Emily S.

‘It’s simply a desire to destroy us’: Kyiv residents explain how they are surviving the cold as Russia weaponizes winter — Meduza After months of massive Russian strikes on power plants and distribution networks, residents of Ukrainian cities are freezing in their homes. Many have had little to no electricity or heating since...

Massive Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have left homes without electricity or heating. Five Kyiv residents spoke to Meduza about how they’re surviving these extreme conditions.
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Russia is filling its ranks with foreign fighters and treating them as ‘disposable soldiers’ — Meduza Russia’s enlistment numbers have begun to fall after four years of waging all-out war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s recruitment drives abroad seem to be ramping up — or at least attracting...

With the Kremlin’s global recruitment drive in the spotlight, I turned to @karenphilippal.bsky.social of @diis.dk for insight into how Russia lures foreign nationals into its war against Ukraine and uses them as “disposable soldiers.” My latest for @meduza.io meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia is filling its ranks with foreign fighters and treating them as ‘disposable soldiers’ — Meduza Russia’s enlistment numbers have begun to fall after four years of waging all-out war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s recruitment drives abroad seem to be ramping up — or at least…

Viral videos of Russian officers mistreating African recruits have cast a spotlight on the Kremlin’s global recruitment drive. To learn how Russia lures foreign fighters into its war against Ukraine, Meduza spoke with researcher Karen Philippa Larsen. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Trump’s Greenland gambit gives Russia a historic opportunity but could be a mixed blessing for Putin, experts tell Meduza — Meduza U.S. President Donald Trump’s preoccupation with Greenland has rapidly grown from an odd fixation to an unprecedented crisis for NATO. In early January, Trump told reporters that the United States…

“This disruption to NATO is the greatest gift Trump has offered Putin so far,” Russia expert Keir Giles said. A Russian political scientist said Europe is now stuck between “one military aggressor on the eastern border and another aggressor on the western side.”
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The narrative of exceptional Ukrainian resilience is one of the most harmful tropes I’ve seen during this war.

​Yes, we refuse to give up. Yes, we have picnics in -15°C. Yes, we keep living, drinking coffee, and even laughing occasionally, but all of this stems from a lack of choice.

‘Authoritarian learning’ What do the Iran protests mean for Russia? Meduza asks expert Nicole Grajewski. — Meduza Russia is once again watching one of its allies slide into crisis. Over the past several weeks, mass anti-government protests have erupted across Iran, in what many experts describe as the most…

As mass protests shake Iran, Russia is once again watching one of its allies slide into crisis. Meduza spoke with expert @nicolegrajewski.bsky.social about what the Kremlin is prepared to do for Tehran — and what it stands to lose.
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Behind the contact line How would the 20-point peace plan impact the millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation? — Meduza President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called territorial control the “most difficult” of the 20 points in the new peace plan drafted by Ukraine and the United States. For the agreement to take e...

The 20-point peace plan under negotiation left me with a nagging question — how would it impact the millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation? Big thanks to @karolinahird.bsky.social for helping me unpack this complex humanitarian issue. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

Is Trump’s Venezuela operation a ‘gift to Putin,’ and what is the state of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’? — Meduza At first glance, the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro might look like an obvious disaster for Vladimir Putin. Russia has lost a key partner, and the prospect of Venezuelan oil…

Venezuela looks like a defeat for Moscow, but is it actually a gift to Putin’s worldview? The Naked Pravda asked political scientist Seva Gunitsky and Russian oil-industry expert Craig Kennedy about "spheres of influence" and Moscow's money problems. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

When the interpreter wept: What automation erases inside Europe’s institutions We are building a world that treats translation as a problem to be solved. But translation was never just a technical challenge — it is an act of witnessing.

OPINION: An interpreter does not merely convert words from one language to another. They carry meaning across the chasm between us ... and make split-second ethical and semantic decisions that could preserve dignity - or shatter a survivor. 👇

The Beet’s top five stories of 2025 From hardened borders to fading factories, these dispatches trace how history, identity, and power shape everyday life across Eastern Europe and Central Asia — Meduza For the past three years, The Beet newsletter has supplemented Meduza’s regular coverage with original reporting from Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. When we launched this…

The Beet newsletter will be pausing publication in 2026, but there’s no shortage of adventures in its archive. Here, you’ll find The Beet’s top five dispatches of 2025. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Architects of Chaos Theory How pro-Kremlin pundits use geopolitical turmoil to explain away Russia’s war against Ukraine — Meduza Vladimir Putin’s vision of a “multipolar world” has been a keystone of Russia’s foreign policy ever since he delivered his infamous Munich speech in 2007. Asserting that U.S. dominance is in decline…

While Putin talks up a “multipolar world,” pro-Kremlin pundits are pushing another concept to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine. Political analyst @abarbashin.bsky.social breaks down “Chaos Theory” for Meduza. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Excellent episode here from @sambreazeale.bsky.social 👇

Andrei Sannikov on Lukashenko’s latest gambit — and why the West keeps taking the bait — Meduza Belarusian pro-democracy activist Andrei Sannikov recently joined Beet editor Eilish Hart for a conversation recorded on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum. The interview focuse...

As the Trump admin eases sanctions on Belarus, Lukashenko is arresting more political prisoners than he frees, warns veteran opposition politician Andrei Sannikov. Listen to our full conversation on @meduza.io’s podcast now! meduza.io/en/episodes/...

One year after Assad’s fall, Meduza asks political scientist Hanna Notte about the state of Russian–Syrian relations — Meduza Exactly one year ago today, Syrian rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) declared the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Russia had spent years propping up its long-time ally and targeting the…

A year after the Assad regime’s collapse, Meduza spoke with political scientist @hannanotte.bsky.social about how Syrian–Russian relations have evolved.

Journalist Farida Rustamova explains how Russia’s elites went from dreading war to fearing peace — Meduza In his 2024 state-of-the-nation address, Vladimir Putin declared that the word “elite” had lost much of its credibility. “Those who have done nothing for society and consider themselves a caste with s...

Important tidbit from my Q&A with @faridaily.bsky.social in the context of the current peace talks. Kremlin insiders believe that Putin will not stop the war against Ukraine unless there’s “a substantial rethinking of the global security system.”

Read more here👇 meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Great conversation here. Naked Pravda listeners are spared my voice and idiocy this week, with my most excellent colleague @eilishhart.bsky.social running the show and @faridaily.bsky.social offering sharp insight into how it all went so wrong for Russia’s elites.

Meduza asks NYT reporter Anatoly Kurmanaev about the limits of Russia’s alliance with Venezuela amid rising U.S. pressure — Meduza Russia’s closest ally in South America is facing escalating tensions with the United States. On November 11, Venezuela announced a “massive mobilization” of military personnel in response…

With tensions rising between Venezuela and the U.S., Meduza spoke with NYT reporter @akurmanaev.bsky.social about where Moscow’s relationship with its closest ally in South America stands today.
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The watchman in the valley What the sole resident of Tajikistan’s breathtaking Siyoma gorge can tell us about climate change — Meduza “The first time I went on a long group hike was in the early 1980s when I was a university student,” says Bakhtiyor Sharipov. “The Tajik mountains have been a part of me ever since.”

When @skhashimov.bsky.social pitched this story, I jumped at the chance to commission it for The Beet. Ivan Bragin’s fascinating life as the lone resident of Tajikistan’s Siyoma Valley offers us a window into the local consequences of a global issue. Read it now! meduza.io/en/feature/2...

But you’re all already subscribed, right?

YouTube video by Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center A Geopolitical Shift in the South Caucasus and the Future of TRIPP | Zaur Shiriyev

Have Armenia and Azerbaijan made any more progress towards peace since the White House summit in August? My conversation with @zaurshiriyev.bsky.social for @ceip-politika.bsky.social covers that and more! Check it out now: youtu.be/N3TXiu7LM2s?...

‘Negative messaging doesn’t work’ In Africa, Ukraine’s fight for allies runs up against Russia’s long arm — Meduza After Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, only about half of Africa’s countries backed a U.N. resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion. In the years since, Kyiv has stepped up its…

Russia’s full-scale invasion spurred Ukraine to launch a diplomatic push in Africa. But three and a half years on, Kyiv’s outreach still faces an uphill battle.
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Back to Bukhara How memory, tourism, and the diaspora sustain the last vestiges of Uzbekistan’s Jewish heritage — Meduza Best known as a stop on the Silk Road trade route, Uzbekistan’s ancient city of Bukhara was home to a thriving Jewish community for more than 2,000 years. But since the Soviet Union’s collapse in the ...

While traveling through Uzbekistan this summer, I became curious about the history of the Bukharan Jews and decided to examine how tourism is shaping what remains of the community, for my latest in @meduza.io's The Beet. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Four scenarios for the next chapter in Russia’s war against Ukraine — Meduza Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now passed the three-and-a-half-year mark, and there is still no end in sight. The Trump administration’s recent push to negotiate a ceasefire ground…

New podcast alert! For The Naked Pravda, researcher @msnegovaya.bsky.social breaks down the rising costs straining the Kremlin’s war machine — and explores four possible scenarios for the Russia–Ukraine war’s next chapter. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

People think they know what war is. Here’s what I learned in seven years on Ukraine’s frontline Tanks, soldiers, explosions and tears are the cliches that movies and news reels show us. The reality is an integration of horror and the mundane, as those who have chosen to stay cling to as much normality as they can

People think they know what war is. Here’s what I learned in seven years on Ukraine’s frontline

Eyewitnesses to a war crime Ukraine’s 20,000 stolen children are on the Trump administration’s radar. But will it help get them back? — Meduza More than two weeks have passed since U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and by all appearances, this controversial show of diplomacy yielded no tangible results. Despite t...

Each of Ukraine’s 20,000 stolen children are the eyewitness to a war crime. Now that they’re on the Trump administration’s radar, will it help get them back from Russia? My latest. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

We need your help An urgent appeal from the Meduza team — Meduza Dear Meduza in English readers,

Dear readers, we urgently need your help.
Without at least 15,000 regular supporters, Meduza as you know it will cease to exist. But if you come through, you know we’ll keep working for you.
Please, read our full statement here:
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Dispatch from Dobropillia As peace talks stall and Russia closes in, civilians flee another town in Ukraine’s Donetsk region — Meduza The frontline in Ukraine’s Donetsk region has been creeping towards Dobropillia for the past 18 months. Located not far from the hotspot of Pokrovsk, this coal mining town has served as a refuge for t...

On July 16, Russia dropped a half-ton bomb on the main shopping center in Dobropillia. For many residents, this proved to be the last straw. @meduza.io reports on the evacuation of this frontline town against the backdrop of faltering peace talks. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

‘Space is already militarized’ Space lawyer Michelle Hanlon explains why international law still matters in a new era of astropolitics — Meduza In recent years, Washington and Moscow have traded increasingly sharp accusations of “militarizing” outer space. After Russia shot down one of its own satellites in a 2021 test that created a massive…

Washington and Moscow keep accusing each other of “militarizing” outer space. But is international law ready for a new era of conflict in orbit? To find out, Meduza spoke with space lawyer Michelle Hanlon.
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Opinion | A Star in Russia’s Media World Joins Ukraine’s Army On the ground in Kharkiv, the choices are starkly different.

In Opinion | “Until a couple of years ago Peter Ruzavin was a wunderkind of Russian opposition journalism,” M. Gessen writes. “Now, at 34, he is a corporal in uniform — a Ukrainian uniform. He serves with a drone unit in Kharkiv. ‘I feel lucky,’ he told me.”

‘What was difficult was to remain silent’ Meduza’s interview with Telo Tulku Rinpoche, Russia’s first religious head to condemn the war in Ukraine — Meduza In September 2022 — seven months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — Telo Tulku Rinpoche, then the spiritual leader of Kalmykia’s Buddhists, became the first active religious le...

You’ve heard of the Chicago Pope — now meet the Philly Lama.

I spoke to someone I’d been wanting to interview for years: Telo Tulku Rinpoche, who served as the head of Buddhists in Russia’s Kalmykia for decades until he denounced the war in 2022.
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