Meduza, German PR firm apologize for campaign featuring Ukrainian war victims
Yaroslav Bazylevych told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 1 that the images were used without his permission.
Russian opposition
Outrage after Russian independent media Meduza uses Ukrainian war victim in ad campaign
Russian independent news outlet Meduza used a photo of a Ukrainian man mourning his family killed in a Russian strike to bolster its European promo campaign — without his permission, he told the Kyiv Independent.
Navalny's lawyers sentenced to 3.5-5.5 years in prison
Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser, and Igor Sergunin were sentenced after a closed-door trial on "extremism" charges over their involvement with Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.
Garry Kasparov: 'You never hear Russian opposition actually say Ukraine must win'
The Russian opposition is an odd bunch. While not supporting Russia's brutal all-out war against Ukraine and its people, the leaders of the so-called opposition don't want their country to lose. A number of those who oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime have petitioned for the West to
Garry Kasparov on modern Russian empire
The Kyiv Independent’s Kate Tsurkan discusses with Garry Kasparov, Russian chess grandmaster and political activist based in the U.S., the current state of Russia, its continued pursuit of empire and the failures of the Russian opposition to create meaningful change.
Russian lawyer sentenced to 7 years in prison for publicly speaking out against Ukraine war, media reports
Russian lawyer Dmitry Talantov, who once chaired the regional lawyers' association in Udmurtia, was accused of posting several social media comments condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian opposition holds anti-war march in Berlin
The event's participants are calling for Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine, the release of political prisoners, and to try Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal.
Like Russian opposition itself, Navalny’s posthumous memoir falls short on Ukraine
For Russian liberals, late opposition leader Alexei Navalny represented a glimmer of hope for a democratic future. Yet for many Ukrainians, especially in the context of a decade of war, he was a more complex figure, often casting doubt on whether Russian opposition to Vladimir Putin necessarily aligned with support
Torn apart by infighting, without a plan, what comes next for Russia’s opposition?
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
Alexei Navalny's widow Yulia says she will run for president if she can return to Russia
"I will participate in the elections… as a candidate" when the time is right, Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny told the BBC in an interview published on Oct. 21.
Navalny's prison diaries to be published posthumously this week
The memoir, "Patriot," is compiled from the Russian opposition leader's prison diaries and was edited in part by his widow, Yulia Navalnaya. The book will be released in 22 languages, including Russian.
Opinion: The Russian opposition needs to stop blaming Putin and start confronting Russia's violent imperial legacy
“What’s the point of a world without Russia in it?” asked a well-known politician, now a wanted war criminal, back in 2018. A less prominent Russian figure echoed this sentiment in 2024, though less threateningly, when he remarked, “The disintegration of Russia would be a catastrophe, not only for
The Insider: Obtained documents drawn following Navalny's death omit acute stomach pain, hint at possible poisoning
According to The Insider, the Russian independent investigative outlet received access to "hundreds" of official documents that were drawn following the death of Alexei Navalny in a penal colony in Russia's Arctic. The discrepancy between internal documents and the ones made public by the state suggests that officials have lied
Putin must not win in Ukraine, Russian dissident Kara-Murza says
"Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to win this war in Ukraine. More than that, he must not be allowed to have a face-saving exit from this war," Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza said at a press conference in London.
Opinion: A sober look at the successors of the Russian 'Empire'
Russian opposition leaders often present themselves as champions of freedom and democracy, and are often embraced as such by well-meaning but sometimes naive Western donors. However, a closer examination reveals that their advocacy largely revolves around maintaining Russia as a unified and powerful state. Far from being proponents of liberal
Russian dissident Kara-Murza returns to US, visits White House
Russian opposition figure and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza visited the White House upon his return to the U.S. after being freed from Russian prison, U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Aug. 15.
Former Open Russia activist detained in Poland on public endangerment charges
Polish authorities detained former Open Russia activist Igor Rogov on charges of preparing an explosion. Rogov will reportedly face three months of pre-trial detention.
To help Russian opposition, first save Ukraine, released prisoner Yashin says
"If you want to help the Russian opposition and Russian society and Russia as a whole, save Ukraine from Putin," Ilya Yashin said in a livestream shortly after his release in a historic prisoner exchange.
Released in prisoner swap, Ilya Yashin vows to return to Russia
Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Bonn, Germany, Yashin said he had fought against being released, as a life in exile would effectively end his political opposition work in Russia.
Gershkovich, Whelan, Kara-Murza released in major prisoner swap between Russia, West
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan are being released by Russia in a multi-country prisoner exchange, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 1, citing undisclosed sources.
Russia transfers dissident Kara-Murza, other political prisoners amid speculation of US-Russia prisoner swap
Russian prison officials said on July 31 that Vladimir Kara-Murza, a jailed Russian journalist and opposition figure, was being moved from the penal colony where he was held to an uncertain destination.
Court in far eastern Russian city sentences student to prison for 'passing troop locations to Kyiv' online
The student collected information "using the internet" about the locations of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine in exchange for payment from the SBU, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) told the state-run media outlet RIA Novosti.
Orban's rival arrives in Kyiv days after Russian attack
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar arrived in Kyiv on July 11. He said he was planning to visit the Okhmatdyt children's hospital struck by Russian in a recent attack and deliver humanitarian aid.
Moscow court orders arrest in absentia of Yulia Navalnaya
A Moscow court said that it had "approved the request of the investigators and decided a preventive measure in the form of detention for two months." Yulia Navalnaya currently lives outside of Russia, but would face jail time if she returns.
Suspect in attempted murder of Kazakh opposition activist in Kyiv reportedly surrenders in Kazakhstan
Altai Zhakanbayev, one of the two suspects in an assassination attempt of Kazakh opposition activist and journalist Aidos Sadykov in Ukraine, was detained in Kazakhstan after surrendering to the local police on June 21, Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General's Office reported.
Ukraine suspects 2 Kazakhs in assassination attempt on compatriot opposition activist in Kyiv
Two residents of Kazakhstan, Altai Zhakanbayev and Meiram Karatayev, crossed the border into Moldova on June 18 and were put on an international wanted list, Ukraine's National Police said.
Kazakh opposition activist injured in assassination attempt in Kyiv
An unidentified person opened fire in Kyiv on June 18 on Aidos Sadykov, a Kazakh opposition activist and journalist based in Ukraine, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
Russian dissident Kara-Murza wins Pulitzer Prize for commentary
Jailed Russian journalist and opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Washington Post contributing columnist, has won the Pulitzer Prize for the commentary he has been writing from his prison cell.
Daryna Shevchenko: It’s time we stop waiting for the Russian people to stop the war
“Do you cooperate with independent Russian journalists to reach a Russian audience?” We at the Kyiv Independent hear variations of this question at every event we attend, and the audience rarely likes our answer: “No, we don’t; we don’t see the point.” A beautiful room in the old
WSJ: Putin likely did not directly order Navalny's death, US intelligence says
The finding does not indicate that Vladimir Putin is not guilty of Alexei Navalny's death, only that he did not order it at that moment, the Wall Street Journal wrote.
Russia arrests political opposition activists in absentia
The Syktyvkar city court in Russia issued arrests in absentia to world chess champion and Free Russia Forum co-founder Garry Kasparov, along with several other activists, on charges of creating a "terrorist community," financing "terrorist activities," and publicly calling for terrorism.
Poland detains Belarusian, two Poles over attack on Navalny's aide
"A Belarusian working for Russia who ordered two Poles to assassinate Navalny's associate – detained," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. The two attackers are also in custody, he added.
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