Articles - The Moscow Times

Support The Moscow Times!

Contribute today

For Indigenous Families in Russia, Keeping Language Alive Is an Impossible Task

In Russia's ethnic republics, erasure facilitated by Kremlin-dictated policy has many fearing for the future of their Indigenous languages.

Russian Police Target Romani Community in Fresh Raids, Seizing Weapons and Issuing Draft Notices

A Romani diaspora organization slammed the ongoing police raids, describing the crackdown as collective punishment against Roma.

Russian Police Raid Homes of Romani People After Ethnic Tensions Flare in Chelyabinsk Region

Law enforcement agents detained around 20 Roma for “crime prevention talks” after two Romani men reportedly murdered a woman last week.

opinion Gulnara Shuraleeva

Navalnaya’s Decolonization Critique Proves That Russia’s Liberal Opposition Hasn’t Been Listening to Indigenous Voices

It appears that Team Navalny is more interested in preserving the status quo than in engaging in a meaningful dialogue.

Google Translate Adds 12 Minority Languages of Russia

Among the total 110 new languages, Google Translate will now include Bashkir, Chechen, Udmurt and Yakut, among others.

2 Years Into Ukraine War, Russia’s Ethnic Minorities Disproportionately Killed in Battle

“In one generation these nations will simply disappear,” said the scientist leading research into Russia's wartime losses.

Leading Yakutian Activist Refuses to Give Up on Region’s Free Future

Sargylana Kondakova's group has helped hundreds of conscientious objectors, supported persecuted activists and combatted pro-Kremlin propaganda.

opinion Lana Pylaeva

Ignoring Russian Colonialism Has Deadly Consequences

Russia is far from the “family of nations” its people like to believe. Discrimination is embedded in the country’s economy, education, and language...

Explainer: What Does Russia’s Exit From the Convention on National Minorities Mean?

Putin has introduced a bill greenlighting Russia’s exit from the FCNM, the world’s most comprehensive legally binding treaty devoted to safeguarding...

opinion Joshua R. Kroeker

Rising Ethnic Tensions Won’t Tear Russia Apart

Centuries of internal colonization and Kremlin-stoked ethnonationalism make it unlikely Russia will break apart along ethnic lines.

Art and Music of Russia’s Indigenous Peoples Comes Into Spotlight in Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s bustling Red Light District has plenty to offer to visitors on a Saturday evening, but a showcase of art and music of Russia’s...

Russian Soldier Accuses Military Police of Racially Charged Beating

“I thought the Nazis were on the other side. Turns out they’re among us,” Arsen Temirayev, a soldier from North Ossetia, said of his attackers.

opinion Pavel Sulyandziga and Dmitry Berezhkov

What Decolonization Means for Russia’s Indigenous Peoples

Russian society’s perception of its colonial history is whitewashed. Acknowledging its legacy could create a new state built on truth.

Russia Bans Minority Advocacy Group Free Buryatia

The NGO was created in March 2022 and focuses on the rights of mobilized Buryats — an ethnic minority in Siberia — and provides them with legal advice...

Wagner Mutiny Stirs Panic, Uncertainty and Hope for Change in Russia’s Ethnic Republics

Far from Moscow, authorities in regions like the republics of Sakha, Tatarstan and Buryatia demurred and focused on events at home.

World’s Largest Tatar Language Platform to Shut Down After Western Developer Exits Russia

Ana Tele had been used by more than 100,000 Tatar language learners both within Russia and abroad.

opinion Marika Semenenko

Why are Putin and ‘Team Navalny’ in Lockstep When it Comes to Decolonization?

By seeking simply the removal of Putin, the liberal opposition overlooks the imperial-colonial foundation of the Russian state.

opinion Alexei Gusev

Why Russia Won’t Disintegrate Along Its Regional Borders

Even amid the tensions unleashed by mobilization, there is simply no national question on the table and no talk of regional federalism.

Voices of Russia: The Wounded Heart of a Urals Artist

Alisa Gorshenina, aka Alice Hualice, launched the art project “I hear the voices of Russia.”

Languages in Russia Disappearing Faster than Data Suggests, Activists Warn

While Russia's 2021 census might help identify linguistic trends, experts argue it fails to capture the real number of active language users.

View more articles