Robert Coalson is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL who covers Russia, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe.
Russian opposition activist Aleksei Navalny was an unyielding Putin critic who was noted for his courage and his devotion to nonviolent resistance and democracy. Through years of persecution and prison, his message to Russians stayed the same: "I am not afraid, and you shouldn’t be either."
Russian opposition activist Aleksei Navalny: an unyielding Putin critic noted for his courage and his devotion to nonviolent resistance and democracy. Through years of persecution and prison, his message to Russians has stayed the same: “I am not afraid, and you shouldn’t be either.”
Former lawmaker Boris Nadezhdin's attempt to challenge longtime President Vladimir Putin in a March election has proven unexpectedly popular, with people lining up to endorse his bid. But will he be allowed on the ballot? The Kremlin faces a dilemma over what comes next.
January 25 marks 100 days since the arrest in Russia of RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. Facing the prospect of years in prison, she writes from jail: “We live now; we won't have any 'other' time. What have we done today?"
The ongoing protests in Bashkortostan demonstrate a potentially volatile mixture of personal, regional, and national politics that could be difficult for President Vladimir Putin's highly centralized system to manage against the background of Russia's war against Ukraine.
In recent days, both St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov and President Vladimir Putin have made comments about gender-neutral toilets in foreign countries, elevating claims of a culture war with the West over mounting public concerns about the consequences of Russia's real war against Ukraine.
Although Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died 70 years ago, his presence seems ubiquitous in the increasingly authoritarian Russia of Vladimir Putin. “We are definitely living inside Stalin’s legacy, where the main things are fear, atomization, submission, and other social evils,” a commentator wrote.
There were no mass demonstrations or brutal crackdowns in Russia in 2023. Instead, using a web of vague laws, President Vladimir Putin’s security forces methodically eliminated dissenting voices and sowed fear throughout society.
Ruslan Akhmetshin, a former coordinator for Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny in Arkhangelsk, describes his 30 months in custody, from the "inhumane conditions" of pretrial detention to the dismay he felt upon his release from prison earlier this month.
With all political opposition eliminated and Russia firmly in the grip of what analysts call “mature authoritarianism,” the country prepares for a March presidential vote devoid of competition and, if the Kremlin has its way, ushers Vladimir Putin into another six-year term without surprises.
In September, U.S. elder statesman Henry Kissinger endorsed NATO membership for Ukraine, saying “the idea of a neutral Ukraine under these conditions no longer makes sense.” It was the culmination of his evolving views on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Europe's changing security situation.
RFE/RL’s Alsu Kurmasheva has now spent more than a month in a Russian jail on suspicion that she failed to voluntarily register under the country's "foreign agent" laws. In her first messages from jail, Kurmasheva describes her conditions and expresses gratitude for the support she has received.
Shortly before being sentenced to seven years in prison over a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skochilenko addressed the court, telling the judge “I am freer than you.”
The Kremlin has tried to use the Israel-Hamas conflict for its own ends, castigating the West and hosting a delegation from the Palestinian group. The storming of the airport in Daghestan shows that a shift in Moscow's Mideast balancing act has potentially explosive repercussions for Russia.
Tens of thousands of irreplaceable cultural artifacts have been seized by Russia in occupied parts of Ukraine, in a campaign critics say is part looting and part historical revisionism.
St. Petersburg State University has stepped up expulsions of students and faculty who have spoken out against the war in Ukraine or otherwise expressed discontent with the growing authoritarianism of President Vladimir Putin.
Amid widespread horror over Hamas's surprise attack on Israel and the violence targeting civilians, many pro-Kremlin commentators have welcomed the carnage as a distraction from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and a comeuppance for anti-war Russians who fled to Israel.
The Russian government is introducing a new history textbook for high-school students that critics say is intended to "incite anger toward Ukrainians" and explain to future conscripts "why they are putting on uniforms and boots."
Among the passengers listed aboard the Wagner jet that crashed in Russia on August 23 was longtime mercenary commander and former military intelligence officer Dmitry Utkin. Here’s a look at Utkin and how his death, if confirmed, could affect the notorious company.
Jailed Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny has met with persecution, harassment, and attacks in his relentless campaign against the Kremlin. Now facing the prospect of decades in prison, he continues to carve out a prominent position in the country's political landscape.
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