News
- Russia systematically destroys Ukraine's food warehouses, Kyiv faces shortagesKyiv is experiencing shortages of some products after a series of Russian strikes on food warehouses and logistics centers, with the agriculture minister saying the current wave is the largest since the full-scale invasion began.
- Russian drones strike Ukraine-Moldova border crossing, killing twoRussian drones attacked the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, killing two people and injuring others, Ukrainian officials said.
- Drone debris sparks fire at fuel terminal in Russia's NovorossiyskDebris from downed drones sparked a fire at a fuel oil terminal in Novorossiysk, a key port city on Russia's Black Sea coast, after a mass drone attack overnight.
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
- Freed journalist Andrzej Poczobut returns to Belarus after prisoner swapAndrzej Poczobut, a Polish journalist freed in an April prisoner exchange, crossed the Polish-Belarusian border on the morning of September 8, according to Gazeta Wyborcza.
- Bloomberg: Kyiv's allies brace for war into 2027 as Putin bets on energy strikesEuropean and US officials now expect fighting in Ukraine to last into next year after a visit by Trump envoys failed to shift talks, Bloomberg reported.
- Avalanche in Kabardino-Balkaria kills 12, including Russian National Guard troopsAn avalanche in a gorge in Kabardino-Balkaria killed 12 people, including Russian National Guard troops, the agency confirmed.
- Russian ex-lawmaker Gorynov, jailed over Ukraine remarks, says he may have been poisoned in prison colonyMoscow City Court rejected Alexei Gorynov's appeal against prosecutors' refusal to reopen his case, during a video hearing in which the jailed former lawmaker complained of nausea and dizziness and suggested he may have been poisoned.
- Russia to spend up to 10.5 billion rubles on battery gigafactory for dronesThe Russian government will subsidize a loan for a lithium-ion battery plant linked to the country's drone industry, with subsidies potentially reaching 10.46 billion rubles by 2034.
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
- Margarita Simonyan says cancer screening comes back clearRT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said a medical examination found no signs of cancer.
- EU lets Ukraine spend €3.2bn from loan on Patriot interceptorsThe European Union has allowed Ukraine to use €3.2 billion from a €90 billion loan to buy interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot air-defense systems.
- Russian man gets 14 years for filming soldiers' gravesA Yaroslavl court sentenced a local resident to 14 years in a strict-regime colony for treason after he filmed graves of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine and sent the photos to Ukrainian intelligence.
- Goethe-Institut to keep Russian-language site after Russia forces closure of its centersThe Goethe-Institut will maintain its Russian-language website and online library access for Russians after Moscow ordered its centers to close.
- Latvia to ban all bus services to Russia and Belarus from 2027Latvia plans to ban all regular, irregular and transit passenger bus services to Russia and Belarus from 2027, according to draft amendments to the country's road transport law.
- Wildberries sellers ask Mishustin to probe 20 billion rubles in delayed payoutsSellers on Russian marketplace Wildberries have asked Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to intervene over delayed payouts totaling an estimated 20 billion rubles ($215 million).
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
- Russia allows postal workers to carry anti-drone riflesThe Russian government has authorized the issuance of anti-drone weapons to employees of the state postal service, Russian Post.
- Russian drone hits Kyiv TV station during live broadcast, five woundedA Russian strike drone hit the building of the My — Ukraina TV channel in Kyiv during a live broadcast, wounding five people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
- Russian court orders fraud convicts to pay singer Larisa Dolina 114 million rublesA Moscow court ordered two people convicted in the fraud case involving singer Larisa Dolina's apartment to pay her 114 million rubles in damages.
- Russian court removes Yabloko candidate over Banksy video and Sakharov quotesA court in Chelyabinsk struck Yabloko candidate Yaroslav Shcherbakov from the State Duma race over campaign videos featuring a Banksy mural and quotes by Andrei Sakharov and Andrei Gromyko.
- Latvia plans 300% tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grainLatvia's government plans to impose 300% tariffs on grain imports and handling from Russia and Belarus, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs announced.
- FSB arrests Moldovan accused of shooting Russian general linked to Okhmatdyt strikeRussia's Federal Security Service said it detained a 21-year-old Moldovan citizen suspected of shooting a Russian Aerospace Forces officer near Saratov, in a case linked to a Ukrainian intelligence operation.
- Ukrainian drones hit Saratov refinery, wounding 10, damaging homesUkrainian drones struck Russia's Saratov region overnight, wounding 10 people including three children and damaging a Rosneft refinery, local officials said.
- Russia strikes Kyiv after three-day truce, killing twoRussian forces hit Kyiv with drones and ballistic missiles on Sept. 7, killing two people and wounding ten, hours after US envoys left the city.
- Six Yabloko candidates detained in Yekaterinburg in one day; one charged over pentagram in AI-generated imageRussian police detained six Yabloko party candidates in Yekaterinburg within 24 hours, with one facing an extremism charge over a pentagram in an AI-generated image posted in 2024.
- Lavrov's alleged close friend and her daughter obtained UAE citizenship after war beganSvetlana Polyakova, described by the Anti-Corruption Foundation as a close acquaintance of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and her daughter Polina Kovaleva received UAE citizenship in December 2022, months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- Two Russian Su-35S fighters collide over Kursk region, one pilot deadTwo Russian Su-35S fighter jets collided in the Kursk region, killing one pilot, according to preliminary reports.
- Wife of shareholder Pavel Krusevich gets 14 days in jail right after release from detention centerA court in Skopin, Ryazan region, sentenced Elena Morgunova to 14 days in jail immediately after she completed a 10-day sentence, over her refusal to undergo a drug test.
- Witkoff reports 'substantial progress' in Russia-Ukraine talks after Moscow, Kyiv visitsUS envoy Steve Witkoff said talks with Russia and Ukraine made 'substantial progress', including on scheduling further trilateral meetings.
- Russia to claw back contract bonuses from convicted soldiers who keep servingThe Defense Ministry has proposed requiring convicted servicemen who remain in the military to repay part of their one-time contract bonus, a measure it says will boost discipline.
- Putin signs decree creating commission for 'guilty' Russians abroadRussian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree establishing an interagency commission to oversee restrictions on Russians abroad convicted in absentia, including payments to their relatives.
- Russian EV sales double as fuel shortage reshapes marketSales of new electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in Russia doubled this summer to 26,543 units as a fuel shortage pushed buyers toward alternative powertrains.
- Moscow police detain street musicians mid-performance of Russian anthemPolice in Moscow detained street musicians performing the Russian anthem during a City Day concert in the southern Butovo district on September 5.
- Moscow court sentences Pyaterochka employee to 3 years for 1,000-ruble donation to FBKA Moscow court sentenced a 46-year-old Pyaterochka store employee to three years in a penal colony for donating 1,000 rubles to the banned Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).
- Russian police brass and fuel chain executives arrested in fuel theft caseRussian investigators arrested the deputy head of the Moscow region police logistics unit and top managers of the Trassa gas station chain over the alleged theft of fuel on an especially large scale.
- Yakutia delays public-sector pay raises to fund military recruitment bonusesThe government of Yakutia has postponed a 5.4% pay indexation for public-sector workers from July 1 to September 1, citing unforeseen spending on one-time payments to military contract signees.
- Yabloko candidate detained in Yekaterinburg before debate broadcastPolice in Yekaterinburg detained Konstantin Kiselyov, head of the Yabloko party's faction in the city duma, as he left home for a debate at VGTRK-Ural.
- Avalanche in Kabardino-Balkaria kills 11 climbers, six missingAn avalanche swept down Mount Mizhirgi in Russia's Kabardino-Balkaria region on Sunday, killing 11 climbers and leaving six missing.
- Russia bars Communist candidate Bondarenko from Duma election over Navalny photoRussia's Central Election Commission annulled the registration of Communist Party candidate Nikolai Bondarenko for the State Duma election, citing an administrative penalty over a photo of Alexei Navalny.
- Chinese state firm secretly shipped Russia drone material, probe findsA Chinese state-owned company secretly shipped 46 tons of material to Russia, enough for components of about 1,300 drones, according to a joint investigation by Politico and The Telegraph.
- Aeroflot warns SSJ 100 fleet will be grounded without state engine subsidiesAeroflot CEO Sergei Alexandrovsky said Russian airlines will gradually retire Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft unless the state subsidizes engine replacement.
- Ukrainian drone hits residential high-rise in PermA Ukrainian drone struck a multi-story residential building in the Russian city of Perm on the morning of the attack, with video showing a fire on the upper floors.
- Satellite images show two Russian helicopters destroyed in drone attack on SochiSatellite imagery published on September 6 shows two Russian military helicopters, a Ka-52 and an Mi-28, destroyed at Sochi airport during a Ukrainian drone attack on the night of September 4.
- Siberian officials seize and burn cattle over disputed skin-disease outbreakAuthorities in the Irkutsk region are confiscating and destroying residents' livestock over an outbreak of lumpy skin disease, a move a veterinary epidemiologist calls illegal.
- Moscow metro station opens with 'Special Military Operation' inscriptionA new Moscow metro station features the inscription 'Special Military Operation. Engineering Troops' as part of its decor, according to the SotaVision Telegram channel.
- Lida Moniava to step down as head of 'House with a Lighthouse' hospice amid criminal case, will stay in RussiaLida Moniava, founder and director of the children's hospice 'House with a Lighthouse,' announced she will leave her post and resign from the organization's board as she faces criminal prosecution over a social media post about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
- Hong Kong nearly triples Russian gold imports as sanctions biteHong Kong imported nearly 100 metric tons of Russian gold in January–July, about three times more than in the same period last year, as Western sanctions rerouted trade.
- Drone attack sparks fire at Rosneft's Ryazan refineryA drone attack on Russia's Ryazan region caused a fire at a Rosneft-owned oil refinery, one of the country's largest, after debris damaged a residential building.
- Russian journalist faces third criminal case while in detentionInvestigators have opened a third criminal case against Aleksei Seregin, a journalist from Mari El, charging him with inciting hatred or enmity.
- Russia's largest employer starts pre-draft military data auditSberbank, Russia's largest employer, is conducting a full audit of employees' military registration data and pre-identifying who qualifies for draft deferment, a move not seen before the 2022 mobilization.
- Putin backs allowing 'unfit' volunteers to fight dronesPresident Vladimir Putin said he supports allowing volunteers with a medical category of 'D' (unfit for service) to join regional units defending facilities from Ukrainian drone attacks.
- FSB adds treason charges to suspects in plot to kill Putin's alleged confessorRussian investigators have added treason and aiding-the-enemy charges to the case against two men accused of plotting to assassinate Metropolitan Tikhon, a cleric widely described as Vladimir Putin's confessor.
- Russia allows postal service to use anti-drone equipmentThe Russian government has authorized the country's postal service to be equipped with technical means to counter drones, under a decree signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on September 3.
- Head of pro-war fund in annexed Crimea killed in blastAnatoly Chernyshov, head of the pro-Kremlin 'All for Victory' fund in annexed Crimea, died from mine-blast injuries on September 5, according to Russia's People's Front.
- Latvia and Lithuania move to ban Russian grain transit through their portsLatvia's government plans to discuss a full ban on Russian grain exports via its territory, while Lithuania says using its ports for such shipments is 'no longer acceptable'.
- Ukraine orders five-day battlefield silence ahead of US envoys' Moscow visitUkrainian military units have been ordered to observe a ceasefire on the front line from 00:00 September 5 to 23:59 September 8, according to Ukrainska Pravda, but Kyiv says Russia is not complying.
- Ukraine's top spy says he talked with Prigozhin before Wagner mutinyKyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said he regularly communicated with Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin while leading military intelligence, with contact ending shortly before the 2023 mutiny.
- Russia rejects US envoy visit truce, launches massive strike on UkraineRussia launched a massive overnight strike on Ukraine with ballistic missiles and 167 drones, rejecting a proposed 'silence regime' during a US envoy visit.
- Russian strike on Ukrainian factory kills four in KamianskeA Russian overnight attack on an industrial plant in the central Ukrainian city of Kamianske killed four people and wounded five, regional officials said.
- Georgia court clears extradition of Fugal ally to RussiaA court in Tbilisi has authorized the extradition to Russia of Mikhail Timofeev, an ally of former Khabarovsk governor Sergei Fugal, despite UN concerns over political motivation.
- Ex-Russian minister Nikiforov charged in absentia in Finiko pyramid caseRussia's Investigative Department of the Interior Ministry has charged former Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov in absentia with organizing a criminal community and large-scale fraud in the Finiko financial pyramid case.
- Russia labels Novaya Gazeta a 'foreign agent,' adds over 100 affiliated namesRussia's Justice Ministry added Novaya Gazeta to its register of 'foreign agents,' saying the outlet spread false information about government policy and opposed the war in Ukraine.