Featured stories from RuNet Echo
Stories from RuNet Echo
Alexey Sidorenko: ‘As we speak, with every new prison sentence, the situation worsens’
Inside Russia there’re still civil society organizations continuing to do very important work even though they haven’t loudly declared themselves anti-war.
Weathering Russian xenophobia in everyday life
In recent months, there has been more talk about "Russophobia" — anti-Russian sentiment. What they face is nothing compared to what national minorities face in Russia.
A Russian girl drew anti-war picture. Now she is in a children's shelter and her dad is under arrest
One year ago, a fifth-grade student, Masha Moskaleva, drew an anti-war picture. Now, her father faces up to three years in prison and Masha may be sent to an orphanage.
Those who are in these coffins will no longer hear Putin's chatter about ‘everything is going according to plan’
Global Voices gathered some of the social media commentary in Russian with reactions to Putin's speech.
First victims of anti-LGBTQ+ law in Russia are trans persons and books
Openly trans Tiktokers, a publishing house, movies and TV shows feel the weight of the Russian anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda law.
‘We are asking for forgiveness that we know we will never receive': In Russia, people are bringing flowers to monuments of Ukrainians
In at least 17 cities of Russia, people are bringing flowers and photos of the destroyed house in Dnipro, Ukraine, hit by a Russian missile on January 14, 2023, to spontaneous memorials.
In Russia, video games are unsafe for kids. But not for the usual reasons
Nikita Uvarov, a teenager from Siberia, is serving a five-year jail sentence for planning to build the FSB building and blow it up in Minecraft.
“I will forever be the enemy of the Russian regime” says TikToker in Moldova
This is the first case of a TikToker formerly based in Russia openly standing against the Russian regime and supporting Ukraine.
Relatives of drafted soldiers in Russia do not know if they are dead or alive
In the Russian region of Samara, a petition to publish names of mobilized soldiers who died after the shelling of Makeevka on the 31st of December, 2022, gathered 50,000 signatures. The army officials refused.
Infrastructural content moderation: the case of Mariupol
In addition to the obvious humanitarian consequences that internet shutdowns in a war zone bring, infrastructural content moderation is a potent and dangerous approach to spreading disinformation.
Will a yurt in Ukraine cause a diplomatic row between Kazakhstan and Russia?
Kazakh yurts offering humanitarian help are popping up in Ukraine. Perceiving this as official support of Kyiv, Moscow is reacting by putting pressure on the Kazakh authorities.
Rights organization OVD-Info gives an overview of repression in Russia in 2022
In 2022 in Russia, there were more than 21,000 arrests and at least 370 defendants in criminal cases for anti-war statements and speeches. More than 200,000 Internet resources have been blocked including 11 sentences in cases of state treason.
Popular Russian singer answers ‘Glory to Ukraine’. Now they want to revoke his citizenship
Singer Valerii Meladze has been openly against the war since February 2022. Now he may face harsh consequences for the words he said off-the-record in Dubai in support of Ukraine.
A Buryat voice calling on Russia to decolonize : Interview with Instagrammer Seseg Jigjitova
According to statistics, Russia is home to over 190 ethnic groups in which ethnic Russians account for around 80 percent of the total 146 million population. Yet Moscow maintains a Russian-centric discourse largely inherited from a Soviet colonial tradition. But its invasion of Ukraine has triggered new anti-colonial and anti-war...
For school New Year's Eve parties in Moscow, some music is apparently deemed inappropriate
The list includes 29 artists. Some of them, such as Little Big and Manizha, represented Russia at Eurovideo contest. All of them have explicitely condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Documentary about the 1920s Volga famine is prohibited in Russia but broadcasted on YouTube
A Russian documentary covering the 1921–1923 famine in the Volga region is banned by the Russian government for unclear reasons, but made available online on YouTube.
What is Hong Kong role in Russia's sanction evasion?
The latest reports out of Hong Kong indicate that Russian-affiliated corporations in Hong Kong had evaded western sanctions by exporting chips and even military drones to Russia.
‘How the fuck is it possible?': Russian rapper releases anti-war album
Vladi, a lead singer of popular rap music group, now prohibited in Russia, released a new album, “February Lasts and Lasts.” It describes how incomprehensible and horrifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine is.
Popular TikToker Nekoglai tells of torture by Russian police
The TikToker's example shows that videos with some political and oppositional content may be as popular among young audience as entertainment ones.
Twitter account “No Context Russia” is sad yet hilarious
A Twitter account shows images from Russia without context, portraying the country in sad and ironic tones.
‘I am not returning to this hell’: In the Russian North Caucasus, NGOs help victims of gender and LGBTQ+ violence to escape
NGOs in North Caucasus are buy tickets and provide other transport for people to escape violence, and assist with legal issues, housing, and medical needs. They need donations to continue.
