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Chechnya Opens First Gender-Segregated Pharmacy

The new pharmacy in Grozny is the first of 15 locations that will soon open across the Chechen capital.

Battling Fear and Indifference, Exiled Chechen Women Protest Kadyrov

An all-women protest aimed to spotlight Kadyrov's “fight against defenseless women” and cases of women kidnapped or imprisoned in the North Caucasus...

‘Our Work Remains Crucial’: Tanya Lokshina of HRW on Defending Human Rights in Russia

The prominent Russian human rights activist, journalist and researcher oversees investigations and advocacy on human rights issues in Russia, Belarus and...

‘Soviet-Minded Men Rule Everything in Russia’: Journalist Ekaterina Kotrikadze

The TV Rain presenter speaks about her career, women in Russian propaganda and how she helped start Russia's #MeToo moment.

Ex-State TV Reporter Zhanna Agalakova: 'We All Bear Some Degree of Responsibility'

Zhanna Agalakova made international headlines by resigning from her position in protest of the invasion of Ukraine and telling Russians “to switch the...

‘Russia Wants Family Violence to Persist’: Feminist Activist Zalina Marshenkulova

The prominent feminist blogger and activist speaks about activism in exile, the Kremlin’s repressive laws and the state of women’s rights in Russia...

‘Alexander*a’: A Journey into the Life of Soviet Revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai

Created by exiled artists, producers and actors, the play seeks to raise questions about the role of women today and how they are affected by historical...

Russian Orthodox Church to Promote ‘Miracle of Birth’ in Anti-Abortion Letters to Pregnant Women

The letters will sent out to regional prenatal centers at a time when women “face the most difficult choice of keeping or killing their baby.”

Russia Takes Aim at 'Childfree' Ideology in Controversial Bid to Boost Birth Rates

Experts say that proposed legislation to ban “childfree propaganda” is “repressive” and fails to address the root causes of falling birth rates...

Russia to Raise Maternity Subsidies in 2025 Amid Population Crisis

The program was set to end in 2026, but President Vladimir Putin extended it until 2030 during his re-election campaign earlier this year.

AP Investigates Russia’s Recruitment of African Women to Make Drones: What We Learned

Drawn to Russia by promises of plane tickets, education, higher salaries and a “European” adventure, the young women instead end up at a drone plant...

In Russia, International Safe Abortion Day Is a Reminder of Reproductive Rights Backsliding

Russia has backtracked on its once-liberal abortion policies, leaving thousands of women with increasingly limited access to abortion care.

Russia’s Primorye Region Outlaws ‘Coercion’ Into Abortion

The law defines “coercion” as actions like persuasion, bribery, deceit, blackmail or workplace pressure that compel women to terminate a pregnancy...

Prominent Russian Muslim Cleric Gets Into Hot Water Over 'Wife-Beating Guidance'

A video in which an Imam appears to instruct believers on the proper ways to beat one’s wife has sparked controversy far beyond Russia’s Muslim community...

Explainer: Does Russia Plan to Ban Islamic Veiling?

Spiritual authorities in at least three Russian regions have issued Islamic law rulings that ban the niqab following last month’s deadly church and synagogue...

A Russian Region Plans to Pay Female Students to Give Birth – But Deny Payments for Stillbirth

Experts warn that the policy is an insufficient and short-sighted tool given the country’s lack of protections and ideal economic conditions for new...

Women Relatives of Mobilized Soldiers Stage Sit-In at Russian Defense Ministry

“We’ve brought sleeping bags and everything we need to wait for when we’ll finally be heard,” one woman could be heard telling a police officer...

Russia’s Dagestan Temporarily Bans Niqabs After Deadly Attacks

A senior Muslim cleric said the ban was issued after officials warned of an “existing threat to the security of the population.”

Branded ‘Foreign Agents,’ Wives and Mothers of Mobilized Russian Soldiers Face Uncertain Future

Political differences and increased law enforcement pressure have fractured the group, putting its future potential to enact change into doubt.

Mobilized Soldiers' Relatives Call for Russian Officials' Sons to Replace Their Loved Ones

“We demand to replace our men with other quite specific men: the children and husbands of those who tell our citizens from the screens that war is good...

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