Bloggers and twitterers this fall, in the lead-up to the mayoral elections, were effusive in their praise of Moscow living conditions. Was it real or staged?

This summer Russia’s biggest rock music festival, Nashestvie, faced cancellations by a number of artists who were protesting the festival’s increasing cooperation with the Russian military.

On why #metoo is not taking hold in Russia.

Tracking down the meme of dark materials set in motion by the Russian president.

The recent controversy about a new film on the last tsar and the ballerina Mathilde Kschessinskaya is stirring up controversy well in excess of what one might expect.

On the preemptive shutdown of a ballet directed by Krill Serebennikov, who, subsequent to this issue going to press, was arrested on trumped up charges of financial fraud.

On how the Kremlin is handling online dissent and youth culture.

A look at Russian dreams and memes.

Abortion rights and domestic abuse have come under fire of late, marking some new battle lines in the social sphere.

On the one hand, social media of late was overtaken by reaction to a bigoted act against the special needs sister of a famous model; on the other hand, controversy arose about Russians being a bit too nostalgic about the 1990s.

One year from the opening of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, we look at some of the less conventional bits of news about the coming games.

Rumors flew this fall when President Putin stopped taking trips abroad. Just a bout of anxious Kremlinology, or is there something to it?