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Meduza in English

@meduza.io

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Breaking news in Russia, investigative reports, interviews, and opinions. In English. You’re welcome. https://meduza.io/en

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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 1d

OSINT researchers at Mediazona and Conflict Intelligence Team have expressed reservations about alleged Russian military records leaked by Ukraine’s military intelligence, which show 87K KIAs in 2025. Meduza summarizes their concerns. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Counting bodies, casting doubts Independent Russian analysts dispute the reliability of alleged Russian casualties leaked by Ukraine’s military intelligence — Meduza

This week, researchers at the independent news website Mediazona and the OSINT project Conflict Intelligence Team disputed the reliability of alleged Russian military records leaked by Ukraine’s…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 1d

A full year after late Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny’s memoir Patriot was published in 26 languages, a debate has flared up online over a key difference between editions.
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A disappearing act Why the Russian edition of Navalny’s memoir is missing 100 pages found in the English version — Meduza

A full year after late Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny’s memoir Patriot was published in 26 languages, a debate has flared up online over a key difference between editions. The Russian…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 1d

Russia wants its drone attacks to undermine confidence in NATO’s security guarantees. So far, it’s not working, argues analyst Alexander Baunov.
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Hybrid warfare, hybrid response Russia wants its drone attacks to undermine confidence in NATO’s security guarantees. So far, it’s not working. — Meduza

Two months ago, when Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Alaska, the U.S. president signaled that he was willing to accept many of his Russian counterpart’s positions. Trump hoped this would…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 1d

Putin believes Russia can outlast and overpower Ukraine. What does that mean for the war’s future? @msnegovaya.bsky.social breaks down four possible scenarios. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

‘The Kremlin has resources’ Putin believes Russia can outlast and overpower Ukraine. What does that mean for the war’s future? — Meduza

In the weeks since the Trump administration’s push to negotiate a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv stalled, Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine passed the three-and-a-half-year mark. Russian…

Reposted by Meduza in English

Eilish Hart @eilishhart.bsky.social · 2d

Big thanks to @msnegovaya.bsky.social for joining me on The Naked Pravda to talk about the next chapter of Russia’s war against Ukraine. We cover the mounting costs pressuring the Kremlin, four scenarios for the war’s future trajectory, and so much more. meduza.io/en/episodes/... @meduza.io

Four scenarios for the next chapter in Russia’s war against Ukraine — Meduza

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now passed the three-and-a-half-year mark, and there is still no end in sight. The Trump administration’s recent push to negotiate a ceasefire ground to a h...

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 2d

Military expert Dmitry Kuznets discusses power-grid warfare in Russia and Ukraine and fields questions about the risk of tactical nuclear weapons and the deadliness of drones on the battlefield. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Blackouts, tactical nukes, and drones Military expert Dmitry Kuznets explains the limits of energy warfare, tactical nuclear weapons, and UAV lethality — Meduza

Winter is coming to Russia and Ukraine, and the two sides have spent the past several weeks pounding each other’s energy infrastructure, seeking to make the falling temperatures as painful…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 2d

The Committee Against Torture is trying to raise awareness about torture in Russia with a new video. The three-minute footage is voiced by the Russian actors Varvara Shmykova and Nikita Kukushkin, it's claymation, and it is absolutely brutal. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russian human rights activists are raising awareness about torture with this brutal stop-motion video — Meduza

This week, the Committee Against Torture released “The Interview,” an animated video designed to raise awareness about prisoner abuse in Russia. The stop-motion video, voiced by the well-known…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 2d

New podcast alert! For The Naked Pravda, researcher @msnegovaya.bsky.social breaks down the rising costs straining the Kremlin’s war machine — and explores four possible scenarios for the Russia–Ukraine war’s next chapter. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Four scenarios for the next chapter in Russia’s war against Ukraine — Meduza

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now passed the three-and-a-half-year mark, and there is still no end in sight. The Trump administration’s recent push to negotiate a ceasefire ground…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 2d

We watched 10 hours of footage from Russia’s leading conference of experts in smartphone hacking so you don’t have to. Here’s what they can do to your phone.
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What a top Russian cyber forensics conference reveals about the country’s ability to hack iPhones and Androids — Meduza

The human rights group Memorial found a publicly available video recording of the 2025 Moscow Forensics Day conference, held in mid-September in the Russian capital. The event brought together…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 2d

For the first time, Putin has directly acknowledged Russia’s responsibility for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet in December 2024.
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Putin admits Russian air defenses downed Azerbaijan Airlines flight last year, killing 38 — Meduza

For the first time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has directly acknowledged Russia’s responsibility for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger jet in December 2024. The Embraer E190,…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 2d

Jailing people with cystic fibrosis is illegal in Russia. So to keep this 20-year-old behind bars, authorities are denying her diagnosis — and her lifesaving medication. Her crime? Selling drugs to afford that medication in the first place.
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‘I don’t want to die so young’ Jailing people with cystic fibrosis is illegal in Russia. So to keep this 20-year-old behind bars, authorities are denying her diagnosis — and her lifesaving medication. — Meduza

Cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disease that affects the mucous membranes in the lungs and other organs, is one of the conditions that make it illegal to imprison a person under…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 3d

The Yekaterinburg city administration has asked local police to intervene amid a wave of attacks by “hooligans” who have been “terrorizing” public transport drivers.
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Officials in Russia’s Yekaterinburg call for police help as teenagers ‘terrorize’ tram drivers — Meduza

The Yekaterinburg city administration has asked local police to intervene amid a wave of attacks by “hooligans” who have been “terrorizing” public transport drivers, according to a letter from the…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 3d

Kyiv wants to cash in on OnlyFans creators’ millions in unpaid taxes, but there’s a problem: making porn is illegal in Ukraine. Meanwhile, police reportedly exploit the legal gray zone surrounding adult content as a source of bribes and kickbacks.
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‘Turning me into a criminal’ Kyiv wants to cash in on OnlyFans creators’ unpaid taxes. There’s just one problem: making porn is illegal in Ukraine. — Meduza

Ukrainian OnlyFans creators owe nearly 385 million hryvnias (about $9 million) in back taxes, according to Ukraine’s State Tax Service (STS). This figure covers income taxes for just the years 2020…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 3d

Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, thousands of Russian soldiers have fled the army. Here’s why so many contract soldiers and mobilized men are deserting — and when it leads to criminal prosecution.

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‘For the Defense Ministry, people are garbage’ Why thousands of Russian soldiers are deserting — Meduza

Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, at least 50,000 Russian soldiers have fled the army, according to leaked Defense Ministry documents from 2024. Now, in the war’s fourth year,…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 3d

Astrakhan is famous throughout Russia for its watermelons and produce, but it could soon be known instead as a lifeless desert, thanks to climate change and local human activity like overgrazing.
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‘Another pointless interview’ A report from Russia’s Astrakhan region, where the climate crisis and government indifference are accelerating a once-lush ecosystem’s desertification — Meduza

Astrakhan is famous throughout Russia for its watermelons and produce, but it could soon be known instead as a lifeless desert. That prognosis might sound alarmist, but the once-flourishing region…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 4d

A Russian woman made headlines this summer after Indian police discovered her living in a cave near Goa with her two young daughters. “I didn’t want to live in a concrete apartment block in Moscow,” she told BBC in a new interview.
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‘I didn’t want to live in an apartment in Moscow’ Why did a Russian woman live with her daughters in an Indian cave for nine months? — Meduza

In early July, a Russian woman drew international attention after Indian police on a routine patrol discovered her living in a cave near Goa with her two young daughters. Because their visas had…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 4d

Putin has claimed Estonia’s and France’s detentions of Russian ‘shadow fleet’ ships are ‘piracy.’ But what does maritime law say?
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Arrr these inspections legal? Putin claims E.U. detentions of Russian ‘shadow fleet’ ships are ‘piracy.’ But what does the law say? — Meduza

In April 2025, Estonia detained the Kivala, a tanker linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. On September 27, the same vessel — now renamed the Boracay — was intercepted by French authorities.

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 4d

Russian state nuclear power company Rosenergoatom says Ukrainian forces attempted a drone strike on the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant.
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Russia says Ukraine attempted drone attack on nuclear plant’s cooling tower — Meduza

The Russian state nuclear power company Rosenergoatom said Tuesday that Ukrainian forces attempted a drone strike on the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant the previous night, targeting one of its…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 5d

Worried that a "Franz Ferdinand moment" might trigger a full-scale conflict with Russia? Historian Alexey Uvarov reviews the events of 1914 and warns that the belief in the “inevitability” of war has a long and problematic history. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Dangers of a self-fulfilling prophecy Historian Alexey Uvarov warns against looking for a ‘Franz Ferdinand moment’ in the Russian–Ukrainian war — Meduza

In late September 2025, European officials told Politico that the Russian–Ukrainian war threatens a “Franz Ferdinand moment,” where a sudden escalation drags the entire continent into direct military…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 5d

Meduza has updated its combat map of Ukraine, which shows Kyiv's success in slowing the Russian army’s advance in central Donbas, albeit at a steep cost that has left other sectors more vulnerable. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

A high-stakes gamble Ukraine has successfully slowed Russia’s advance in central Donbas — but at the cost of its defenses elsewhere — Meduza

Like our earlier reports on the combat situation in Ukraine, this article takes stock of the recent developments on the battlefield based on open-source information. Meduza has condemned…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 5d

Short on infantry, Ukraine is struggling to hold its defenses as Russian forces exploit weak spots along the front, advancing in small tactical groups through undermanned positions. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

As gaps widen along the front, Ukraine is reportedly struggling to hold back Russia’s advance — Meduza

Ukrainian troops are struggling to contain Russia’s advance as manpower shortages deepen and gaps widen between front-line positions, according to soldiers interviewed by Ukrainska Pravda. Short…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 5d

Georgia’s prime minister has vowed that “no one will go unpunished” after protesters attempted to storm the presidential palace on Saturday following local elections dominated by the country’s ruling party.
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‘No one will go unpunished” Georgian prime minister vows crackdown after protesters try to storm presidential palace over disputed election — Meduza

Georgia saw its largest protests in months on Saturday, sparked by local elections in which the ruling Georgian Dream party, widely seen as pro-Russian, claimed a sweeping victory.

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 6d

Russia is in the midst of a fuel crisis. At the height of the consumption season, gasoline production has dropped following Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, and prices are climbing. Here’s what the situation looks like on the ground.
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Long lines and empty pumps. Russia’s gasoline crisis in photos. — Meduza

Russia is in the midst of a fuel crisis. At the height of the consumption season, gasoline production has dropped following Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, and prices are climbing. Some gas…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 8d

Russia's Culture Ministry spent a reported $2.4M on a trashy propaganda movie that depicts Europe as a dystopic nightmareland overrun by liberal values, multiculturalism, and murderous refugees. The film failed spectacularly, grossing just $1,315 at Russia's box office. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

The terror of ‘Tolerance’ Russia’s government funded a propaganda film this summer that sold 192 tickets on its opening weekend. The movie presents Europe as a nightmare of liberal values. — Meduza

Close your eyes and feel yourself transported to mythical “Franglia,” where liberal values have triumphed over tradition, and human rights now reign. Gender identity is fluid, and refugees from the…

Meduza in English @meduza.io · 8d

Another billionaire is behind bars in Russia. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia arrests billionaire Ibrahim Suleymanov on suspicion of contract killings after alleged gunman dies in police custody — Meduza

On Friday, a Moscow court ordered the detention of billionaire Ibrahim Suleymanov on charges of organizing two contract killings from 1999 and 2004. The murders targeted Gennady Borisov, a Vnukovo…