Two weeks ago, Meduza launched an emergency crowdfunding campaign. To survive, we needed a radical increase in the number of our monthly supporters. And thanks to you, we did it! But sustainability means our campaign continues. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

In a dispatch from Armenia, journalist Kushane Chobanyan uncovers the human stories behind Vanadzor’s forgotten industrial giant. The Beet’s latest. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Each of Ukraine’s 20,000 stolen children are the eyewitness to a war crime. Now that they’re on the Trump administration’s radar, will it help get them back from Russia? My latest. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

Reporting on the Armenian city of Vanadzor often focuses on its industrial decline. In The Beet’s latest dispatch, journalist Kushane Chobanyan uncovers the human stories behind the city’s most famous factory. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

Ukraine has verified Russia’s deportation of nearly 20,000 children from occupied territories. Can the Trump administration help get them back? meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Each of Ukraine’s 20,000 stolen children are the eyewitness to a war crime. Now that they’re on the Trump administration’s radar, will it help get them back from Russia? My latest. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

Dear readers, we urgently need your help. Without at least 15,000 regular supporters, Meduza as you know it will cease to exist. But if you come through, you know we’ll keep working for you. Please, read our full statement here: meduza.io/en/feature/2...

When Meduza visited Dobropillia in early August, the remaining residents compared it to a ghost town — and that was before Russian troops pierced Ukraine’s defenses in the area. Read more in our new dispatch. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

On July 16, Russia dropped a half-ton bomb on the main shopping center in Dobropillia. For many residents, this proved to be the last straw. @meduza.io reports on the evacuation of this frontline town against the backdrop of faltering peace talks. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Meduza and Mediazona’s latest estimate — based on inheritance case data — puts Russia’s total combat losses in Ukraine at more than 200,000. At some points in 2024, Russia’s losses likely exceeded 2,000 per week. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Europe floats a Ukraine-Russia buffer zone in a push for peace. “They’re grasping for straws,” a former Pentagon official who oversaw Europe and NATO policy under the Obama admin said.

On July 16, Russia dropped a half-ton bomb on the main shopping center in Dobropillia. For many residents, this proved to be the last straw. @meduza.io reports on the evacuation of this frontline town against the backdrop of faltering peace talks. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Seventeen people have already been confirmed killed in Russia’s massive overnight strike on Kyiv, as rescue workers continue searching the rubble. See the aftermath of Moscow’s deadly assault on Ukraine’s capital. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

In Opinion | “Until a couple of years ago Peter Ruzavin was a wunderkind of Russian opposition journalism,” M. Gessen writes. “Now, at 34, he is a corporal in uniform — a Ukrainian uniform. He serves with a drone unit in Kharkiv. ‘I feel lucky,’ he told me.”

“Putin tries to play with words, but Trump thinks it’s a yes.” @juliaioffe.bsky.social’s source sums up why Trump, Witkoff et al. are out of their depth when it comes to dealing with Russia. The irony is they wouldn’t have this problem if they’d just listen to Ukraine. puck.news/witkoff-trum...

Meduza talks to Lana Estemirova about her new memoir commemorating the life, work, and assassination of her mother, renowned human rights activist Natalia Estemirova. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Ukraine has repatriated 65 of its citizens who had been held at the Dariali checkpoint on the Russian–Georgian border, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia wants a veto on any future security guarantees for Ukraine, pouring cold water on Steve Witkoff’s claims that Putin agreed to the U.S. providing Kyiv with “Article 5-like” guarantees. www.ft.com/content/3851...

Trump says he’s begun the arrangements for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky and that it will be followed by a trilateral meeting that includes himself. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

According to Ushakov, Putin and Trump “discussed the idea that it would be worthwhile to explore the possibility of raising the level of representatives from the Ukrainian and Russian sides — that is, those representatives who participate in the ongoing direct negotiations.” 🫠

FT Exclusive: Under the proposals seen by the Financial Times, Kyiv and Washington would also strike a $50bn deal to produce drones with Ukrainian companies that have pioneered the technology since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. on.ft.com/4lxO59g

Trump hosted Zelensky and a group of European leaders in Washington on Monday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and a possible ceasefire. One thing’s for sure: it went smoother than Zelensky’s last White House visit. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

1/2. The phrase "land swap" is being used to mean "Ukraine concedes land illegally occupied by Russia and also concedes territory that is not even occupied." That is not a swap.

After meeting with Putin, Trump is once again shifting responsibility for ending the war onto Zelensky. Not a good sign for Ukraine heading into Oval Office meeting round two today.

Scoop: Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk region as condition for ending Russia’s war but told Trump he could freeze the rest of the frontline if his core demands were met. w/ FT comrades Amy Mackinnon @maxseddon.bsky.social @chassnews.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/6b0b...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, August 18. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

To summarize: Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for Putin; Putin reiterated his demands for Ukraine’s capitulation (while echoing some Trump talking points); No deal was made, no one was allowed to ask questions, and now everyone is heading home 👋

So, to sum things up, no one-on-one Putin–Trump sit-down, the whole thing lasted half as long as the Kremlin said it would, there was no working lunch or expanded summit meeting, and journalists were permitted ZERO questions at the press conference. High five?

And there you have it: Putin came all the way to Alaska just to give the same spiel he’s been repeating since starting the full-scale invasion of Ukraine — just from a bigger podium. meduza.io/en/live/2025... @meduza.io

red carpets, smiles, and a warm hand

Meduza’s Andrey Pertsev has learned that the Kremlin is advising media outlets not to raise Russians’ hopes about the Trump–Putin summit’s outcomes. “It’s a warm-up, so there aren’t any special expectations, so there won’t be disappointments.” meduza.io/en/live/2025... @meduza.io

All day today, Meduza is live-blogging the Trump–Putin summit in Alaska. Keep this open in your web browser, bookmark it, share it with aunties and uncles. meduza.io/en/live/2025...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appeared to be wearing a sweater with the letters “CCCP” — Russian for USSR — upon his arrival in Alaska.

Ukrainian officials tell @financialtimes.com “the best case for Kyiv would be a 60-day unconditional ceasefire, allowing Ukraine a reprieve from Russia’s relentless air strikes and ground offensive, and time to co-ordinate with Washington.”

A source close to the Kremlin tells @juliaioffe.bsky.social that there’s cautious optimism among some in Moscow that Putin and Trump will be able to hammer out a “path to peace” in Anchorage today. puck.news/what-to-expe... @puck.news

Fascinating read about the secret channel — run directly by military intelligence officers — that has allowed Ukraine and Russia to exchange more than 10,000 POWs despite stalled peace talks. www.wsj.com/world/pow-tr...

The number of civilian casualties in Ukraine reached another three-year high in July, with the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission recording 286 civilians killed and 1,388 injured. ukraine.ohchr.org/en/Protectio...

“It’s safe to say that Trump does not have a single policymaking person who knows Russia and Ukraine advising him.” Well, that’s just great. www.ft.com/content/89f3...

It’s long been too dangerous for our readers in Russia to support us financially. Luckily, we have more than 3 million readers abroad — but only 2 of every 1,000 donate monthly. Unless that changes, we won’t last much longer. meduza.io/en/short/202...

In a dispatch from Tashkent, The Beet explores the debates about language, trust, and technology shaping Wikipedia’s development in Central Asia (and beyond) in the age of AI. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

Ever wondered who created the Uzbek Wikipedia article about Donald Trump? Or why Russian Wikipedia remains popular across Central Asia? If so, The Beet’s latest dispatch is for you! meduza.io/en/feature/2...

European powers and Ukraine responded to the Kremlin’s ceasefire plan with a counterproposal that they say must serve as a framework for the upcoming talks between Trump and Putin in Alaska, @wsj.com reports citing European officials. www.wsj.com/world/ukrain...

Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed the Alaska meeting, telling reporters: “Russia and the United States are close neighbors, so it is quite logical that the leaders’ summit would take place in Alaska. […] prospects for implementing large-scale projects are evident.”

BREAKING: President Donald Trump says he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska.

“Armenia and Azerbaijan are committing to stop all fighting forever,” President Trump declared today at a peace-deal signing. He's also getting a new strategic transit corridor through the South Caucasus named after him. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

Kyiv. The funeral of Victoria Roshchyna, a brave Ukrainian journalist who was tortured in Russian captivity #Ukraine

In a dispatch from Tashkent, The Beet explores the debates about language, trust, and technology shaping Wikipedia’s development in Central Asia (and beyond) in the age of AI. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

⚡️Trump has announced that Armenia and Azerbaijan plan to sign a U.S.-brokered peace deal Friday. Three U.S. officials told @apnews.com the deal includes establishing a transit corridor linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave — and naming it after Trump. apnews.com/article/arme...

⚡ Trump and Putin are set to meet in person for the first time since Trump returned to office. Here’s what we know so far about the planned talks. meduza.io/en/feature/2...