March 04, 2025

Women's Rights in Wartime


Women's Rights in Wartime
A feminist activists rally in Yekaterinburg in 2019. IvanA, Wikimedia Commons.

After the start of the Russia's war on Ukraine, many journalists, lawyers, and feminists left the country over concerns about criminal prosecution for their anti-war stance. Meanwhile, the Russian government has poured significant resources into discrediting feminist ideas, international standards for combating gender-based violence, and the individuals who support them, according to independent publication Glasnaya.

Because of the exodus of human rights workers and feminists, there are now fewer independent nonprofits in Russia that offer help to survivors of domestic violence. Despite ongoing scrutiny, one of the few remaining organizations still providing legal and advocacy support is the Consortium of Women’s NGOs.

In June 2022, Russian State Duma member Andrei Lugovoi called for an investigation into whether the Consortium was a foreign agent serving the interests of Great Britain and promoting what he described as "LGBT values."

Consortium employee Sofia Rusova said activists and informers have repeatedly filed complaints about the organization with the Ministry of Justice and Roskomnadzor over the past three years, even attempting to block the group’s website. She noted that, although she has experienced more frequent online harassment, it has not stopped her from continuing her work. Rusova added that activists must now be especially cautious when discussing certain topics, explaining that conversations about sex education could be misperceived as LGBT propaganda.

Glasnaya noted that President Vladimir Putin has pardoned thousands of convicts who participated in the war, including those who committed serious offenses against women and girls. One Wagner Group fighter was previously sentenced to 17 years in prison for the murder of 23-year-old student and his former girlfriend Vera Pekhteleva. Lawyer Daria Gryaznova has argued that releasing such offenders reinforces the notion that violence is acceptable, which can lead to further tragedies and deny survivors access to justice. Legislative changes also allow individuals to sign a contract for military service with the Ministry of Defense before any investigation or trial concludes, effectively halting criminal prosecution.

The invasion of Ukraine ended Russians’ ability to seek international recourse as well. On March 16, 2022, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe and ceased to be a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, meaning its citizens no longer fall under European Court of Human Rights jurisdiction. Rusova pointed out that the ECHR had often provided crucial moral and material compensation for survivors when domestic legal avenues were exhausted. Shortly before Russia’s removal from the Council, Senator Andrei Klishas advised citizens to defend their rights in Russian courts, but human rights activist Mari Davtyan said these courts frequently require mediation even in cases of violence, although mediation is legally reserved only for civil proceedings.

Because Russian officials emphasize “traditional values,” domestic violence is widely regarded as a non-existent problem, Davtyan added. Regional crisis centers that receive large state grants reportedly focus on preserving marriages at any cost, leaving women responsible for issues such as low birth rates. Rusova said these programs rarely address the role men play, framing the problem as a relationship solely between a woman and the state.

Rusova expressed concern that the period of progress in human rights, which began after World War II, appears to have ended in Russia and, perhaps, in the wider world. However, she maintains that abandoning core values is not an option and hopes the movement’s efforts will endure the current pressures and ultimately flourish again.

You Might Also Like

Three Years, 95,000 Dead
  • February 23, 2025

Three Years, 95,000 Dead

Three years after the start of Russia's War on Ukraine, more than 95,000 Russian troops have died.
Hell Behind Bars for a Teenager
  • February 16, 2025

Hell Behind Bars for a Teenager

A 14-year-old Russian girl accused of terrorism spent almost a year in a pretrial detention center, where she was beaten and subjected to sexual violence.
Making a List
  • January 27, 2025

Making a List

The Ministry of Internal Affairs may be creating a database of LGBT persons to make future prosecutions easier.
The Patriarch's Abortion Prevention
  • October 22, 2024

The Patriarch's Abortion Prevention

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill will send letters to pregnant women in 16 regions to dissuade them from receiving abortion care.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955