How Spanish wine exports to Russia are linked to chemical smuggling and Russian intelligence services — a new investigation by OCCRP, IStories, and partners 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

Sanctioned Russian Sovcombank co-owner Sergey Khotimsky and his now ex-wife owned real estate in the United States worth about $60 million, and it evaded sanctions — read about it in our investigation with The Post and Courier and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

Three years of mobilization: what one region — and the whole Russia — has endured. We analyzed the full list of those mobilized from Tomsk Oblast and found that one in four was killed, went missing, or was wounded, and at least 11% were killed 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

The Russian Armed Forces have once again carried out an operation inside a gas pipeline. Why take such risks for an unclear outcome? IStories asked military experts about it 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

“We are investing in Spain.” Here are the details of the interrogation of Dmitry Artyakov, son of state corporation Rostec’s first deputy, who in the fourth year of the “war with the West” was detained at a villa in Spain in a money laundering case 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

Russia continues to increase spending on programs for foreign influencers, IStories found out. Rossotrudnichestvo, which promotes Kremlin interests abroad and is considered a front for the FSB and SVR, has spent a record sum on this in 2025 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

For the first time in Russia, a foreign travel ban was enforced due to the military register — at Moscow’s airport, a man was barred from going on vacation just days after receiving a draft notice. The draft notice register was launched in August 2025. istories.media/en/news/2025...

Ivan Tkachev, head of FSB’s Directorate K, has been appointed the new chief of military counterintelligence, @istories_eng found out. In wartime, this position is considered doomed. istories.media/en/news/2025...

Kursk Oblast faces a gubernatorial election. The previous governor is under arrest, his predecessor shot himself, and acting governor Aleksandr Khinshtein has no real achievements — just a “pretty picture.” Here’s how he runs the region and why he was sent there 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

The Russian army is losing way less equipment now. What’s the reason? There is little equipment left, and it is too vulnerable. Russian army may be stockpiling it for a major offensive, experts say 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

We’ve found dozens of job postings for people with HIV and hepatitis, offering them contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense — previously, there was no known targeted recruitment of those. Moreover, the current order prohibits this altogether. istories.media/en/news/2025...

Putin's Russia cannot attract new contract soldiers in the same numbers as before. istories.media/news/2025/08...

On September 1, many new laws and regulations will come into force in Russia, potentially affecting everyone’s life. IStories has compiled the main changes 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

In Moscow and Moscow Oblast, migrants will be required to install an app transmitting their geolocation to the Russian Interior Ministry starting September 1. As IStories has discovered, users complain that the app does not work 🔽 istories.media/en/news/2025...

💥💰Important add-on to the Hungary–Ukraine spat over Russian oil and the Druzhba pipeline. "A secretive oil trader that supplies Russian crude to Central Europe is linked to Kremlin insiders and allies of Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, according to an investigation by @istories.bsky.social." @occrp.org

The Russian website iStories has uncovered some very interesting information. In the first half of this year, 127,500 contract soldiers received payments for signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of National Defense, a significant drop compared to 2024. istories.media/en/news/2025...

💃 How the owner of a modeling agency joined the board of directors of VSMPO-Avisma — Russia’s largest titanium producer and a key supplier to the defense industry. An investigation by IStories 🔽 istories.media/en/stories/2...

In the second quarter of 2025, 37,900 Russians signed contracts with the Defense Ministry, which is 2.5 times fewer than a year ago, IStories calculated. The pace of contract recruitment has fallen to its lowest in two years. istories.media/en/news/2025...

The Russian economy has split in two. The defense sector keeps growing, while the civilian sector is already in decline. Major Russian companies are switching to a four-day workweek. Is this a crisis or just a cooldown after an overheated economy? istories.media/en/opinions/...

Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, at least 70 people have died during FSB arrests, IStories calculated. Among them are suspects in ties to Ukrainian intelligence services and Islamist groups, as well as members of anti-war movements. istories.media/en/news/2025...

Last week, the media reported that the ‘LPR’ authorities launched a site with Ukrainian orphans’ profiles, offering them like goods, sorted by eye color, hair, and personality. Here’s what’s amiss here and what the real problem with orphan databases is 🔽 istories.media/en/news/2025...

Putin ‘awarded’ CIA Deputy Director Gloss, Whose Son Michael Fought for Russia Against Ukraine, with Order of Lenin. The Order is the highest state award of the USSR, and previously, it was given to foreigners who worked for the USSR intelligence. istories.media/en/news/2025...

Ukraine files charges against head of Taganrog detention center for organizing torture of journalist Viktoria Roshchina istories.media/en/news/2025...

In 2025, nearly 3,000 Russian troops who had fought in Ukraine, and their children, were enrolled in top Russian universities through a special quota. Most of those admitted under the quota would not pass through the general competition. Read more: istories.media/en/stories/2... #ddj

Hi! We are IStories, an independent newsroom covering Russia, for the past 3,5 years – from exile. We’ve specialized in investigations about corruption and data-driven stories about Russia. Now we investigate Russian war crimes as well. istories.media/en/donations...