Russia’s ruble has done something many people did not expect. After the invasion of Ukraine, sanctions, the departure of foreign companies, exploding government spending, and growing trade problems were supposed to crush the currency. Instead, the ruble has remained surprisingly strong. That strength is easy to misread. It can look like proof that sanctions failed…
Several million rubles can change the scale of a person’s life overnight. For a Russian man who has spent decades living on an ordinary salary, such money does not feel like a bonus. It feels like an escape hatch. Debts that seemed permanent can disappear. A neglected apartment can finally be repaired. A family that…
Imagine you are a Ukrainian citizen who fled Crimea in 2014 after Russia occupied the peninsula. You left behind your apartment, your parents’ house, maybe the little plot of land where your family planted grapes. But your family was safe, and that mattered most. As for the property, you hoped to return one day. After…
For most English-speaking viewers, the North Caucasus appears only as a handful of disconnected images. Perhaps you know Khabib Nurmagomedov, the undefeated UFC champion from Dagestan. Or Ramzan Kadyrov, the ruler of Chechnya, usually seen surrounded by armed men and declaring his loyalty to Vladimir Putin. You may remember the Beslan school siege, one of…
A Russian oligarch seems to have everything: private jets, enormous yachts, villas in several countries, companies worth billions, and access to the Kremlin. From the outside, he looks powerful enough to influence presidents. That is why many people in Russia and the West assumed that oligarchs were the true rulers of the country—that Putin depended…
Russian oil refineries are burning. Not only in border regions. Ukrainian drones are reaching deep into Russia and hitting the infrastructure that keeps the country moving. And this creates a very simple question: How is this possible? Russia calls itself a superpower. It sells itself as a fortress surrounded by enemies. For years, state television…
Russia likes to present itself as a food-security fortress. It takes pride in producing most of its own food and ranking among the world’s largest exporters of grain and vegetable oil. And yet, just as farmers need to bring in the harvest, they are facing an awkward question: where are they supposed to get fuel…
Russia is one of the world’s biggest oil exporters. And yet, in parts of Russia, people are standing in line for gasoline. Farmers worry whether they’ll have enough diesel to bring in the next harvest. Drivers arrive at gas stations with canisters, trying to buy fuel before the pumps run dry tomorrow. Even the canisters…
