Meduza in English

23/08/2025

Two years ago tomorrow, mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash, two months after captivating the world with a brief mutiny against Russia’s military. In a new interview, Prigozhin's mother reflects on her son's demise.

Two years ago tomorrow, on August 23, 2023, a private plane crashed outside Moscow, killing three crew members and seven passengers, including Wagner Group private military company founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. Two months prior, Prigozhin had led a brief mutiny against Russia’s military that captivat...

22/08/2025

A Russian soldier told journalists he took part in the killing of five Ukrainian POWs in May 2024. He later deserted his unit and now has an arrest warrant against him.

A Russian soldier told journalists that he took part in the killing of five Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Donetsk region in May 2024.

22/08/2025

A week after Putin shook Trump's hand in Alaska and they appeared to agree on the general contours of a Ukraine settlement, the two leaders are sending some very different signals.

In an apparent response to Donald Trump hinting that his administration might allow Ukraine to “fight back” by attacking Russia itself, Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit Friday to Sarov. The city, located in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, has long been associated with nuclear weapons rese...

22/08/2025

If you know the Internet meme surrounding gay p**n star Billy Herrington, count yourself one step ahead of the locals in Zheleznogorsk who fell for this prank.

Investigators in Russia’s Kursk region are charging a local teenager under a law against “rehabilitating Nazism” after the 16-year-old submitted a photo of Billy Herrington, a gay p**nography actor associated with a popular Internet meme, dressed as a Soviet soldier. The image appeared on an 1...

22/08/2025

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally bestowed medals on more than a dozen senior officers who fought against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region. But what's next for Pyongyang in the war? https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/08/22/pyongyang-s-overseas-heroes

22/08/2025

Meduza talks to Lana Estemirova about her new memoir commemorating the life, work, and assassination of her mother, renowned human rights activist Natalia Estemirova.

Growing up in Chechnya in the 1990s and early 2000s, Lana Estemirova knew that her mother, renowned human rights activist Natalia Estemirova, had a very important job. She often went to work with Natalia at the Memorial human rights group’s Grozny office, and overheard her conversations about the ...

22/08/2025

Seda Suleymanova, who was forced back to her native Chechnya after fleeing an arranged marriage in 2023, may have been killed and buried in her home village, human rights group SK SOS says.

A Chechen woman who was forced back to the region after fleeing her family may have been killed and buried in her home village, David Isteyev, director of the human rights group SK SOS, told TV Rain.

22/08/2025

Russia is increasingly turning to Central Asians to replenish its depleted forces in Ukraine.

Russia is increasingly turning to Central Asians to replenish its depleted forces in Ukraine. Millions of labor migrants from former Soviet republics live and work in Russia, and Russian authorities are using a mix of tactics — from promises of rewards to torture and threats — to pressure them i...

22/08/2025

Ukraine has repatriated 65 of its citizens who had been held at the Dariali checkpoint on the Russian–Georgian border, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Ukraine has repatriated 65 of its citizens who had been held at the Dariali checkpoint on the Russian–Georgian border, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

22/08/2025

Ukrainian drones struck a pumping station on the Druzhba oil pipeline in the town of Unecha in Russia’s Bryansk region, halting oil deliveries to Hungary once again.

Ukrainian drones struck a pumping station on the Druzhba oil pipeline in the town of Unecha in Russia’s Bryansk region, halting oil deliveries to Hungary once again.

22/08/2025

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard signed a directive in late July barring the sharing of any intelligence related to Russian–Ukrainian peace negotiations with other members of the Five Eyes alliance, CBS News reported.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard signed a directive in late July barring the sharing of any intelligence related to Russian–Ukrainian peace negotiations with other members of the Five Eyes alliance, CBS News reported, citing U.S. intelligence sources.

21/08/2025

Less than a week after Trump and Putin shook hands in Alaska, Russia's military has destroyed a U.S.-owned factory in western Ukraine. President Zelensky says, "The Russians knew exactly where they lobbed the missiles."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of deliberately targeting U.S. investments, citing an overnight Russian attack on an American-owned electronics plant in western Ukraine that left dozens injured. “In Mukachevo, the Russians practically burned down an American company producing...