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Macron Urges Ukraine Ceasefire in First Call With Putin Since 2022

The call marks their first known conversation since September 2022, several months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  
2 Min read

Azerbaijan Launches Murder Probe After Autopsy Finds Brothers Died From Beatings in Russian Police Custody

Prosecutors in Baku said an autopsy showed the two men died from severe blood loss and shock due to extensive physical trauma.
2 Min read

While the World Watched the Middle East, This Happened in Ukraine

opinion The situation has not been this dire since the early days of the full-scale invasion. But the difference is that Western resolve is far weaker.
5 Min read

Ex-Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison

A judge in Moscow also ordered the former defense official to pay a fine of $1.2 million and stripped him of his state awards.
2 Min read

Ukrainian Drone Attack on Izhevsk Kills 3 and Wounds Dozens More

Authorities in Kyiv claimed that the target of the air attack was a factory that produces kamikaze drones for the Russian military.
2 Min read
Feature

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

Russian Manufacturing Activity Sees Sharpest Decline Since Early Months of Ukraine Invasion

Three of the past four months have now been marked by slowed business activity.
3 Min read

Kremlin Dismisses Trump Envoy’s Claim That It Is Stalling Peace Talks

U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg accused Moscow of stalling for time in ceasefire negotiations “while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine.”
2 Min read
opinion Andras Toth-Czifra

A Push For Local Government Efficiency in Russia Is Really About Kremlin Control

Reforms sweeping Russia will hit the levels of government Russians are most likely to interact with and strengthen the power of local elites.
5 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

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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
Joshua R. Kroeker

While the World Watched the Middle East, This Happened in Ukraine

5 Min read
Andras Toth-Czifra

A Push For Local Government Efficiency in Russia Is Really About Kremlin Control

5 Min read
Denis Mikhailov

The Kremlin Finally Acknowledged Russia Holds Political Prisoners. That’s a Big Step.

5 Min read
Nikita Smagin

As the New Syrian Regime Gains Legitimacy, It Is Pushing Russia Out

6 Min read
Leyla Latypova

In Altai Republic, a Kremlin-Backed Government Reform Aids the Tycoons

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

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

‘You’re a Second-Class Citizen’: Arrests, Club Raids and Extremism Charges Define LGBTQ+ Life in Russia in 2025

Russia's queer community has been subjected to growing pressure, fear and repression, prompting many people to hide their sexuality altogether.
5 Min read

Editor's Pick

NATO to End Disclosure of Ukraine Aid and Defense Planning, Fearing Russian Exploitation

The alliance is worried that Russia is using its policy of transparency for propaganda and military purposes.
2 Min read

Editor's Pick

Feature

‘Hero Under Fire’: As Putin Visited Kursk, the Kremlin Told Russians That He Was Dodging Ukrainian Drones

The PR stunt sought to convince Russians bearing the domestic brunt of the war that he, too, is making sacrifices for the country, officials said.
4 Min read

Women Against the Kremlin

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

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

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

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

‘You’re a Second-Class Citizen’: Arrests, Club Raids and Extremism Charges Define LGBTQ+ Life in Russia in 2025

Russia's queer community has been subjected to growing pressure, fear and repression, prompting many people to hide their sexuality altogether.
5 Min read

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
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

Russia’s VTB Reports Increase in Overdue Retail Loans

The proportion of non-performing loans (NPLs), those overdue by more than 90 days, in the bank’s portfolio climbed to 4% in May.
3 Min read

Kremlin Launches Online Bot Campaign to Defend Steep Utility Rate Increases

These comments typically framed the rate hikes as routine, justified or even beneficial, often asserting that citizens' wages are also increasing.
2 Min read

Russian Manufacturing Activity Sees Sharpest Decline Since Early Months of Ukraine Invasion

Three of the past four months have now been marked by slowed business activity.
3 Min read
More business

arts and life

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
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
More Arts and Life

the new diaspora

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

Salaries for Russian Freelancers Abroad See 14% Increase in 2024

Among IT workers, web developers saw the largest wage increases, with average monthly pay up 26%, followed by a 15% rise for programmers.
1 Min read

Russian Dissidents Stranded in Spain After Residency Requests Allegedly Denied

The exiled activists claim Spanish officials promised them fast-track residency, but those efforts were later stalled.
3 Min read
More the new diaspora