vodka Boss Whose Supply Was Bound for North Korea
There were suspicions the cargo was destined for Kim Jong Un and 'leaders of his armed forces.'
opinion
Pjotr Sauer
Rich Russians and Tax Havens: The Moscow Times Sits Down With Oliver Bullough
Oliver Bullough is a journalist and the author of the acclaimed book ‘Moneyland.’
news
10 Russian Women to Watch
We've lined up ten upcoming stars in music, business and politics.
Espionage
The Unsung Reporters Who Challenged the Kremlin’s Skripal Story
Journalists under the Kremlin’s gaze are reminding readers they still have some fight left.
Espionage
Exclusive: Russian Man Identified in Dutch Hacking Probe Played in 'Spy Football Team' — Source
“Our team is known as the ‘security services’ team,’” Yershkov said. “Almost everyone works for an intelligence agency.”
Economy
More Than 150 Russian Sailors Have Been Stranded in Ports Worldwide
Over 150 Russian sailors have been stranded in port cities across the world in alarming conditions.