Stories about Russia
Montenegrin civil society condemns initiative for Russia-style ‘Foreign Agents’ Law
Montenegro is the latest Balkan country trying to adopt a Foreign Agents Law, which would effectively cripple civil society and force any NGOs receiving foreign aid to be labeled "foreign agents."
What the Kremlin tells Russians about the West
All-gender restrooms have even been cited as one of the reasons for the war in Ukraine, as they represent Western values, thus clash with those that Russia is fighting for.
A temporary welcome: Russians in Turkey since February 2022
Since early 2023, Turkey is increasingly a stopover before further migration or sometimes a return home, with many Russian exiles being refused residence permits
Reporting from a psychiatric ward housing Russian soldiers who fought Ukrainians
Soldiers live for months in the psychiatric ward. None of the patients the journalist spoke to wanted to return to the war, saying they'd rather go to prison or die.
Song titled ‘Give birth to 1000 children for me’ was banned in Russia
It includes the lyrics: Give birth to 1000 children for me. Give each of them a name — soldier. Our president will send them to die — to shoot in Donbas.
Russia’s hybrid book censorship and propagandistic agenda
The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, among other books, are suspected of spreading “LGBT propaganda.”
What is behind the Kremlin’s increasingly anti-immigration line?
Anti-immigration rhetoric is meant to introduce into the official nationalism the idea that “Russian civilization” must be protected not only from the West but also from the south.
How can Moldova unite the country amid Russian pressure?
The report’s authors called on Western partners to support Moldova’s struggling independent media and encourage the creation of trustworthy Russian-language media outlets
Armenia's path out of Russia's orbit
A series of decisions taken by the government of Armenia in recent years signals the country moving further out of Russia's orbit of influence.
‘Crisis and revival of the Tatar national movement’: An interview with opposition media editor
Tatar publicist and editor-in-chief of the magazine Poistine, Ruslan Aysin is facing criminal charges in Russia for “rehabilitating Nazism.” This is retaliation for his opposition to the invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian lawmakers inch closer to final approval of anti-LGBTQ+ law
Critics have pointed out that laws like the one adopted by Russia in 2013 to “protect children from information advocating a denial of traditional family values” have also increased hate crimes.
Line of conflict shifts from the Donbas in Ukraine to Mali in the Sahel
Owing to the actors involved and the leading figures’ objectives, the July 27 attack in Tinzaouaten was a vivid reproduction of the Donbas in the Sahel.
How LGBTQ+ people live in Russia after being labeled an extremist community
How has life changed for queer people across different regions of Russia after the ban on the LGBTQ+ "movement?" What do they fear and dream about?
‘Buddha is with us!’ How the war in Ukraine has changed Russian Buddhism
While some Buddhists are making anti-war statements and emigrating abroad, others are going to the front lines, despite Buddhist values.
Turkey is committed to undermining NATO
"Hesitation to hold Turkey accountable is partially understandable. NATO was created to counter the systemic threat posed by the Soviet Union. It has no developed mechanisms to counter internal threats ..."
Activist: ‘It is not Russophobia, but a lack of awareness among employees’
An interview with a political refugee from Russia, now living in Italy who has experienced the problems that a Russian passport brings in the EU after the Russian invasion of Ukraine started.
How the war in Ukraine prompted an exodus of Chechens from Russia
Every day spent in Chechnya is similar to gambling, and your life is at stake.
Russian courts often deny asylum to Afghans trying to escape from Taliban
The research included 59 court decisions issued from August 2021 to early June 2024. "Holod" found 18 positive and 41 negative decisions regarding the granting of political asylum.
Some Russian and Belarusian athletes will participate in the Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletes
Initially, Russian athletes received 36 invitations from the committee, and Belarusian athletes, 27. However, some of those invited either declined straight away or first accepted and subsequently declined the invitations.
How immigrants from Russia manage to live in South Korea for years without proper registration
Initially, residents from the East of Russia flocked to South Korea for money. Today, people come from all over Russia.
One of the last liberal universities in Russia shuts down its political science department
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022, a lot of formerly progressive universities had to adopt concervative policies under the pressure of the state or by own initiatives
