Monthly Newsletter
28th October, Meduza
"Verstka" compiled a card index of "zeroers/nullifiers". These are the Russian military who kill their colleagues at the front.
Russian soldiers on the front line aren’t just dying in combat with Ukrainian troops — their own commanders kill them. In a new investigation, the outlet Verstka identified 101 servicemen accused of involvement in field executions, referred to within the Russian army as “zeroing out.” Their alleged crimes include cases where soldiers were tortured to death, shot, or sent on suicide missions as punishment for “disobedience” or refusal to fight. According to Verstka, the bodies of “zeroed-out” soldiers are usually buried in the forest or left on the battlefield, where a burst from an assault rifle is fired over them to make it look like they died in combat. On paper, these soldiers are usually listed as missing in action or as having deserted their unit — in the latter case, their families receive no compensation. An insight into why the army as an institution does not have the popular support, and financial compensation is why contracts are signed.
23rd October, Snob
A registry of pregnant women will be established in Russia.
In Russia, from March 1, 2026, a unified federal register will be launched with data on pregnant women and the condition of newborns. This was announced at a Council for Demographic Policy meeting by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova. According to Golikova, the system will consider information about pregnant women, pregnancy outcomes, and the health of babies. The database will become part of a wider register of persons with certain diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, oncology, and others. It was approved by the government back in May. The demographic situation is troubling the Kremlin.
16th October, Interfax
Putin approved the Concept of State Migration Policy for 2026–2030.
The concept has 9 sections and 46 points. Particular attention is paid to the integration of compatriots and migrants returning to the Russian Federation, who share traditional Russian spiritual and moral values and move to a permanent place of residence. Their number should increase. In addition, the document clarifies that the growth in the number of labour migrants will continue until 2030. This is due to the need for foreign workers. The document also says that the number of foreign children in the Russian Federation who do not attend school should decrease, and the share of foreign students in Russian higher educational institutions will increase. Migration is still encouraged as a method of addressing the population issue.
3rd October, Tverigrad
President Vladimir Putin explained who can consider themselves Russian.
During the latest Valdai Club meeting, Putin said the following: "Everything is changing, except for one thing - this is the bravery, courage and heroism of the Russian soldier, whom we are all very proud of. When I say "Russians," I do not mean people who are purely ethnically Russian in their passports, and our guys picked it up, and people of different religions and different nationalities picked it up. Everyone proudly says: "I am a Russian soldier." And so, it is. Why? In this regard, I will remind Peter I. What did Peter I say? Who is a Russian? Those who know – well, those who do not know – I will tell you; I will remind you. Peter I said: "A Russian is one who loves Russia and serves it," the head of state said.” For Putin, there is no real difference between ethnicity and loyalty to the state, a feudal perception of nationalism.
3rd October, Vedomosti
What can Roskomnadzor do with Telegram channels via a bot with administrator rights?
Roskomnadzor (subordinate to the Ministry of Digital Development) has obliged Telegram bloggers to appoint a special bot as a channel administrator. The bot needs to be given the phone number to which the Telegram account is registered. The phone number must match the number provided when registering the channel on the State Services portal. Then the bot must be added to the administrators of the registered channel and granted rights to add channel members. The bot @trustchannelbot cannot be removed from the channel or have its necessary rights removed from it. If the channel has already been registered earlier, there is no need to reconfirm, since the Roskomnadzor's requirement does not have a retroactive effect, the lawyer believes. The agency applies the new procedure only to future registrations. But the full capabilities of the admin bot themselves are almost limitless, they include, among other things, posting messages, editing, and deleting posts, publishing "stories", modifying and deleting them, as well as managing broadcasts, messages to the channel and adding administrators. Several lawyers point out that this marks the end of the legalist approach, with the bot demands preceding the law. A ‘stick’ approach, since Max Messenger does not require this bot. Could it be because they can see everything already in Max?
3rd October, Fontanka
Espanola announced its demise
The volunteer 88th reconnaissance and sabotage brigade "Espanola" announced the termination of its existence in its previous form. It is based on hooligan fans of football clubs, mirroring Azov’s origin. It concludes an attempt to stand up to other military organisations such as Kadyrov’s Akhmat, which other brigades, as infamous as Rusich, did submit to. It serves as a reminder of Russia’s hierarchy of power that does not want mobilisation that occurs without the state's involvement. Would any of these imperial Russian nationalists realise the futility of working for the Kremlin?
24th September, Garant
The State Duma adopted a bill on year-round conscription into the army
The military conscription offices will be expected to start working throughout the year, from January 1 to December 31. On September 24, the deputies approved the corresponding draft amendments to Russian legislation in the first reading. The direct dispatch of conscripts to the places of service is planned to be carried out in the usual terms, from April 1 to July 15 and from October 1 to December 31. Currently, conscription coincides with dispatch, and this change would reduce the chance of recruits being missed, especially in combination with the electronic register.
19th September, Gazeta.ru
“Great and marvellous are thy works” Blogger stripped of Russia’s citizenship for threatening national security
The Migration Service has stripped blogger Samvel Karapetyan of his Russian citizenship. The agency emphasised that he posed a threat to national security. Karapetyan considers the decision illegal, as he acquired Russian citizenship by birth. "My parents never had another citizenship, and I didn't acquire it, but received it as the child of a Russian army serviceman, born in the USSR <…> Thus, I am a citizen of the Russian Federation by birthright," Karapetyan explained. However, police described it as acquired. The question from last week is answered; only people born in the Russian Federation are protected from denaturalisation under the current legal system in Russia.
15th September, Current Time
In Russia, a 19-year-old Ural resident was sentenced to 7 years in prison after his parents told the FSB that he was planning to join the RVC.
The Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg sentenced 19-year-old Vadim Tomilov from Irbit, Sverdlovsk Oblast, to seven years in a maximum-security penal colony. He was accused of attempted treason and participation in a "terrorist organisation" for attempting to join the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), which includes Russians who oppose Putin and fight on the side of Ukraine. One of Vadim's relatives says that after his arrest, Tomilov was tortured by FSB officers. "FSB officers beat the boy in the stomach and threatened to electrocute him! Can you imagine a bunch of trained men doing that to a schoolboy?!" she recounted. "The FSB officers tied his hands with a belt and pulled his hat over his eyes. When Vadim tried to take it off or move it, they hit him on the head! When they saw that they would not do anything to him, they started threatening his parents, like, 10 of them would come and beat his mother and father! Of course, he signed anything. One of the bearded guys waved two pistols in his face." The court ordered an investigation into Tomilov's complaint about violence by security forces, but refused to open a case.
10th September, Novaya Gazeta
1,5% of candidates from the "SVO"/War
Putin promised a "new elite" of veterans of the invasion of Ukraine, but in the upcoming regional elections, there again there was less military than unemployed and state employees. Calculations, show that candidates associated with the "SVO"/War apply for 1455 different elective positions (there are slightly fewer candidates - 1375, because one person can run for several positions at once. The share of participants related to the war is only 1.47% of all candidates (0.9% of them are military and other employees of the Ministry of Defence, another 0.57% are employees of other war-related areas). Kremlin remains the same, closed off from the average population. Only way forward remains in submission to the hierarchy in hopes of being acknowledged.
5th September, CNews
‘Whitelist’ for RuNet. A list of sites available during mobile Internet shutdown has been compiled.
In Russia, there will be a way to legally and officially bypass mobile Internet blocking for essential sites. The technology of access to sites from the "white list" has been launched, which will be opened during restrictions on the Internet over cellular networks, representatives of the Ministry of Digital Transformation said. The list includes government and Russia-based websites (social networks, banks, phone operators, Yandex, marketplaces, and MAX messenger). A semblance of normality can still be maintained and minimise the economic downturn previously caused by prior Internet shutdowns.
25th August, Meduza
Despite the war and repression, new civil initiatives continue to emerge in Russia. Everyone fears persecution – even pro-government movements
Despite war and repression, Russian civil society continues to adapt and survive. Activists use technology and horizontal structures to avoid detection, share resources, and build solidarity, even if this limits their overall impact. Growth is strongest in legal aid, environmental and labour rights, and especially animal rights, now the safest and fastest-expanding field. Despite the expectations, pro-regime groups continue to feel insecure, as the state does not see them as sufficiently loyal due to a lack of coordination with it and repression targets all forms of civic activity. Reflective solidarity arises (where justice matters more than ideas) across ideological lines, showing that civic activism in Russia remains fragile yet resilient.
13th August, Vedomosti
Roskomnadzor partially restricted calls to Telegram and WhatsApp
Roskomnadzor reported that Telegram and WhatsApp messengers (owned by Meta, the organisation is recognised as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) have become the main services used for extortion and involvement of citizens in terrorist activities. Given this, the department is taking measures to partially restrict calls in these messengers. The Ministry of Digital Development positively assessed the decision of Roskomnadzor, TASS reports. At the same time, they admitted that access to calls will be restored after Telegram and WhatsApp comply with the requirements of Russian law. Now, without the use of a VPN, both audio and video calls encounter interference and slowdown. And most fraud occurs from regular phone calls. Use of the new messenger MAX is encouraged, and what better way to advertise than to slow down the competition?
https://www.vedomosti.ru/society/news/2025/08/13/1131330-ogranichil-zvonki
11th August, Russian Volunteer Corps official channel
Justice Manifesto
On the third anniversary of their foundation, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) published a manifesto. In the manifesto, RVC declares itself as the heir of anti-Bolshevik fighters, declaring a struggle for “Russian justice” against the Kremlin, which they describe as an anti-national regime erasing Russian identity and waging imperial war in Ukraine. They declare themselves as both soldiers and the only true opposition, committed to building a Russian republic, rejecting both Soviet myths and modern Russian statehood as false and corrupt.
https://t.me/russvolcorps/1433
24th July, MK.ru
The problems of reproduction will be dealt with seriously: the government promised “demographic special forces" to citizens of Russia/Russovians
The head of the supreme chamber of the Russian parliament, the head of the Federation Council, explained how the "demographic special forces" in the country's leadership intend to stop the decline in demography. Matvienko made the main thesis of her speech a strategy based on "family-centricity". The "demographic winter" threatening Russia was declared by VTsIOM to be so close that ways to prevent the “frostiest” scenarios are necessary (16th May). ‘Special forces’ implies swift and effective decision, compared with already existing anti-abortion committees, and financial incentives. There are also challenges of housing that seem as the primary issue that discourages childbirth.
18th July, Vedomosti
The State Duma has adopted amendments on fines for searching for extremist content
New amendments make intentional search for extremist content (which does include a slogan ‘Russia is for Russians’) an offence. Use of VPN would be considered an aggravating circumstance. VPN promotion is a punishable offence. “What else do I have to say?”
https://www.vedomosti.ru/society/articles/2025/07/18/1125175-gosduma-prinyala-popravki-o-shtrafah
8th July, Fontanka
The State Duma allows the FSB to create its own pre-trial detention centres/prison system
On Tuesday, July 8, the State Duma of the Russian Federation approved in the second and third readings a law allowing the Federal Security Service (FSB) to create and control its own pre-trial detention centres (SIZOs)/prison system. The explanatory note states that the special service will receive the authority to protect jails, escort suspects and accused, provide household services, as well as organise treatment, including psychiatric care. FSB servicemen will be able to use special means and weapons in the event of escape, attempted forcible release or threat to the life and health of others. As previously noted, this marks a clear breakaway from the prior system that attempted to integrate with the European legal framework.
https://www.fontanka.ru/2025/07/08/75696356/
6th July, KU66
"Demography has disappeared": Rosstat has stopped disclosing data on the country's population
The Federal State Statistics Service of Russia has stopped publishing the entire section "Demography” for the first time. There is no more information on fertility, mortality, population, migration, marriages, and divorces. Demography is not the only closed topic: since 2022, the Russian authorities have been gradually restricting access to key statistical data. Customs statistics, gold and currency reserves, oil and gas production, and after drone attacks, fuel production data fell under the stamp "secret".
26th June, RBC
A photographer from Perm was sentenced to 16 years in prison for treason
The court sentenced Perm photographer Skvortsov to 16 years in prison for treason. In 2022, he spoke out against the military operation in Ukraine, and in the same year, he left Russia because of his position, but in 2023, he returned to Perm. The court clarified that the case was heard behind closed doors. The official reason for the prosecution was not disclosed; the media, citing various online human rights communities, wrote that Skvortsov had given the American journalist the book "Soviet 'Secret Bunkers': Urban Special Fortifications of the 1930s-1960s." That book was publicly available at the time, and state media reviewed it. Once again, the state is maintaining a tactic of selective punishment, choosing a few to send a message to the rest.
https://www.rbc.ru/politics/26/06/2025/685cfd2d9a7947d6a907faf5
24th June, Meduza
Niche office project
Meduza found out that the ‘Russian community’/Russkaya Obschina does not just coordinate attacks on migrants with the security forces - it carries out their tasks, making a theory that the organisation is a federal ‘honeypot’ to control far-right more plausible than before. ‘Russian community’ both promotes a loyalist narrative aimed against the West with existing migrant issues, acting so that security services do not become an outrage target. Security force oversight is necessary in that case, given how numerous legal conflicts do not result in persecution when other organisations were shut down for less. The article suggests that the relative longevity of the ‘Russian community’ is due to their focus on Orthodox Christianity, which discouraged neo-pagan fighting organisations. Now, the regular crackdown would be seen as demeaning to the public perception they have been trying to promote. The main method is to wait until the organisation has too many incidents to ignore.
https://meduza.io/feature/2025/06/24/nishevyy-proekt-kontory
20th June, Kommersant
A Belgorod woman received 22 years in prison for ‘treason and assistance to terrorism’
Thirty-year-old Russian citizen Nadezhda Rossinskaya (nickname Nadine Geisler) was sentenced to 22 years in prison for ‘donating to a terrorist group within the Ukrainian military’. Nadezhda denied the accusation, saying she helped only Ukrainian refugees. In her final speech, Nadezhda outlined numerous inconsistencies of the trial, with the closed trial acting to prevent their spread and punish those who oppose the state. Given that Nadezhda has already been declared an extremist/terrorist last year, it is tough to disagree.
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/7808486
May 14th, Channel One
Sermon. Documentary film by Alexander Prokhanov
A 3-episode documentary by Alexander Prokhanov, an author who is known for preaching extreme imperial rhetoric in praise of states that existed throughout history, be it the Tsardom, USSR, or current Russia. The film contains the following quote: “The Russian state is the benefactor of the Russian people. Although perhaps there is no other state in the world that is more severe, harsh, or even cruel, the Russian people endure the cruelties of the state, bear the burdens imposed on them because they understand that when there is a state, there are Russian people. There is no state, the people disappear, turning into a senseless crown”. This is a reminder of how exactly the Russian state sees an acceptable form of nationalism - complete loyalty to the state, and acceptance that everything the state does is in their best interest.
https://archive.org/details/1TV_20250513_210000_Aleksandr_Prokhanov/start/240/end/300
https://www.1tv.ru/doc/propoved-dokumentalnyy-film-aleksandra-prohanova
May 14th, RBC
Grigory Melkonyants sentenced to 5 years in prison
The Russian court has sentenced the co-chairman of the non-government election monitoring organisation for ‘undesirable activity.’ During the trial, the defence called "absurd" the statements that organisations different in legal form can be a single whole, and again turned to the wording - not "proven", but "obviously". This trial is a reminder of how the Kremlin values statistics and its presentation, willing to shut down and arrest organisations that can provide alternative data and interpretations.
https://www.rbc.ru/politics/14/05/2025/68243c549a79474ebed8c249
12th May, Golos
Grigory Melkonyants' last plea
Melkonyants said in his last statement that he did not understand why he had to prove the "negative fact" that the Golos movement was not a structural unit of ENEMO and that he did not organise its activities "by speaking at a round table in the Central Election Commission." He cited two responses from the Ministry of Justice, from which it follows that ENEMO does not have structural divisions in Russia, and the Golos movement and ENEMO are two different organisations that are included in two different registers. Melkonyants pleaded not guilty and asked Judge Evgenia Nikolaeva to interpret "irremovable doubts" in his favour.
https://golosinfo.org/en/articles/154637
15 April 2025
In Moscow, a pensioner was beaten for trying to tear off the niqab from a metro passenger. In the past, the attacker was a hostage of Basayev's militants.
In Moscow, a 64-year-old pensioner was beaten in a metro station after attempting to remove a niqab from a female passenger. She was subsequently detained and placed under administrative arrest for 7 days for disorderly conduct, and the attacker was arrested for 13 days. Pensioner is a survivor of the 1995 Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis.
29 March 2025
End of March, a celebration of Uraza Bayram or Eid al-Fitr took place around the world, including Russia.
By this point, big public celebrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg are no longer new, showing demographic changes. However, other major cities are usually ignored, even though the same gatherings occur all across the country, including Siberian cities that were not part of Khanates (historical habitats of Muslims), such as Novosibirsk and Vladivostok.
15 March 2025
New political party is announced to being formed in Russia, that aims to unite imperial Russian nationalists and called Coalition of Russia’s patriotic forces ‘Russian Spring’/Коалиция российских патриотических сил «Русская весна».
Among the first policy initiatives are anti-migrants package of measures and a proposal to repeal the effect of an article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code.