Yelena Rykovtseva is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Russian Service.
Did they pass these laws in order not to use them?" one journalist asked rhetorically about the Russian government's latest bid to force media to take down stories connected to oppositionist Aleksei Navalny.
Russia's Federal Security Service has issued a draft list of topics that citizens could be branded "foreign agents" for discussing. Analysts say the restrictions, if adopted, would mark a significant increase in government opacity that could threaten society and the government itself.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is notoriously tight-lipped about the lives and even the number of his children. But two women widely believed to be his eldest daughters made appearances at a St. Petersburg economic forum, leading to speculation they might be poised to play a more public role.
The global coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the Russian economy. But analysts say Moscow's own policies at home and abroad are accelerating the ruble's sharp decline in value.
Protesters in Khabarovsk expected a local figure to be named to replace the governor who was arrested July 9. Putin ignored them.
As he approaches his 85th birthday next month, legendary Russian satirist Vladimir Voinovich is still looking ahead -- and he is calling on Russia to do likewise.
Russian media recently trumpeted the results of an online vote that allegedly revealed an overwhelming fondness for President Vladimir Putin among Americans. But careful scrutiny shows the poll is not what it seems.
Russian national television gave the killing of Boris Nemtsov wall-to-wall coverage. It was a strange sight, considering announcers said endlessly that he was a marginal figure and he hadn't really appeared on national television in many years.
The U.S. FBI this week arrested a Russian national believed to be part of a three-man team working for Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service. But Russian espionage experts say the purported spy ring probably produced little of value.
If Russian officials seek unconditional support for anything from policy to fashion sense, they need not look farther than the Seliger youth camp. The Kremlin-sponsored camp, some 350 kilometers northwest of Moscow, annually hosts thousands of politically minded young people -- aged between 11 and 30 -- ostensibly to discuss ideas for Russia's future. But debate is not really on the agenda.
