Week-ending 13 June 2025
Russia’s War against Ukraine
There were emotional reunions as Ukraine and Russia exchanged several busloads of prisoners of war under the age of 25 on June 9. The exchange could last several days with 1,200 from each side crossing the border. (RFE/RL, The Moscow Times, 9/6/25)
Russian state media reports Ukrainian citizens have been denied entry to Russia after deleting messages and photos from their phones prior to crossing the border. (Meduza, 9/6/25)
A court in the northwestern city of Pskov has placed opposition politician Lev Shlosberg under house arrest pending trial on charges of “discrediting” the Russian military, independent media reported Wednesday. (The Moscow Times, 10/6/25 ; 11/6/25)
A Russian military court sentenced Leonid Volkov, a top aide to late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, to 18 years in prison in absentia on charges including extremism and wartime censorship, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday. (The Moscow Times, 11/6/25)
Ukraine said it has repatriated more than 1,200 bodies soldiers killed in the war sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion more than three years ago, the latest move in a series of prisoner exchanges negotiated between the two sides. (RFE/RL, The Moscow Times, 11/6/25)
A Russian military court has sentenced Danish citizen Annabelle Jorgensen in absentia to 26 years in prison and fined her 1.7 million rubles ($21,500) for fighting in the Ukrainian military, state media reported on Wednesday. (Meduza, 11/6/25)
The United States plans to reduce its budget for procuring new weapons for Ukraine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on the proposed defense budget. (Meduza, 11/6/25)
Police arrested Maria Makhmutova in Irkutsk region after she posted a video on social media criticizing Russia Day and soldiers fighting in the war against Ukraine. Arrested on Friday, law enforcement authorities said she “behaved inappropriately and tried to run away several times”. (The Moscow Times, 13/6/25)
Other news
U.S. citizen Joseph Tater has left Russia after being confined to inpatient treatment at a psychiatric clinic in Moscow, the news agency TASS reported on June 6. (Meduza, 6/6/25)
The Telegram messaging app may be less secure than previously thought, as its infrastructure is controlled by a man whose companies have collaborated with Russian intelligence services, according to a new investigation by the exiled outlet IStories. Telegram denied the accusations. (The Moscow Times, Meduza, 10/6/25)
Russia’s Interior Ministry has put Meduza co-founder and publisher Galina Timchenko on its wanted list, the outlet Mediazona reported on Wednesday. (Meduza, 11/6/25)
Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday urged Russia to treat its citizens with “respect” as authorities in Moscow tighten migration laws and carry out mass inspections targeting foreign workers (The Moscow Times, 12/6/25)
The Russian paramilitary group Wagner kidnapped, detained and tortured hundreds of civilians during its more than three years in Mali, including at former UN bases and military camps shared with the Malian army, according to a report published Thursday by a consortium of journalists. (The Moscow Times, 12/6/25)
The “You Are Not Alone” fundraiser on June 12 by independent Russian media outlets in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Foundation, raised more than 12m rubles ($150,000) to support Russian political prisoners and their families. (Meduza, 10/6/25, 13/6/25)
