Politics
The conflict between Wagner and the Defense Ministry heats up Paid Members Public
Over the last year, mercenary group Wagner and Russia’s Defense Ministry have regularly clashed. Last week, this spat reached new heights when Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin released several clips in which he aggressively accused the Russian defense minister and his chief of staff of failing to provide shells for
One more pro-war Russian propagandist is targeted in a car bomb attack Paid Members Public
This weekend saw another attempted assassination of a prominent supporter of Russia’s war. Writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin survived a car bomb but was seriously injured. His driver was killed at the scene. This is the third assassination attempt in the past nine months. Earlier, the daughter of pro-Kremlin
Another scandal hits Russia’s opposition Paid Members Public
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine influential figures in Russia's opposition continue to squabble among themselves. The latest public spat was between jailed politician Alexei Navalny and former oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The fight broke out after Khodorkovsky hired a man blamed for persecuting one of Navalny’s
Did the son of Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov fight in Ukraine? Paid Members Public
The children of Russia’s elite are allegedly joining the ranks of ordinary citizens to fight in Ukraine. The most notable example is Nikolai Choles, the son of the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Last week, Choles gave an interview to the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, where he said he was fighting
TV ads and social networks urge Russian men to enlist Paid Members Public
The Russian authorities have launched a new recruitment campaign for contract soldiers in recent weeks. According to media sources, the Defense Ministry wants to call up 400,000 fighting men. It’s an ambitious plan. Before the war, Russia’s entire army totaled 400,000 troops. The new recruitment drive
Security officer who fled Russia tells of Putin’s growing isolation Paid Members Public
Dossier, an investigative center linked to former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, last week published an interview with a captain in the Federal Guards Service (FSO) who fled abroad in protest at the war. Gleb Karakulov served for 13 years in the FSO, which is responsible for the president’s
High-ranking Russian officials face travel ban Paid Members Public
Since the war started, Russian officials and employees of state-owned companies have found it difficult to travel. The reason is not only Western sanctions, even though these have affected many. Instead, Russian officials and employees at state-run organizations have been subjected to stringent new travel restrictions. * Recent changes mean that
Evan Gershovich’s arrest is a warning to the West Paid Members Public
WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich was detained on suspicion of espionage last week — the first such case involving a foreign reporter since the Cold War. This was likely not only intended to top up Russia’s “exchange fund” for future prisoner swaps with the U.S., but to send a warning
