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opinion Jane Aaron

Eight Months of War: A View From Russia's Second City

St. Petersburg, famously one of the world's most beautiful cities, appears at first sight not to have obviously changed since the war in Ukraine began...

Wagner Group Founder Steps Up Feud With St. Petersburg Governor

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-linked businessman and founder of the notorious Wagner Group, a shadowy mercenary organization, has upped the ante in his...

St. Petersburg Protest

Russia Opens Criminal Case Over Note Left on Grave of Putin's Parents

Authorities in St. Petersburg have launched criminal proceedings against a pensioner who allegedly placed a handwritten note wishing death to Russian President...

St. Petersburg Scraps New Year's Celebrations to Buy Supplies for Mobilized Soldiers

Authorities in St. Petersburg have called off the city's official New Year’s and Christmas celebrations and plan to reallocate the funds to the Russian...

revival efforts

St. Petersburg Vows to Restore Destroyed ‘Sister’ City Mariupol

The statement comes amid growing signals that Russia could permanently occupy Ukrainian territories it has captured.

Closed Shops, Zs, Green Ribbons: Russia’s Post-Invasion Reality

“I’ve got no desire to go to the city center,” said one Moscow resident. “I don’t want to see the giant Z on the theater wall.”

‘TAKE ALL YOUR CLOTHES OFF’

Foreign Workers in Russia Report Invasive Examinations Under New Health Check Law

Confusion surrounds legislation that introduced compulsory tests for infections and addictions for people staying in the country for over 3 months.

Russian Teacher Forced Out Over Reciting Poems By Soviet ‘Enemies of the People’

The teacher had recited avant-garde poets Daniil Kharms and Alexander Vvedensky’s works to her 10th-grade students.

delayed commemoration

Putin Accused of Blocking Mourners for Leningrad Siege Photo Op

Putin was pictured walking toward the memorial for Siege of Leningrad victims while other mourners looked on from behind a fence.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

A Brotherhood of Bears Flourishes Despite Russia’s Anti-LGBT Agenda

The BEARsBURG society brings together men who reject effeminate stereotypes of queerness for trips to the banya, café meet-ups, walking tours and film...

In Photos: St. Petersburg Grapples With Ice-Covered Streets

Hundreds have been hospitalized after slipping and falling, while some savvy residents have traded their boots for skates.

no fecal matter

Russian Sculptor Arrested for Giant Turd Installation

The artist faces between three months and five years in prison on charges of desecrating a burial ground.

banned from returning

Russia Deports U.S. College Professor After Bard Hit With ‘Undesirable’ Label – Reports

Michael Freese had been a coordinator for Bard’s exchange program with St. Petersburg State University's Smolny College.

St. Petersburg Winter Temps Could Rise 4 Degrees by 2050 – Scientist

Scientists also predict increasingly intense rain and snow that will strain the city's drainage and flood mitigation systems.

Angelin Preljocaj’s Unorthodox ‘Swan Lake’ Premieres in St. Petersburg

In this version of the classic ballet, the swan is an expression of the fragility of nature.

Russia's St. Petersburg Tightens Virus Controls

The country's second-largest city is clamping down amid a new surge in Covid-19 cases.

aristocratic event

Russia Hosts First Royal Wedding in a Century in Former Imperial Capital

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov tied the knot with his Italian fiancée Rebecca Virginia Bettarini in front of dozens of royal guests.

Stroll Through St. Petersburg in a Dream Play

A new kind of theater takes to the streets to immerse the audience in a dreamlike reality.

Russian Opposition Politician Loses Vote Marred by Doppelgangers

Boris Vishnevsky made headlines after he claimed that two other candidates had changed their names and appearance to match his.

St. Petersburg Election Ballot Features 3 Near-Identical Boris Vishnevskys

The longtime Kremlin critic accuses authorities of running the two other men as “spoiler” candidates to trick voters.

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