Novaya Gazeta. Europe
May 2026
Two Russian men convicted of ‘brutal murder’ avoid prison by signing military contracts
Russian drone hits apartment building in Romania, injuring two
The drone was tracked by radar systems after entering Romania from Ukraine, before crashing in a residential area in southern Galați municipality around 2am local time, some 15km from the Ukrainian border
Russian pro-war singer releases AI music video showing exiled opposition figures singing his song
In 2024 the Kremlin awarded him the honorary title Merited Artist of the Russian Federation
New analysis reveals scale of Ukrainian attacks on Russian industrial capacity
Moscow bartender sentenced to three years in prison over Easter cake hookah video
I myself am a believer, as are my relatives. I regularly attend church and value and respect everything connected with it. My family — my mother, father, and brother — are participants in the SVO [special military operation, i.e. the war in Ukraine], and I ask that the state of their health be taken into account,
Russian lawmakers advance bill to punish citizens abroad for acting ‘against Russia’s interests’
On 26 May, the Russian State Duma passed a bill in its second reading that would allow security forces to freeze the assets of Russians who have left the country and been convicted under certain politically motivated statutes
This doesn’t mean that everything will now be sold off or seized from everyone as a matter of course,
What’s new about this provision? The fact that there’s no minimum threshold at which a debt or fine in a criminal case triggers an asset freeze,
Moscow to file ICJ complaint over Baltic states’ alleged discrimination against Russian speakers
Russia carries out massive attack on Kyiv region, including Oreshnik missile strike. Experts say the assault, which killed two and injured over 80, is part of a destructive new pattern
Over the weekend, Russia struck Ukraine with its hypersonic Oreshnik missile for the third time since the start of its full-scale invasion, hitting the town of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region
In a week's time, expect another attack involving no fewer than 50 missiles and 500 drones,
‘He’s a man, after all — he’ll manage’. How the Russian military sends wounded soldiers back to die on the front lines
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been wounded on the front lines
It’s not that the army benefits from having amputees serve,
The goal is to patch [people] up as quickly as possible, free up a bed, and send them back to the front,
He developed three hernias along his scar line [on his abdomen.] He needs another surgery on his leg,
It’s all up to the doctors,
We thought they would discharge him after that, given that one wrong move could put him in a wheelchair,
I was at work, while he was home with the kids. He messaged saying that someone had knocked on the door and yanked the doorknob. I told him not to open for anyone,
The army only looks at documents, paperwork,
They’re sending them to be wiped out,
At least four students killed in drone strike on dormitory in occupied Ukraine
Rescue operations at the site were reportedly interrupted due to the threat of a repeat attack
The Ukrainian Armed Forces deliberately targeted defenceless children as they slept
At least 24 drone incidents recorded in Baltic states since start of 2025
Since the start of 2025, drones have been reported in the Baltic states at least 24 times, either entering airspace or being found on the ground
Ukrainian drones have knocked out nearly a third of Russia’s oil refining capacity
The facility is Russia’s third-largest refinery by throughput, with an annual processing capacity of 17.1 million tonnes
Lithuania tells Vilnius residents to seek shelter after drone spotted near border
The Lithuanian military initially issued a lower-level yellow alert, but later escalated to a red alert, with the country’s national crisis management centre calling for schools and kindergartens to bring children to shelters immediately
I have a two-year-old, and I don’t want there to be even a minimal risk to his life. Plus I take these alerts seriously myself — better to lose some time than to spend the rest of your life with regrets,
Putin and Xi Jinping hold warm meeting in Beijing days after Trump visit
Russia announces three days of major nuclear drills
Investigation finds at least 319 wounded Russian soldiers were sent back to combat before fully recovering
The independent Russian journalism project Veter has documented at least 319 cases since 2022 in which Russian soldiers were sent back to the front before completing rehabilitation from serious injuries
Ukraine targets Moscow region in one of largest drone attacks of the war, killing three
Our long-range capabilities are significantly changing the situation — and, more broadly, the world’s perception of Russia’s war,
Russian human rights activist commits suicide over war in Ukraine
The late human rights activist is the granddaughter of Maxim Litvinov, former Council of People’s Commissars for Foreign Affairs, and the sister of Pavel Litvinov, a participant of the 1968 Red Square demonstration on 25 August 1968 against the invasion of Czechoslovakia
No one, of course, will publish the note. The reasons for her death are too graphic, and we decided to show the real reasons: Putin killed her!”
I have to leave; life is unbearable. Unbearable ever since Putin attacked Ukraine and started killing innocent people, while here in Russia he endlessly imprisons thousands of people who are suffering and dying there because, like me, they are against the war and the killings. I tried to help them, but my strength is gone, and I suffer day and night over my impotence. I am ashamed, but I have given up. Please forgive me,
Putin replaces governors of two battered regions bordering Ukraine
Shuvaev is a Russian army major general who fought in the Russo-Georgian War, Russia’s Syria intervention, and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine
Belgorod region, more than anyone, has earned it”.
Russian governor suggests 'explosive device' caused commuter train derailment, then edits it out
Gladkov initially blamed the incident on “the absence of around two metres of railway track, which may have been caused by the detonation of an explosive device”
Russia sees first confirmed death of student recruited into ‘low-risk’ drone forces
Valery Averin, who was scheduled to graduate from the Buryat Republican College of Construction and Industrial Technologies this year, signed a contract with the Russian military’s Unmanned Systems Forces in January and subsequently trained as a drone operator
Russian customs official fired from her job over €28 donation to Anti-Corruption Foundation
Russia has spent at least 50 billion rubles on military training centres for schoolchildren, report finds
Putin administration developing plan to sell Russians on a peace deal, investigation finds
Victory Day celebrations scaled back across Russia as country prepares for mass internet outages
The 27 cities where parades have either been quietly dropped from scheduling or cancelled outright include capitals in the vast majority of Russia’s western border regions, as well as Sevastopol and Simferopol in annexed Crimea