News
- Rubio calls Russia-Ukraine war a 'strategic deadlock'US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the war between Russia and Ukraine has reached a "strategic deadlock" that can only be resolved through negotiations or escalation, and that no path to a negotiated settlement is currently in sight.
- Security forces search home of pro-war blogger Roman Alyokhin, seize phone and laptopSecurity forces searched the home of pro-war blogger and military correspondent Roman Alyokhin, seizing his laptop and phone, according to Alyokhin himself and his wife Yekaterina.
- Russian Guided Bomb Hits Bus Stop in Kramatorsk, Killing 12A Russian guided aerial bomb struck a public transport stop in Kramatorsk, killing 12 people and injuring 19, Ukrainian officials said.
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
- China tightens car export rules, threatening BMW, Audi and Toyota prices in RussiaChinese authorities will require carmakers to document service networks and repair capabilities in Russia from January 1, 2027, a move dealers say could raise prices on parallel imports of BMW, Audi and Toyota models built in China.
- Kushner and Dmitriev discussed returning Russian gas to Europe via Nord StreamJared Kushner and Kirill Dmitriev met in Moscow and New York in recent weeks to discuss bringing a US investor into operations of the Nord Stream pipelines, according to Reuters.
- Drones hit Yandex data center and Bashkortostan refineryUkrainian monitoring channels reported drone attacks on a Yandex data center in the Ryazan region and a Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery in Bashkortostan, with fires confirmed at both sites.
- Fire breaks out at Ryazan factory housing Yandex data center after reported strikeA fire broke out on the grounds of the Sasta machine-tool plant in Russia's Ryazan region, where a Yandex data center is located, after reports of a strike on the facility.
- Riga Court Jails Rezekne Woman for Six Years Over 43-Euro Transfer to Russian ArmyA Riga city court convicted Rezekne resident Polina Kamleva of financing an armed conflict and sentenced her to six years in prison plus three years of probation supervision.
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
- Utility Tariff Hike Sends Russia's Weekly Inflation Soaring EightfoldRussia's annual inflation accelerated to 7.17% after utility tariffs were indexed on October 1, pushing weekly consumer price growth to its highest level since spring 2022.
- Anti-war priest Ioakov Vorontsov sentenced to four years in Kazakhstan penal colonyA court in Almaty sentenced anti-war Russian Orthodox priest Ioakov Vorontsov to four years in a penal colony on drug charges his defense says are fabricated.
- Metro Asked Kremlin to Seize Its Russian Business, Le Monde ReportsThe head of Metro's Russian division met Vladimir Putin's economic adviser to arrange the transfer of the company's Russian assets into temporary state management, according to Le Monde.
- Fire Engulfs Transneft's Largest Oil Hub in Samara RegionA fire broke out at the Samara linear production and dispatch station, Transneft's largest oil transport hub, after what Ukrainian monitoring channels described as Ukrainian air attacks.
- Arctic Goose Researcher Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Donating to Navalny's Anti-Corruption FoundationA Russian court sentenced Sofia Rosenfeld, a leading Arctic waterfowl specialist, to three and a half years in a penal colony for donating 2,000 rubles to the Anti-Corruption Foundation.
- Rosatom Buys Out Shishkarev's 51% Stake in Delo Group; Billionaire Pledges Proceeds to 'National Security'Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has completed its buyout of the founder's 51% stake in logistics group Delo, with Sergei Shishkarev saying he will direct a 'significant portion' of the proceeds to 'national security needs.'
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
- EU Ambassadors Approve Largest Single Sanctions Expansion: 743 Individuals and 826 OrganizationsEU ambassadors have agreed on the bloc's largest single expansion of sanctions, targeting 743 individuals and 826 military-industrial companies, with formal adoption set for October 12 at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
- Bureau 1440 Unveils Production Terminal: What Changed for Rassvet in Six WeeksSince FACTUM’s August review, Bureau 1440 has shown that Rassvet can do more than simply stay in orbit: the network connected real users in the Russian Arctic, the first spacecraft from the July batch reached the roughly 500 km orbital band, and the company unveiled a production-model terminal rated at up to 700 Mbps. But there is still no public evidence of a third batch launch. The question now is whether a working prototype can become a network.
- Name of Man Convicted of Killing His Infant Daughter Appears on War Memorial in Rostov RegionThe name of Yakov Maiboroda, sentenced to 15 years for the murder of his eight-month-old daughter, has been found on a memorial to fallen soldiers in the town of Chertkovo in the Rostov region.
- Russian Kindergartens Mark Putin's Birthday With Poems, Portraits and a Kneeling SaluteMore than twenty Russian kindergartens published accounts of celebrations for Vladimir Putin's birthday, including lessons on his "role in Russia's development" and video greetings in which some children knelt.
- Moscow Court Fines Boris Grebenshchikov 15,000 Rubles Over Meduza InterviewA Moscow court has fined musician Boris Grebenshchikov 15,000 rubles over an interview he gave to Meduza, according to a correspondent for Ostorozhno, Novosti and the Moscow courts' press service.
- Putin Orders Military Spending Raised to Record 17 Trillion RublesRussia's military spending is set to reach a record 17 trillion rubles this year, up from the 12.9 trillion budgeted, as the Kremlin concludes a deal with Ukraine is out of reach, according to Bloomberg.
- Russian Who Swam to Lithuania for Asylum Is Sent Back and Jailed for 6 Years Over Anti-War PostsA 68-year-old Russian man who swam across a river into Lithuania to request political asylum was turned back the same day and has now been sentenced to six years in a penal colony for anti-war posts, a Kaliningrad outlet reported.
- FSB Behind 67% of Russia's Political Cases, Repression Barometer FindsAt least one article falling under FSB jurisdiction appears in 67% of politically motivated criminal cases opened in Russia in the first nine months of 2026, according to a Repression Barometer report by the Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial project.
- Russian Missile Destroys Two Sections of Apartment Block in Priluky, Killing FiveA Russian missile destroyed two sections of a five-story apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Priluky, killing five people and injuring at least 26, according to the Chernihiv regional prosecutor's office.
- Russian Missile Strikes Hit Kyiv, Dnipro and Kremenchug, Killing at Least TwoRussian ballistic missile attacks struck Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kremenchug, killing two people in the capital's Darnytskyi district and injuring others across several regions, Ukrainian officials said.
- Twenty Years After Anna Politkovskaya's Murder, Six Convicted but the Person Who Ordered It Remains UnfoundTwenty years after the killing of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, six people have been convicted in the case, but colleagues say the person who ordered the murder was never found.
- Lukoil's Volgograd refinery halts processing after drone attackLukoil's Volgograd refinery stopped processing crude on October 2 after drone strikes damaged equipment, according to two industry sources cited by Reuters.
- Germany says it has not changed student visa rules for Russians after HSE graduate denied entryGermany's Foreign Ministry said it has not altered its student visa rules for Russians, after a graduate of the Higher School of Economics was refused a visa to study in Bremen on security grounds.
- Tanker catches fire in Black Sea off Sochi coastA tanker caught fire in the Black Sea off the coast of Sochi, with flames visible from across the shoreline, according to local residents.
- Second case opened against librarian Konstantin Ledkov, this time for 'public justification of terrorism'A second criminal case has been opened against Konstantin Ledkov, a librarian serving five and a half years for 'discrediting' the Russian army, this time for publicly justifying terrorism.
- Criminal case against hospice founder Lida Moniava dropped for lack of evidenceRussian investigators have closed the criminal case against charity founder Lida Moniava, who was accused over a Telegram post about Ukrainian civilians killed in Russian attacks, her lawyer said.
- South Korea shipped 176,000 tonnes of fuel to Russia on sanctioned tankersSouth Korea delivered more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, to Russia in July and August, with three of the seven tankers used subject to British and EU sanctions, The Guardian reported, citing port records and ship-tracking data.
- Russian Detainees in US Immigration Jail Plan Hunger Strike Over ConditionsRussian detainees at a US immigration detention center are preparing a hunger strike ahead of an expected inspection, citing denied medical care, arbitrary punishment and xenophobic remarks by the facility's director.
- Moscow court orders in absentia arrest of journalist Andrei Loshak on terrorism justification chargesThe Basmanny District Court of Moscow has ordered the in absentia arrest of documentary filmmaker and journalist Andrei Loshak in a case involving the justification of terrorism online.
- Berlin police detain Voina art group leader Vorotnikov and his 17-year-old sonBerlin police detained Voina art group leader Oleg Vorotnikov and his 17-year-old son Kasper Sokol on Monday, according to the group.
- Moscow Prosecutors Open Criminal Case Over Falsified Quality Certificate for Dog Vaccine Linked to 169 DeathsMoscow prosecutors have opened a criminal case over the use of a forged official document after a falsified quality certificate was filed for a batch of a dog vaccine now linked to the deaths of at least 169 animals.
- Drones Strike Two Merchant Ships Off Bulgaria; One SinksDrone attacks hit two commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, sinking the Togo-flagged ALFA WATAN and prompting an emergency government meeting in Sofia.
- Russia to Spend 60 Billion Rubles on Internet Censorship Over Three YearsRussia plans to spend 60 billion rubles over three years on its internet filtering infrastructure, nearly double the previous target, according to a budget annex reviewed by Forbes.
- Russian Strike Damages Dnipro Bridge in Zaporizhzhia, Injuring Five Including Red Cross WorkersA Russian strike damaged a bridge over the Dnipro in Zaporizhzhia, injuring five people, two of them Red Cross workers, according to the acting head of the regional military administration.
- Drone strike on Moscow region's largest oil depot kills 20-year-old manA massed drone attack on the Moscow region killed a 20-year-old man in the settlement of Radumlya and injured six others, according to the regional governor.
- Director of Russia's Patriot Park Detained Over 80 Million Ruble Bribery CaseIgor Vasilyev, director of the Russian military's Patriot Park, has been detained on suspicion of accepting a bribe on an especially large scale, with case materials citing 80 million rubles, according to a source close to the investigation cited by Fontanka.
- Ex-Sochi Mayor Kopaygorodsky Sentenced to 15 Years in Strict-Regime Colony for BriberyA Moscow court sentenced former Sochi mayor Alexei Kopaygorodsky to 15 years in a strict-regime colony and a 500 million ruble fine on bribery and embezzlement charges.
- Shell Hits Near Moldovan Border Crossing, Wounding Border GuardA shell landed near Moldova's Palanca checkpoint on the border with Ukraine on the morning of October 5, wounding a border police officer, according to Moldovan authorities.
- Berlin prosecutors investigate Russian House tenants over EU sanctions violationsBerlin prosecutors have opened an investigation into unidentified individuals and tenants of the Russian House over suspected violations of Germany's foreign trade law, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported.
- St. Petersburg Court Sentences 'Masyanya' Creator Kuvaev in Absentia to 4 Years 1 Month in Prison ColonyA St. Petersburg court has sentenced Oleg Kuvaev, creator of the animated series 'Masyanya,' to four years and one month in a prison colony in absentia, Mediazona reported.
- 16 European embassies refuse to leave Kyiv after Russian Foreign Ministry threatsEmbassies of at least 16 European countries have published identical statements saying they will not leave Kyiv, after Russia's Foreign Ministry warned of new mass strikes on the city.
- Russia's Digital Ministry Revives Plan to Charge for International 5G Traffic Above 50 GBRussia's Digital Ministry has returned to a proposal to charge mobile subscribers for international traffic exceeding 50 GB per month on 5G networks, Kommersant reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions.
- Estonia Moves Troops to Russian Border Under 'Active Defence'Estonia has relocated its 1st Infantry Brigade headquarters to a base 50 kilometres from the Russian border and is building a new facility in Narva as part of a strategy it calls "active defence."
- Eight officers killed in Tu-95MS crash in Amur region, three linked to strikes on UkraineEight officers died when a Tu-95MS strategic bomber crashed in Russia's Amur region on September 29, three of them listed in a Ukrainian database of alleged war criminals before the disaster.
- Russian 'Banderol' Drones Hit Kharkiv Apartment Blocks, Killing OneRussian forces struck Kharkiv's Industrialnyi district with jet-powered "Banderol" drones late on 4 October, killing one person and injuring six to eight, according to Ukrainian officials.
- Ufa Mural of Zemfira Painted Over With Pink on the House Where She Grew UpA mural of singer Zemfira on the Ufa apartment block where she spent her childhood has been covered with pink paint, leaving only a guitar.
- Ex-Motorola Battalion Fighter Arrested Over Moscow Murders of Mother and DaughterA former fighter of the pro-Russian Sparta battalion has been detained over the killing of two women in Moscow, with investigators saying he confessed to both murders.
- Russian Notaries Told to Demand Military Registration Papers From ConscriptsA letter signed by a senior official of Russia's Federal Notary Chamber instructs notaries to factor military registration into property and business transactions, according to The Sunday Times.
- Ukrainian Drones Deliver 4 Tons of Food and Medicine to Occupied OleshkyUkrainian drones dropped nearly 400 packages weighing almost 4 tons of food, medicine and children's kits into the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, according to Ukraine's interior minister.
- Police Detain About 20 at Communist Party Rally in Moscow Over 'Down With the Tsar!' ChantAbout 20 people were detained at a sanctioned Communist Party rally in Moscow after participants chanted "Down with the Tsar!", according to former Moscow City Duma deputy Yevgeny Stupin.
- 114 Residents of Kabardino-Balkaria Allege Fabrication of About 100 Terrorism CasesMore than a hundred residents of the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria have signed an appeal claiming that security services fabricated roughly 100 terrorism cases over the past two years.
- Drones strike military airfield near Maykop as 28 UAVs downed over AdygeaUkrainian monitoring channels reported a drone attack on the Khanskaya military airfield near Maykop overnight, with Adygea's governor saying 28 drones were intercepted and destroyed.
- Zelensky Vows More Strikes on Russian Refineries, Says FP-9 Missile Ready This AutumnUkraine will step up attacks on Russian oil refineries and expects its new FP-9 ballistic missile to be ready by the end of autumn, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Reuters.
- Merz arrives in Kyiv with 1.35 billion euro aid packageGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a 1.35 billion euro aid package during a visit to Kyiv, his third since taking office in May 2025.
- Russia's Prosecutor General Files Lawsuit Against Billionaire Timur Turlov and Freedom HoldingRussia's Prosecutor General has filed a lawsuit against Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov and three Freedom Holding entities, with a preliminary hearing set for October 15.
- US Treasury labels Ilan Shor's A7 payment network a transnational criminal organizationThe US Treasury's financial crimes unit has moved to bar American banks from processing transfers involving the A7 payment network, which it says handled more than $17 billion in dollar payments for Iranian state bodies, sanctioned Russian clients and cybercriminals.