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Trump Gives Russia 50 Days to Resolve Ukraine War

Trump threatened Moscow with massive new economic sanctions if it fails to end the war and laid out plans for new infusions of weaponry for Kyiv.  
3 Min read

‘My Homeland Is a Country Within a Country’: Avar Activist Zarema Gasanova

Feature The nurse-turned-Indigenous-activist discusses activism in exile, xenophobia against people from the Caucasus in Russia and Dagestan’s future.
5 Min read

Not Even a Putinist Minister's Suicide Could Unite Russia's Opposition

opinion From goulash gloating to performative righteousness, the response Russia's exiled opposition was empty and disjointed.
3 Min read

Russia-China Trade Falls 9% in First Half of 2025

The decline in trade comes after overall growth in Russia-China commerce slowed sharply in 2024, rising just 1.9% year-on-year.
1 Min read
opinion David Szakonyi

Why Russia's Last Independent Election Monitor Mattered to the World

Golos shone a light on the darkening world of Russia's sham elections. It shut down this week after years of attacks from the authorities.
5 Min read

Russian Airports to Begin Rollout of AI-Powered Security Systems

Security systems will start using technology developed by Ntechlab, a leading Russian facial recognition company under Western sanctions.
1 Min read

Military Court Jails Exiled Writer Boris Akunin 14 Years in Absentia

The popular writer was found guilty of justifying terrorism, facilitating terrorist activity and violating Russia’s “foreign agent” laws.
2 Min read

Russia’s Spy Agency Accuses NATO of Dragging Moldova Into Conflict

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed that the Western military alliance was turning Moldova into a “forward base” on its eastern flank.
2 Min read

Chechen Woman Who Fled Abusive Family Briefly Detained in Georgia, Activists Say

Laura Avtorkhanova had been living in a shelter in Tbilisi after escaping what activists described as an abusive and controlling household.
2 Min read
Russia labeled The Moscow Times an "undesirable organization." If you are in Russia or plan to travel there, it's still safe to read us - but you cannot share our articles on social media, link to them or quote them. Here's what else you need to know.

TMT Weekly Newsletter

Our editors take you through the biggest Russia stories as featured in The Moscow Times. Preview
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Stories of Political Prisoners

A Russian Photographer Shared Public Info on Soviet Bunkers. He’s Now in Prison for Treason.
Belgorod Court Sentences Activist Who Helped Ukrainian Refugees to 22 Years in Prison
Shlosberg Placed Under House Arrest Pending Trial
'Find Joy in Everything': Election Monitor Grigory Melkonyants' Last Word in Court

opinion
Boris Bondarev

Not Even a Putinist Minister's Suicide Could Unite Russia's Opposition

3 Min read
David Szakonyi

Why Russia's Last Independent Election Monitor Mattered to the World

5 Min read
An Anonymous Writer in Russia

I'm Still Working as an Independent Journalist in Russia. Here's What It's Like.

6 Min read
Andras Toth-Czifra

Starovoit’s Apparent Suicide Could Shock the Kremlin’s System

5 Min read
Ksenia Turkova

Putin Redefined ‘Patriotism.’ Now Trump Is Doing the Same.

4 Min read

Editor's Pick

News Analysis

Flight Disruptions and Internet Outages Bring Chaos to Russia’s Regions

Russia’s centralization is not limited to politics and business. That’s what made this weekend such a disaster for many.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

Death by Falling: A Timeline of Cases Across Russia and Abroad

A growing number of officials, business executives and public figures have died under strange or violent circumstances since the invasion of Ukraine.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

No Way Home: The Exiled Russian Speakers Fighting Their Own War in Syria

After the fall of Assad, some rebel fighters from Russia's Muslim communities continue to speak out against imperialism and the war in Ukraine.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

From Plane Crash to Deadly Arrests: What’s Behind the Russia-Azerbaijan Standoff

The Moscow Times traces how relations between Russia and Azerbaijan devolved, and why they may get worse before they get better.
4 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

By Employing Putin’s Alleged Daughter, Paris Gallery Sparks Debate Over Collective Responsibility

The news raises questions over safety risks for Russian artists in exile and ethical risks for Ukrainian artists. But the gallery defends its choice.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

‘A Turning Point That Never Happened’: Eyewitnesses Recall the Wagner Mercenary Mutiny 2 Years Later

An ex-employee of Prigozhin’s “troll factory,” a graduate student who was near the fighting and a soldier shared their memories.
6 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

A Russian Photographer Shared Public Info on Soviet Bunkers. He’s Now in Prison for Treason.

Grigory Skvortsov, a photographer from Perm known for his striking images of industrial landscapes, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
3 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

Crime and Punishment: An Ex-Wagner Mercenary Recounts Russia’s Suicide Warfare in Ukraine

After surviving a suicide assault and sustaining severe shrapnel wounds, Alexander Platov shared his story with The Moscow Times.
7 Min read

Women Against the Kremlin

‘My Homeland Is a Country Within a Country’: Avar Activist Zarema Gasanova
Fatima Suleymanova: 'Europeans Have Far More in Common With Chechens Than With Russians'
Exiled Artist and Activist Leda Garina: ‘We Must Stop Believing in the Myth of Greatness’
‘We Need to Recognize Russia’s Colonial Violence’: Buryat Illustrator Seseg Jigjitova

Photos and Videos

In Photos: Promoting a ‘Multipolar’ World at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

In Photos: Russia's Muslims Mark Eid al-Adha

On This Day in 1995, a Devastating Earthquake Struck Sakhalin

Features

‘My Homeland Is a Country Within a Country’: Avar Activist Zarema Gasanova

The nurse-turned-Indigenous-activist discusses activism in exile, xenophobia against people from the Caucasus in Russia and Dagestan’s future.
5 Min read

‘We Are Being Held Without Protection’: North Caucasus Women Decry Dire Conditions in Kurdish-Run Syrian Camps

Wives, sisters and children of ISIS fighters, many of whom hail from Russia's North Caucasus, have been held in detention camps for years.
6 Min read

No Way Home: The Exiled Russian Speakers Fighting Their Own War in Syria

After the fall of Assad, some rebel fighters from Russia's Muslim communities continue to speak out against imperialism and the war in Ukraine.
5 Min read

Mariupol Children Undergo Pro-Russian Indoctrination at St. Petersburg ‘Wellness Camps’

Billed as health and wellness retreats, the camps teach children to develop respect and love for the country that occupies their home city.
5 Min read

‘A Turning Point That Never Happened’: Eyewitnesses Recall the Wagner Mercenary Mutiny 2 Years Later

An ex-employee of Prigozhin’s “troll factory,” a graduate student who was near the fighting and a soldier shared their memories.
6 Min read
More features

climate

Major Fires in Siberia, Far East Mark Ominous Start to Russia’s 2025 Wildfire Season

Experts agree that Russian authorities — like in previous years — remain ill-prepared for the 2025 wildfire season.
4 Min read

As Russia’s Regions Battle Floods, Local Officials Hide Real Damage and Pray to God

As peak flooding season hits regions across the Urals and Siberia, regional officials appear ill-prepared to manage such disasters.
3 Min read

Warm Temperatures Bring Ice Melt and Flooding to Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region

Rescuers evacuated 70 residents, including 20 children, in the city of Asha, around 260 kilometers from the Kazakh border.
1 Min read
More climate

Business

Russian Aircraft Industry Struggles to Replace Western Parts, Executive Says

Despite official promises to reduce dependence on Western suppliers, the country remains far from achieving meaningful production independence.
2 Min read

1 in 3 Russians Report Transfer Blocks Under New Central Bank Rules, Survey Finds

The measures, which went into effect on May 15, give banks the authority to limit transfers and block cards in cases of suspected fraud.
2 Min read

Abramovich Faces London Lawsuit Over Norilsk Nickel Asset Deal

The move escalates an already complex and acrimonious legal battle that has raged for more than 15 years.
2 Min read
More business

arts and life

Moscow Theatre Director Questioned in Large-Scale Embezzlement Probe

The investigation centers on alleged financial misconduct during the restoration of the Gorky Moscow Art Theatre’s stage.
2 Min read

Actor Yefremov to Join Pro-Kremlin Director Mikhalkov’s Theater Troupe After Parole Release

Mikhail Yefremov was convicted in 2020 of killing a delivery driver in a head-on collision while driving intoxicated in central Moscow.
1 Min read

Benjamin Nathans' 'To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause' Awarded 2025 Pushkin House Book Prize

"Patriot" by Alexei Navalny and translated by Arch Tait and Stephen Dalziel was given a special recognition award.
2 Min read
More Arts and Life

the new diaspora

Russia Targets Emigres in Kazakhstan With Back Tax Demands

Thousands of Russians relocated to Kazakhstan and other neighboring countries in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine.
2 Min read

Russians Report Nighttime Police Raids in Azerbaijan as Tensions Flare

Russia’s Embassy in Baku previously said it had received “many” complaints from Russian citizens about document checks over the past 24 hours.
2 Min read

Exiled Artist and Activist Leda Garina: ‘We Must Stop Believing in the Myth of Greatness’

The founder of the feminist cultural project Eve’s Ribs challenges authoritarianism, patriarchy and war through her work.
6 Min read
More the new diaspora