Week-ending 8 May 2026
Russia’s War against Ukraine
The EU is preparing sanctions on people and entities in Russia and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine deemed responsible for illegal deportation and “reeducation” of Ukrainian children. (RFE/RL, 2/5/26)
As of late 2025, 3,212 people in Russia were serving in alternative civilian service. (Meduza, 4/5/26)
Colonel General Alexander Chaiko, a Russian commander responsible for mass killings of Ukrainians in Bucha, has been named commander-in-chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces. (Meduza, 4/5/26)
Russia shut down airports and temporarily cut mobile internet access for many users in Moscow on Tuesday, as it tightened security before the 9 May Victory Day. (The Guardian, 5/5/26)
Russian border guards have started recording the passport details of travelers crossing the Russia-Belarus border, the Belarusian human rights project Mayday Team reported. (Meduza, 5/5/26)
Ivan Lyubshin, who had served time on a charge of ‘justifying terrorism,’ was detained in Minsk while attempting to emigrate to France. He had a humanitarian visa. (Meduza, 5/5/26)
The authorities suppressed news of the self-immolation of Alexander Okunev on 24 February 2025, third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Meduza, 6/5/25)
The 2nd Western District Military Court sentenced Alexandra Zhitenko to 19 years in prison and an 800,000-ruble fine on charges of recruiting students into the Free Russia Legion. (Meduza, 6/5/26)
Russia has told foreign embassies in Kyiv to evacuate their staff in case it decides to attack the Ukrainian capital during the Victory Day parade in Moscow this weekend. (The Guardian, 7/5/26)
The Bauman Moscow state technical university has a secret faculty known as Department 4, or “Special Training,” where students are prepared for careers in the GRU. (The Guardian, 7/5/26)
Russia’s Digital Development Ministry announced that mobile internet access in Moscow will be restricted on May 9, including access to whitelisted sites and SMS services. (Meduza, 7/5/26)
More than a dozen airports across southern Russia suspended operations after a Ukrainian drone crashed into the air traffic control center for the region. (The Moscow Times, 8/5/26)
Other news
The international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned ahead of the opening of the 2026 exhibition over Russia’s return to the event. (RFE/RL, 1/5/26; Meduza, 6/5/26, The Guardian, 6/5/26)
Denis Butsayev, a high-ranking Russian official who was recently dismissed from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, has reportedly fled to the US. (The Moscow Times, 1/5/26)
Eight miners were killed when a mine collapsed in Magadan. (The Moscow Times, 4/5/26)
At least 27 supporters of exiled opposition politician and former occult healer Svetlana Lada — all women — have faced pressure from the security services. (The Moscow Times, 4/5/26)
Political prisoner Azat Miftakhov says he has been tortured. (Meduza, 5/5/26)
A court ordered the pre-trial detention of exiled human rights veteran Lev Ponomaryov (aged 84) in absentia on ‘undesirable organisation’ and ‘foreign agent’ charges. (The Moscow Times, 5/5/26)
A judge in Novosibirsk region sentenced Valery Zvegintsev and Vladislav Galkin, scientists who study hypersonic technology, to 12.5 years in prison for treason. (The Moscow Times, 5/5/26)
Russia plans to expand oversight of media in educational institutions. (Meduza, 5/5/26)
Vadim Moshkovich must transfer his stake in Rusagro to the state. (The Moscow Times, 6/5/26)
A Moscow court has banned the distribution in Russia of content hosted on the entertainment website “YaPlakal.” The ruling, issued by the Chertanovsky District Court of Moscow in late April, was flagged by Verstka, an independent Russian news outlet. Meduza, 6/5/26, 5/6/26)
Russia’s economy contracted at the beginning of the year. (The Moscow Times, 7/5/26)
Law enforcement authorities in the city of Yekaterinburg arrested Oleg Novoselov, a researcher of Soviet-era repression, after he was accused of terrorist recruitment. (The Moscow Times, 7/5/26)
Sofia Chepik, a member of Scarlet Swan, an online group calling for protests against government internet restrictions, fled the country after being jailed for two weeks. (The Moscow Times, 7/5/26)
Children’s books imported from Britain contained ‘extremist literature.’ (The Moscow Times, 7/5/26)
The Kremlin will not compensate businesses for losses caused by internet outages. (Meduza, 7/5/26)
