During ‘farewell summit’ with Angela Merkel, Russian leader says US-led campaign cannot be called a successVladimir Putin has demanded that countries not interfere in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul, saying the west “must stop the irresponsible pol…
UK imposes sanctions on seven Russians over Navalny poisoning
FCDO says the individuals, said to be FSB members, will be subject to travel bans and asset freezesSanctions have been imposed on seven Russian nationals accused of involvement in the nerve agent poisoning of the key Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the …
Only action against corruption can solve the world’s biggest problems | Alexei Navalny
In a message from his prison cell, the jailed Russian opposition activist calls for the west to take sanctions against oligarchsExactly one year ago, I did not die from poisoning by a chemical weapon, and it would seem that corruption played no small p…
Thirty years after the Moscow coup, democracy is in a crisis of self-esteem | Rafael Behr
Much has been squandered since 1991, but the biggest threat to democracy today is the global contagion of cynicismOn 19 August 1991, citizens of the Soviet Union woke up to the news that Mikhail Gorbachev, the general secretary of the Communist party, …
BBC journalist speaks of ‘increasingly repressive’ Russia ahead of expulsion
Sarah Rainsford says she is caught up in wider diplomatic game as country ‘turns in on itself’A senior BBC journalist who is to be expelled from Russia has condemned “an increasingly repressive environment” for critical journalists in the country.Sarah…
Belarus repression and the Taliban advance: human rights this fortnight – in pictures
A round-up of the coverage of the struggle for human rights and freedoms, from Thailand to Mexico Continue reading…
“We are all Martians”
Natalija Majsova (06/09/2020, Strelka Mag; also in a video lecture for the Canadian Centre for Architecture), “Soviet Sci-Fi Film and Different Modalities of Future Ecosystems”: “Irina Povolotskaia’s 1967 debut The Mysterious Wall [75 mins.] pioneered …
Well-preserved 28,000-year-old lion cub found in Siberian permafrost
Female cave lion cub named Sparta in Russia’s Yakutia region may even have traces of mother’s milk in itScientists have said that an astonishingly well-preserved cave lion cub found in Siberia’s permafrost lived 28,000 years ago and may even have trace…
Wildfire smoke in Siberia causes ‘stay at home’ instruction
Yakutia leader declares ‘non-work’ day over health concerns as 22m acres burn in east Russia regionThe leader of a Siberian region has declared Friday a non-working day and urged residents to stay at home as smoke from raging forest fires raised health…
Russia detains head of hypersonic research facility in treason case
Alexander Kuranov is suspected of passing secret information to a foreign citizenRussia has reportedly detained the head of a hypersonic technology research facility on suspicion of treason in the latest high-profile arrest targeting a senior scientist…