March 01, 2021 Sputnik V: First Place or Long Shot? By Artem Zagorodnov The Russia vaccine seems top-notch, but low public trust and a botched rollout remain formidable barriers to returning to normalcy. Health Social Issues
March 01, 2021 Tipping Point? By Paul E. Richardson Just over a decade ago in Moscow, I interviewed Alexey Navalny, who was then only beginning to carve out his profile as a blogger, activist, and politician. It was May of 2008. Law Opinion Politics Social Issues
March 01, 2021 A People on the Brink By Anastasia Platonova Just outside St. Petersburg, a small, ancient ethnos comes to terms with its history, its language, and with its inevitable end. Cities & Towns Regions Social Issues
March 01, 2021 On Creativity By Paul E. Richardson The thematic arc that unites our features in this issue is that of creativity in the face of neglect, persistence in the face of oppression, resilience in the face of difficulty. Art Culture Customs Social Issues
February 25, 2021 Have Your Cake By Haley Bader On February 18, the Moscow Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia (CK) released a stern reminder for Russian youth who might be considering a stint in theft, robbery, extortion or other shenanigans after their fourteenth birthdays. Education Government Law Social Issues Russia File
February 23, 2021 Regions Measure Up By Griffin Edwards RIA Novosti's annual survey, ranking each Russian region by residents' quality of life, has some not-so-surprising results. Economy Regions Social Issues Russia File
February 15, 2021 Russian Government Goes Super Saiyan on Anime By Griffin Edwards Sorry, nerds: Russia has banned certain Japanese cartoons due to concerns of violence. Children Culture Film & TV Social Issues Russia File
February 12, 2021 Call the Cossack Cybersquad By Griffin Edwards Russia's solution to social media profanity? Cossacks, of course! History Internet Social Issues Russia File
February 03, 2021 Freed Internet or Internment? By Haley Bader “Everything is ready for it technologically. All decisions have also been made at the legislative level, but (…) it is not easy, and it is really not desired. I still, frankly speaking, do not see any signs of this happening, because, for obvious reasons, it is a double-edged weapon.” – Brandishing the biggest sword, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev announced to the rest of the world on February 1st that Russia is now ready to disconnect from the global Internet. Government Internet Social Issues Quote
January 27, 2021 No Beating Around the Bush By Haley Bader “These promotions are illegal. <...> Of course, we must talk about the illegality of the actions, not about detentions. I don't see any violation at all. What is it, are these our first arrests? These are not the first uncoordinated rallies. Usually this ends with someone drawing up a complaint of administrative offense and then they are released. I am sure that now, if there are no provocations or clashes with the police, the same will happen.” – The refreshing honesty of Valeriy Fadeyev, the Head of the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia, calling it like it is in the midst of massive anti-corruption protests rocking Russia. Government Moscow Politics Social Issues Quote
January 22, 2021 A Model Problem-Solver By Griffin Edwards A man in Ufa got help for paying off his debts thanks to a classy photo-shoot. Cities & Towns Social Issues Urban Life Russia File
January 07, 2021 Russia's Still Odd in 2021 By Griffin Edwards This week, stealing a ridiculous amount of butter leads to punishment; Chechen nepotism knows no bounds; and Russians hope for an end of the pandemic (don't we all?). Cities & Towns Government Law Moscow Social Issues Urban Life Odder News
