Meduza in English
@meduza.io
Breaking news in Russia, investigative reports, interviews, and opinions. In English. You’re welcome. https://meduza.io/en
Federal agents have detained Mikhail Shcherbak, the director of capital construction at a Rosatom subsidiary. The executive, who reportedly managed projects in Iran and Belarus, is accused of sending funds to the Ukrainian armed forces. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Senior Russian nuclear official arrested on charges of financing Ukrainian military — Meduza
Russian authorities have arrested a senior Rosatom executive on charges of financing the Ukrainian military. On Friday, federal agents detained Mikhail Shcherbak, the director of capital construction…
meduza.io
January 16, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Federal agents have detained Mikhail Shcherbak, the director of capital construction at a Rosatom subsidiary. The executive, who reportedly managed projects in Iran and Belarus, is accused of sending funds to the Ukrainian armed forces. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
January tends to be a month of preparation before the Russian and Ukrainian militaries’ spring campaigns. This time, however, Russian offensives and Ukrainian counterattacks are continuing on several sections of the front.
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As fighting continues in Pokrovsk and Kupyansk, Russia bears down on Ukraine’s main remaining Donbas strongholds. Meduza analyses the latest from the front. — Meduza
Like our earlier reports on the combat situation in Ukraine, this article reviews recent battlefield developments based on open-source information. Meduza has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine…
meduza.io
January 16, 2026 at 7:11 PM
January tends to be a month of preparation before the Russian and Ukrainian militaries’ spring campaigns. This time, however, Russian offensives and Ukrainian counterattacks are continuing on several sections of the front.
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Adam Kadyrov is reportedly unconscious and being prepared for emergency transport to Moscow. Local sources say security forces have sealed off roads leading to the hospital in Grozny following the multi-vehicle collision. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov’s 18-year-old son reportedly in critical condition after Grozny car crash — Meduza
Adam Kadyrov, the 18-year-old son of the head of Chechnya, has been hospitalized in critical condition following a traffic collision in Grozny, the Chechen opposition Telegram channel Niyso and…
meduza.io
January 16, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Adam Kadyrov is reportedly unconscious and being prepared for emergency transport to Moscow. Local sources say security forces have sealed off roads leading to the hospital in Grozny following the multi-vehicle collision. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
Remember the Russian diplomat found dead in Cyprus last week, just a day after a former Russian potash executive went missing in the country? He appears to have been an undercover intelligence officer.
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More to the story A Russian diplomat who died in Cyprus last week was reportedly an undercover intelligence officer — Meduza
The last two weeks have brought not one but two mysteries surrounding Russian men in Cyprus. The first involved Vladislav Baumgertner, the former CEO of a major potash producer, who went missing…
meduza.io
January 16, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Remember the Russian diplomat found dead in Cyprus last week, just a day after a former Russian potash executive went missing in the country? He appears to have been an undercover intelligence officer.
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On Sunday, Moldova’s president said she would vote for reunification with Romania in a hypothetical referendum. Russia-friendly politicians jumped on the ensuing controversy.
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‘Increasingly difficult for a small country’ Moldova’s president said she would vote for reunification with Romania. Russia-friendly politicians jumped on the ensuing controversy. — Meduza
Moldova’s political news cycle this week was dominated by comments from President Maia Sandu about how she would vote in a hypothetical referendum on unification with Romania. Meduza explains the…
meduza.io
January 16, 2026 at 5:11 PM
On Sunday, Moldova’s president said she would vote for reunification with Romania in a hypothetical referendum. Russia-friendly politicians jumped on the ensuing controversy.
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With her premature baby still in intensive care and relying on a ventilator, a young mother in occupied Crimea asked a judge to delay her 12-year prison sentence for "treason." Request denied. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
12 years and 530 grams Russian court’s treason verdict in occupied Crimea separates mother from premature baby requiring lung surgery — Meduza
In August 2025, a Russian court in Sevastopol sentenced 42-year-old Viktoria Strilets and her 24-year-old daughter, Alexandra, to 12 years in prison on charges of high treason. The case…
meduza.io
January 15, 2026 at 10:11 PM
With her premature baby still in intensive care and relying on a ventilator, a young mother in occupied Crimea asked a judge to delay her 12-year prison sentence for "treason." Request denied. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Russia’s biggest breakout singer of 2025 was Vanya Dmitrienko — a TikToker whose songs make listeners feel like the 2010s never ended.
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Move over, Shaman Russia’s latest breakout singer is a TikToker who makes listeners feel like the 2010s never ended — and the full-scale war never began — Meduza
Russia’s biggest musical success of 2025 wasn’t Shaman, the hawkish Kremlin-backed pop singer, or Instasamka, the blogger-turned-rapper who built hits around conspicuous consumption and controversy…
meduza.io
January 15, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Russia’s biggest breakout singer of 2025 was Vanya Dmitrienko — a TikToker whose songs make listeners feel like the 2010s never ended.
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Russian strikes have left hundreds of Kyiv apartment buildings without heat or power amid freezing temperatures. “Nothing on this scale has happened in the four years of the full-scale war,” the city’s mayor said.
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Winter blackout Russian strikes have left hundreds of Kyiv apartment buildings without heat or power amid freezing temperatures — Meduza
On the night of January 8, Russian forces carried out a massive strike on Kyiv, knocking out a significant portion of the city’s heating, power, and water supplies. The following day, Mayor Vitali…
meduza.io
January 15, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Russian strikes have left hundreds of Kyiv apartment buildings without heat or power amid freezing temperatures. “Nothing on this scale has happened in the four years of the full-scale war,” the city’s mayor said.
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As mass protests shake Iran, Russia is once again watching one of its allies slide into crisis. Meduza spoke with expert @nicolegrajewski.bsky.social about what the Kremlin is prepared to do for Tehran — and what it stands to lose.
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‘Authoritarian learning’ What do the Iran protests mean for Russia? Meduza asks expert Nicole Grajewski. — Meduza
Russia is once again watching one of its allies slide into crisis. Over the past several weeks, mass anti-government protests have erupted across Iran, in what many experts describe as the most…
meduza.io
January 15, 2026 at 3:11 PM
As mass protests shake Iran, Russia is once again watching one of its allies slide into crisis. Meduza spoke with expert @nicolegrajewski.bsky.social about what the Kremlin is prepared to do for Tehran — and what it stands to lose.
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On this week's Naked Pravda, historian William Jay Risch discusses his forthcoming book on Ukraine's Euromaidan Revolution, explaining how his research challenges prevailing narratives by focusing on the fallout of escalating revolutionary violence. meduza.io/en/episodes/...
Historian William Jay Risch looks back at Euromaidan and Ukraine’s road from ‘revolutionary euphoria to the madness of war’ — Meduza
As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its four-year anniversary, The Naked Pravda looks back even further to the origins of the conflict that began nearly 12 years ago. This episode features…
meduza.io
January 15, 2026 at 12:14 AM
On this week's Naked Pravda, historian William Jay Risch discusses his forthcoming book on Ukraine's Euromaidan Revolution, explaining how his research challenges prevailing narratives by focusing on the fallout of escalating revolutionary violence. meduza.io/en/episodes/...
President Zelensky has declared a state of emergency in Ukraine’s energy sector, with special attention on Kyiv. “The consequences of Russian strikes and deteriorating weather conditions are severe,” he said on Wednesday. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
Zelensky declares state of emergency in Ukraine’s energy sector amid efforts to repair widespread damage from Russian strikes — Meduza
President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared a state of emergency in Ukraine’s energy sector, with special attention on Kyiv. This comes as the Ukrainian capital continues to experience widespread…
meduza.io
January 14, 2026 at 9:11 PM
President Zelensky has declared a state of emergency in Ukraine’s energy sector, with special attention on Kyiv. “The consequences of Russian strikes and deteriorating weather conditions are severe,” he said on Wednesday. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
Ukrainian anti-corruption agents have released audio recordings and footage allegedly linking Yulia Tymoshenko to a long-running bribery operation within parliament. She claims the investigation is a move to sideline political rivals. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
‘A grand PR move’? Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities accuse former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko of bribing lawmakers — Meduza
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Batkivshchyna political party, has been accused of organizing a vote-buying scheme in parliament, Ukraine’s anti-corruption…
meduza.io
January 14, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Ukrainian anti-corruption agents have released audio recordings and footage allegedly linking Yulia Tymoshenko to a long-running bribery operation within parliament. She claims the investigation is a move to sideline political rivals. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Ukraine’s parliament approved the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as the country’s new defense minister today, making him the fourth person to take up this post during the full-scale war.
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‘I don’t want to be a populist — I want to be a realist’ Who is Ukraine’s new defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov? — Meduza
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliament approved the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as the country’s new defense minister. One of the longest-serving members of the Ukrainian cabinet, Fedorov previously…
meduza.io
January 14, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Ukraine’s parliament approved the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as the country’s new defense minister today, making him the fourth person to take up this post during the full-scale war.
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Despite the Kremlin’s usual talk of “strategic partnerships” and the “multipolar order,” Moscow has offered Venezuela and Iran practically no assistance amid their ongoing crises — something that has surprised some Russian elites. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
‘Strong countries don’t treat allies like this’ Meduza’s sources say Russian elites are questioning how Putin’s inaction on Venezuela and Iran fits with a ‘multipolar world’ — Meduza
In the first two weeks of 2026, two of Russia’s major allies have faced monumental crises: Venezuela, whose president was deposed by the U.S. military, and Iran, where unprecedented protests against…
meduza.io
January 14, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Despite the Kremlin’s usual talk of “strategic partnerships” and the “multipolar order,” Moscow has offered Venezuela and Iran practically no assistance amid their ongoing crises — something that has surprised some Russian elites. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
The U.K. has announced plans to develop a new ground-launched ballistic missile for Ukraine. We asked one of our analysts about the role such a missile could play on the battlefield and how it would differ from the weapons Kyiv already has.
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Project Nightfall The U.K. is racing to develop a new ballistic missile for Ukraine. Meduza explains how it would fit into Kyiv’s arsenal. — Meduza
The U.K. has announced plans to develop a new ground-launched ballistic missile for Ukraine. Known as Nightfall, the system would give Ukraine a type of long-range weapon it doesn’t currently…
meduza.io
January 14, 2026 at 3:11 PM
The U.K. has announced plans to develop a new ground-launched ballistic missile for Ukraine. We asked one of our analysts about the role such a missile could play on the battlefield and how it would differ from the weapons Kyiv already has.
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Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now lasted longer than the Soviet fight against Nazi Germany. Yet by many measures, only Ukraine is paying a comparable price — even as Moscow frames the war as an existential struggle against the West. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
1,418 days later Russia’s full-scale invasion has outlasted the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany. But by many measures, only Ukraine is paying a comparable price. — Meduza
As of January 11, Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has lasted longer than the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany. Though the two wars are fundamentally different, the duration…
meduza.io
January 13, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now lasted longer than the Soviet fight against Nazi Germany. Yet by many measures, only Ukraine is paying a comparable price — even as Moscow frames the war as an existential struggle against the West. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Nine newborns have died in recent weeks at a maternity ward in the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk.
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‘A tragedy for the state’ Nine newborns died at a Siberian maternity ward this month, triggering a criminal investigation and renewed scrutiny of conditions — Meduza
Nine newborns have died in recent weeks at a maternity ward in the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk. In response to the deaths, the Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation, and the…
meduza.io
January 13, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Nine newborns have died in recent weeks at a maternity ward in the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk.
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Search efforts are underway in Cyprus for former Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner. His disappearance coincides with a reported suicide at the Russian embassy, where officials have reportedly withheld evidence from local investigators. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
CEO Vladislav Baumgertner is missing Cypriot police search for missing executive while Russian embassy reports diplomat suicide — Meduza
Vladislav Baumgertner, one of Russia’s most prominent senior executives in the 2010s, has gone missing in Cyprus. As the CEO of Uralkali, Baumgertner famously dissolved a partnership with…
meduza.io
January 13, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Search efforts are underway in Cyprus for former Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner. His disappearance coincides with a reported suicide at the Russian embassy, where officials have reportedly withheld evidence from local investigators. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Newly declassified transcripts trace how Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush’s relationship evolved — from shared hardline rhetoric on terrorism to more cautious exchanges over Iraq, where Putin warned Bush against violating international law.
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‘We speak of our friendship’ Newly declassified transcripts show a chummy Putin and Bush Jr. at the height of U.S.–Russia cooperation — Meduza
The National Security Archive at George Washington University has published eight newly declassified transcripts of conversations between Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush. These exchanges took place…
meduza.io
January 12, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Newly declassified transcripts trace how Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush’s relationship evolved — from shared hardline rhetoric on terrorism to more cautious exchanges over Iraq, where Putin warned Bush against violating international law.
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With temperatures below freezing, more than 800 apartment blocks in Kyiv are still without heat after Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital.
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‘They deliberately waited for freezing weather’ Hundreds of apartment buildings still without heat after massive Russian attack on Kyiv — Meduza
More than 800 apartment blocks in Kyiv are still without heat as a result of Russian strikes on the capital, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported on Monday. “Repair and restoration work continues around…
meduza.io
January 12, 2026 at 7:11 PM
With temperatures below freezing, more than 800 apartment blocks in Kyiv are still without heat after Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital.
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Heavy snow blanketed cities across Russia over the weekend, with powerful blizzards hitting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Vladivostok. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Whiteout in Russia Blizzards leave cities from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok buried in snow — Meduza
Heavy snow blanketed cities across Russia over the weekend, with powerful blizzards hitting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Vladivostok. Snowfall in Moscow broke a 50-year record on Friday, according…
meduza.io
January 12, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Heavy snow blanketed cities across Russia over the weekend, with powerful blizzards hitting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Vladivostok. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Venezuela looks like a defeat for Moscow, but is it actually a gift to Putin’s worldview? The Naked Pravda asked political scientist Seva Gunitsky and Russian oil-industry expert Craig Kennedy about "spheres of influence" and Moscow's money problems. meduza.io/en/episodes/...
Is Trump’s Venezuela operation a ‘gift to Putin,’ and what is the state of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’? — Meduza
At first glance, the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro might look like an obvious disaster for Vladimir Putin. Russia has lost a key partner, and the prospect of Venezuelan oil…
meduza.io
January 9, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Venezuela looks like a defeat for Moscow, but is it actually a gift to Putin’s worldview? The Naked Pravda asked political scientist Seva Gunitsky and Russian oil-industry expert Craig Kennedy about "spheres of influence" and Moscow's money problems. meduza.io/en/episodes/...
Last month, Russia passed a law allowing clear-cut logging in the forests around Lake Baikal. Environmentalists warn that the consequences for the lake and its unique flora and fauna could be irreversible.
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‘Nothing is sacred for the authorities’ Russia is opening the forests around Lake Baikal to clearcutting. Environmentalists warn Meduza the damage could be irreversible. — Meduza
In December, Russia’s State Duma passed a law allowing clear-cut logging in Lake Baikal’s Central Ecological Zone, a move swiftly approved by the Federation Council and signed by Vladimir Putin.…
meduza.io
January 9, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Last month, Russia passed a law allowing clear-cut logging in the forests around Lake Baikal. Environmentalists warn that the consequences for the lake and its unique flora and fauna could be irreversible.
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How would the 20-point peace plan impact the millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation? Meduza asks analyst Karolina Hird from the Institute for the Study War. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Behind the contact line How would the 20-point peace plan impact the millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation? — Meduza
President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called territorial control the “most difficult” of the 20 points in the new peace plan drafted by Ukraine and the United States. For the agreement to take…
meduza.io
January 9, 2026 at 4:39 PM
How would the 20-point peace plan impact the millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation? Meduza asks analyst Karolina Hird from the Institute for the Study War. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Explosions reported outside Lviv after an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile strike by Russia against the Stryi gas field and gas storage facility. Signs point to another Oreshnik missile attack — the weapon Putin compared to a "meteorite." meduza.io/en/news/2026...
Russia hits gas field near Lviv in suspected Oreshnik ballistic missile strike — Meduza
Shortly after Ukraine’s Air Force reported the threat of an intermediate-range ballistic missile launch from a Russian strategic nuclear testing site near the Caspian Sea, explosions rocked the…
meduza.io
January 9, 2026 at 5:31 AM
Explosions reported outside Lviv after an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile strike by Russia against the Stryi gas field and gas storage facility. Signs point to another Oreshnik missile attack — the weapon Putin compared to a "meteorite." meduza.io/en/news/2026...