Politics

Putin’s pals eye election as springboard to power Members Public

On the eve of the presidential election, a serious debate is ongoing about what changes Putin might make to his government after he inevitably secures a fifth term. The big story at the moment is where Boris Kovalchuk, the son of Putin’s old friend Yury, will end up. Kovalchuk

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Russia says its final farewell to Navalny Members Public

Thousands of people took to the streets to see Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny take his final journey on Friday at his funeral service and burial in Moscow. Despite fears of a widespread crackdown, the police refrained from mass arrests, even as the crowds chanted banned anti-war slogans. * Navalny, an

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Politics

New Russian law robs critical independent media of income Members Public

Russian authorities have found a new way to attack independent media outlets and journalists that aren’t loyal to the Kremlin, with a law that will make it illegal to pay for advertising with so-called “foreign agents” — both individuals and organizations. Advertising is an important revenue source for many Russian

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Politics

Russia ignores invasion anniversary Members Public

The second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 went largely unmentioned in pro-government circles. In the Kremlin and on state propaganda channels, the occasion was largely ignored, while the Russian military chose to focus on the few modest successes its forces had achieved at the

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Politics

Police raid private parties in search of “LGBT propaganda” Members Public

After Russia’s Supreme Court outlawed the “international LGBT movement” as extremist last year, security forces and intelligence officers immediately began raiding night clubs linked to the LGBT+ community and other public events where there was the slightest hint that they had an LGBT+ connection. Now the police have stepped

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Alexei Navalny’s body handed over after public outcry Members Public

While opposition leader Alexei Navalny was alive, the authorities took every opportunity to make his life as difficult as possible. This persecution continued even after his death. Only at the last moment and after a series of public arguments and interventions did investigators hand Navalny's body over to

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Russia blocks the only anti-war candidate from running against Putin Members Public

Russia's Central Election Commission has finally blocked Boris Nadezhdin — the only anti-war campaigner to make it this far — from registering as a candidate in next month's presidential election. * Nadezhdin's campaign submitted 105,000 signatures in  support of his candidacy, giving them a possible 5%

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How Russia fell in love with Tucker Carlson Members Public

Conservative journalist Tucker Carlson’s visit to Moscow prompted an unprecedented furore among Russian propagandists. Carlson, an active supporter of Donald Trump and an enthusiastic promoter of conspiracy theories, became the first Western journalist to interview Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine. Putin told him nothing new, but the

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