Moscow's told us to expect its flagship Sarmat ICBM to come into operation soon for several by this point. Leaked documents show how manufacturing and logistics issues put the Kremlin's ability to deliver a long way behind its rhetoric.

Sarmat Missile Held Back By Repeated Delays Despite Kremlin Boasts, Leaked Documents Show - The Moscow Times

On May 12, Moscow announced that its flagship RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile would be put on combat duty by the end of the year.

themoscowtimes.com

Russia’s ambitious claims about its nuclear capabilities come years before defense manufacturers can meet the deadlines needed to make them real.

Sarmat Missile Held Back By Repeated Delays Despite Kremlin Boasts, Leaked Documents Show - The Moscow Times

On May 12, Moscow announced that its flagship RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile would be put on combat duty by the end of the year.

themoscowtimes.com

V. interesting to hear from a former Gazprom exec now fighting for 🇺🇦 about problems facing Russia's gas industry 🇺🇦 drone strikes, shadow fleet seizures, sanctions etc. grab headlines. But less discussed is how 🇷🇺 is reliant on imported tech to maintain its gas infrastructure

Just been on @lbc.co.uk talking with @shelaghfogarty.bsky.social about why Keir Starmer is hesitant to hike defence funding despite orders for the arson attack targeting him coming from Russia, and what governments can learn from the Baltics and Scandinavia in talking to citizens about the threat

@elisethomas.bsky.social Hi Elise. Hope all's well. Please could you drop me an email at c.hancock@themoscowtimes.com ? I tried to email you about an article but it bounced

Unable to pick up their cargo from Russian oil terminals damaged by Ukraine, dozens of aging tankers are at risk of suffering oil leaks. Experts warn they could also carry out sabotage against subsea cables in the Gulf of Finland.

Idling Shadow Fleet Tankers Threaten Baltic Security and Environment, Experts Warn - The Moscow Times

Dozens of Russian shadow fleet tankers are idling in the Gulf of Finland as they wait for oil terminals damaged by Ukrainian air strikes to resume operations, in what experts say raises the risk of sa...

themoscowtimes.com

How do you commission opinion journalism on Russia during the war in Ukraine? The Naked Pravda spoke with Moscow Times opinion editor @hancock2001.bsky.social about the challenges that now define the job. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Moscow Times opinion editor Charlie Hancock discusses the challenges of commissioning commentary on Russia amid the war in Ukraine — Meduza

Opinion journalism on Russia has become a high-stakes enterprise since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, shaped by audiences sharply divided by politics and geography. At the center…

meduza.io

I don't use this site often because, as unwieldy as the other-place is, it's still better set up for news. But it's interesting that 90% of the engagement I've had for the past month is from obvious bots that don't even pretend not to be Russian anymore.

If anyone at Yale or BYU wants to get in touch to talk about how your university is handling being banned in Russia, my DMs are open

The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · last yr.

Yale and Brigham Young Universities were recently blacklisted in Russia. The fate of another U.S. college, banned in 2021, could show what being "undesirable" means for the prestigious institutions.

As if you needed more evidence of the cult of masculinity in Russia, Elena here is complaining that her "Z" cat decoration came without any bollocks

The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · last yr.

Toys and merchandise featuring pro-war symbols have become increasingly common on Russian marketplaces and social media. Experts say these toys give children positive reinforcement of the media and propaganda messaging that they encounter daily.

Sure, dude

The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · last yr.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control diplomacy, told the state-run TASS news agency, “The equipment in question, as was also stated by representatives of the Ministry of Defense, was not destroyed but damaged. It will be restored.”

I spent a few days this week at an airbase in the northern 🇳🇱, talking with fighter pilots and military planners about NATO's largest air exercise, practicing how to respond to a Russian attack (or any other adversary). I also got up-close with the jets, but not in the cockpit

The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · last yr.

With intelligence services suggesting Russia could attack Europe within 5 years, NATO is sending the message that it can — and will — fight back.

After a brief illness-induced pause, @ekesa.bsky.social and I are back with stories from 🇹🇷, 🇪🇪, 🇬🇪 and 🇦🇿, joined by @Turkova , talking about her experiences of tightening media freedom in Russia and the US. Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWnP... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4o6l...

All Out on the Eastern Front #7: Protests in Istanbul; Estonia tightens voting law; fighting for VoA

YouTube video by All Out on the Eastern Front

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In Moscow, officials believe that Washington — which doesn’t view the exact dividing lines as a major priority — will pressure Kyiv to concede even more territory than Russia has been able to seize by force. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/03/23/p...

Playing for Time: What the Kremlin Wants in New Talks with the U.S. on Ukraine - The Moscow Times

As high-level delegations from the U.S. and Russia arrive in Saudi Arabia for the second round of bilateral talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, Moscow’s envoys will have one goal on their mind: ...

themoscowtimes.com

#OpEd If Russia won't take responsibility for killing of MH17's 298 passengers, we can't trust them to ensure peace in Ukraine, argues Sander van Luik, whose brother Klaas Willem was killed when the plane was shot down.

Kremlin Accountability for MH17 is Essential for a Credible Peace - The Moscow Times

Opinion | The trust between a parent and child is unparalleled, built on natural affection and honesty.

themoscowtimes.com

The Kremlin worries that a potential deal with the U.S. to secure its control over Ukraine, restore diplomatic ties, lift sanctions and launch joint resource development could be derailed by the Trump-Zelensky clash, @kozlov.bsky.social reports.

Kremlin Fears Trump-Zelensky Clash Could Harm Its Shot at a Grand Bargain - The Moscow Times

The Kremlin is increasingly worried that the emerging rift between the U.S. and Ukraine could derail a potential agreement between Washington and Moscow, The Moscow Times’ sources say.  As U.S.

themoscowtimes.com

#OpEd While the rest of the world is shutting the door to the corrupt super-rich, President Donald Trump is welcoming them in, warns @cjcmichel.bsky.social.

Trump Is Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Russian Oligarchs - The Moscow Times

Opinion | For years, so-called golden visas have been one of the favored tools of the crooked and corrupt around the world.

themoscowtimes.com

For Crisis Europa, I wrote a little something about what it is like to be an on-the-ground reporter at the Munich Security Conference.

A Journalist's-Eye View of the Munich Security Conference

50 heads of state, 150 ministers, and hundreds of experts and journalists. Here's an insider's view of what it is like to report from the world's largest gathering of political and military leaders.

charliehancock.substack.com

Throughout my time at the #MunichSecurityConference I was struck by two narratives: the pessimism of many delegates that Washington was abandoning a complacent Europe and 🇺🇦 to Russia’s whims, and the insistence from 🇪🇺 leaders that talks were more productive than many assumed

The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · last yr.

European officials tried to strike a pragmatic and constructive tone amid alarm that the U.S. would strike a deal with Moscow over their heads and leave Brussels and Kyiv to pick up the pieces.

Another report from the #MunichSecurityConference #MSC2025

The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · last yr.

The Finnish President said that dialogue between Europe, Ukraine as the U.S. is more open than many believe, but that discussions have been "all over the place."

Scholz, at #MSC2025 said that Germany cannot spend more on defence by cutting in other areas as the citizens would be against it. @ecfr.eu actually asked exactly that question, and 40% of Germans (against 36%) say they would want more money for defence even if it meant cutting spending elsewhere.

A foreign service employee tells me their team can no longer access Politico, NYT or Bloomberg -- even though they have paid subscriptions to all of them. "It is critical to our jobs" to have this access, says this employee.

My report from the #MunichSecurityConference #MSC2025

The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · last yr.

The strike at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant “clearly shows that [the Russians] don't want peace,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Trump’s defense secretary also said it was “unrealistic” to expect that Ukraine could return to its pre-2014 borders and urged European NATO members to end their dependency on Washington for security.

No U.S. Peacekeepers to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Hegseth Says - The Moscow Times

BRUSSELS – U.S.

themoscowtimes.com

Breaking News: Russia released a U.S. prisoner — a teacher who was arrested on charges of bringing medical marijuana into Russia in August 2021 — as part of a deal negotiated by President Trump’s Middle East envoy. The terms of the exchange were unclear.

Russia Releases U.S. Prisoner After Talks With Trump Envoy

The Kremlin freed Marc Fogel, a teacher held for more than three years on drug charges, in a deal negotiated by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy.

nytimes.com

ICYMI, you can follow @themoscowtimes.com’s reporters and editors on Bluesky too: @leylalatypova.bsky.social @macktubs.bsky.social @hancock2001.bsky.social @nedgarvey.bsky.social @kozlov.bsky.social

My friend Katya, who is half-Georgian half-Ukrainian, has started a podcast that will focus on the news, politics, and events in countries we sometimes call "Eastern Europe" www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5WW...

All Out on the Eastern Front #2: Protests in Slovakia; Georgia; Moldovan energy deal; Poland vs. ECJ

YouTube video by All Out on the Eastern Front

youtube.com

@hancock2001.bsky.social and I have a podcast now! :)

Dalibor Rohac@daliborrohac.bsky.social · last yr.

What a joy to discuss Slovakia, Fico's career and his unhinged conspiracy mongering with the brilliant @ekesa.bsky.social & @hancock2001.bsky.social! open.spotify.com/episode/3ppO...

What a joy to discuss Slovakia, Fico's career and his unhinged conspiracy mongering with the brilliant @ekesa.bsky.social & @hancock2001.bsky.social! open.spotify.com/episode/3ppO...

All Out on the Eastern Front #2: Protests in Slovakia (cont.); human trafficking in Georgia; Moldovan energy deal; Poland vs. ECJ

All Out on the Eastern Front · Episode

open.spotify.com

The US government has now gutted all of the tools created to fight kleptocracy. It's going to be up to other democracies to save their political and financial systems from anonymous flows of cash. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...

Washington Has Given Up the Fight Against Kleptocrats. Here’s What Democracies Should Do - The Moscow Times

Opinion | On Feb. 6, new U.S.

themoscowtimes.com