Novaya Gazeta. Europe
February 2026
Russia reportedly mulling peace process exit unless Ukraine agrees to hand over entire Donetsk region
Toppling Goliath. Members of Russia’s Finno-Ugric ethnic minorities discuss their reasons for joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine
However, after decades of migration, brutal repression, policies of Russification and cultural erasure, their numbers have diminished severely
I think this is one of those wars where there is no clear victory or defeat. The main thing is to preserve the nation and defend its sovereignty, and Ukraine has already done that,
In its current form, Russia is an evil for everyone,
My entire family is Tver Karelian. I used to pay no attention to that fact, even though my older relatives spoke the really rare Tver Karelian dialect. Then, when I was about 14, I got interested in Finno-Ugric culture as well as in my own roots,
They didn’t catch me in time,
I was very happy when it became clear that there wouldn’t be a blitzkrieg, after Ukraine withstood the first weeks of the full-scale invasion,
Students at over 70 Russian universities targeted in nationwide military recruitment drive
Next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks to take place in Abu Dhabi in March, Zelensky says
At the end of the day, leaders decide key issues and when it comes to Russia — such a personalist regime — this is relevant even more than in other countries,
Against all odds. How sound economics has brought Ukraine’s GDP close to prewar levels despite four years of devastation
Ukraine’s resilience may appear miraculous to external observers, and in many ways it is
Russia’s regions post largest-ever total budget deficit for 2025
At least 100 dead people still on Russia’s terrorist and extremist register, investigation reveals
Teenage Russian political prisoner faces fresh charges for ‘mass riots’
A few months after his initial sentencing, it was reported that Turbin has suffered severe abuse in prison, losing around a quarter of his body weight due to loss of appetite from stress
One man’s terrorist. Multiple Russian teenagers are facing long prison sentences for acts of sabotage carried out to make money
The parents of 10 teenagers being held in pretrial detention in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar for setting fire to railway equipment have started a campaign to get the terror charges their children are currently facing downgraded to far less serious ones for damaging property
There are messages between Vadim and his friend where he writes: ‘I know how to do it so that there are no consequences and no one gets hurt.’ First they doused the cabinet with antifreeze, because it shouldn’t burn and acts as a coolant. So they understood not to burn the cabinet. They set fire to some dry grass. They recorded it all on video. It’s literally six to eight seconds long. Then they threw on sand to put it all out,
That evening, the FSB came to see us in the village. The officer said: ‘Fuck him up.’ I screamed: ‘Don’t touch him!’ I didn’t let them touch my child. They brought us back home to Krasnodar, conducted a search, found nothing, took his phone, and the things he wore to work. And his computer,
Destabilising the state authorities! They don’t even know what those words mean. We didn’t want to harm the motherland!”
Yaroslav had been lied to. He said, ‘Don’t piss yourself. It doesn’t work, nothing will happen.’ Yaroslav was tough and Timofey was afraid of him, and he had a rubber-bullet pistol with him. Timofey was frightened and stayed for the filming. And now he’s classed as a terrorist,
Journalists showed up. I asked them what they were filming,
Judging by the documentary, there are some who do it out of conviction, but not the minors. The ones nearing 20 might be against the state, they may feel like revolutionaries. They acted deliberately. But those aged 14–16 are still far removed from politics. If a person has no ideology, how can they be a terrorist? This is arson for mercenary reasons,
They’re just wasting away in there,... If they were given house arrest, they could at least be home-schooled.”
We let our boy go to work. He’d started earning pocket money from the age of 10, handing out leaflets, or washing up. It’s what he wanted. I think that’s normal in boys. … I asked how late he’d be working and he said it was just a couple of hours. I said OK,
They are neither terrorists nor criminals, just victims of circumstance and deceit. No one is asking for them not to be held liable for their offences. We just ask they be judged for the crime they actually committed,
They wrote that the job was to set fire to a certain object for 25,000 rubles, [€275],
At least six killed in Russian airstrikes on Ukraine as war enters fifth year
Calling on residents to evacuate, Lukashuk described the situation in the Synelnykove district as “serious”, with Russia continuing to “mercilessly attack frontline communities” with drones
Moscow’s territorial gains falter as world marks fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Zelensky addresses Ukrainians from Kyiv bunker on fourth anniversary of Russian invasion
Police officer killed in apparent suicide bombing at Moscow station
Russia opens criminal investigation into Telegram founder Pavel Durov for ‘facilitating terrorist activity’
Russia is restricting access to Telegram in an attempt to force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app created for surveillance and political censorship,
Four years of hell. Putin’s misjudged effort to subjugate Ukraine has only helped cement its national identity, and it won’t ever stop fighting
We’ll drop a bomb on it if we have to.”
Don’t be cattle.”
Kyiv blames Russia for fatal Lviv terror attack that left police officer dead
Once again, we see that the enemy systematically uses Telegram to recruit terrorists, coordinate their activities, and carry out terrorist attacks,
The circumstances of this terrorist attack are now being fully analysed. Many facts have already been established,
Ukraine and Russia exchange deadly overnight energy infrastructure strikes
Zelensky accuses Putin of starting World War III when he invaded Ukraine
Where would he go next? We do not know, but that he would want to continue [the war] is a fact,
In any case, we will achieve that. That is absolutely clear. It is only a matter of time.”... To do it today would mean losing a huge number of people, millions of people, because the Russian army is large and we understand the cost of such steps.”
I believe that Putin has already started [World War III],
The artlessness of the deal. Trump’s diplomatic blitz exposes his fundamental misunderstanding of peacemaking
They then dashed back to Washington to attend the Board of Peace meeting
Hungary blocks €90bn EU loan to Ukraine over Druzhba pipeline dispute
The loan, which was agreed in December to help Ukraine address its budget deficit after EU member states failed to agree on the use of frozen Russian assets, requires the unanimous backing of all 27 EU countries
Moscow’s Gulag Museum renamed Museum of Memory and dedicated to ‘genocide of the Soviet people’
The sudden change in curatorial focus is a significant one in a country where discussion of Soviet atrocities and political repression has become increasingly taboo in recent years
Deserting the paper army. How one woman refused to be a cog in Russia’s military machine
For months, the family lived divided by borders and time zones until late last year, when the French Foreign Ministry unexpectedly issued Natalia and her two youngest children with international travel documents, allowing them a legal route to France, from where they are all now applying for political asylum together
At the time, it never even crossed my mind that they could send me to the front while I was on maternity leave,
By then I was already pregnant, but they didn’t know it,
I went to ask how I could get a passport,
When the human rights activists told me the laissez-passer had been approved, I didn’t believe it,
Armenia is just an incredible country,
He was always glad to hear from me, always supportive, saying that ‘we’ll still sit at the same table together one day’,
Natalia’s maternity leave was ending,
Former Belarusian presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich released again after refusing to go into exile
Pictures emerged of Statkevich sitting alone on the Belarusian side of the border with Lithuania, refusing to go into exile
Telegram rejects claims messages sent on app can be accessed by foreign intelligence agencies
In doing so, it appears the Kremlin is hoping to encourage citizens to switch to state-backed “super app” MAX, which critics have warned could be used to record user activity
Ukraine’s former military chief sheds light on rift with Zelensky that ended in his dismissal
Until the war is over or martial law ends, I am not discussing this,