Maria Alyokhina

Here’s What it Means to Be an ‘Extremist’ in Today’s Russia

You never expect your country to become a terrorist state or to have to watch your father's funeral from exile. But the price of silence is too high.
4 Min read
Valery Panyushkin

I Did Nothing to Stop Russia's Decline Into Tyranny. Should I Be Blamed?

I voted for Putin in 2000 (like an idiot) and went on holiday instead of protesting. Perhaps nothing can be done now, but that doesn't excuse me.
3 Min read
Emanuel Pietrobon

With Maduro Gone, Putin Risks Being Pushed Out of the Western Hemisphere

Russia has lost a friend on the United States' doorstep. But the Kremlin will likely try to sabotage a U.S.-orchestrated transition of power.
5 Min read
Ruth Deyermond

2025 Saw the Biggest Change in U.S.-Russia Relations Since the October Revolution

Whoever succeeds Trump will struggle to undo the damage dealt to Washington's alliances and the advantages he has granted Russia.
5 Min read
Sergei Shelin

Whether Supporters of the War or Not, Russia’s Youth Have More in Common Than They Think

Defeatist about social change but largely content with their material situation, expecting young Russians change the system is futile.
5 Min read
Nicholas Castillo

Where Does Russia Stand After a Year of Recalibration in the Caucasus?

Russia is used to being the dominant player in the region. While it remains an important economic partner, political trends tell a different story.
6 Min read
An Anonymous Writer in Russia

The Lessons of the Decembrist Revolt Aren’t What Russia’s Opposition Wants to Hear

Most of Russia’s successful liberal reforms have actually come from an autocratic state trying to reform itself rather than from popular uprisings.
5 Min read
Tatyana Rybakova

Russia's Economy in the Late 2020s Will Look a Lot Like the Late Soviet Economy

The question is not whether the parallels with the late Soviet era are real, but whether the story will end the same way that it did for the U.S.S.R.
5 Min read
Mikhail Zygar

When Russia Finally Protested – Over a Condo

Forget geopolitics. Russia is furious about a pop star who lost her apartment.
6 Min read
Anton Starikov

Not Even Pro-War Russians Find This Ukraine War Comedy Funny

A series combining military propaganda with jokes upset Russians who felt it made fun of their dead family members.
5 Min read
Boris Bondarev

Freeing Political Prisoners Does Not Cure the Disease of Dictatorship

Releasing political prisoners is important but merely addresses the symptoms instead of the root cause of the autocratic regime.
6 Min read
Andras Toth-Czifra

The Kremlin’s Cost-Benefit Calculations Sell Kursk Residents Short

Ending payments to locals displaced by Ukraine's incursion into their home region speaks volumes about how little they matter to Moscow.
5 Min read
Yan Levchenko

Russia's Roblox Ban Makes Censorship Look Silly

Children are complaining to Putin after Roblox was banned. Unlike adults, they haven't learned not to object when their lives are interfered with.
4 Min read
Saahil Menon

Indian Manpower Is No Silver Bullet for Russia's Labor Shortage

Russia faces a shortfall of 10 million workers by 2030. But Indians tapped to fill that gap may not receive a warm welcome.
4 Min read
Sergey Golubok

What to Do When You’re Wanted by Interpol

It is a problem faced by Russians who have fallen foul of the Kremlin. Thankfully, there is a solution.
3 Min read
Polly Jones

Erasing Magadan's Gulag Past Enables Today's Violence

The city was built by forced labor and lay at the heart of one of the largest and deadliest settlements. Authorities want to silence that fact.
6 Min read
Viktoria Maladaeva

Russia's Opposition Is Leaving Indigenous People Behind. We Will Not Remain Silent.

Yulia Navalnaya and her team are continuing their track record of othering and dismissing Russia's Indigenous people.
6 Min read
Charles Hecker

Global Business Didn't Save Russia in the 1990s. It Won't Today, Either.

Washington is not only seeking to extract maximum profit from ending the war, but engaging in magical thinking imagining it will create peace.
5 Min read