Emily S.
@emsr.bsky.social
News editor at Meduza in English @meduza.io
Reposted by Emily S.
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.
Putin’s war reshaped Russia’s elite, making them fear peace most of all. On the latest Naked Pravda, Meduza’s @eilishhart.bsky.social talks with journalist @faridaily.bsky.social about the pressure, the paranoia, and what a post-war future could unleash. meduza.io/en/episodes/...
Russia’s elites once dreaded war. Now, they fear peace. — Meduza
In his 2024 state-of-the-nation address, Vladimir Putin declared that the word “elite” had lost much of its credibility. Russia’s “real elite,” he said, are those who serve their country: “the…
meduza.io
November 22, 2025 at 12:17 AM
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.
Reposted by Emily S.
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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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…
meduza.io
November 12, 2025 at 4:39 PM
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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meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
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...
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.”
meduza.io
November 7, 2025 at 3:34 PM
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...
Reposted by Emily S.
But you’re all already subscribed, right?
The Beet’s November dispatch is out tomorrow! Subscribe now so it finds your inbox, and we’ll send you our last issue to read in the meantime. meduza.io/en/specials/...
The Beet — Meduza
The Beet — Meduza
meduza.io
November 5, 2025 at 3:46 PM
But you’re all already subscribed, right?
Reposted by Emily S.
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?...
A Geopolitical Shift in the South Caucasus and the Future of TRIPP | Zaur Shiriyev
YouTube video by Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
youtu.be
October 30, 2025 at 12:22 PM
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?...
Reposted by Emily S.
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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‘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…
meduza.io
October 28, 2025 at 2:11 PM
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.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
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...
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 ...
meduza.io
October 13, 2025 at 7:20 AM
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...
Reposted by Emily S.
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/...
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…
meduza.io
October 9, 2025 at 5:11 PM
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/...
Reposted by Emily S.
People think they know what war is. Here’s what I learned in seven years on Ukraine’s frontline
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
www.theguardian.com
October 1, 2025 at 7:30 AM
People think they know what war is. Here’s what I learned in seven years on Ukraine’s frontline
Reposted by Emily S.
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
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...
meduza.io
September 3, 2025 at 6:46 PM
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
Reposted by Emily S.
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:
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
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:
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
We need your help An urgent appeal from the Meduza team — Meduza
Dear Meduza in English readers,
meduza.io
September 2, 2025 at 11:11 AM
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:
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
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:
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
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...
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...
meduza.io
August 29, 2025 at 1:53 PM
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...
Reposted by Emily S.
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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‘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…
meduza.io
August 25, 2025 at 11:11 AM
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.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
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.”
Opinion | A Star in Russia’s Media World Joins Ukraine’s Army
On the ground in Kharkiv, the choices are starkly different.
nyti.ms
August 25, 2025 at 5:40 PM
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.”
Reposted by Emily S.
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.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
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.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
‘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...
meduza.io
August 6, 2025 at 11:26 AM
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.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
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.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
Many, many years ago, when I was thinking through what non-Russian Soviet world had to teach us about the shape of political power in a globalizing world, I wrote a thing. Now it's published and open access! modernismmodernity.org/forums/posts...
Toward a Theory of Second-World Literature: The Case of Sadriddin Aini’s Reminiscences | Modernism / Modernity Print+
Sadriddin Aini (b. 1878), the “founder of Soviet Tajik prose,” published his final literary work, Reminiscences (Yoddoshto) in 1949.[1] A poet, essayist, literary critic and fiction writer, Aini produced a large and varied body of work from the years just preceding the Revolution’s arrival in Central Asia up to his death in 1954. Writing in the Persian vernacular of the
modernismmodernity.org
July 31, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Many, many years ago, when I was thinking through what non-Russian Soviet world had to teach us about the shape of political power in a globalizing world, I wrote a thing. Now it's published and open access! modernismmodernity.org/forums/posts...
Reposted by Emily S.
With Trump’s waffling act still rolling, it’s still (always) a good time to consider what constraints the White House faces when it comes to arming Ukraine, even if the Donald makes the unlikely decision to go all in.
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What it would take to save Ukraine Donald Trump is pledging more weapons to Kyiv, but U.S. stockpile drawdowns are falling short in a war of attrition — Meduza
Donald Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. is sending additional weapons to Ukraine, including sought-after interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems capable of shooting down ballistic ...
meduza.io
July 15, 2025 at 11:16 PM
With Trump’s waffling act still rolling, it’s still (always) a good time to consider what constraints the White House faces when it comes to arming Ukraine, even if the Donald makes the unlikely decision to go all in.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
Short-range drones are now the leading cause of civilian casualties in Ukraine, according to the UN. Meduza spoke to HRW’s Belkis Wille about how drone warfare impacts civilians in the city of Kherson and facilitates Russian war crimes.
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Hunted in Kherson What Russia’s deliberate drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians say about the future of war crimes — Meduza
After Russian forces seized the city of Kherson in March 2022, occupation authorities put up billboards that said, “Russia is here forever.” Eight months later, in November 2022, the Ukrainian…
meduza.io
July 1, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Short-range drones are now the leading cause of civilian casualties in Ukraine, according to the UN. Meduza spoke to HRW’s Belkis Wille about how drone warfare impacts civilians in the city of Kherson and facilitates Russian war crimes.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
“When Russia says they’re ‘deporting’ someone, they’re not deporting them back to Ukraine.”
My story on how Putin’s latest attempt to force Russian passports on Ukrainians paves the way for more war crimes in the occupied territories. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io
My story on how Putin’s latest attempt to force Russian passports on Ukrainians paves the way for more war crimes in the occupied territories. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io
‘A false semblance of choice’ Putin’s latest passportization deadline dials up the pressure on civilians in Ukraine’s occupied territories — Meduza
Ukrainians living under occupation have long faced pressure to assume Russian citizenship. But in March, Vladimir Putin turned things up a notch. In a decree aimed at boosting the Kremlin’s campaign t...
meduza.io
June 19, 2025 at 7:35 PM
“When Russia says they’re ‘deporting’ someone, they’re not deporting them back to Ukraine.”
My story on how Putin’s latest attempt to force Russian passports on Ukrainians paves the way for more war crimes in the occupied territories. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io
My story on how Putin’s latest attempt to force Russian passports on Ukrainians paves the way for more war crimes in the occupied territories. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io
“Russia’s Africa pivot is already taking on the characteristics of a state-backed mega-project.”
Kremlin officials often accuse the West of neocolonialism, yet Russia’s own approach in Africa shows clear patterns of exploitation and control. Meduza examines how it’s ramped up its influence on the continent since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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Mercenaries, missionaries, and mining As local leaders decry Western neocolonialism, Russia is carving out its own sphere of influence in Africa — Meduza
Moscow’s foreign policy has zeroed in on Africa in recent years. The shift is partially due to commercial interests, including access to resources like gold, uranium, and bauxite. But it’s also…
meduza.io
May 30, 2025 at 4:34 PM
“Russia’s Africa pivot is already taking on the characteristics of a state-backed mega-project.”
Reposted by Emily S.
Big update for The Beet: We now have our own landing page on @meduza.io! 🎉 Pay it a visit if you’re looking to subscribe to the newsletter or want to read any of our top reporting from the last year-ish. meduza.io/en/specials/...
May 29, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Big update for The Beet: We now have our own landing page on @meduza.io! 🎉 Pay it a visit if you’re looking to subscribe to the newsletter or want to read any of our top reporting from the last year-ish. meduza.io/en/specials/...
Reposted by Emily S.
The latest World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders paints a grim picture around the planet, but things are especially bleak in Russia, which ranks 171st out of 180. (Ukraine scored 62nd.) meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Between independence and survival Economic pressure brings global press freedom to ‘unprecedented’ low in 2025, says Reporters Without Borders — Meduza
The state of press freedom worldwide has reached an “unprecedented, critical low” this year due to economic pressure, according to the annual World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders…
meduza.io
May 2, 2025 at 11:14 PM
The latest World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders paints a grim picture around the planet, but things are especially bleak in Russia, which ranks 171st out of 180. (Ukraine scored 62nd.) meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
Before the Russian authorities returned the body of 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna to Ukraine last week, several organs, including her eyes and brain, had been removed, according to a new investigation.
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Body of Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian captivity repatriated with organs removed and other signs of torture — Meduza
Before Russian authorities returned the body of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna to Ukraine last week, several organs, including her eyes and brain, had been removed, according to a new joint…
meduza.io
April 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Before the Russian authorities returned the body of 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna to Ukraine last week, several organs, including her eyes and brain, had been removed, according to a new investigation.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by Emily S.
Ukraine has finally brought back the body of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, which Russia failed to hand over for months after reporting her death last September. “Given the torture and the condition of her body, Roshchyna’s family requested not one, but several DNA examinations.”
⚡️Ukraine brings back body of journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna tortured in Russian captivity, official says.
Ukrainian officials confirmed Roshchyna's death on Oct. 10, 2024, but said that the circumstances were still under investigation.
Ukrainian officials confirmed Roshchyna's death on Oct. 10, 2024, but said that the circumstances were still under investigation.
Ukraine brings back body of journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna tortured in Russian captivity, official says
Ukrainian officials confirmed Roshchyna's death on Oct. 10, 2024, but said that the circumstances were still under investigation.
kyivindependent.com
April 24, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Ukraine has finally brought back the body of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, which Russia failed to hand over for months after reporting her death last September. “Given the torture and the condition of her body, Roshchyna’s family requested not one, but several DNA examinations.”
Reposted by Emily S.
As thawing U.S.-Russia relations take a turn toward the Arctic, scientific research appears to be the easiest — and least politically fraught — arena for renewed engagement. Even there, though, the two sides may be further apart than they seem.
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Breaking the ice As the U.S. and Russia tease Arctic cooperation, climate science could offer common ground — but neither side seems interested — Meduza
Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has overseen a rapid thaw in relations with Moscow. Among the more curious points of alignment: a renewed focus on the Arctic. Despite Russia’s…
meduza.io
April 22, 2025 at 2:11 PM
As thawing U.S.-Russia relations take a turn toward the Arctic, scientific research appears to be the easiest — and least politically fraught — arena for renewed engagement. Even there, though, the two sides may be further apart than they seem.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io/en/feature/2...