Mediazona English
@en.zona.media
Independent news from Russia. Investigative reporting, courtroom live-blogging, digital censorship coverage (now censored in Russia)
https://en.zona.media/
https://en.zona.media/
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Mediazona English
@en.zona.media
· Mar 31
Mediazona on the brink. We need 5,000 monthly subscribers to survive
Mediazona is running out of money. We’ve had to cut staff and slash salaries. Editor-in-chief Sergey Smirnov and editor Dmitry Treshchanin will now be working without pay. If thing...
en.zona.media
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. Mediazona is struggling.
We’ve tracked 100K Russian casualties in Ukraine. Covered political prisoners repression. We survived Putin’s censors.
Our reporters risk prison. Our editors will now work without pay. We need your help: en.zona.media/article/2025...
We’ve tracked 100K Russian casualties in Ukraine. Covered political prisoners repression. We survived Putin’s censors.
Our reporters risk prison. Our editors will now work without pay. We need your help: en.zona.media/article/2025...
An official estimate put the number of unemployed soldiers back from Ukraine at 250,000.
After publication, major outlets scrubbed the number from their stories, @faridaily_ reports.
The details: en.zona.media/article/2026...
After publication, major outlets scrubbed the number from their stories, @faridaily_ reports.
The details: en.zona.media/article/2026...
January 26, 2026 at 6:23 PM
An official estimate put the number of unemployed soldiers back from Ukraine at 250,000.
After publication, major outlets scrubbed the number from their stories, @faridaily_ reports.
The details: en.zona.media/article/2026...
After publication, major outlets scrubbed the number from their stories, @faridaily_ reports.
The details: en.zona.media/article/2026...
Failing students at Moscow’s prestigious Higher School of Economics are being urged to choose a military contract over expulsion.
Promised “special” one-year terms and a return to studies, they are instead being lured into indefinite front-line service
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Promised “special” one-year terms and a return to studies, they are instead being lured into indefinite front-line service
en.zona.media/article/2026...
“The state will always deceive you”. Moscow’s elite HSE university lures failing students into “special” military contracts with no way back
The administration of the Higher School of Economics (HSE), one of Russia’s most prestigious universities, has confirmed it is encouraging students facing expulsion to sign standar...
en.zona.media
January 24, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Failing students at Moscow’s prestigious Higher School of Economics are being urged to choose a military contract over expulsion.
Promised “special” one-year terms and a return to studies, they are instead being lured into indefinite front-line service
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Promised “special” one-year terms and a return to studies, they are instead being lured into indefinite front-line service
en.zona.media/article/2026...
It's rare to hear public voices of dissent inside Russia these days. Actor Vadim Dzyuba spoke in support of political prisoners, Russians and Ukrainians who died in prison, during an event in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This video from November was made public recently
January 23, 2026 at 11:04 AM
It's rare to hear public voices of dissent inside Russia these days. Actor Vadim Dzyuba spoke in support of political prisoners, Russians and Ukrainians who died in prison, during an event in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This video from November was made public recently
A Ukrainian colonel has been sentenced to life in absentia for the strike on the Moskva cruiser.
The court’s official statement, later scrubbed from its website, acknowledges for the first time that the vessel was destroyed by missiles
en.zona.media/article/2026...
The court’s official statement, later scrubbed from its website, acknowledges for the first time that the vessel was destroyed by missiles
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Battleship in court. Deleted court statement acknowledges cruiser Moskva was hit by missiles and reveals casualty figures
A Moscow military court has sentenced a Ukrainian commander to life in prison in absentia for the 2022 sinking of the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, Moskva. In doing so, the court’s o...
en.zona.media
January 22, 2026 at 5:35 PM
A Ukrainian colonel has been sentenced to life in absentia for the strike on the Moskva cruiser.
The court’s official statement, later scrubbed from its website, acknowledges for the first time that the vessel was destroyed by missiles
en.zona.media/article/2026...
The court’s official statement, later scrubbed from its website, acknowledges for the first time that the vessel was destroyed by missiles
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Reposted by Mediazona English
Moscow prosecutors have attempted to punish a complete stranger for “collaborating” with the banned news media @meduza_en.
Despite the defendant having no history degree and no social media accounts, the prosecution insisted his guilt was proven
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Despite the defendant having no history degree and no social media accounts, the prosecution insisted his guilt was proven
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Repeat, as farce. Moscow prosecutors pursue wrong man over “collaboration” with banned news site
Prosecutors in Moscow have attempted to penalise a complete stranger for “participating” in the work of the independent news outlet Meduza, banned as an “undesirable organisation”—...
en.zona.media
January 20, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Moscow prosecutors have attempted to punish a complete stranger for “collaborating” with the banned news media @meduza_en.
Despite the defendant having no history degree and no social media accounts, the prosecution insisted his guilt was proven
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Despite the defendant having no history degree and no social media accounts, the prosecution insisted his guilt was proven
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Alexander Nesterenko, an associate philosophy professor at the Moscow State Technical University, has been sentenced to three years in prison for Ukrainian songs saved on his social media. Here is his closing statement in court:
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
January 20, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Alexander Nesterenko, an associate philosophy professor at the Moscow State Technical University, has been sentenced to three years in prison for Ukrainian songs saved on his social media. Here is his closing statement in court:
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Moscow prosecutors have attempted to punish a complete stranger for “collaborating” with the banned news media @meduza_en.
Despite the defendant having no history degree and no social media accounts, the prosecution insisted his guilt was proven
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Despite the defendant having no history degree and no social media accounts, the prosecution insisted his guilt was proven
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Repeat, as farce. Moscow prosecutors pursue wrong man over “collaboration” with banned news site
Prosecutors in Moscow have attempted to penalise a complete stranger for “participating” in the work of the independent news outlet Meduza, banned as an “undesirable organisation”—...
en.zona.media
January 20, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Moscow prosecutors have attempted to punish a complete stranger for “collaborating” with the banned news media @meduza_en.
Despite the defendant having no history degree and no social media accounts, the prosecution insisted his guilt was proven
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Despite the defendant having no history degree and no social media accounts, the prosecution insisted his guilt was proven
en.zona.media/article/2026...
A Moscow court is currently deliberating whether jokes about Christ and a disabled Ukraine war veteran constitute a criminal conspiracy.
The comedian, Artemy Ostanin, suffered a broken spine and humiliation in detention after trying to leave Russia
en.zona.media/article/2026...
The comedian, Artemy Ostanin, suffered a broken spine and humiliation in detention after trying to leave Russia
en.zona.media/article/2026...
“Language of demons” and a broken spine. The surreal trial of the Russian comedian Ostanin accused of “organised” joking
Artemy Ostanin is a Moscow stand-up comedian facing criminal charges over jokes told on stage. Today, Meschansky district court in Moscow has heard that Ostanin is accused not only...
en.zona.media
January 19, 2026 at 6:39 PM
A Moscow court is currently deliberating whether jokes about Christ and a disabled Ukraine war veteran constitute a criminal conspiracy.
The comedian, Artemy Ostanin, suffered a broken spine and humiliation in detention after trying to leave Russia
en.zona.media/article/2026...
The comedian, Artemy Ostanin, suffered a broken spine and humiliation in detention after trying to leave Russia
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Reposted by Mediazona English
La guerra en Ucrania dura ya más que la Gran Guerra Patria. Vendida como « antinazi », ha reproducido prácticas oscuras de la II GM.
Nuestra lista subió 7.500 nombres; Bashkortostán es la primera región en llegar a 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
Nuestra lista subió 7.500 nombres; Bashkortostán es la primera región en llegar a 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
January 16, 2026 at 6:16 PM
La guerra en Ucrania dura ya más que la Gran Guerra Patria. Vendida como « antinazi », ha reproducido prácticas oscuras de la II GM.
Nuestra lista subió 7.500 nombres; Bashkortostán es la primera región en llegar a 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
Nuestra lista subió 7.500 nombres; Bashkortostán es la primera región en llegar a 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
Der Krieg in der Ukraine dauert nun länger als der Große Vaterländische Krieg. Als „anti‑nazistisch“ verkauft, hat er dunkle Praktiken des Zweiten Weltkriegs übernommen.
Unsere Liste wuchs um 7.500 Namen; Baschkortostan ist die erste Region mit 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
Unsere Liste wuchs um 7.500 Namen; Baschkortostan ist die erste Region mit 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
January 16, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Der Krieg in der Ukraine dauert nun länger als der Große Vaterländische Krieg. Als „anti‑nazistisch“ verkauft, hat er dunkle Praktiken des Zweiten Weltkriegs übernommen.
Unsere Liste wuchs um 7.500 Namen; Baschkortostan ist die erste Region mit 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
Unsere Liste wuchs um 7.500 Namen; Baschkortostan ist die erste Region mit 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
La guerra en Ucrania dura ya más que la Gran Guerra Patria. Vendida como « antinazi », ha reproducido prácticas oscuras de la II GM.
Nuestra lista subió 7.500 nombres; Bashkortostán es la primera región en llegar a 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
Nuestra lista subió 7.500 nombres; Bashkortostán es la primera región en llegar a 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
January 16, 2026 at 6:16 PM
La guerra en Ucrania dura ya más que la Gran Guerra Patria. Vendida como « antinazi », ha reproducido prácticas oscuras de la II GM.
Nuestra lista subió 7.500 nombres; Bashkortostán es la primera región en llegar a 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
Nuestra lista subió 7.500 nombres; Bashkortostán es la primera región en llegar a 8.000
zona.media/article/2026...
La guerre en Ukraine dure plus longtemps que la Grande Guerre patriotique. Présentée comme « anti-nazie », elle a repris des pratiques sombres de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
Notre liste a augmenté de 7 500 noms ; le Bachkortostan est la première à 8 000
zona.media/article/2025...
Notre liste a augmenté de 7 500 noms ; le Bachkortostan est la première à 8 000
zona.media/article/2025...
January 16, 2026 at 5:51 PM
La guerre en Ukraine dure plus longtemps que la Grande Guerre patriotique. Présentée comme « anti-nazie », elle a repris des pratiques sombres de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
Notre liste a augmenté de 7 500 noms ; le Bachkortostan est la première à 8 000
zona.media/article/2025...
Notre liste a augmenté de 7 500 noms ; le Bachkortostan est la première à 8 000
zona.media/article/2025...
The war in Ukraine is now officially longer than the Great Patriotic War. Sold as “anti-Nazi,” it has absorbed some of WWII’s darkest practices, with no sign Russia will stop.
Our list grew by ~7,500 names; Bashkortostan is the 1st region to reach 8,000
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Our list grew by ~7,500 names; Bashkortostan is the 1st region to reach 8,000
en.zona.media/article/2026...
January 16, 2026 at 5:09 PM
The war in Ukraine is now officially longer than the Great Patriotic War. Sold as “anti-Nazi,” it has absorbed some of WWII’s darkest practices, with no sign Russia will stop.
Our list grew by ~7,500 names; Bashkortostan is the 1st region to reach 8,000
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Our list grew by ~7,500 names; Bashkortostan is the 1st region to reach 8,000
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Moscow court fined @Inc Russia’s publisher for a 2018 explainer that included a link to @YPO, a young-CEO network labelled “undesirable” 6 years later. In today’s Russia, an old hyperlink easily counts as “participation”
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Networking with intent. Moscow court fines media outlet for 2018 article with link to “undesirable” organisation
A Moscow court has ruled that an active hyperlink on Inc.Russia’s website amounted to participation in the work of an “undesirable” organisation—a reminder that, in today’s Russia,...
en.zona.media
January 15, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Moscow court fined @Inc Russia’s publisher for a 2018 explainer that included a link to @YPO, a young-CEO network labelled “undesirable” 6 years later. In today’s Russia, an old hyperlink easily counts as “participation”
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
In the summer of 2025, Lera was 4 months old, was in an intensive care unit in Crimea with a serious lung illness when here mom, Alexandra Strilets, 24, and grandma Victoria, 42 (also very ill), got 12 years in prison each on charges of “treason”
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
The Strilets family and the FSB. While doctors fought for the life of a newborn girl from Crimea her mother and grandmother were sentenced to 12 years for treason
In the summer of 2025, a court in Sevastopol, annexed Crimea, sentenced Viktoria and Alexandra Strilets to 12 years in prison for treason. According to the prosecution, the mother ...
en.zona.media
January 15, 2026 at 1:57 PM
In the summer of 2025, Lera was 4 months old, was in an intensive care unit in Crimea with a serious lung illness when here mom, Alexandra Strilets, 24, and grandma Victoria, 42 (also very ill), got 12 years in prison each on charges of “treason”
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has taken a break from spycraft to issue a press release on… Orthodox Church issues.
The agency is accusing Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople of “schismatic activities” with “the support of British intelligence services”
1/4
The agency is accusing Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople of “schismatic activities” with “the support of British intelligence services”
1/4
January 12, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has taken a break from spycraft to issue a press release on… Orthodox Church issues.
The agency is accusing Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople of “schismatic activities” with “the support of British intelligence services”
1/4
The agency is accusing Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople of “schismatic activities” with “the support of British intelligence services”
1/4
Churches across Russia held a Moscow-approved prayer service, timed to the Massacre of the Innocents to “bring to reason” would-be parents and warn of “spiritual consequences” of “the sin of child murder.”
Featured: U.S.-made fetus mannequins
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Featured: U.S.-made fetus mannequins
en.zona.media/article/2026...
January 11, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Churches across Russia held a Moscow-approved prayer service, timed to the Massacre of the Innocents to “bring to reason” would-be parents and warn of “spiritual consequences” of “the sin of child murder.”
Featured: U.S.-made fetus mannequins
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Featured: U.S.-made fetus mannequins
en.zona.media/article/2026...
The missile is the message.
Overnight, Russia launched its “Oreshnik” missile at Ukraine’s Lviv region near the EU border as “retaliation” for an alleged drone strike on Putin’s residence (Kyiv denies and the U.S. disputes this).
What we know so far: en.zona.media/article/2026...
Overnight, Russia launched its “Oreshnik” missile at Ukraine’s Lviv region near the EU border as “retaliation” for an alleged drone strike on Putin’s residence (Kyiv denies and the U.S. disputes this).
What we know so far: en.zona.media/article/2026...
Oreshnik, act 2. Russia strikes Ukraine with a ballistic missile framing it as a response to the “terrorist attack” on Putin’s residence
Overnight on January 9, the Russian army used the “Oreshnik” ballistic missile against Ukraine for the second time. The first was last year, when Dnipro was struck. This time, the ...
en.zona.media
January 9, 2026 at 6:35 PM
The missile is the message.
Overnight, Russia launched its “Oreshnik” missile at Ukraine’s Lviv region near the EU border as “retaliation” for an alleged drone strike on Putin’s residence (Kyiv denies and the U.S. disputes this).
What we know so far: en.zona.media/article/2026...
Overnight, Russia launched its “Oreshnik” missile at Ukraine’s Lviv region near the EU border as “retaliation” for an alleged drone strike on Putin’s residence (Kyiv denies and the U.S. disputes this).
What we know so far: en.zona.media/article/2026...
How Russian authorities use KIA soldiers for propaganda? Mediazona obtained documents on the preparation of an exhibition about the war, which sheds light on what they are willing to talk about, what they keep quiet about, and what they might let slip:
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
January 7, 2026 at 7:13 PM
How Russian authorities use KIA soldiers for propaganda? Mediazona obtained documents on the preparation of an exhibition about the war, which sheds light on what they are willing to talk about, what they keep quiet about, and what they might let slip:
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has adopted many laws that allow to prosecute for dissent to actions of its army. Thousands are fined and imprisoned. To avoid punishment, Russians have been seeking anonymous forms of anti-war protest (1/10)
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
The streets speak. Anti‑war messages in Russian cities
Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has adopted many laws that allow to prosecute for any dissent to the actions of its army. Thousands of people are fine...
en.zona.media
January 6, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has adopted many laws that allow to prosecute for dissent to actions of its army. Thousands are fined and imprisoned. To avoid punishment, Russians have been seeking anonymous forms of anti-war protest (1/10)
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Throughout 2025, Russia has repeatedly shut down mobile internet across the country, leaving few “whitelisted” services accessible. Authorities claim the outages protect against Ukrainian drone attacks, but they disrupt people’s lives far from the front
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Running from Wi‑Fi to Wi‑Fi. How Russian regions live under mobile internet shutdowns
In May 2025, Russia began mass shutdowns of mobile internet. The authorities claim this is a way to protect against Ukrainian drones, although the restrictions also affect regions ...
en.zona.media
January 5, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Throughout 2025, Russia has repeatedly shut down mobile internet across the country, leaving few “whitelisted” services accessible. Authorities claim the outages protect against Ukrainian drone attacks, but they disrupt people’s lives far from the front
en.zona.media/article/2026...
en.zona.media/article/2026...
Russian army in 2025: from battlefield “meat grinder” to courtroom data purges.
Our 2025 year end analysis reveals record bloodshed and a fresh cover-up: just today, Russian courts wiped thousands of MIA case files overnight
Read the report: en.zona.media/article/2025...
Our 2025 year end analysis reveals record bloodshed and a fresh cover-up: just today, Russian courts wiped thousands of MIA case files overnight
Read the report: en.zona.media/article/2025...
December 30, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Russian army in 2025: from battlefield “meat grinder” to courtroom data purges.
Our 2025 year end analysis reveals record bloodshed and a fresh cover-up: just today, Russian courts wiped thousands of MIA case files overnight
Read the report: en.zona.media/article/2025...
Our 2025 year end analysis reveals record bloodshed and a fresh cover-up: just today, Russian courts wiped thousands of MIA case files overnight
Read the report: en.zona.media/article/2025...
Used on the front lines, denied Russian citizenship, jailed at home.
We investigated the surge in jail sentences for Kazakh men returning from Ukraine war, abandoned by Russia and criminalised by the country they left behind
en.zona.media/article/2025...
We investigated the surge in jail sentences for Kazakh men returning from Ukraine war, abandoned by Russia and criminalised by the country they left behind
en.zona.media/article/2025...
Five years for enlisting. Kazakhstan prosecutes hundreds of citizens for fighting in Ukraine
Всего за время войны силовики возбудили больше 700 дел об участии во вторжении
en.zona.media
December 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Used on the front lines, denied Russian citizenship, jailed at home.
We investigated the surge in jail sentences for Kazakh men returning from Ukraine war, abandoned by Russia and criminalised by the country they left behind
en.zona.media/article/2025...
We investigated the surge in jail sentences for Kazakh men returning from Ukraine war, abandoned by Russia and criminalised by the country they left behind
en.zona.media/article/2025...
Russian prosecutors have declared The George Washington University “undesirable.”
The reason is “a special analytical center” on Russia providing a platform for “anti-Russian statements, reports aimed at discrediting Russia” (not naming the center)
1/3
The reason is “a special analytical center” on Russia providing a platform for “anti-Russian statements, reports aimed at discrediting Russia” (not naming the center)
1/3
December 29, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Russian prosecutors have declared The George Washington University “undesirable.”
The reason is “a special analytical center” on Russia providing a platform for “anti-Russian statements, reports aimed at discrediting Russia” (not naming the center)
1/3
The reason is “a special analytical center” on Russia providing a platform for “anti-Russian statements, reports aimed at discrediting Russia” (not naming the center)
1/3
An employee of Yaroslavl Pedagogical University is fined 20,000 roubles ($250) for posting links to IELTS (managed by the British Council), Yale University, and the Carnegie Foundation on the institution's website. All these organisations are considered "undesirable" in Russia
December 26, 2025 at 10:52 AM
An employee of Yaroslavl Pedagogical University is fined 20,000 roubles ($250) for posting links to IELTS (managed by the British Council), Yale University, and the Carnegie Foundation on the institution's website. All these organisations are considered "undesirable" in Russia