Olga Beshlei is a correspondent for Current Time.
Russian schools could soon be teaching children "patriotic" songs by pop musicians loyal to President Vladimir Putin who have performed in occupied parts of Ukraine. The idea was proposed by a member of Russia's rubber-stamp parliament and has been backed by the Education Ministry.
Russia has accused three top bloggers of tax evasion and is reportedly investigating dozens more. It comes as the state budget falters and the Kremlin stifles individual voices amid its war on Ukraine.
A gay couple in the Russian city of Kazan has been detained for their romantic blog posts and charged with spreading LGBT propaganda. Arrested on April 5, Gela Gogishvili is facing a $2,500 fine and Haoyang Xu is awaiting deportation to China.
He was 66 years old and had voiced concerns over his health -- yet it is claimed he killed seven Ukrainian soldiers single-handed while fighting for the Russian mercenary group Vagner.
With the Russian military bogged down in its invasion of neighboring Ukraine and suffering unexpected losses, the authorities are coming up with increasingly creative ways of roping soldiers into joining the fray.
In recent days, several Russian political activists from Murmansk to Khabarovsk have been sentenced to compulsory psychiatric or other medical treatment. Human rights groups have been warning for years about the increased use of such Soviet-style practices as a tool against dissent.
