News of the Week

Week-ending 7 November 2025

Russia’s War against Ukraine

Ukraine on Friday said it had handed over a captured Russian soldier to Lithuania, where he will be put on trial for alleged war crimes. (The Moscow Times, 31/10/15)

President Putin signed a law moving the military toward a year-round conscription model starting next year. (The Moscow Times, 4/11/25)

The FSB said it had detained an unidentified Moscow resident on suspicion of treason for allegedly sharing personal data of opposition members with a NATO country. (The Moscow Times, 5/11/25)

Daniil Mukhametov [who fled Russia to avoid military service] fears Lithuania could send him back to Russia, where he would face imprisonment. (RFE/RL, 6/11/25)

Tetiana Montian, a Ukrainian-born pro-Russia blogger, was last week designated a “terrorist and extremist.” (The Guardian, 6/11/25)

Authorities in Sverdlovsk region launched the first known case for online searches for extremist materials against Sergei Glukhikh, a resident of Kamensk-Uralsky. (The Moscow Times, 6/11/25)

Swiss commodities trader Gunvor withdrew its $22 billion bid to acquire the overseas assets of Lukoil after the U.S. Treasury Department said it would block the deal. (The Moscow Times, 7/11/25)

The European Commission has adopted stricter rules for issuing visas to Russian nationals to enter the European Union in response to what it said were “increased security risks”. (The Guardian, 7/11/25)

A Ukrainian court has sentenced Dmitry Kurashov. a Russian soldier, to life in prison after finding him guilty of killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war. (The Guardian, 7/11/25)

“For participating in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Colombian citizens Alexander Ante, 48, and Jose Aron Medina Aranda, 37, were each sentenced to 13 years in prison, the prosecutor’s office said on Telegram. (The Moscow Times, 7/11/25)

Other news

Russian lawmakers continue to rely on Telegram as their main channel of communication despite a Kremlin directive urging them to switch to state-backed Max. (The Moscow Times, 31/10/25)

A planned two-day celebration of horror, fantasy, and comics was shut down by Russian authorities on November 1, in the continuing crackdown on artistic and cultural expression. (RFE/RL, 3/11/25)

A Perm court sentenced Yekaterina Romanova to seven days’ jail for allegedly refusing to take a drug test after taking part in a street concert in support of Stoptime. (The Moscow Times, 3/11/25)

The city of Vologda has erected a 9-meter-tall statue of Tsar Ivan IV, better known as Ivan the Terrible, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday. (The Moscow Times, 3/11/25)

A St. Petersburg court announced  it had jailed Artyom Repin for 12 days for carrying symbols associated with an “extremist organization” for carrying a goblet with a pentagram and an image of occult figure Baphomet, as well as a book with the title “Satanic Rituals” on the cover. He was on his way to the Necrocomiccon cosplay and pop culture festival. (The Moscow Times, 4/11/25)

A Russian national, Igor R., charged in Poland with spying for Russian intelligence has admitted to passing information to the FSB. (The Moscow Times, 4/11/25)

The Digital Development Ministry is set to introduce a new type of SIM card for children that will filter traffic, enhance parental controls and allow location tracking. (The Moscow Times, 5/11/25)

A court in Pskov sentenced opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 420 hours of community service on charges of failing to comply with “foreign agent” rules. (The Moscow Times, 5/11/25)

Authorities in St. Petersburg said they conducted raids targeting street performers, issuing dozens of protocols and confiscating instruments amid a clampdown. (The Moscow Times, 6/11/25)

A Perm court sentenced street musician Yekaterina Romanova to 60 hours’ community service for holding a concert in support of the St. Petersburg street band Stoptime. (The Moscow Times, 6/11/25)

President Putin has elevated at least 24 relatives to government positions or jobs in state companies, likely a record number for Russian rulers over the last 100 years. (The Moscow Times, 6/11/25)

Russia plans to introduce a 24-hour blackout period for domestic SIM cards inactive for more than three days or just returned from international roaming. (The Moscow Times, 7/11/25)