Dr. Daria Dergacheva is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Media and Communication Research (ZeMKI) at the University of Bremen, Germany. Her PhD at the Autonomous University of Barcelona was completed in 2021 and devoted to Russian state narratives on Twitter. She has also studied international journalism in the UK and worked in Russia-based international organizations and NGOs, such as the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and Open Russia. She has a vast experience in media, both as a journalist as well as an editor
Latest posts by Daria Dergacheva
In Russia, it's the state against the internet
What a sovereign Runet is, no one still really understands. In the view of the Russian authorities, it apparently means destroying all the bad guys and rewarding all ‘our guys’.
Without the ability to renew their passports abroad, Belarusians in exile are left in limbo
Belarusian leader Lukashenka signed a decree saying Belarusians living abroad will not be able to renew their passports at consulates abroad.
PhD student from Gabon killed in Russia's fourth largest city
PhD student from Gabon François Ndzhelassili was murdered in Yekaterinburg, in what appears to be a racially motivated killing at a time when Putin has turned to the Global South in search of support.
Villages near Russia's former Gulag capital Vorkuta are facing extreme river pollution
Journalists share how people in the remote villages of Komi, Russia, live after a major wastewater treatment plant accident. Officials and residents don't seem worried.
Gay couple fled from Russia to Moldova due to war and homophobia
After fleeing Russia due to the war and mounting homophobia, the couple is adjusting to being together without worrying that they could be arrested for being gay
‘People in Belarus live in constant terror, fearing a system that can arbitrarily target anyone’
"Our human rights work in Belarus involves direct action. We engage in activities such as collecting resources, learning to purchase necessary items and communicating with the families of political prisoners."
‘Please hate the terrorist state’: Trans people and allies speak up against a transphobic law in Russia
A group of anonymous activists who call themselves The Ural Queer Republic, from the Russian city of Ekaterinburg, announced an action and launched Twitter and Telegram channels before the approval of the law.
About 47,000 Russian soldiers died during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine
In just 15 months of fighting in Ukraine, three times more Russian soldiers have died than Soviet troops did over 10 years in Afghanistan.
Russian Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov: ‘Repression occurs when no one knows who might be targeted tonight’
"So who is opposing this potential junta, these armed people? Paradoxically, only the ability to speak the truth can stand up to armed men vying for power."
Chişinău hosted the largest LGBTQ+ march in the history of Moldova
The march this year focused on advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Moldova to have their marriages legally recognized.
‘Are you rejoicing at the prospect of a decrepit and impotent maniac being swept away by a pack of brutal bloody cannibals?’ Twitter users are divided about the armed coup in Russia
Mercenary troops have reportedly seized control of military infrastructure in both Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh, the two largest cities in the south of Russia.
Rumors blame Ukrainian saboteurs for setting wildfires in Russia
Alexandra Arkhipova, an anthropologist and folklorist, argues that the belief in "Ukrainian saboteurs" is a classic example of a social phenomenon known as "moral panic."
Residents of Ukrainian town occupied by Russia recount stories from a flooded Oleshky
People on the occupied by Russia left bank of the river Dnipro were abandoned by occupational authorities during the flood. These are their stories.
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.
The war has spread to the territory of Russia. Authorities are ignoring it, there is chaos on the border
On the morning of June 1, representatives of the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia legion, who are fighting on the side of Ukraine, announced a new raid on Russian territory.
Negotiations for Moldova's accession to the EU could commence this year
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, made an impactful statement suggesting that Moldova could potentially become an EU member despite the unresolved Transnistria conflict.
Russia may ban transgender transitioning
Over the past year, the situation for the transgender community in Russia has significantly deteriorated. in May 2023 the Ministry of Justice actively discussed either making more difficult or completely banning transgender transition.
‘Almost all famous artists have left or will leave [Russia], and those who remain will be blacklisted and banned’
For Russian rock, the “golden era” was the years of the underground, the end of the 70s and the first half of the 80s. The question is, will this “new underground” emerge?
#FramedinBelarus: An art group makes embroidery depicting the stories of political prisoners
The project aims to create portraits of each illegally convicted citizen in Belarus (political prisoners) using the traditional Belarusian embroidery technique of red thread on a white background
For Moldovan singer, Eurovision results are a bit of a ‘déjà vu’
Both the winner, Swedish singer Loreen, and Moldova's Pasha Parfeni participated in Eurovision 2012. In 2012, Loreen won the contest, too.
‘You gave me wings': Moldovan Eurovision finalist thanks his fans
Along with the Moldovan singer, musicians from nine other countries qualified from the fist semi-final for the Grand Final: Croatia, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia and Norway.
