Week-ending 5 September 2025
Russia’s War against Ukraine
Temirlan Abutalimov, a Russian military officer accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine, has been appointed to a cabinet post in the republic of Dagestan. (The Moscow Times, 3/9/25)
US immigration authorities have deported dozens of Russian asylum seekers to Moscow, including a serviceman wanted for desertion who has since been detained. (The Guardian, 3/9/25)
A group of prominent exiled Russian opposition figures is urging Canada to offer asylum to hundreds of anti-war activists who they say face the risk of deportation from the United States to Russia, where they could be arrested and imprisoned for their political views. (The Moscow Times, 3/9/25)
The authorities in Belgorod region have banned posting information online about Russian military activity or the aftermath of Ukrainian attacks from unofficial sources. (Meduza, 4/9/25)
Other news
Vladislav Romantsov is the new director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, a nonprofit founded by the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. (Meduza, 1/9/25)
Russian authorities banned entry to 39 Polish bikers accused of staging an unauthorized rally at a Polish military cemetery in the Tver region. (The Moscow Times, 1/9/25)
Residents of a town in Krasnodar region say they have been forced to breathe toxic air from a landfill fire burning for more than a week. (The Moscow Times, 1/9/25)
This year, schools in Russia are set to undergo several changes. In some regions, children as young as three will begin attending weekly patriotic lessons known as “Important Conversations.” Other changes include requiring the children of migrants to pass a Russian language proficiency exam and providing proof of residence to attend Russian schools, reducing the amount of instruction in indigenous languages to one hour per week and moving all electronic communications to the new state-sponsored Max messenger app. (The Moscow Times, 1/9/25)
China will allow Russian citizens to visit without a visa for up to 30 days during a one-year trial period starting later this month. (The Moscow Times, 2/9/25)
The exiled Russian legal rights organization Avtozak Live announced on Wednesday that it would cease operations by the end of 2025, citing chronic underfunding. (The Moscow Times, 3/9/25)
Left-wing groups in several Russian cities are holding protests against government restrictions on voice and video calls through WhatsApp and Telegram. (The Moscow Times, 3/9/25)
A Moscow court has sentenced exiled journalist and LGBTQ+ rights activist Karen Shainyan to five years in prison in absentia on extremism charges for donating 2,000 rubles ($24.60) to Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation in January and February 2022. (The Moscow Times, 4/9/25)
Anton Nemkin, a member of the Russian State Duma’s Information Policy Committee, said the idea that the country’s new national messenger app, Max, will use AI technology to surveil and report citizens is false. (Meduza, 4/9/25)
Russia’s economy slipped into “technical stagnation” in the second quarter of this year, according to Sberbank CEO German Gref, who on Thursday repeated his past warnings that the Russian Central Bank’s tight monetary policy risked tipping the country into recession.. (The Moscow Times, 4/9/25)
Yulia Yemelyanova, who may have previously worked with Aleksei Navalny, was arrested in Kazakhstan, last week on an international arrest warrant issued by Russia. (Meduza, 5/9/25)
Russian authorities have developed a program that uses AI to censor books for “drug propaganda,” Digital Development Ministry official Vladimir Grigoryev announced. (Meduza, 5/9/25)
A recent oil spill in the Black Sea has killed and injured a growing number of birds along Russia’s southern coast, wildlife specialists said this week. Authorities said around 30 cubic meters of oil, or roughly 200 barrels, leaked during loading at the Novorossiysk port on Aug. 29. A remote sensing expert with Russia’s Maritime Rescue Service told state media that the spill is estimated to cover an area of around 350 square kilometers (135 square miles). (The Moscow Times, 5/9/25)
Russian film and TV actress Aglaya Tarasova was detained at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport and charged with drug smuggling, media reported on Friday. A source said 0.38 grams of cannabis oil was found in a vape cartridge. (The Moscow Times, 5/9/25)
