Aleksandr Molchanov is a correspondent for the Siberia Desk of RFE/RL's Russian Service.
A year ago, Sergei Boiko, a Navalny coordinator in Novosibirsk, won a seat on the city council and contemplated a run for the State Duma. Now he’s in self-imposed exile, like many of his colleagues.
The Kremlin set off a revolt of sorts in July 2020 when law enforcement arrested the popular governor of the Khabarovsk region, Sergei Furgal, and replaced him with a temporary appointee from Moscow, Mikhail Degtyaryov.
Officials are signaling their intention of tagging three groups tied to jailed opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, including his network of regional offices, as "extremist organizations." His representatives around the country say that they will continue their work even under the threat of prison.
Across Russia voters go to the polls on September 13 for local elections as the ruling United Russia party faces growing discontent.
With local authorities increasingly using a new law on "fake news" to pressure the media over coverage of the coronavirus crisis, regional journalists across Russia are fighting to report the full story of the government's response and how COVID-19 is affecting their audiences.
Vladivostok journalist Yekaterina Fedorova has gone public with charges that she was raped by a prominent local businessman. She says she feels obligated to speak out as a warning to other women.
Some parents in Russia's Kamchatka region are angry that Orthodox priests were visiting their kids' summer camps.
