News
- 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.
- Khabarovsk picket organizer released with official warning after hours out of contactA man who applied to hold a "For Fair Elections!" picket for the unregistered Dawn party was released from a police station in Khabarovsk with a warning about the inadmissibility of unlawful actions, a representative of the party's Khabarovsk branch told 7x7.
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
- Kremlin spending on Putin and his administration to rise to 36.8 billion rubles in 2027Russia plans to spend 36.8 billion rubles on maintaining the president and his administration in 2027, according to the published draft budget.
- Krasnodar Bans Election-Fraud Protest, Files Six Charges Against OrganizerKrasnodar officials refused to authorize a protest against election violations and filed six administrative charges against the 19-year-old Yabloko activist who applied to hold it.
- Russian drone strike kills sailor on Liberian-flagged ship in Odesa region portA Russian drone attack on a Liberian-flagged civilian vessel in a port in Ukraine's Odesa region killed a motorman and wounded three other crew members, according to Ukraine's Sea Ports Administration.
- Germany denies study visa to HSE design graduate over 'security threat'Germany's embassy in Moscow refused a study visa to a Russian graduate of the Higher School of Economics' design programme, citing a security threat under immigration law, according to the student rights project Molniya.
- Car bomb in Novomoskovsk kills man identified as paratrooper accused of torturing Ukrainian POWsA car exploded on Druzhby Street in Novomoskovsk on the morning of October 2, killing the driver, who was later identified by a Telegram channel and a Ukrainian monitoring project as Roman Syromyatnikov, a paratrooper accused by Ukraine of torturing prisoners of war.
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
- Putin Claims 1,301 Sq Km Seized in September as ISW Counts 81 Sq Km LostRussia's net territorial losses in Ukraine in September totaled 80.81 sq km, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War, hours after Vladimir Putin claimed Moscow had taken 1,301 sq km.
- Putin Proposed Selling Lukoil's Foreign Assets as Part of Ukraine Talks, NYT ReportsVladimir Putin personally raised the sale of Lukoil's foreign assets at a Kremlin meeting on September 5 with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, according to The New York Times.
- FSB Detains Izhevsk Activist Who Sued City Hall for Right to Hold Fair-Elections RallyDmitry Morozov, an Izhevsk activist who won a court order forcing the city to allow a fair-elections rally, has been detained by security services, according to his father.
- Kadyrov Promoted to Army General and Awarded Maroon BeretRamzan Kadyrov has been promoted to the rank of army general and awarded the maroon beret, the highest distinction in Russia's special forces units, at a ceremony where he in turn decorated a senior Rosgvardia official.
- Baikal Officials Delete Plague Warning After Telling Residents to Avoid ShelekhovThe administration of the Siberian town of Baikalsk deleted a Telegram post urging residents to avoid the nearby city of Shelekhov over an unconfirmed plague case, two hours after publishing it.
- Drone attack damages apartment blocks in Kaluga, residents injured by glassResidential buildings in Kaluga were damaged in a drone attack overnight, with residents injured by flying glass, the regional governor said.
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's Finance Ministry Proposes Taxing Apartment Sale Income at Up to 22%Russia's Finance Ministry has drafted a bill that would fold income from real estate sales into the general tax base, subjecting it to a progressive rate of up to 22% from January 1, 2027.
- Russia's Judicial Department Classifies Statistics on Treason, Army 'Discreditation' and Crimes by Security OfficersRussia's Judicial Department has removed entire categories of criminal cases from its 2025 crime statistics, including all of Chapter 29 of the Criminal Code covering crimes against the state.
- Russian Producer Jailed Over 3,500 Rubles in Donations to Navalny's Anti-Corruption FoundationA Tomsk court sent producer Elena Matushevskaya to pretrial detention over seven donations totaling 3,500 rubles to the Anti-Corruption Foundation, one of a string of politically charged rulings and prison punishments in Russia between September 26 and October 2.
- A Week of Political Persecution: Pretrial Detention Over 3,500 Rubles, 10 Years for a 20-Year-Old, and SHIZO Over Three CandiesOver seven days, from September 26 through October 2, producer Elena Matushevskaya was sent to pretrial detention over seven alleged donations to Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation totaling 3,500 rubles; St. Petersburg resident Egor Gulyaev was sentenced to six years over three reposts; 20-year-old Ivan Shadrin received a 10-year sentence; and theater director Zhenya Berkovich was given 15 days in a punishment cell over “three candies” and an allegedly incomplete introduction to a prison officer. Mathematician Azat Miftakhov received another 15 days in SHIZO over “unwiped dust,” journalist Roman Ivanov was sent there for 14 days for a publicly unexplained reason, and new reports emerged about Alexander Kynev’s injuries and Tatyana Bagey’s deteriorating health in custody.
- From Blinovskaya to Portnyagin: How Russia Cracked Down on the Influencer BusinessOver three and a half years, Russian authorities moved from tax cases against Lerchek, Alexandra Mitroshina and Elena Blinovskaya to prison sentences for Blinovskaya, Ayaz Shabutdinov and Dmitry Portnyagin, an in-absentia conviction of Gusein Gasanov, and a separate registration system for major bloggers. Publicly available evidence does not prove that the criminal cases were launched in order to control their audiences. But the outcome is clear: in Russia, a large online following is no longer an autonomous business asset operating largely outside the state.
- What’s Happening on October 2, 2026Russia struck bridges across the Dnipro in Kyiv for a second day, temporarily closing the South Bridge and Paton Bridge; one person was killed in the capital. Ukraine continued attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, while Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak acknowledged a small gasoline shortage. BBC Russian, Mediazona and a team of volunteers have identified by name 266,032 Russian servicemen killed since the start of the full-scale invasion. Japan announced a new sanctions package, while in Russia Astra founder Anastasia Chumakova was sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison and Zhanna Nemtsova was designated a “foreign agent.”
- Inmate Kills FSI Guard on Vladikavkaz–Adler Train; Accounts of Mutiny DisputedAn inmate attacked an FSI convoy on a Vladikavkaz–Adler train near Murtazovo station in Kabardino-Balkaria, killing one guard, with sources divided over whether a mutiny took place.
- Ex-Kuban Cossack Host Ataman Sentenced to 14 Years for Stealing Gear Meant for Frontline CossacksA Russian court sentenced Nikolai Vlasov, former vice-governor of the Krasnodar region and ataman of the Kuban Cossack Host, to 14 years in a penal colony for embezzling equipment intended for Cossack units fighting in Ukraine.
- Russian Business Lobby Urges Higher Profit Tax Instead of Windfall Levy on MinersThe Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs has asked Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to scrap a proposed windfall tax on mining companies and instead raise the profit tax for all businesses by 0.5–1 percentage point for three years.
- Prosecutors Seek Nearly Six Years for 'Masyanya' Creator Kuvaev Over Surrender EpisodeProsecutors asked a St. Petersburg court to sentence animator Oleg Kuvaev, creator of the 'Masyanya' series, to five years and 11 months in a penal colony over an episode in which his character urges Russian soldiers to surrender.
- Putin Visits Center-2026 Drills as Chelyabinsk Closes All Federal Highways for Three DaysVladimir Putin visited the Chebarkul training ground in the Chelyabinsk region on October 2 for the active phase of the Center-2026 command-and-staff exercises, as all federal highways in the region were closed to traffic for three days.
- Russian glide bombs hit Kharkiv, killing two and injuring more than 30Three Russian glide bombs struck Kharkiv, killing two people and injuring more than 30, according to the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.
- Canadian farmer with eight children must sign Russian military contract to get permanent residencyA Canadian farmer who moved to Russia under a simplified residency program for foreigners sharing "traditional Russian spiritual and moral values" has been told he must sign a contract with the Defense Ministry to obtain permanent residency, The Insider reports.
- Japan sanctions 33 Russian firms and 9 citizens, including Rostec executivesJapan has imposed its first major sanctions package in a year, targeting 33 Russian companies, nine individuals including senior Rostec executives, and 35 vessels of the so-called shadow fleet.
- Putin Threatens Nuclear Weapons at Valdai, Sets War Timeline of 18 Months to Two YearsSpeaking at the Valdai Discussion Club, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would use nuclear weapons if Kaliningrad were threatened and named a timeline of 18 months to two years for ending the war in Ukraine.
- Russian Su-35 Shoots Down Its Own Mi-8 Helicopter Over Voronezh Region After Mistaking It for a DroneA Russian Su-35 fighter jet shot down a Mi-8 helicopter over the Voronezh region after its crew misidentified the aircraft as an enemy drone, killing all three on board, according to the Telegram channel Dosye Shpiona.
- Ukraine Intercepts Russian Winter Plan to Hit Nuclear Plants and Cut Water and Heat to Kyiv, Kharkiv and OdesaUkraine has obtained a Russian document outlining a three-stage campaign to cripple its power system, culminating in strikes on the substations serving three operating nuclear plants, according to The New York Times.
- Zyuganov warns of 'hot offensive' against Russia in 2029-2030Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov told the State Duma that Russia faces a "hot offensive" in 2029-2030 and called for rebuilding the country's economic and scientific base.
- Two Pyaterochka Workers Fired After Video on Post-Election Price RisesTwo employees of the Pyaterochka supermarket chain in Russia's Krasnodar region were dismissed after posting a video about rising food prices following the elections, one of them said.
- Russia Opens Criminal Case Over $5.4M Seized From Sanctioned Tycoon Konstantin MalofeyevRussia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over the seizure of $5.4 million from sanctioned businessman Konstantin Malofeyev by U.S. authorities, the committee's representative Svetlana Petrenko said.
- Zelensky Says Putin Ordered Military to 'Abandon the Rules' in War on UkraineUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has intercepted intelligence showing Vladimir Putin ordered military commanders to abandon the rules of war in strikes on Ukraine.
- Russia's Prosecutor General Moves to Seize Assets of New FIDE President Timur TurlovA deputy prosecutor general has filed a lawsuit in Moscow's Tverskoy District Court seeking the confiscation of assets belonging to Timur Turlov, the newly elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
- Employee of plague research institute dies of pneumonic plague in Siberia; hospital quarantinedA woman who worked at a plague-control institute has died of pneumonic plague in the Siberian town of Shelekhov, prompting quarantine measures at the local hospital and an emergency meeting of regional health officials.
- St. Petersburg court hands blogger Podnebesny 3 years in colony for sex with a minorA St. Petersburg court sentenced blogger and self-styled incel ideologue Podnebesny to three years in a penal colony after convicting him of sexual intercourse with a person under 16.
- Tbilisi Court Frees Furga Associate Timofeyev on BailA Tbilisi city court has changed the pretrial detention of Mikhail Timofeyev, a former aide to ex-Khabarovsk region governor Sergei Furgal, releasing him on 50,000 lari bail.
- Ulyanovsk Court Sentences Astra Editor-in-Chief Chumakova to Seven Years in AbsentiaA court in Ulyanovsk has sentenced Astra editor-in-chief Yulia Chumakova to seven years in a penal colony in absentia, with prosecutors having sought nine.
- Drones hit Samara oil depot and industrial sites in Volgograd regionDrones struck the Samara linear production and dispatch station and industrial infrastructure in the Volgograd region, with fires reported at the oil facility and near a refinery and chemical plant, according to Astra and Ukrainian OSINT channels.
- Drones Strike Volgograd Industrial Zone as Fire Engulfs Area Near Refinery and Chemical PlantA mass drone attack hit industrial infrastructure in the Volgograd region, with eyewitness footage showing a large fire near the Volgograd oil refinery and the Kaustik chemical plant.
- Putin Threatens Nuclear Use and Says He Wants to End War 'Faster' in Exchange for DonbasSpeaking at the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday, Vladimir Putin raised the prospect of nuclear weapons use and said he wants to end the war in Ukraine 'as fast as possible' in exchange for the entire Donbas.
- Fire breaks out at historic Miller Mansion near St. Isaac's Cathedral in central St. PetersburgA fire broke out at the historic Miller Mansion on the corner of St. Isaac's Square and Yakubovich Street in central St. Petersburg, sending a column of smoke visible from across the city.
- What’s Happening on October 1, 2026Russia continued strikes on Ukraine, including on energy infrastructure. Moscow is preparing to send about 120,000 men called up in the autumn conscription campaign to military units. Vladimir Putin again raised the possibility of nuclear weapons use in the event of a direct attack on Russian territory. Turkey and the UN are preparing a new round of talks, while the United States considers additional sanctions on Russia.
- Seven killed in explosions at chemical plant in KrasnozavodskExplosions at a chemical plant in Krasnozavodsk near Sergiyev Posad killed seven people, according to the Telegram channel Shot.
- Zelensky Announces First Combat Use of Ukraine's FP-7 Ballistic MissileUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the FP-7 tactical ballistic missile has been used in combat for the first time and will now enter serial production.
- Russia to conscript 120,000 troops this autumn while insisting they won't be sent to the frontRussia's General Staff says 120,000 conscripts will begin reporting to their units from October 10, and that none will be sent to fight in Ukraine or the occupied territories.
- Russia Allocates 59.6 Billion Rubles to Internet Blocking System and VPN CrackdownThe Russian government has earmarked 59.59 billion rubles over three years for the Main Radio Frequency Center, the agency that operates the automated system behind website and VPN blocking.
- Ex-TV2 staffer detained in Krasnoyarsk over donations to Navalny's Anti-Corruption FoundationYelena Matushevskaya, a former employee of the Tomsk television company TV2, has been detained in Krasnoyarsk over donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), the outlet Govorit NeMoskva reported.
- Russian drone hits Kyiv nuclear research institute reactor siteA Russian drone struck the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv, Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said, with the reactor and safety systems undamaged and no change in radiation levels.
- Russian Defense Ministry General Sergei Nikitushkin Arrested in Moscow Over Patriot ParkA Moscow court has ordered the arrest of Major General Sergei Nikitushkin, the Defense Ministry official who oversaw the military-patriotic Patriot Park, according to Kommersant.
- Irkutsk mayor says city's perinatal center sends used baby formula cans to soldiersMedical workers at Irkutsk's city perinatal center are sending used baby formula cans to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, the city's mayor said.
- Russian Government Proposes 50-Fold Fine Increase for Distributing 'Extremist Materials'The Russian government has submitted a bill to the State Duma that would sharply raise administrative fines under 29 articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses, with penalties for producing and distributing "extremist materials" rising by as much as 50 times.
- Estonia bans transit of Russian and Belarusian grainEstonia has barred Russian and Belarusian grain from transiting its territory, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said, as the Baltic state moves to cut off a route Moscow has sought for its exports.
- Russian Government Offers Business Tax Breaks for Drone Defenses — If They Hand the Fortifications to the StateA draft bill submitted to the State Duma would let companies deduct spending on anti-drone defenses from their profit tax, but only if the equipment and structures are transferred to the state free of charge.
- Russia resumes mass strikes on Ukraine's power grid as Kyiv and three regions impose emergency blackoutsEmergency power cuts were imposed in Kyiv and three surrounding regions after Russia resumed systematic mass strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.
- PACE Moves to Deny Recognition of New Russian Duma, Redirect Frozen Assets to UkraineThe Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted two resolutions on Russia, proposing to reject the legitimacy of the newly elected State Duma and to channel frozen Russian assets toward compensation for Ukraine.
- Russia Plans Record 17.1 Trillion Ruble Defense Budget as Social Spending Is CutRussia's government has submitted a three-year federal budget to the State Duma that raises defense spending to a wartime record of 17.1 trillion rubles in 2027 while cutting funding for social programs, health care and education.
- Russia deploys drones with 40 kg shaped charge to cut power line supportsRussian forces have used a jet-powered drone carrying a 40 kg shaped-charge munition designed to destroy high-voltage transmission towers and metal bridge structures, according to an adviser to Ukraine's president.