News
- Monkeypox confirmed in five patients at St. Petersburg hospitalFive patients at St. Petersburg's Botkin Infectious Diseases Hospital have been diagnosed with monkeypox, the hospital confirmed to RIA Novosti.
- Starlink cuts out on Ukrainian drones at 130–161 km/hStarlink satellite terminals stop working on Ukrainian drones once they reach speeds of 130–161 km/h, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, citing a report from the armed forces commander-in-chief.
- Moscow court jails two RailGallery administrators over critical infrastructure caseA Moscow court has ordered the arrest of Denis Yeskov and Anatoly Nagornov, administrators of the train photography site RailGallery, on charges of illegally accessing data held in a critical infrastructure facility.
Persecution
- Pavel Syutkin: Six Years in Prison Over a Post About Bucha
A Moscow court sentenced culinary historian Pavel Syutkin to six years in a penal colony over posts about Bucha. The case involved raids, a closed trial and a disputed expert report. His defense has appealed.
- Alexander Skobov: From Soviet Psychiatric Hospitals to a 16-Year Prison Sentence
A Soviet-era dissident twice subjected to compulsory psychiatric treatment, Alexander Skobov is now serving a 16-year sentence in Russia. His case spans decades of opposition activism, terrorism-related charges and renewed punishment behind bars.
- Pavel Syutkin: Six Years in Prison Over a Post About Bucha
- Chechen Supreme Court Fines Friend of Missing Woman Seda Suleimanova 150,000 Rubles for PicketA court in Grozny fined St. Petersburg resident Lena Patyaeva 150,000 rubles for a one-person picket demanding an investigation into the disappearance of her friend Seda Suleimanova, the Chechen Supreme Court's press service said.
- Kursk Region Appoints Veteran as First Permanent Ombudsman for War ParticipantsKursk Region Governor Alexander Khinshtein has appointed Maxim Kalutskikh, a decorated combat veteran and reserve colonel, as the region's ombudsman for participants in the war in Ukraine and their families.
- St. Petersburg police raid home of Rotten Kepken blogger over posts on Tatarsky's deathVladimir Serebrovsky, who runs the Telegram channel Rotten Kepken, was detained after police broke into his apartment on Kanonerskaya Street, where he had set up an editorial office, according to TASS.
- Communist MP proposes renaming St Petersburg to Leningrad and Volgograd to StalingradA Communist Party (KPRF) deputy has submitted a federal bill that would return the names Leningrad and Stalingrad to St Petersburg and Volgograd within a year of the law taking effect.
- Ukraine and Russia finalize details of evacuation from Oleshky, where about 6,000 civilians remainKyiv and Moscow are working out the final details of an evacuation from Russian-occupied Oleshky in the Kherson region, where Ukrainian officials estimate about 6,000 civilians remain, including up to 200 children.
Editor's Column
- When an Outage in Russia Disrupts Taxi Service in Kazakhstan
Drone strikes damaged three Yandex data centers in four days. The disruption reached Kazakhstan, where users' personal data is stored locally, according to officials. The episode exposed the difference between keeping data inside national borders and keeping a digital service running independently.
- Peskov Says Russia Has No Political Prisoners. What the Cases and Numbers Show
On September 30, Dmitry Peskov said Russia “categorically denies” that it holds political prisoners. FACTUM’s political persecution database listed 6,794 people at the latest count; 2,163 were imprisoned, while 1,404 had been recognized as political prisoners by human rights organizations. This column looks at what those figures mean and at several criminal cases behind them.
- When an Outage in Russia Disrupts Taxi Service in Kazakhstan
- Russian military satellite closes to 26 metres of ICEYE-X36 spacecraftA Russian military satellite, Kosmos-2612, has closed to within 26 metres of the American-Finnish commercial spacecraft ICEYE-X36, according to monitoring data.
- Rubio Blames Software Glitch for Missing Kyiv Air-Raid WarningUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a software problem in an early-warning system occurred several days ago, after Ukraine reported receiving no alert before a Russian missile attack on the night of October 19.
- Half of Adam Kadyrov's K-13 unit are relatives and children of officials, Verstka findsAt least nine of the 18 armed men in a photo posted by Adam Kadyrov, son of Chechnya's leader, are relatives of the Kadyrov family or sons of senior Chechen officials and security officers, according to Verstka.
- Putin backs Mishustin's government reshuffle as Siluanov, Kozhemyako and Nikitin proposed for deputy PM postsPrime Minister Mikhail Mishustin presented Vladimir Putin with proposals for a government reshuffle at a meeting on Monday morning, and the president supported them, the Kremlin said.
- Z-blogger Tatyana Montyan sentenced to 18 months in penal colony for stream remarkA court in occupied Donetsk found pro-war blogger and lawyer Tatyana Montyan guilty of publicly calling for "extremism" online and handed her 18 months in a general-regime penal colony.
- Trump Blocks 'Hellish' Russia Sanctions to Keep Moscow at the Peace TableUS President Donald Trump said he declined to sign a sanctions bill against Russia because he does not want to "foolishly" push Moscow out of peace negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
Analytics
- Yandex After the Drone Strikes: What Is Back Online, What Was Damaged and How Long Recovery Could Take
By October 16, Yandex had brought most everyday services back online, but cloud operations and advertising tools remained restricted. What is known about the three damaged data centers, the fate of its supercomputers and the competing timelines for a full recovery?
- Vladislav Surkov: From Managed Politics to the Kremlin's Donbas Liaison
Vladislav Surkov began his career in advertising and some of Russia's largest businesses before spending almost two decades helping shape the Kremlin's domestic political system. His name is associated with the emergence of the ruling party, pro-Kremlin youth movements and the doctrine of “sovereign democracy.” From 2013 onward, he became an important intermediary in Moscow's dealings with the conflict in Ukraine. FACTUM.press examined his career, political decisions, leaked office correspondence and intercepted conversations presented in the MH17 investigation, asking what these records establish—and what they do not—about his personal responsibility.
- Yandex After the Drone Strikes: What Is Back Online, What Was Damaged and How Long Recovery Could Take
- Russian Missile Strike on Kyiv Kills 21-Year-Old Woman, Damages Metro StationA Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight killed a 21-year-old woman and damaged the Chernihivska metro station, Ukrainian emergency services said.
- Turkey to receive Russian diesel under Putin-Trump dealTurkey will receive part of the Russian diesel Moscow is supplying to world markets under its agreement with Washington, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said, according to Reuters.
- Moscow police detain 19-year-old woman over badge reading 'This will definitely pass'Federal Protection Service officers stopped a 19-year-old Moscow woman named Yana on Red Square on October 16 over a badge reading "This will definitely pass," according to the initiative group For Ekaterina Duntsova.
- FSB proposes border zone over Gelendzhik coastline with sanatoriums and beachesRussia's Federal Security Service has proposed designating part of Gelendzhik's Black Sea coast, including sanatoriums, beaches and a military pier, as a border zone, the Agentstvo outlet reported.
- Rubio denies order to slow Starlink as Zelensky calls limits a deliberate operationUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio said no one ordered Starlink speeds to be cut in Ukraine, after Volodymyr Zelensky accused Washington of deliberately throttling the satellite internet service for Ukrainian forces.
- US resumes intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Zelensky says flow was blockedWashington has resumed passing intelligence to Kyiv after a block on the American side, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press.
- Russian depots refill with new tanks and artillery near NATO borders, satellite images showRussian military storage bases emptied in the first years of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine are filling again, with new T-90M tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles arriving at depots near NATO borders, according to a satellite-image analysis.
- TikToker Ivan Zolo Detained at Donetsk Concert Over T-Shirt With 'Satanic Symbolism'Blogger and musician Ivan Zolo was detained on the evening of October 17 during a performance at the Territorion club in annexed Donetsk, with footage showing masked men in helmets leading him off stage.
- Zelensky says Russia has struck Ukraine's energy sector 76 times since Trump announced ceasefireRussia has carried out 76 targeted strikes on Ukraine's energy and oil and gas sector since Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- Drone strike hits VK data center and Ozon warehouse as St. Petersburg and Leningrad region come under attackA nighttime drone attack on St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region killed one person, injured five and damaged a VK data center, an Ozon warehouse and oil facilities, according to regional governors.
- Russian lieutenant who defected to Ukraine helped target strikes that killed at least 300 Russian troopsA 26-year-old Russian signals officer who crossed to Ukraine in July 2024 passed coordinates, radio frequencies and battle plans that were used in attacks killing at least 300 Russian service members, according to The Wall Street Journal.
- Russia hits Ukrainian power grid with 332 drones and missiles, Zelensky calls it one of the largest strikesRussia attacked Ukraine with ballistic and cruise missiles and 332 strike drones overnight into October 17, hitting power facilities in at least ten regions, Ukraine's Air Force said.
- Bitget to close accounts of users in Russia, Belarus and KazakhstanCrypto exchange Bitget has added Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to the list of jurisdictions whose residents are barred from using its services, with account access to be shut off on October 21.
- Teenager arrested in St Petersburg after FSB sting posing as Russian Volunteer CorpsA 16-year-old boy has been placed in pre-trial detention in St Petersburg on charges of assisting terrorism after a correspondence with the FSB in which officers posed as members of the Russian Volunteer Corps, according to the city's joint court press service.
- Egyptian Jet Bound for St. Petersburg Lands in Helsinki After Pulkovo Shuts DownA Red Sea Airlines flight from Hurghada to St. Petersburg landed in Helsinki overnight on 17 October after Pulkovo airport suspended operations, Finland's Gulf of Finland Coast Guard said.
- Chubais wrote to Putin in March 2022 demanding an end to the warFormer Rosnano head Anatoly Chubais sent Vladimir Putin a letter in March 2022 criticising the invasion of Ukraine and demanding an immediate halt to hostilities, according to a UN report presented to the General Assembly.
- Musk proposed limiting Starlink in Ukraine, Trump backed itSpaceX founder Elon Musk proposed to US President Donald Trump that Starlink satellite communications be restricted in Ukraine, and Trump supported the move, according to The Telegraph.
- Moscow Mathematician Charged With Treason Over 2,200 Rubles in Telegram 'Stars'A 27-year-old mathematician has been accused of high treason after border guards found paid Telegram reactions worth 2,200 rubles on his phone, according to the outlet Vot Tak.
- US lawmakers move to block Trump-Putin diesel dealA bill introduced in the US House would bar the US International Development Finance Corporation from investing in Russian energy and revoke the Treasury licenses that allow purchases of Russian energy carriers.
- Russian strikes on Kherson, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia kill ambulance driver and wound dozensA 64-year-old ambulance driver was killed and at least 19 people wounded in Kherson as Russian forces hit three Ukrainian cities over two days, according to local officials and the State Emergency Service.
- Rosneft's Ryazan refinery halts AT-6 unit after drone attackRosneft's Ryazan refinery has suspended primary oil processing at its AT-6 unit following a fire caused by a drone attack, according to two industry sources cited by Reuters.
- Trump Denies Ordering Starshield Restrictions in UkrainePresident Donald Trump said he did not order restrictions on Starshield, the military version of Starlink, in Ukraine, and does not believe Elon Musk was behind it.
- Ex-director of Russian Academy of Sciences library arrested in Moscow on fraud chargeOleg Shorin, former head of the Russian Academy of Sciences Library for Natural Sciences, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months on a charge of large-scale fraud, Kommersant reports.
- Georgian-born Donbas fighter charged with Moscow double murder of mother and daughterTeymuraz Gogiashvili, a Georgian-born former member of the Sparta battalion who fought alongside Motorola's forces in Donbas, is being held in custody over the October 1 killings of 19-year-old Darya Tsereteli and her mother, Yelena, in Moscow.
- Call Sign 'Gogi': From Motorola's Sparta Battalion to a Double-Murder Charge in MoscowBefore his arrest in the murders of Elena and Darya Tsereteli, Teimuraz Gogiashvili fought with the pro-Russian Sparta battalion, was mistakenly reported killed alongside Motorola and later worked for a Russian state media organization. FACTUM.PRESS traces his past, a 42-million-ruble business dispute and the questions investigators have yet to answer.
- Moscow court jails charity director over Scientology 'undesirable organization' caseThe Basmanny District Court of Moscow ordered Elena Krotova, director of the charity "Protect Children from Drugs and Alcohol," held in custody for two months on a charge of organizing the activity of an "undesirable organization."
- Yandex After the Drone Strikes: What Is Back Online, What Was Damaged and How Long Recovery Could TakeBy October 16, Yandex had brought most everyday services back online, but cloud operations and advertising tools remained restricted. What is known about the three damaged data centers, the fate of its supercomputers and the competing timelines for a full recovery?
- UN: 328 Civilians Killed in Ukraine in September, Highest September Toll Since InvasionThe UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine recorded 328 civilian deaths and 2,105 injuries in September, an 85% rise over September 2025 and the highest toll for that month since the full-scale invasion began.
- Russian detainees join hunger strike at third US immigration jailFifteen women began a hunger strike at the El Valle immigration detention center in Raymondville, Texas, on October 11, and about 20 men, including Russian citizens, later joined them, according to the mother of one participant.
- St. Petersburg Police Raid Mosque and Market, Detain Dozens and Hand Out Draft NoticesRussian security forces cordoned off Sennoy Market and an adjacent prayer hall in St. Petersburg after Friday prayers, detaining dozens and issuing military registration notices to foreign nationals who recently received Russian citizenship.
- Russia Labels StopTime Singer Naoko and Kuban Separatist Movement 'Foreign Agents'Russia's Justice Ministry added StopTime vocalist Diana Loginova, known as Naoko, her bandmate and fiance, and the Kuban Ukrainian independence movement Malinovy Klin to its foreign agents registry.
- Drone strikes on Yandex data centers halt arbitration court hearings across dozens of Russian regionsA failure at a Yandex Cloud data center disrupted Russia's electronic justice system, forcing arbitration courts in dozens of regions to cancel or postpone hearings.
- Zelensky Says Ukraine Faces Patriot Missile Shortage as Starlink Limits PersistUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a Brussels press conference that Ukraine faces a significant shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems, with most PAC-2 and PAC-3 rounds long diverted to the Middle East.
- Drones hit industrial site near Surgut, governor confirms fire but won't name the plantDrones attacked an industrial facility in the Surgut district of Russia's Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, triggering a fire, regional governor Ruslan Kukharuk said, without identifying the plant.
- Kremlin critic Alexander Kynev moved to Moscow jail known for beatings and extortionPolitical scientist Alexander Kynev has been transferred to Moscow's SIZO-4 Medved detention center on Vilyuiskaya Street, a facility repeatedly linked to beatings, extortion and suicides of inmates.
- World of Tanks publisher handed to consortium led by 25-year-old investment managerA Moscow-registered company with one employee and 15,000 rubles in charter capital has taken full ownership of Lesta Group, the publisher of World of Tanks and World of Warships, in a deal closed on October 15.
- Russian TV Producer Sentenced to 6.5 Years for a Single Telegram CommentA military court in St. Petersburg sentenced television producer Kapitolina Averina to six and a half years in a general-regime penal colony over public calls for terrorism posted online.
- Sweden Extradites Russian Man to US Over Electronics Smuggling NetworkA 52-year-old Russian citizen has appeared in federal court in New York after Sweden extradited him on charges of running a network that shipped American electronics to Russia in violation of sanctions.
- Digital Ministry proposed AI to block VPNs with 95% effectivenessRussia's Digital Ministry proposed using artificial intelligence to detect and block VPN services with 95% effectiveness, according to a draft national AI plan.
- Moscow and St. Petersburg airports suspend operations as drones force nearly 200 flight delaysMoscow's four airports and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo halted arrivals and departures after drone attacks, disrupting nearly 200 flights.
- Putin Hands Tarkett's Russian Assets to State-Linked ManagerA presidential decree has placed the Russian subsidiaries and shareholdings of flooring maker Tarkett under the temporary management of a company called Center Capital.
- St. Petersburg Bans Migrant Workers With Patents From Hair Salons, Shops and GymsSt. Petersburg authorities have barred foreign nationals holding work patents from jobs in medicine, hairdressing, cosmetology, retail and fitness, with the ban running through the end of the year.
- Russian State Duma Approves Bill to Send Conscripts to Fight Fires in Civilian TownsThe State Duma has approved in a first reading a bill allowing conscripts to serve in the Emergencies Ministry's militarized fire brigades, extending their deployment from closed and restricted sites to ordinary towns and civilian facilities.
- Kyiv runs out of Patriot interceptors as Russia strikes power plantsUkraine has used up its entire stock of interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot air defense systems, according to a source familiar with the situation cited by CNN.
- Ukraine's airport-paralysis campaign 'only beginning,' sources sayUkraine's campaign to disrupt Russian airports is "only beginning," according to two sources involved in planning an operation codenamed M&M's, The Atlantic reports.