Khovanskoye Cemetery, January 27, two o'clock in the afternoon. A group of four people stands by a black minivan. They are dressed in identical black jackets and hats. Next to them, on metal trestles, is a four-sided coffin with no handles. People in work uniforms are nailing the base of the coffin. About 5 meters from the coffin—just one grave away—stand several gravediggers, ready to take the coffin in their hands and lower it into the grave. We only need to cover those 5 meters. But three out of the four people in black take turns falling, bumping the bottoms of the coffin into the grave fences. Only the fourth one managed to stay on his feet. That was me.

#WarinUkraine #lifeinRussia #everydayculture #personalexperience #Moscow #society #precariat #reportage #deathinRussia #LaborandCapital

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One of the most high-profile political assassinations in modern Russian history took place on January 19, 2009. On that day, Stanislav Markelov, a lawyer from the Moscow Human Rights Center, and Anastasia Baburova, a freelance correspondent for Novaya Gazeta, were shot dead by an activist from the far-right group BORN (Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists). They were killed because they supported the anti-fascist movement. And a recent accomplice in this crime was recently released from prison.

#2000s #antifascists #EvgeniyaKhasis #lifeinRussia #historicalmemory #leftandright #Moscow #Shuyne #NikitaTikhonov #society #reportage #ultraright

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In December 2025, Moscow began to be actively decorated for the New Year as part of the «Journey to Christmas» festival. Its prototype was the Strasbourg Christmas Market on Manezhnaya Square, which in December 2012 made a splash among Muscovites and visitors to the capital. After that, city hall decided to include the city’s Christmas celebration in the ongoing mega-festival «Moscow Seasons.» By 2026, however, little remained of Strasbourg and its Christmas traditions. But an imaginary Europe, now almost out of reach, still peeks through the New Year’s tinsel—just like other realities of recent years.

#state #Moscow #newYear #society #reportage #SergeiSobyanin #escapism

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In Paris, they said farewell to Erik Bulatov (1933-2025) — a brilliant artist whose works became the most recognizable symbol of Moscow conceptualism of the 1960s-1970s. He himself remained one of the leading figures of contemporary Russian art until his last days, even gaining the status of a classic and living abroad for more than 30 of his 92 years.

#VictorKabakov #war #state #childhood #dictatorship #bookillustrations #conceptualism #Moscow #thaw #Paris #aftertheUSSR #RobertFalk #freedom #art #artists #Emigration #EricBulatov

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The law establishing the national messenger was signed by Putin at the end of June 2025. Since yesterday, it has been fully operational in Moscow and three other regions: schoolchildren and first-year university students are required to switch to Max.

#state #dictatorship #theInternet #China #instantmessengers #Moscow #society #Orwell #Putin #Russia #freedom #Stalin #censorship #digitalsurveillance

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From a rational point of view, China should be interested in preserving Europe as that part of the Western world that does not claim a global role but remains one of its economic centers. For Beijing, it would be preferable to deal not with one, represented by the USA, but with two versions of the West. If these considerations are valid, Chairman Xi is unlikely to advise President Putin to attack Estonia and promise him his support—in fact, it can be assumed that the China factor will contribute to containing the Russian threat to Europe rather than strengthening it.

#Analytics #Brussels #Washington #war #weapons #diplomacy #europe #China #odd #Macron #Moscow #Beijing #Putin #Russia #USA #Taiwan #Trump #Ukraine #espionage

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On August 6, a gala concert of the «SVO Ballads» festival took place in Moscow’s Zaryadye Park. It was organized by Monk Kiprian — a veteran of the Afghan war, Hero of the Soviet Union, and a fan of singer-songwriter music in civilian life. A correspondent from «Most» reports on how it all unfolded.

#WarinUkraine #cringe #Moscow #society #Patriotism #aftertheUSSR #postmodernism #reportage #Russia #church

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The sharp and simultaneous escalation of Russian-Azerbaijani and Russian-Armenian relations that occurred recently reveals much about the Kremlin’s entire foreign policy.

#Azerbaijan #Aliyev #Armenia #foreignpolicy #diplomacy #Yerevan #migrants #Moscow #odkb #aftertheUSSR #Putin #Russia #RecepErdogan #Turkey #Shos #EmmanuelMacron

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The question of the US entering Israel’s war with Iran remains the main topic on the agenda today. On June 12, the White House officially stated that the United States «is taking a defensive stance» and does not plan to intervene in the fighting for now. Meanwhile, American President Donald Trump repeatedly demanded that both sides «make a deal,» and recently insisted on Israel’s unconditional surrender. ‍

#AliKhamenei #America #Americanmedia #Analytics #MiddleEast #dictatorship #DmitryMedvedev #DonaldTrump #Israel #Iraq #Iran #Kremlin #Moscow #oil #PeteHegseth #Russia #USA #Ukraine #IDF

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In the center of Moscow, near Paveletsky Station, there is a kind of ghetto. In Soviet times, workers from other regions moved here, to Derbenevskaya Street — local factories needed them. Those factories have long since closed, but the workers still live in the local dormitory and communal apartments. Here they raised children, tried to build their lives in the capital, many began to abuse alcohol, and now they are waiting to be relocated under the renovation program.

#lifeinRussia #Moscow #inequality #aftertheUSSR #reportage #LaborandCapital

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