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U.S. Man Jailed in Russia Interviewed on State TV

Gordon Black was jailed for threatening to kill his Russian girlfriend whom he met online and stealing $102 from her.

Russian Police Launch Manhunt After 6 Inmates Escape Prison

Prison guards in the western Lipetsk region were alerted to the prisoners’ disappearance after carrying out a routine inspection.

opinion Jack Margolin

Russia’s Convict Soldiers Put Quantity Over Quality on the Battlefield

Moscow cannot rely forever on recruiting convicts to fight in Ukraine. The costs of this Wagner-inspired approach are becoming clear.

Russian Internet Pioneer ‘Dying in Prison,’ Son Says

Known as the father of the Russian internet, Alexei Soldatov was sentenced to two years in prison earlier this year.

opinion Abubakar Yangulbaev

Why Were No Chechens or Prisoners of Kadyrov Included in the Prisoner Swap?

Chechnya’s history is inseparable from why the exchange happened in the first place. The fact no Chechens were freed is a glaring omission.

Jailed Anti-War Journalist Ponomarenko Threatens Self-Harm Over Prison Abuse

Maria Ponomarenko was sentenced to six years in prison in February 2023 for spreading “fake news” about Russia’s 2022 bombing of a theater in Mariupol...

Ex-Wagner Fighter Signs Military Contract After Second Murder Conviction

Ivan Rossomakhin had been serving a 14-year sentence for murder when he was first recruited by the Wagner mercenary group in 2022 to fight in Ukraine.

Police ‘Neutralize’ 4 Inmates After Hostage Standoff at Volgograd Region Prison

At least three prison guards were killed in the siege.

Lukashenko Says Biden Had ‘Nothing to Do With’ Historic Prisoner Exchange

“Of course, someone like the U.S. President will boost his authority with this, even though he had nothing to do with it,” the Belarusian leader claimed...

Russian Prosecutors Label Prisoner Rights Group as ‘Undesirable’

Authorities accused the organization of “demonizing” Russia and attempting to “rewrite” its history.

As It Happened: World Watches as Russia, West Hold Major Prisoner Exchange

Slovenia Expels Russian Couple Convicted of Spying

Slovenian media, citing anonymous sources, reported that the convicted couple would be part of an upcoming prisoner swap.

Lawyer of Ex-U.S. Marine Jailed in Russia Says Cannot Confirm His Whereabouts

“I had asked the prison’s administration, but they’re not responding,” lawyer Olga Karlova was quoted as saying by state media.

opinion Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan

How Does Russia Treat Its Modernizers? By Locking Them Up

Alexei Soldatov, the “father of the Russian internet,” has been jailed for his independence and integrity while the Kremlin tightened its grip.

opinion Leonid Gozman

Russian Political Prisoners Are Heroes, Even if the World Doesn’t Know Their Name

The Kremlin does not punish citizens out of a desire for revenge. They act to inspire fear. You only need to scare a few people to subdue the population...

Russia Releases 10 Ukrainian Civilian Prisoners – Zelensky

Some of those released have been in prison since 2017, arrested in Russian-controlled parts of eastern Ukraine that at the time were run by Moscow-backed...

Ex-Governor Belykh Released From Russian Prison After Serving 8-Year Sentence

Once the leader of the liberal Union of Right Forces party, Nikita Belykh was one of the few governors not to align himself with Vladimir Putin.

Moscow Says Awaits U.S. Response to Prisoner Swap Proposals

"The ball is in the court of the United States," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state media.

Missing Ukrainian Journalist Held in Russia – Reports

Viktoria Roshchyna, an award-winning freelance journalist, went missing in August while attempting to enter the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region.

Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk to Shutter Prisons After Inmates Sent to Fight in Ukraine

But a human rights official criticized the decision as “impractical” and predicted that the prisons would reopen within five years.

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