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Mark Krutov

Mark Krutov is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Russian Service and one of the leading investigative journalists in Russia. He has been instrumental in the production of dozens of in-depth reports, exposing corruption among Russia's political elite and revealing the murky operations behind Kremlin-led secret services. Krutov joined RFE/RL in 2003 and has extensive experience as both a correspondent and a TV host.

Also by Mark Krutov

June 27, 2023
'Who Ends Up Getting Screwed In The End?': Relatives Of Wagner Fighters Seethe At Aborted Mutiny, Fate Of Loved Ones

What will happen to the Wagner Group, following last weekend's mutiny? Relatives of men who joined the notorious private mercenary are worried, confused -- and angry.
June 16, 2023
Trench Selfies: Tracking A Russian Military Unit By Frontline Social Media Photos

Earlier this spring, a Russian unit schooled at a Chechen military training academy deployed to southern Ukraine as Russia’s military girded for an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. Judging by their revealing social media posts, they didn’t get much training in “OPSEC” -- operational security.
May 23, 2023
Who's Who Among Russia's Mercenary Companies

The Wagner Group is by far the most notorious Russian mercenary company, its soldiers having played visible roles in conflict, chaos, and commerce from Africa to Ukraine, where they have led Russia's long, bloody push to take Bakhmut. But Wagner is not Russia's only private military company.
April 28, 2023
Russia's Wagner Group Plotted To Spark Violence In Moldova, U.S. Document Leak Shows

Moldova, Europe's poorest country, witnessed anti-government protests earlier this year -- and now the leak of classified U.S. military documents indicate the Russian mercenary group Wagner may have played a role.
April 28, 2023
How A German Gas Giant's Investments May Be Fueling Russia's Military, Including In Ukraine

The findings, by RFE/RL and the British anti-corruption group Global Witness, raise new questions about Wintershall’s continued investments and business dealings in Russia.
March 13, 2023
Exclusive: Expelled Russian Diplomats With Spy Links Resurface In Serbia

While many European states have shown the door to hundreds of Russian diplomats, not only have they found a new home in Serbia, but the country has taken in alleged Russian spies, an RFE/RL investigation reveals.
February 23, 2023
'Putin Does Not Want Bad News': U.S. Military Expert Assesses Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine After One Year

Rob Lee, a former U.S. Marine who is currently a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), speaks to RFE/RL about the current military situation in Ukraine and how it might develop in the coming months.
October 20, 2022
As Ukrainian Troops Advance In Kherson, A Glimpse Of The Russian Withdrawal

Ukrainian forces are advancing in the southern Kherson region, pummeling Russian forces and pushing toward the city of Kherson, whose recapture would be a major victory. Social-media photos and videos posted by troops leaving the right bank of the Dnieper River give a glimpse of how it's going.
September 17, 2022
They Used To Photograph Weddings. Now A Ukrainian Couple Is Documenting The Horrors Of Russia's Invasion.

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vlada and Kostyantin Liberov were wedding photographers in Odesa. Seven months later, they are war correspondents, working hard to make images that won’t let the world forget about Ukraine.
September 12, 2022
How One Crusading Lawyer Battles For The Rights Of Russians Sent To Fight In Ukraine

RFE/RL's Russian Service recently spoke to a lawyer who helps Russian soldiers and their families fight for their rights. Soldiers' complaints testify to the depletion of human resources in the army and the inability of the Russian authorities to provide manpower in the "special military operation."
August 10, 2022
The Dead Of The 64th: A Notorious Russian Army Unit And Its High Casualty Rate

An RFE/RL investigation looks at the high casualty rate in one Russian Army unit -- one that has been implicated in the Bucha massacres north of Kyiv — and what it says about the way Russia is conducting its war on Ukraine.
June 26, 2022
Ukraine's Black Sea Missile Attacks May Be An Attempt To Clear Sea Lanes For Grain Exports

Ukraine’s strike against a Black Sea offshore platform controlled by Russia may be part of a campaign to free its shipping lanes. Russia may have installed radar systems on the platform.
June 18, 2022
Dungeon Of Death: Survivor Recounts Dire Conditions For Captives Of Russian Soldiers In Ukraine Basement

Russian soldiers kept hundreds of residents of a northern Ukrainian town – from a 6-week-old infant to a frail 93-year-old -- in a dark, stifling school basement with no toilet, a survivor says. Ten people died, and Kyiv has charged the suspects with war crimes.
June 01, 2022
Lithuanians Raise $6 Million To Buy Attack Drone For Ukraine

A group of activists in Lithuania has negotiated with the Defense Ministry and raised more than $6 million from ordinary citizens in just three days to purchase a Turkish-made Bayraktar attack drone for the Ukrainian military.
April 15, 2022
Russian Soldier And Wife Discussing Rape Of Ukrainian Women Identified By RFE/RL

The identities of a Russian soldier and his wife who discussed the rape of Ukrainian women in a phone call have been revealed following an investigation by RFE/RL’s Russian Service and Schemes.
April 11, 2022
In Russia's War On Ukraine, Effective Satellites Are Few And Far Between

Russia has long been saddled with a small and inadequate fleet of communications and surveillance satellites that in many cases rely on outdated technology or on imported parts that are harder to come by as a result of Western sanctions.
April 06, 2022
As Evidence Of War Crimes In Bucha Mounts, A Hunt For Russian Military Units

As workers struggle to clear the bodies of civilians from the streets of the Ukrainian town of Bucha, and investigators struggle to compile evidence, RFE/RL has pinpointed some of the Russian military units known to have occupied the city.
March 23, 2022
'A Very Big Secret': Boat Crews Link Alleged Putin Superyacht To Russian Tycoons' Other Vessels

A leaked crew list for a yacht Kremlin critics allege is Vladimir Putin's shows connections to other superyachts owned by Kremlin-connected oligarchs, as well as a Russian company that has benefited from state contracts.
March 19, 2022
Communication Breakdown: How Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Bogged Down

Serious, and seemingly predictable, obstacles to secure communications and data sharing among branches of the Russian military appear to have hampered its invasion plans from the first days of the war in Ukraine.
March 04, 2022
As War In Ukraine Rages, Russians Begin Grieving Over Dead Soldiers

Russia says 500 of its soldiers have been killed since it invaded Ukraine, while Ukraine says they're far more. Now, the first death notifications are being received in Russia. And with well over 100,000 soldiers believed to be in Ukraine, many families across Russia are waiting nervously for news.

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