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Samantha Berkhead
@samberkhead.bsky.social
Editor-in-chief @themoscowtimes.com 🪆
The Moscow Times is proud to present “Back to the USSR: When Russia Took a Wrong Turn,” an exhibition of photos from our archive that captures everyday life in Russia during the Yeltsin era and the early years of Putin’s rule. See more here: www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/04/20/b...
The Kremlin has rejected bloggers' claims that Putin is not fully informed about affairs in Russia. “Putin is the head of state, and his powers, by definition, include the widest range of issues that are on the agenda,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
‘The People Are Afraid of You’: In Rare Appeals, Celebrities Ask Putin to Address Russians’ Suffering - The Moscow Times
Russian influencers and public figures have issued a series of rare appeals to President Vladimir Putin, saying many Russians are afraid to speak up about problems they face and criticizing what they ...
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In this week's edition of Regions Calling, we zoom in on the North Caucasus, where two republics are grappling with catastrophic floods after experiencing their heaviest rainfall in decades.
Regions Calling: Spring Floods Catch Russian Officials Off-Guard - The Moscow Times
Hello and welcome to Regions Calling, your guide to news beyond the Russian capital from The Moscow Times. This week, we zoom in on the North Caucasus, where two republics are grappling with catastro...
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#OpEd Unlike Ukraine, Russia has not drawn attention to women in combat roles as it would undermine Moscow's masculine supremacy, writes Jennifer Mathers.
As Manpower Shortages Deepen, Russia Recruits Foreign Women for War - The Moscow Times
Opinion | Women are now among the thousands of migrants from Central Asia serving in Russia’s military, including on the front lines in Ukraine.
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told The Moscow Times that each European country must decide for itself whether to resume dialogue with the Kremlin. Read more: www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/11/u...
Russian units’ loss of access to Starlink has allowed Kyiv to push back on Moscow’s advances and make gains in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, a senior NATO official said.
Ukraine Advances in Zaporizhzhia After Russian Troops Lose Starlink Access – NATO Official - The Moscow Times
BRUSSELS — Russian units’ loss of access to Starlink has allowed Kyiv to push back on Moscow’s advances and make gains in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, a senior NATO official said.
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Yury Ushakov has emerged as one of the Kremlin’s key intermediaries with the Trump administration in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. While the extent of his power is opaque, one thing is clear: few people have more direct access to Putin.
Yury Ushakov: The Quiet Power Broker in Russia’s Talks With Team Trump - The Moscow Times
Yury Ushakov wanted Spanish ham and porridge made with low-fat milk.
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For many Russian viewers, the series provides a rare portrayal of queer lives and relationships at a time when LGBTQ+ visibility inside Russia has largely vanished.
‘Heated Rivalry’ Catches Fire in Russia Despite Kremlin’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Repressions - The Moscow Times
A Canadian television series about a romance between two rival professional hockey players has become a surprise hit with Russian viewers despite Moscow’s sweeping repression of LGBTQ+ people and a ba...
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Russian and Ukrainian media recently reported that Kadyrov may be suffering from kidney failure and has been exploring potential successors. Here's what we know.
Chechnya’s Kadyrov Is Reportedly Gravely Ill. Here’s What We Know. - The Moscow Times
Russian and Ukrainian media recently reported that Ramzan Kadyrov, who has ruled the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya for nearly two decades, may be suffering from kidney failure and has been explo...
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In November, The Moscow Times spoke to former U.S. officials and analysts about how Russia might respond to a direct confrontation between Venezuela and the United States.
Moscow Risks Losing a Key Ally in Latin America as Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro - The Moscow Times
As the United States deployed warships and submarines to the Caribbean and escalated strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats in recent months, President Nicolás Maduro appealed to a power...
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Article by me for @themoscowtimes.com. "Nothing in living memory compares with the scale and speed of the change to U.S.-Russia relations [under Trump]. His administration seems to be abandoning not just leadership of the West but membership of it, in favor of [...] alignment with the Kremlin."
The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · 7mo ago#OpEd Whoever succeeds Trump will struggle to undo the damage dealt to Washington's alliances and the advantages he has granted Russia, argues Ruth Deyermond.
“If something like that had happened, the whole town would have been talking about it,” one resident told the Mozhem Obyasnit outlet.
Valdai Residents Report No Signs of Claimed Ukrainian Drone Attack on Putin Residence - The Moscow Times
Residents of the town of Valdai in Russia’s Novgorod region said they neither heard nor saw signs of a large-scale drone attack overnight on Monday despite official claims that nearly 100 Ukrainian dr...
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In our final Regions Calling newsletter of 2025, we look back at our coverage of Russia's regions and choose one policy, person and place that left the most pronounced impact this year.
Regions Calling: 2025 Wrapped - The Moscow Times
Merry Christmas and welcome to Regions Calling, a newsletter by The Moscow Times shedding light on life beyond the Russian capital. For this final newsletter of the year, we asked our special corresp...
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to hold his annual Direct Line call-in show and press conference with Russian citizens and journalists Friday. To help you watch it as it unfolds, The Moscow Times has created our own version of “Putin Bingo,” with some of the tropes and phrases we expect.
Former Yandex CEO Arkady Volozh has done what many business elites could not after the invasion of Ukraine: successfully leave the Russian market and parlay his old venture into a new one abroad. How did he pull it off?
Arkady Volozh’s Second Act - The Moscow Times
It looked like Arkady Volozh’s days at the top of the Russian tech world were over.
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WSJ published a great report about how Russia is pushing for the U.S. to tack business and investment deals onto the Ukraine peace plan. @themoscowtimes.com has been reporting this since February. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/18/k... www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/21/t...
@themoscowtimes.com’s excellent Regions Calling newsletter brings you stories from Russia’s regions that you won’t find in other English-language media. And it’s free. You can subscribe here: mailchi.mp/moscowtimes/...
The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · 8mo agoIn the new edition of Regions Calling, @leylalatypova.bsky.social examines how frequent — and in some cases permanent — mobile internet outages and restrictions have transformed the lives of ordinary people in Russia’s regions.
St. Petersburg woman Lena Patyayeva, who has repeatedly called for answers about the fate of her friend Seda Suleimanova after she was forcibly returned to Chechnya, was arrested while staging a solo picket on Tuesday. Photo: Slovo Zashchitye
Opinion: To Putin, the Trump peace proposal proves that he has won. But there is much in its pages that he won’t agree to, argues former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev.
Trump’s Peace Plan Favors Russia. Putin Still Won’t Accept It. - The Moscow Times
Opinion | The Ukraine war peace plan proposed by the Trump administration has, unsurprisingly, triggered a storm of reactions across the press, social media and among experts.
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Activists and experts say the Kremlin's two new holidays are more for propaganda than a genuine expression of care for Indigenous communities.
Regions Calling: Kremlin’s New Holidays Offer a Hollow Embrace of Indigenous Peoples, Activists Say - The Moscow Times
Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Regions Calling, your guide to developments beyond the Russian capital from The Moscow Times.
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The band Stoptime rose to viral fame for performing anti-Putin and anti-war anthems in St. Petersburg — and were jailed for nearly two weeks as a result. Here is a closer look at some of the songs they performed:
Singing These Songs in Russia Could Land You in Jail - The Moscow Times
A group of young street musicians from St.
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Diana Loginova was filmed earlier this week leading a crowd in central St. Petersburg in singing the lyrics to the exiled rapper Noize MC’s hit song “Swan Lake Cooperative.”
St. Petersburg Street Musician Arrested After Viral Anti-Putin Performance - The Moscow Times
Police in St.
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The Moscow Times spoke to five residents of Russia’s second-largest city about how the war has transformed their everyday lives.
When Normal Life Becomes Impossible: Stories from St. Petersburg Nearly 4 Years Into War - The Moscow Times
Nearly four years after Russia launched a full-scale war on Ukraine, St.
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The Central Bank asked Russians to choose the design of the new 500-ruble note. It set off a spat between Chechen officials and pro-war bloggers, accusations of rupturing national unity and even claims of foreign meddling — not to mention all the memes.
Russians Were Asked to Vote on the New 500-Ruble Bill Design. It Became a Political Lightning Rod. - The Moscow Times
It started with an innocuous call by the Central Bank to choose the design of Russia’s new 500-ruble (about $5) note dedicated to the North Caucasus Federal District. It ended in a spat between Chech...
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The Moscow Times@themoscowtimes.com · 11mo agoHow do age-old imperial myths still influence Russian politics, culture and the mindset of its citizens? Join @debalie.bsky.social for a conversation on Russia's colonial legacy, ft. MT's @leylalatypova.bsky.social, this Friday at 19:30. Tickets still available:
#OpEd Jimmy Kimmel's removal from late night television resembles when the Kremlin attacked a television channel that satirized Putin — and even the liberal media rationalized what happened as if it was acceptable, warns Andrei Soldatov.
For Russians Like Me, Silencing Jimmy Kimmel Looks Dangerously Familiar - The Moscow Times
Opinion | The removal from the air of a second American comedian since President Donald Trump was elected in the United States should send chills down the spine of every journalist who worked in Mosco...
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Russian pop icon Alla Pugacheva’s first interview since the invasion of Ukraine has been viewed 20m times since it premiered last week. It’s worth the watch (and has English subtitles)
Алла Пугачёва: большое интервью «Скажи Гордеевой»
YouTube video by Скажи Гордеевой
youtu.be