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News Analysis Samantha Berkhead and Pyotr Kozlov

Why the Families of Russia’s Regional Elites Still Covet Life in the West

Putin's alleged daughter living in France is far from the only example.

‘Boris Godunov’: Kirill Serebrennikov’s Titanic Indictment of the Russia He Loves

The exiled director reinterprets a 19th-century opera to craft a towering allegory of modern Russia for the ages.

‘Parade of Pariahs’: On 80th WWII Victory Anniversary, Kremlin Will Flaunt Foreign Guests and Project a Win in Ukraine

The Kremlin plans to draw parallels between the defeat of Nazi Germany and Moscow's current war on Ukraine during Friday's spectacle, experts told MT.

Exiled Electronic Duo AIGEL Crashes the Dancefloor With ‘Killer Qız’

On their first album in five years, AIGEL channels exile, existential reckoning and rebirth into a club-ready soundscape.

Alla Gutnikova: ‘Dictatorships End, Walls Fall and Prisons Burn’

The ex-DOXA editor discusses resistance, repression and her difficult journey to freedom.

Freed U.S.-Russian Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva: ‘Our Work Right Now Is to Be a Witness to History’

Kurmasheva spoke to MT about her experience in prison, the prisoner swap, life since being released and her work to support her imprisoned colleagues.

In ‘No Nation Without Culture,’ Vladlena Sandu Reckons With Chechnya’s Lost Identity

The theatre and film director discusses the erasure of Chechen culture and identity under Russian rule, life under a totalitarian regime and ending the...

‘If You Talk, You’ll Go in a Bag’: Freed Russian Political Prisoners Recount Harrowing, Surprising Prison Swap

Prisoners’ friends and relatives have recounted the uncertain, frightening time before their release in one of the largest and most complex prisoner...

The Revolutionary Rage of Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova

For the opening of her debut solo exhibition, the Pussy Riot founder discusses feminine rage, spirituality and Russia’s post-Putin future.

Outrage in Amsterdam as Russian TV Celebrities Take the Stage

Vladimir Pozner and Ivan Urgant's live show in Amsterdam took place amid a vocal protest against the platforming of Russian "propagandists."

‘There Will Be No Beautiful Russia of the Future Unless We Take Responsibility’: Activist Anastasia Shevchenko

The exiled civil activist sees it as her mission to speak to Russians across the political spectrum and win over as many minds as she can.

‘A Very Grim Milestone’: Evan Gershkovich Marks 1 Year in Russian Jail

The American reporter's family and friends say they are holding on to hope that he will be released from Russia.

Navalny Allies Stage Global Anti-Putin Protests on Poisoning Anniversary

Inside Russia, where protest activity is tightly controlled, single-person demonstrations were seen in several cities.

Prigozhin Charged With 'Inciting Armed Revolt' After Vowing to Stop 'Evil' Military Leadership

The Wagner mercenary group leader now faces 12 to 20 years in prison.

In ‘The Dmitriev Affair,’ Gulag Historian’s Persecution Is a Microcosm of Putin’s Russia

Dutch documentary filmmaker Jessica Gorter followed Dmitriev from the taiga to the courtroom.

In ‘Places of Tenderness and Heat,' Olga Petri Maps the Queer History of Late Imperial St. Petersburg

Olga Petri's book has been shortlisted for the 2023 Pushkin House Book Prize.

‘We F***ed Up’: Shock But No Panic in Belgorod as Border Incursion Brings War Home

Local residents told The Moscow Times that the attack was met with a mixture of shock, anger and indifference.

Russian Confectioner Fined for Anti-War Cakes Vows to Keep Baking

If convicted a second time under draconian wartime censorship laws, Anastasia Chernysheva could be sent to prison for up to seven years.

opinion Samantha Berkhead

The Evan Gershkovich I Know

As more details emerged of my former colleague’s arrest, the more it felt like a bad dream.

Thousands in Georgia Rally in Ukraine’s Support on Invasion Anniversary

Some 30,000 demonstrators gathered in Tbilisi, where thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have fled over the past year.

Putin Vows to Fight On in Wartime State-of-the-Nation Address

The Russian president relied on familiar talking points as he pledged no let up in Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Ailing Navalny Ordered to 6 Months in Punishment Cell

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been ordered to spend six months in a designated punishment cell, he said Wednesday as his supporters expressed...

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...

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...

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Moscow Getaway to Nikola-Lenivets Art Park

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

Russian Women Rally Behind Feminist ‘Political Prisoner’

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

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.

‘Kinky Russia’ Throws Zoom Orgies to Overcome Coronavirus Quarantine

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

Russia's Funeral Industry Moves Online to Cope With Coronavirus

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Opening Eyes to Sightless Life in Moscow

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

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.