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Articles by Kevin Rothrock

Say Hello to Russia's Hip, New Anti-Protest Anthem

Alisa Vox, formerly a singer in the Russian rock band Leningrad, released a new music video on Monday, mocking young men for participating in political...

Alexei Navalny Is Now Russia's Outlaw Presidential Candidate

A felony conviction against Alexei Navalny is now in force, effectively banning him from running for president for 15 years, though he says he isn’t...

Following U.S. Airstrikes Against Syria, Trump's Russian Fans Run for the Door

They spent months hailing his presidency as a new opportunity for relations with Moscow, but now they're singing a different tune.

Russian Military Training. In Kindergarten.

The city Cherepovets has just opened “Reserve,” a “military-patriotic club” that caters to youngsters just out of daycare.

Russia's Foreign Ministry Is Telling Citizens How to Behave Abroad, and It's Everything

The Russian Foreign Ministry has published a list of recommendations for citizens traveling the world. And it's amazing.

Suck It Up, Foreign Agent

When suing the Russian news media for defamation, it helps to be a billion-dollar state-owned oil company, instead of a blacklisted nonprofit group.

Opulence, Chechnya's Ruler Has It

Ramzan Kadyrov likes to maintain the appearance that he lives modestly, and he doesn’t like sharing photos that betray his apparently lavish wealth....

Russian TV's Favorite Chumps

A small group of token experts is playing the role of “whipping boy” on Russian television and fueling a renaissance for political talk shows.

Moscow Says the NYT Reported Fake News About Russia's War on Fake News

It was fake news about real news about fake news, if you believe the Russian government.

The Kremlin Reportedly Commissioned a Report on Russian State TV, and the Results Were Oof

The Putin administration reportedly commissioned an independent expert analysis of Russian network television, and the results are unflattering.

Christ Versus Satire

The “Russian Orthodox Rapid Response Center,” which is a real thing, has threatened “Lentach,” one of the most popular satirical communities on...

Ten Crazy Things Ramzan Kadyrov Has Said in His Decade Ruling Chechnya

Ramzan Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya for a decade. Remembering his most outlandish remarks, you get a quick sense of what the last ten years under his reign...

The Rapist and the Thief

Russia's presidential-campaigning anti-corruption crusader is a convicted criminal again, but he's not alone.

Facebook Temporarily Suspends ‘RT’ Ahead of Trump's Inauguration, and Moscow Is Pissed

Kremlin-funded news outlet RT was briefly blocked from posting photos or videos via its Facebook page as part of a reported copyright dispute.

From Russia With Octopussy

Moscow may have been serious when it revealed America's cross-dressing spies, but there has been plenty of laughter online, where Internet users are sharing...

You Thought This Was Rock Bottom, America, But the Russians Are Knocking From Below

Russian Twitter users who tuned in to watch Trump’s meeting with the press weren’t partying or seething — for the most part, they were laughing.

American Unintelligence on Russia (Op-ed)

America’s case against the Kremlin suffers from major flaws that should be acknowledged, even by those who argue that Russia hacked U.S. democratic institutions...

Bend Your Body, Break the Law

Yoga in Russia is back under fire, as an instructor in St. Petersburg heads to trial for delivering a lecture that police say amounts to “illegal missionary...

Russia's Graceless Goodbye to America's First Black President

Whatever you think of Putin’s apparent magnanimity on Friday, there’s no debate that prominent figures in Russian society have been far less restrained...

California's Separatist Movement Gets an ‘Embassy’ in Moscow

After a long courtship between the “Yes California Independence Campaign” and the Kremlin-funded “Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia,” the world...

‘Historians couldn't believe such documents still exist’

A 34-year-old Tomsk resident says he’s tracked down the names of the men who helped kill his great-grandfather — a peasant who was executed in 1938...

Russia's 7 Weirdest Congratulations for President-Elect Trump

The United States may find itself more bitterly divided today than at any point in modern history, but it is party time for many Russians — especially...

New Pussy Riot Song Tops Spotify's Viral Charts

Something unprecedented happened on Spotify this week: a song by a Russian artist topped the music service’s “Viral 50” charts globally and in the...

Your Next Moscow Uber Ride Could Include Some Expensive Teleportation

Thanks to apparent efforts by the Kremlin to spoof geolocation signals in central Moscow, 21st-century taxi services have gained the impressive power of...

Russia's Flotilla Flop

Russia’s great flotilla of eight naval ships to the eastern Mediterranean hasn’t been the public diplomacy coup Moscow hoped for.

The Kremlin Eats GPS for Breakfast

Over the past several months, Muscovites have been busy complaining on social media that their GPS-powered mobile apps are malfunctioning. What's going...

Social Conservatives Make American Photographer an Overnight Celebrity in Moscow

On Sept. 8, without much fanfare, his “No Embarrassment” exhibition went on display at the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography. For more than two...

The Lively Campaign Ads of Russia's ‘Dullest’ Elections in a Decade

Russian's 2016 Duma race may have been lackluster in many ways, but that doesn't mean there aren't several campaign ads worth remembering.

Too Satirical to Release on Bail

A week ago, Ruslan Sokolovsky was a locally famous video blogger in Yekaterinburg, known for his self-titled atheist magazine modeled on Charlie Hebdo...
opinion Kevin Rothrock

Russian Internet Faces Tighter Kremlin Control

Russian ISPs might be ordered to kill access to websites amid "serious domestic protests."
opinion Kevin Rothrock

Putin Goes After Bloggers, Not Profits

At a highly anticipated meeting last week, President Vladimir Putin spoke to Yandex's Arkady Volozh and Mail.Ru's Dmitry Grishin, both Internet industry...
opinion Kevin Rothrock

The Incredible Shrinking RuNet

Over the past two years, the Russian government has armed itself to the teeth with regulatory powers that enable nearly every conceivable form of Internet...
opinion Kevin Rothrock

The Kremlin's Digital Gulag

A Moscow city lawmaker, Alexei Lisovenko, is trying to resuscitate a government push to expand Russia's "digital sovereignty."
opinion Kevin Rothrock

Terrorism Bill Hits Netizens

The restrictions for accepting anonymous donations through online services such as Yandex.Dengi will hurt small civil society groups.
opinion Kevin Rothrock

Montenegro Scandal Doesn't Stick to Teflon Navalny

When opposition leader Alexei Navalny decided to run for the Moscow mayor's office, he probably expected to learn a lot about his enemies, the various...
opinion Kevin Rothrock

Navalny's Fundraising Tricks

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic party, said last week that Alexei Navalny should rot behind bars.
opinion Kevin Rothrock

The Business Of Endorsing Alexei Navalny

One of the mainstays of Russian politics for the past 10 years has been that Russian business stays out of politics. Late last week, 37 Russian Internet...