Katie Marie Davies

In the summer of 2016, Russia's security services gained unprecedented access to citizens' private calls, messages, and photos. The so-called Yarovaya laws demanded that telecoms companies store user data and hand it over to Russia's security services on request — even without a court order. For activists, the danger of such laws was obvious. The illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea had taken place two years prior; politician Boris Nemtsov had been gunned down in view of the Kremlin in 2015,

More than three years since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia's defense industry has adapted to a new normal. Despite a web of international sanctions designed to cripple military production, factories across the country have been able to keep building bullets and shells, drones and military vehicles. The resulting arms are not top-of-the-range military systems. But they are, simply put, enough. "Russia's military-industrial complex has been providing the armed force

In Russian politics, all eyes are focused on one man: Russian President Vladimir Putin. But as ceasefire talks continue, the world's attention has also been drawn to those sent forward to do the Kremlin's bidding — whether at the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia or in the backrooms of Washington D.C. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and former Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Yuri Ushankov, leading the talks in Saudi Arabia, are both savvy political operators who possess the Kremlin's trust and co

As the U.S. tries to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree that appears to present Ukrainians living in occupied territories with a choice — submit to Russian law by Sept. 10 or face punishment. The decree, published by the Kremlin on March 20, is just the latest move in a long-standing campaign aimed at forcing Ukrainians under occupation to accept Russian citizenship. The motivation is simple — the greater the number of Russian citizens livi

For Moscow, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Russia on Jan. 17 is a diplomatic victory. The trip's centerpiece will be the finalization of a long-heralded partnership deal between Russia and Iran, signed by Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. The agreement is the latest chapter in Moscow's ongoing efforts to seek out global allies and acceptance amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Pezeshkian and Putin will use their Moscow meeting to discuss greater

For Russia's military recruiters, money talks. In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled the federal signing-on bonus for contract soldiers to 400,000 rubles ($3,850) — over five times the country's average monthly wage. Regional governments are expected to top this up further, although the exact amount differs in each area. In the Siberian Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, soldiers receive 2.2 million rubles from city hall ($21,000). In Belgorod Oblast, it's an additional 2.6 million ($

When local council members gathered in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia last week to discuss new measures promoting Russian investment, a group of protestors rose to meet them. The proposed legislation, which would have legalized Russian investment and land ownership in the occupied region, had already sparked unrest. On Nov. 19, protesters blocked bridges around the Abkhazian capital of Sukhumi. By Nov. 22, the crowd had descended on Abkhazia's parliament building. Protesters smashed

More than a decade since Russian lawmakers banned "LGBTQ+ propaganda," the Kremlin's self-declared crusade for "traditional values" has found a new target — Russians who don't want children. On Nov. 12, the Russian State Duma voted to outlaw the support and promotion of "childfree propaganda," effectively imposing fines on those who publicly express such views. Once approved by the upper house of the country's parliament and signed into force by Russian President Vladimir Putin, individuals ca

Late last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk, the U.S.-based oligarch with extensive influence on American politics, had been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. The revelation came weeks after reports that similar calls were potentially made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, the current Republican Party nominee who is heavily backed by Musk. The former and potentially future U.S. president did not support nor accept the claim that h

When Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in February 2024, the country’s liberal dissidents vowed to carry on their mission: to end the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Eight months on, however, and Russia’s opposition is bitterly divided, with little to no vision of how to carry on the promised fight. Their grievances resonate far beyond the negotiating table. In September, the Navalny-linked Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) accused fellow disside

Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Pyongyang on June 18 for the first time in 24 years. Greeted by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at the runway and passing by a city saturated with Russian flags and giant portraits of the Russian leader, Putin looked happy – he was visiting a country that still considered Russia a vital ally. This time around, however, Russia needed North Korea as much, if not more, than ever before. Putin's visit to North Korea, being painted as an opportunity to

The legacy of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany feeds pro-war aggression in Putin’s Russia — and is celebrated with a religious fervor. When Russian President Vladimir Putin swept into power in 2000, he faced a divided land. The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the economic downturn that followed left deep scars on Russian society. Many felt that Russia had suffered a national humiliation. Putin needed a common cause that would unite the masses. The revival of the Russian Orthodox Church,

New reporting has put the Chechen warlord's health in the headlines once more. But there are other, subtler, signs that the republic might be preparing for a regime change. Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov is used to speculation about his imminent demise. Pundits have discussed the 47-year-old's failing health since September when the Chechen leader disappeared from the public eye, and rumors began to circulate that he was seriously unwell. In the months since Kadyrov's appearance had changed, h

When the men accused of committing last week's terrorist attack in Moscow appeared in front of a Russian court, their battered faces told a story of physical torture. The four men — who stand accused of opening fire on crowds at Moscow's Crocus City Hall on March 22, killing at least 140 people — all appeared in the dock heavily bruised. One defendant, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair and appeared barely conscious throughout the proceedings. He sat in the do

For global audiences watching Moscow’s tightly-choreographed “election-style event” this weekend, Russia appears to be a country transformed – a militarized society where dissent is simply no longer tolerated. But the truth is that in the two years since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, for the majority, life in Russia has continued largely as normal. Despite Western sanctions, cafes are full and shopping malls are open. On Saturday nights, there are cocktails, 90s disc