Zelensky rules out ceasefire if Russia insists on Ukrainian retreat from occupied regions
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/zelensky-rules-out-ceasefire-if-russia-insists-on-ukrainian-retreat-from-occupied-regions
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/zelensky-rules-out-ceasefire-if-russia-insists-on-ukrainian-retreat-from-occupied-regions
Meduza
Zelensky rules out ceasefire if Russia insists on Ukrainian retreat from occupied regions
President Volodymyr Zelensky reaffirmed his administration’s refusal to withdraw troops “from our own land,” rejecting any Russian ceasefire terms that would require further retreat from Ukrainian regions currently occupied by Russian forces. “I don’t know…
Trump and Putin discussed possible Putin–Zelensky meeting, Kremlin says
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/trump-and-putin-discussed-possible-putin-zelensky-meeting-kremlin-says
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/trump-and-putin-discussed-possible-putin-zelensky-meeting-kremlin-says
Meduza
Trump and Putin discussed possible Putin–Zelensky meeting, Kremlin says
The topic of direct, high-level contact between Russia and Ukraine was raised during Monday’s phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Interfax.
Trump says he has a 'red line' in talks with Russia and Ukraine
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/trump-says-he-has-a-red-line-in-talks-with-russia-and-ukraine
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/trump-says-he-has-a-red-line-in-talks-with-russia-and-ukraine
Meduza
Trump says he has a 'red line' in talks with Russia and Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he has a “red line” in negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, and that if it’s crossed, he will stop pushing Moscow and Kyiv towards peace, Sky News reports.
Russian official fired after daughter posts TikTok threatening to send man to war
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/russian-official-fired-after-daughter-posts-tiktok-threatening-to-send-man-to-war
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/russian-official-fired-after-daughter-posts-tiktok-threatening-to-send-man-to-war
Meduza
Russian official fired after daughter posts TikTok threatening to send man to war
Vologda Governor Georgy Filimonov has dismissed Yulia Shevtsova, head of the region’s Nyuksensky district, after her daughter posted a video in which she threatened to have a young man sent to fight in the war in Ukraine.
Russian justice minister says strengthening statehood more important than rule of law and protecting citizens' rights
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/russian-justice-minister-says-strengthening-statehood-more-important-than-rule-of-law-and-protecting-citizens-rights
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/russian-justice-minister-says-strengthening-statehood-more-important-than-rule-of-law-and-protecting-citizens-rights
Meduza
Russian justice minister says strengthening statehood more important than rule of law and protecting citizens' rights — Meduza
Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko said Tuesday that the country’s history should be studied “through the lens of interference and foreign influence,” according to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti.
‘Completely unfounded allegations’. Telegram’s founder accused France of election interference in Romania — a claim denied by Paris and amplified by Moscow
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/20/completely-unfounded-allegations
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/20/completely-unfounded-allegations
Meduza
‘Completely unfounded allegations’
On May 18, the day Romanians headed to the polls for the second round of voting in the country’s presidential elections, Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted a series of messages on X accusing French intelligence of pressuring him to “silence conservative…
A scream, not a celebration. Why Meduza broke its own rules to talk about exile, trauma, and self-censorship
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/20/a-scream-not-a-celebration
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/20/a-scream-not-a-celebration
Meduza
A scream, not a celebration
From April 26 to July 6, the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien gallery in Berlin is hosting “No,” an exhibition curated and organized by Meduza. The project brings together artists and journalists in a series of installations and conversations to explore the…
Russia opens felony case against Meduza co-founder and CEO Galina Timchenko
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/russia-opens-felony-case-against-meduza-co-founder-and-ceo-galina-timchenko
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/russia-opens-felony-case-against-meduza-co-founder-and-ceo-galina-timchenko
Meduza
Russia opens felony case against Meduza co-founder and CEO Galina Timchenko
Russian federal investigators have launched a criminal case against Galina Timchenko, co-founder and CEO of Meduza, on charges of organizing the activities of a designated “undesirable organization.” According to investigators, in September 2024 and March…
'I should be convicted of stupidity'. A Russian man says his arson plot was a setup to aid law enforcement. He's headed to prison anyway.
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/20/i-should-be-convicted-of-stupidity
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/20/i-should-be-convicted-of-stupidity
Meduza
'I should be convicted of stupidity' A Russian man says his arson plot was a setup to aid law enforcement. He's headed to prison…
Over the past three years, every new headline about an arson attack on Russian railway infrastructure, a police station, or a conscription office has raised the same set of questions. Was the perpetrator a lone anti-war activist trying to hinder Moscow’s…
Trump administration explores using foreign aid funds for Ukrainian refugees’ ‘self-deportation’ — The Washington Post
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/trump-administration-explores-using-foreign-aid-funds-for-ukrainian-refugees-self-deportation-the-washington-post
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/20/trump-administration-explores-using-foreign-aid-funds-for-ukrainian-refugees-self-deportation-the-washington-post
Meduza
Trump administration explores using foreign aid funds for Ukrainian refugees’ ‘self-deportation’ — The Washington Post
Last week, the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security signed an agreement to allocate $250 million in foreign assistance funding toward a plan for the removal and return of people from active conflict zones, The Washington Post reports, citing draft…
Russia has sent 20,000 naturalized citizens to fight in Ukraine, Investigative Committee head says
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/russia-has-sent-20-000-naturalized-citizens-to-fight-in-ukraine-investigative-committee-head-says
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/russia-has-sent-20-000-naturalized-citizens-to-fight-in-ukraine-investigative-committee-head-says
Meduza
Russia has sent 20,000 naturalized citizens to fight in Ukraine, Investigative Committee head says
Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, said that 20,000 people who received Russian citizenship have been sent to the front lines in Ukraine.
The Moscow Metro’s strange ‘gift’ to passengers. How Russia’s world-class subway restored a life-sized wall sculpture of Joseph Stalin
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/21/the-moscow-metro-s-strange-gift-to-passengers
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/21/the-moscow-metro-s-strange-gift-to-passengers
Meduza
The Moscow Metro’s strange ‘gift’ to passengers
On May 15, a life-sized wall sculpture of Joseph Stalin was unveiled in the Moscow Metro. Subway officials described it as “a gift to passengers” to mark the transit system’s 90th anniversary. The following day, unidentified activists papered the installation…
Russian missile strike on training ground in Sumy region kills six, Ukrainian National Guard reports
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/russian-missile-strike-on-training-ground-in-sumy-region-kills-six-ukrainian-national-guard-reports
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/russian-missile-strike-on-training-ground-in-sumy-region-kills-six-ukrainian-national-guard-reports
Meduza
Russian missile strike on training ground in Sumy region kills six, Ukrainian National Guard reports
A Russian missile strike on a military training ground in Ukraine’s Sumy region killed six people and wounded more than 10, the Ukrainian National Guard said in a statement posted to Facebook on the morning of May 21. The strike reportedly occurred during…
Putin makes first trip to Kursk region since Russia reported Ukrainian troops fully expelled
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/putin-makes-first-trip-to-kursk-region-since-russian-defense-ministry-reported-ukrainian-troops-fully-expelled
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/putin-makes-first-trip-to-kursk-region-since-russian-defense-ministry-reported-ukrainian-troops-fully-expelled
Meduza
Putin makes first trip to Kursk region since Russia reported Ukrainian troops fully expelled — Meduza
Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region earlier this week, the Kremlin’s press service announced on Wednesday.
Rubio says U.S. waiting for Russia to send its conditions for ceasefire
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/rubio-says-u-s-waiting-for-russia-to-send-its-conditions-for-ceasefire
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/rubio-says-u-s-waiting-for-russia-to-send-its-conditions-for-ceasefire
Meduza
Rubio says U.S. waiting for Russia to send its conditions for ceasefire — Meduza
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Russia has pledged to send Washington its terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Former Ukrainian politician who served in Yanukovych administration reportedly shot dead in Madrid suburb
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/former-ukrainian-official-who-served-in-yanukovych-administration-reportedly-shot-dead-in-madrid
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/former-ukrainian-official-who-served-in-yanukovych-administration-reportedly-shot-dead-in-madrid
Meduza
Ex-Ukrainian official who served in Yanukovych administration reportedly shot dead in Madrid suburb — Meduza
Andriy Portnov, a top aide to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, was shot dead outside the gates of a school in the Spanish town of Pozuelo de Alarcón on Wednesday, Sky News and Reuters report.
Putin ‘jokes’ with Russian officials about annexing Ukraine’s Sumy region
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/putin-jokes-with-russian-officials-about-annexing-ukraine-s-sumy-region
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/putin-jokes-with-russian-officials-about-annexing-ukraine-s-sumy-region
Meduza
Putin ‘jokes’ with Russian officials about annexing Ukraine’s Sumy region
A local official in Russia’s Kursk region told Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that annexing Ukraine’s Sumy region is necessary for national security. “Sumy should be ours,” said Pavel Zolotaryov, head of the Glushkovsky District, at a meeting between municipal…
Priced out. Chinese travel to Russia is booming. So why is the tourism industry complaining?
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/21/priced-out
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/21/priced-out
Meduza
Priced out Chinese travel to Russia is booming. So why is the tourism industry complaining? — Meduza
Chinese tourism to Russia is booming — believe it or not. In 2024, four times as many Chinese nationals visited Russia through tour operators as in the previous year. Official data show that 106,700 Chinese travelers arrived in the first quarter of 2025 —…
Russia’s justice minister proposes ‘defense of moral values’ as basis for criminal immunity
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/russia-s-justice-minister-proposes-defense-of-moral-values-as-basis-for-criminal-immunity
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/05/21/russia-s-justice-minister-proposes-defense-of-moral-values-as-basis-for-criminal-immunity
Meduza
Russia’s justice minister proposes ‘defense of moral values’ as basis for criminal immunity
Russia’s justice minister has proposed introducing “the defense of moral values” as a new basis for exemption from criminal liability. Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum, Konstantin Chuychenko said, “Currently, individuals can be exempted…
Peace, postponed. As Trump fails to push Putin toward a ceasefire, what comes next for Ukraine?
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/21/peace-postponed
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/05/21/peace-postponed
Meduza
Peace, postponed
After kicking off peace negotiations in February with a phone call to Vladimir Putin, earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump had to call his Russian counterpart again. Months of talks, public spats, backchannel pressure, and high-stakes diplomacy…