Articles - The Moscow Times

Support The Moscow Times!

Contribute today

stream of letters

‘Not Forgotten’: Pen Pals Offer Solace to Russia’s Political Prisoners

YEREVAN, Armenia — At a recent event in Armenia’s capital, Olga Yelsakova was composing a letter to a longtime correspondent. That correspondent...

cruel and unusual

Alexei Navalny Returned to Solitary Confinement for 11th Time

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was returned to solitary confinement for the 11th time since his nine-year prison sentence began in...

political prisoner

Jailed Kremlin Critic Yashin Transferred to Prison Outside Moscow

Prominent opposition politician Ilya Yashin has been transferred to a detention facility some 1,000 kilometers from Moscow even though his sentence must...

Freed Arms Dealer Bout Says West Wants to 'Destroy' Russia

Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was freed in a prisoner swap with U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, told Kremlin-run media on Friday that Western...

'Needless trauma'

Russia Frees U.S. Basketball Star Brittney Griner in Prisoner Swap

Russia and the United States have exchanged the U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, U.S. and Russian officials...

Navalny to Sue Prison Authorities for Not Giving Him Winter Boots

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Monday that he is suing his maximum security prison for not giving him winter boots, as temperatures...

harsh conditions

In Russia's 'Land of Prison' Where Brittney Griner Is Held

The news that American basketball player Brittney Griner had arrived in the IK-2 penal colony in Mordovia, also known as the Russian "land of prisons,"...

permanent isolation

Navalny Denounces Harsher Russian Detention Conditions

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny says he has been moved to a small, isolated cell and deprived of family visits, his team announced...

Nearly 1 in 3 Prisoners Freed by Retreating Russians Recaptured, Ukraine Says

Ukrainian law enforcement said it has caught and returned to prison 166 of 457 inmates who were freed by Russia’s military and Russian-installed...

promise of freedom

‘There’s No Way Back’: Wagner Group Looks to Russia's Jails to Bolster Ukraine Force

Andrei had been serving his second prison term in St. Petersburg for car theft when he was released and sent to the frontline in Ukraine. The 22-year-old...

attempt on life

Russian Prisoners’ Rights Activist Says Escaped Assassination

Vladimir Osechkin heads the Gulagu.net project, which has published videos showing graphic scenes of torture inside Russian prisons.

inmate enlistment

Video Shows Prigozhin Recruiting Russian Prisoners for Ukraine Fight

A man resembling the Wagner mercenary group's alleged owner promises inmates a presidential pardon or a future career after a six-month stint.

opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

Russia’s Prison Brand of Economic Self-Sufficiency

Prison labor may prove to be one of the mainstays of Russia's economic development.

import substitution

Russian Prisons Say Can Replace IKEA With ‘Better, Cheaper’ Inmate-Made Furniture

“[Prison] colonies may well take the place of IKEA...we have better quality and lower prices,” one prison official said.

Prison Torture Victim Dies From Pneumonia – Reports

Makarov was 29 at the time of his death from double pneumonia in a hospital bed.

new enlistments

Russia Recruits Prisoners En Masse for Ukraine Deployment – NGO

The report comes as Russia's military seeks to shore up its depleted forces four months after the start of the war.

Border Incursion

Russia Hands Heavy Sentences to North Korean Fishermen

Twelve fishermen from the closed state were handed sentences from four to 13 years in prison.

‘Youth and stupidity’

Russian Student Sapega Seeks Pardon for 6-Year Belarus Sentence – BBC

Sofia Sapega’s lawyer said that she could be pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the event of her transfer.

U.S. Basketball Star Griner’s Drug Detention Extended in Russia – TASS

Griner is one of several American basketball players who played in the Russian league.

Putin Signs Law Introducing Jail Terms for 'Fake News' on Army

The past year has seen an unprecedented crackdown on independent and critical voices in Russia that only intensified after the start of the invasion.

View more articles