The Moscow Times

Support The Moscow Times!

Contribute today

Choices Narrow in Russian Bookstores Amid Anti-LGBT Law, Wartime Restrictions

Ordinary Russians are unable to access an increasingly broad range of literature as bookshops and libraries pull titles from their shelves amid a wartime...

home away from home

Russian Emigres in Armenia Fuel Flourishing Food, Creative Scenes

YEREVAN, Armenia — Nearly every hand in the packed auditorium went up when the moderator asked who had arrived in this South Caucasus nation after...

Putin Declares Russia's Annexation of Occupied Ukraine, Lashes Out at West

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on the annexation of four partially occupied Ukrainian regions Friday in a major escalation of Moscow&rsquo...

back to the occult

Esoterics See Resurgence in Russia Amid War, Pandemic

“The level of chaos has increased,” said tarologist Yelena Alexeeva. “When you can’t rely on the familiar, you look for support everywhere.”

'Klimat’: A Look at Russia’s Looming Climate Reckoning

What will happen to a country where the temperature is rising 2.5 times faster than in the rest of the world?

stitch by stitch

Artists Map Russia’s Regions in Folk Embroidery

Each region’s traditional embroidery style appears on the map made by 200 pairs of hands.

Westerners Who Stayed in Russia Find Home Transformed By War

Some Europeans and U.S. citizens living in Russia refused to leave despite an exodus following the invasion of Ukraine.

'russians against war'

Russian Rapper Oxxxymiron Stages Anti-War Rallying Cry From Istanbul

Hundreds of Russians who have fled the country since the start of the invasion attended the charity concert supporting Ukrainian refugees.

moment of truth

U.S., NATO Reject Russia’s Ukraine Demands, Offer ‘Diplomatic’ Path Forward

Both the U.S. and NATO said they were prepared for any scenario following their responses to Moscow's demands.

For Russian Women, 2021 Was a Year of Broken Promises

Russia still lacks legislation to protect women from domestic violence.

sphere of influence

Russia Issues Demands to Limit NATO’s Influence in Post-Soviet Space, Eastern Europe

Moscow asks NATO to end military activity in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and block future membership for ex-Soviet states.

seeking guarantees

Putin and Biden Hold Virtual Summit Amid Ukraine Invasion Fears

Although the Kremlin described the talks as "frank and businesslike," the leaders appear to have failed to reach a major compromise.

step toward progress

Vogue Russia Features First Plus-Size Cover Model

While some observers praised Vogue's cover, others slammed the magazine's choice of a conventionally beautiful, slim model.

Russia’s Blacklisting of Bard College Signals End of Key U.S.-Russia Cultural Exchange

The U.S. liberal arts college has been labeled “undesirable,” effectively banning its dual-degree program with St. Petersburg State University.

DANGER AND CHALLENGES

Israel’s Russian Community Faces Anxiety and Uncertainty as Renewed Conflict Rages

The Moscow Times spoke to some of those living amid the fighting.

WEEKEND PROFILE

The Nail Tech to LA’s Hottest Influencers Is From Small-Town Russia

Olesya Kondratyeva opened her first business in Tver and now manicures supermodel Kendall Jenner’s nails.

Branded Foreign Agents, Russia’s Domestic Violence Groups Fear for the Future

Activists say the crackdown is intensifying even as reports of abuse doubled with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

WOMEN’S DAY PROFILE

Russia’s First Female Train Driver Gets Behind the Wheel

Women are entering jobs that were off limits for decades after the Labor Ministry cut its list of banned occupations.

‘Love is stronger than fear’

Russian Women Form Human Chain Following Navalny Protest Crackdown

The Valentine’s Day symbol of solidarity was inspired by last summer’s women-led protests in Belarus.

In 2020, Russia’s Memes Went Worldwide

In Putin’s case, with great power comes great meme-ability.

weekend profile

A Tolstoy Descendant Returns to His Roots in Yasnaya Polyana

Ilya Tolstoy left a journalism career in the big city for his ancestor’s famous estate. Now his new apple business is bearing fruit.

MUSCOVITES REACT

Muscovites Talk About Coronavirus, Moscow’s QR Code System

The Moscow Times spoke to local Muscovites to see how they really feel about the coronavirus measures being taken in the nation's capital.

Practical Magic: How Russia’s Ancient Witchcraft Traditions Continue to Thrive

Halloween might not be celebrated here, but mysticism, witchcraft and superstitions play a big role in everyday Russian life.

Binational Couples Separated by Russia's Coronavirus Travel Bans Push for Change

Complicated visa rules and the lack of legal recognition for non-married couples make reuniting in Russia almost impossible.

insulted culture

A New Movie Transports Anastasia Romanov to 1980s America. Russians Aren’t Happy About It.

Russian viewers say “Anastasia: Once Upon a Time” mocks one of the most tragic episodes in their country’s history.

TRADITIONAL TIDE

A New Russian Law Could Ban Trans People From Officially Changing Their Gender

By aiming to enshrine a traditional understanding of family in the law, activists say Russia is marking LGBT people as second-class citizens.

'DAY OF KNOWLEDGE'

Russian Schools Reopen as Coronavirus Cases Climb

Authorities have released a set of safety guidelines for classrooms as the country is still registering nearly 5,000 new cases a day.

‘Citizen Countess’: Sofia Panina Led the Fight for Women's Rights

To honor women's suffrage, meet the first woman in the world to hold a ministerial post.

Fire and Brimstone: The Rise and Fall of Russia’s Coronavirus-Denying Rebel Priest

The Russian Orthodox Church is trying to remove defrocked, ultraconservative Father Sergei Romanov from a monastery he has taken over by force.

socially distanced excursion

Moscow Getaway to Nikola-Lenivets Art Park

It's like Russian Portlandia meets Midsommar — but so much more.

VAGINA MONOLOGUES

Russian Women Rally Behind Feminist ‘Political Prisoner’

Yulia Tsvetkova’s pornography case for body-positive drawings is sparking resistance across the country and beyond.

STIFLED IDENTITIES

Quarantined With Family, Russia’s LGBT Youth Face New Struggles

In a country where negative attitudes toward the LGBT community are rife, young people are forced to stay with unaccepting relatives.

EROTIC ISOLATION

‘Kinky Russia’ Throws Zoom Orgies to Overcome Coronavirus Quarantine

Russia’s sex party organizers are using video calling for more than work meetings.

VIRTUAL MOURNING

Russia's Funeral Industry Moves Online to Cope With Coronavirus

As the death toll from the virus rises undertakers are organizing live-streamed burials.

NOWHERE TO ISOLATE

Moscow’s Coronavirus Lockdown Leaves the Homeless Out in the Cold

The city’s 12 million residents have been ordered to stay inside as the coronavirus sweeps the city. Its thousands of homeless have nowhere to go.

Russia’s Orthodox Church Sticks to Its Traditions Despite Coronavirus Threat

As institutions across Russia close down to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Church sees closing its doors as a last resort.

Russian Women Are Ready to Reclaim Once-Forbidden Jobs

Women are training for professions that have been closed to them for decades.

Infected with love

Love in the Time of Coronavirus: Two Young Russians Start Dating in Quarantine

Inna and Daniil's hearts "started to beat faster at the sight of each other" in a clinic in Siberia after they were evacuated from China.

bloody valentine

Andrei Molodkin's Art Show 'Bloodline' Boldly Confronts the Language of Power

The show opens on St. Valentine's Day in Dublin.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Young People Take Back Soviet 'Kommunalkas'

Soviet Kommunalka apartments — each one housing several families — are still very much a thing in Russia's big cities.

‘IF HE BEATS YOU HE LOVES YOU’

Russia Faces Up to Its Dark Domestic Violence Problem

A rising chorus of outrage over high-profile domestic abuse cases signals a sea change in Russian society, but are lawmakers listening?

Moscow Feminists Protest for Domestic Violence Re-Criminalization

Hundreds called for an end to what they say is Russia's culture of impunity toward domestic abusers.

Alexander Lebedev's 'Hunt the Banker'

If you think you know the story of the last 25 years in Russia, think again, and read this book.

WEEKEND PROFILE

A Russian ‘Freegan’ Challenges Capitalism and Consumerism

As more Russians become aware of food waste, they’re putting on their gloves and heading to the dumpster.

one man's trash

What Can You Find in Moscow’s Trash?

While dumpster-diving is a well-known phenomenon throughout Western countries, in Russia this unusual activity has its own unique challenges.

canine community

How the Dogs of Chernobyl Found a Happy Ending

A U.S. charity is making sure the descendants of pets left behind after the world’s worst nuclear accident aren’t forgotten.

The Shape of Water in St. Petersburg

Claudio Koporossy’s exhibition captures the magic within Peterhof Palace’s fountains.

Doors of perception

Opening Eyes to Sightless Life in Moscow

Moscow’s first musical in the dark engages four out of five senses.

Once Upon a Time ... in Moscow

Tarantino ‘Shocked By Moscow’ in First Visit to Russia Since 2004

The director, in town to promote his new movie, went on a highly publicized Kremlin tour but stressed that he came to Moscow to see his fans.

Andrey Ivchenko’s Truly ‘Stranger Things’

The Soviet-born actor talks about playing an "evil Russian" on the Netflix hit.

'1983: The World At The Brink'

On this day 36 years ago, the world almost came to an end while you were sleeping.

A Glimpse Behind the Iron Curtain

As nostalgia for the Soviet Union swells, one project aims to show what life was like for ordinary citizens in the U.S.S.R.