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Articles by Joshua Robinson

Feature

How Russia’s 2013 ‘Gay Propaganda’ Law Catalyzed a Decade of Anti-LGBTQ+ Violence

Laws restricting LGBTQ+ rights — accompanied by anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric by public figures — have created an overall more threatening environment for queer...
5 Min read
Feature

Hush Descends on St. Petersburg Party Zone as Nightclubs Shuttered

The venues likely fell victim to Russia’s encroaching conservatism and the state’s eagerness to take a greater role in day-to-day life. 
4 Min read
Feature

Anti-Gay Law to Push Russia’s LGBT Community ‘Into the Shadows,’ Activists Warn

Anti-gay legislation under consideration by the Russian parliament could drive the country’s embattled LGBT+ community entirely underground, activists...

Darknet Marketplace Shutdown Upends Russia’s Illegal Drug Market

While there are new ways to help mitigate the harmful effects of drugs, Hydra's shutdown may have negative short-term impacts.
4 Min read

Émigré Russians Look to Victory Day as Weathervane for Return

"I think Putin imagines the victory parade to be like 1945,” said one Russian who fled to Turkey in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
4 Min read

Russian HIV Charities Face Funding, Supply Crisis

Amid a logistics crisis caused by the Russian invasion and Western sanctions, charities are struggling to obtain what they need.

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.

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...