In late October, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA) suspended the membership of the Israeli LGBTQ association Aguda. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the …
Society
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Society
Multiplication by zero: Russia’s promised childbirth support turns into reproductive pressure
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonIn September, a large number of Moscow women were invited to take a free Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) test, a measure of fertility. The Ministry of Health announced that women with …
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Society
“A cheerful guy, honor student, it beats me how he became a terrorist”: Why Dagestan failed to prevent a bloody Islamist attack
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonEarlier this month, authorities in Dagestan arrested the wife of former Sergokala district head Magomed Omarov, whose sons carried out a major terrorist attack on July 23 in Derbent and …
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Society
The Kremlin Arena: Russian oligarchs locked in struggle over Finland’s largest stadium
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonFinland has seen yet another failed attempt to sell the country’s largest hockey arena — an asset connected to Putin-friendly oligarchs Gennady Timchenko and the Rotenberg family. As The Insider …
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Society
“They painted us all as traitors”: Environmental protests in Bashkortostan morph into Russia’s largest political trial
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonA Russian court in Bashkortostan continues to extend the period of detention for participants in the mass protests this past January. Ufa-based musician Aygiz Ishmurzin and three others arrested in the so-called …
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Society
The Last of Us: How the Karaites, Crimea’s smallest indigenous people, survive under occupation
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonIn annexed Simferopol, a recently restored Karaite kenesa — originally built in 1896 — has started to deteriorate again. Despite ample restoration efforts from 2017 to 2022, it is once …
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Society
“How do they make us sign contracts? They stick needles under our fingernails”: Wounded Russian soldiers forced back into the fight
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonPlagued by a shortage of personnel due to heavy losses and desertion, the Russian Armed Forces spare no effort to replenish their ranks. Last week, it became known that conscripts …
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Society
Durov’s anatomical theater: How the Telegram trial is reshaping relations between governments and tech giants
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonAfter the arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram’s administrators began providing French authorities with data that helped identify suspects in cases involving crimes against children. Previously, the platform had largely ignored …
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Society
Machine guns over Patriots, covered Russian monuments, and the switch to Ukrainian language: Daily life in frontline Kharkiv
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonRussia attacked Kharkiv in the first days of the full-scale invasion and even managed to occupy large parts of the surrounding region for several months. The city, with a population …
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Society
“Those who abandoned us won’t come to the rescue”: Kursk residents go to the polls amid Ukraine’s ongoing offensive
by Alex Johnsonby Alex JohnsonRussia’s loss of control over some border areas in the Kursk Region did not prevent the authorities from holding mayoral and gubernatorial “elections.” The vote, which lasted 12 days instead of …