Week-ending 31 July 2026
Russia’s War against Ukraine
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine might be reached if the sides froze the conflict and resumed negotiations. (The Moscow Times, 26/7/26)
Russian President Putin signed a decree raising the army’s authorized size to 2,426,130 personnel, with service members now numbering 1,535,000, up from 1,510,000. (Meduza, 27/7/26)
The FSB arrested a man on suspicion of spying for New Zealand. (The Moscow Times, 27/7/26)
Ilya Remeslo, a former pro-war blogger who faces trial for allegedly spreading false information about the military, has been moved to a psychiatric facility in Moscow. (The Moscow Times, 27/7/26)
Kirill Cheplygin, sentenced to 19 years for murdering his ex-wife and her boyfriend, has since signed a contract with Russia’s Defense Ministry and left for the war in Ukraine. (Meduza, 27/7/26)
Alexei Nechayev, head of the New People party voiced Russians’ growing frustration with the protracted war in Ukraine and government tech bans. (The Moscow Times, 27/7/26)
A BBC investigation shows Russia is steering more ninth-graders toward the army. (Meduza, 28/7/26)
Russia’s Central Election Commission has approved more than 400 candidates from Yabloko to run in September’s parliamentary elections on a pro-peace platform. (The Moscow Times, 29/7/26)
Journalist Daria Shipacheva was sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason apparently for a wire transfer she made to a Ukrainian family member. (The Moscow Times, 29/7/26)
Russian officials have charged Pavel Durov, the founder and chief executive of the messaging app Telegram, with aiding terrorism. (The Guardian, 29/7/26)
Ukrainian drones struck targets in several places inside Russia on July 29, including an oil refinery and a logistics center belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries. (RFE/RL, 29/7/26)
A military court in St. Petersburg sentenced Daniil Belousov, the son of Oleg Belousov, a political prisoner, to seven years in a penal colony on a charge of “justifying terrorism.” (Meduza, 29/7/26)
Russia’s government extended a ban on gasoline and diesel exports through the end of next January as authorities continue to try to stabilize the domestic fuel market. (The Moscow Times, 30/7/26)
About 1,500 Wildberries sellers in Russia’s Leningrad region lost their goods in a warehouse fire caused by Ukrainian drone attacks. (Meduza, 30/7/26)
A government quota system favors veterans of the war in Ukraine and their children for coveted state-funded university spots. (RFE/RL, 30/7/26)
Roundups targeting men of conscription age are continuing in the Penza region, now carried out by plainclothes individuals connected to local authorities. (Meduza, 31/7/26)
Russians who film Ukrainian attacks and post them on social media are being detained, fined, and forced to apologize on camera. (Meduza, 31/7/26)
Other news
“Chastity lessons” are part of a growing nationwide campaign that brings Orthodox priests into classrooms to promote traditional family values. (The Moscow Times, 24/7/26)
The Eksmo-AST publishing group fired staff refusing to censor queer literature. (Meduza, 28/7/26)
SK SOS, a crisis group for Chechen LGBTQ+ people and domestic violence survivors, has been designated an ‘extremist’ organization.’ (Meduza, 28/7/26)
The Central Election Commission approved over 400 Yabloko candidates for September’s Duma elections on a pro-peace platform. Last week, St. Petersburg’s election commission refused to register Yabloko candidates for city elections. (The Moscow Times, 29/7/26; Meduza, 24/7/26)
Europe is increasingly out of reach for Russian holidaymakers. (The Moscow Times, 30/7/26)
Russia’s Digital Development Ministry has drafted amendments that would require foreign websites and apps to authorize Russian users solely through their phone numbers. (Meduza, 30/7/26)
After prolonged heavy rains, tap water in Tyumen smells of feces and chemicals. (Meduza, 30/7/26)
A Moscow court sentenced Russian blogger Sofia Vershinina, to a suspended three-year prison term for distributing pornography online. The court also fined her 4.8 million rubles. (Meduza, 31/7/26)
A Moscow court ordered the pre-trial arrest in absentia of Zhanna Nemtsova on charges of organizing the activities of an “undesirable” organization. (The Moscow Times, 31/7/26)
