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Mark Krutov

Mark Krutov is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Russian Service and one of the leading investigative journalists in Russia. He has been instrumental in the production of dozens of in-depth reports, exposing corruption among Russia's political elite and revealing the murky operations behind Kremlin-led secret services. Krutov joined RFE/RL in 2003 and has extensive experience as both a correspondent and a TV host.

Also by Mark Krutov

February 14, 2024
Russian Forces Getting More Access To Starlink Satellite Internet, Threatening Ukraine's Military Communications

Russian troops in Ukraine increasingly have access to Starlink, the private satellite Internet network owned by Elon Musk that Ukraine's military relies on heavily for battlefield communications.
February 12, 2024
Crew Of Seized 'Putin's Yacht' Scrambles To Confront RFE/RL Reporters

RFE/RL reporters were pursued by a drone and questioned by police after getting close to a $700 million superyacht believed to be owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 140-meter Scheherazade was seized by Italy in May 2022 as part of EU sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
December 29, 2023
That Time Putin Visited A St. Petersburg Strip Club As Russia Waged War In Chechnya

Russian celebrities are scrambling to apologize for attending an “Almost Naked” party as the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine grinds on. A quarter-century ago, Vladimir Putin visited a St. Petersburg strip club as Russian forces fought a bloody campaign in Chechnya.
December 12, 2023
Russian Diplomat Expelled Amid EU Spy Purge Is Now An OSCE Election Observer In Serbia

Aleksandr Studenikin was blacklisted last year for working “against the interests and security of the EU and its member states” while serving as a diplomat at Russia’s mission in Brussels. Now this alleged intelligence operative is serving as an OSCE election observer in Serbia.
December 07, 2023
With Wagner In Disarray, Russian Diplomat With Spy Links Surfaces In Central African Republic

An RFE/RL investigation found that a former Russian envoy to the EU whom European diplomats say works for Russian intelligence is coordinating between Wagner forces and local police in the Central African Republic following the mysterious death of Kremlin-connected warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin.
July 27, 2023
'Information War': Russian Actors Identified In Purported German Video Against Ukraine Aid

Pro-Kremlin social media have been sharing a video some claim was made by a German far-right party to protest the massive aid Berlin has provided Ukraine since Moscow's unprovoked invasion in February 2022. However, RFE/RL has identified the actors in the clip as Russians, indicating it is a fake.
June 27, 2023
'Who Ends Up Getting Screwed In The End?': Relatives Of Wagner Fighters Seethe At Aborted Mutiny, Fate Of Loved Ones

What will happen to the Wagner Group, following last weekend's mutiny? Relatives of men who joined the notorious private mercenary are worried, confused -- and angry.
June 16, 2023
Trench Selfies: Tracking A Russian Military Unit By Frontline Social Media Photos

Earlier this spring, a Russian unit schooled at a Chechen military training academy deployed to southern Ukraine as Russia’s military girded for an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. Judging by their revealing social media posts, they didn’t get much training in “OPSEC” -- operational security.
May 23, 2023
Who's Who Among Russia's Mercenary Companies

The Wagner Group is by far the most notorious Russian mercenary company, its soldiers having played visible roles in conflict, chaos, and commerce from Africa to Ukraine, where they have led Russia's long, bloody push to take Bakhmut. But Wagner is not Russia's only private military company.
April 28, 2023
Russia's Wagner Group Plotted To Spark Violence In Moldova, U.S. Document Leak Shows

Moldova, Europe's poorest country, witnessed anti-government protests earlier this year -- and now the leak of classified U.S. military documents indicate the Russian mercenary group Wagner may have played a role.
April 28, 2023
How A German Gas Giant's Investments May Be Fueling Russia's Military, Including In Ukraine

The findings, by RFE/RL and the British anti-corruption group Global Witness, raise new questions about Wintershall’s continued investments and business dealings in Russia.
March 13, 2023
Exclusive: Expelled Russian Diplomats With Spy Links Resurface In Serbia

While many European states have shown the door to hundreds of Russian diplomats, not only have they found a new home in Serbia, but the country has taken in alleged Russian spies, an RFE/RL investigation reveals.
February 23, 2023
'Putin Does Not Want Bad News': U.S. Military Expert Assesses Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine After One Year

Rob Lee, a former U.S. Marine who is currently a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), speaks to RFE/RL about the current military situation in Ukraine and how it might develop in the coming months.
October 20, 2022
As Ukrainian Troops Advance In Kherson, A Glimpse Of The Russian Withdrawal

Ukrainian forces are advancing in the southern Kherson region, pummeling Russian forces and pushing toward the city of Kherson, whose recapture would be a major victory. Social-media photos and videos posted by troops leaving the right bank of the Dnieper River give a glimpse of how it's going.
September 17, 2022
They Used To Photograph Weddings. Now A Ukrainian Couple Is Documenting The Horrors Of Russia's Invasion.

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vlada and Kostyantin Liberov were wedding photographers in Odesa. Seven months later, they are war correspondents, working hard to make images that won’t let the world forget about Ukraine.
September 12, 2022
How One Crusading Lawyer Battles For The Rights Of Russians Sent To Fight In Ukraine

RFE/RL's Russian Service recently spoke to a lawyer who helps Russian soldiers and their families fight for their rights. Soldiers' complaints testify to the depletion of human resources in the army and the inability of the Russian authorities to provide manpower in the "special military operation."
August 10, 2022
The Dead Of The 64th: A Notorious Russian Army Unit And Its High Casualty Rate

An RFE/RL investigation looks at the high casualty rate in one Russian Army unit -- one that has been implicated in the Bucha massacres north of Kyiv — and what it says about the way Russia is conducting its war on Ukraine.
June 26, 2022
Ukraine's Black Sea Missile Attacks May Be An Attempt To Clear Sea Lanes For Grain Exports

Ukraine’s strike against a Black Sea offshore platform controlled by Russia may be part of a campaign to free its shipping lanes. Russia may have installed radar systems on the platform.
June 18, 2022
Dungeon Of Death: Survivor Recounts Dire Conditions For Captives Of Russian Soldiers In Ukraine Basement

Russian soldiers kept hundreds of residents of a northern Ukrainian town – from a 6-week-old infant to a frail 93-year-old -- in a dark, stifling school basement with no toilet, a survivor says. Ten people died, and Kyiv has charged the suspects with war crimes.
June 01, 2022
Lithuanians Raise $6 Million To Buy Attack Drone For Ukraine

A group of activists in Lithuania has negotiated with the Defense Ministry and raised more than $6 million from ordinary citizens in just three days to purchase a Turkish-made Bayraktar attack drone for the Ukrainian military.

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