Last night, two of my family’s homes were hit in Russia's 11-hour bombardment of #Kyiv. These are the rooms I grew up in, the places where our lives happened. My family worked so hard for them. Now I am looking at them in shards.

⚡️Update: Death toll rises to 18, with 86 injured in massive Kyiv attack. At least 18 people were killed and 86 injured after a massive Russian missile and drone attack hit Kyiv overnight on July 2, local authorities reported. Search and rescue operations are ongoing at several sites.

My article about Russia's political prisoner mothers has been picked up by @eurozine.bsky.social! Read more via the link below (no paywall!) www.eurozine.com/russias-impr...

As Russia’s prison population hits historic lows, the number of women behind bars is growing. Among them are mothers jailed for anti-war activism & political dissent — and they’re increasingly cut off from the outside world. My article for @neweasterneurope.eu neweasterneurope.eu/2026/06/23/r...

⚡️Rubio says no Ukraine agreement reached at Alaska summit, contradicting Moscow's claims. "There was no agreement in Alaska. There was a proposal, but there was no agreement," Rubio told reporters during a visit to Bahrain. "If there had been an agreement, we would have had an end to the war."

“Going out and holding your single picket sign saying ‘No to war’ is definitely not what the state wants women to do,” @jgmaber.bsky.social told me. “It doesn’t want anybody to do it, but it especially doesn’t want women to do it.”

As Russia’s prison population hits historic lows, the number of women behind bars is growing. Among them are mothers jailed for anti-war activism & political dissent — and they’re increasingly cut off from the outside world. My article for @neweasterneurope.eu neweasterneurope.eu/2026/06/23/r...

Novaya Gazeta Europe has created a map of attacks on Russian territory — and occupied Crimea — since the full-scale war began in 2022. It updates every 15 minutes and includes both Ukrainian and Russian strikes. novayagazeta.eu/en/articles/...

Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone attack on Moscow today, injuring at least 17 people. NYT reports that some Muscovites are still struggling to grasp that these strikes are a response to Russia's years-long invasion of Ukraine. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/w...

NEWSFLASH: Russia has struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a historic monastery complex. The overnight attack also destroyed a national film studio and a key Ukrainian logistics hub in the capital.

Just listened to @storyevtime.bsky.social & Maria Kuznetsova talking to @onthemedia.bsky.social about their book! Sharp analysis of how authoritarian practices can seep into a democracy so quickly that people lack the language to describe what's happening. www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm...

Damn, Russia has banned the human rights group OVD-Info as an "extremist/terrorist organization." They were one of the last major outfits still inside Russia coordinating legal assistance for people facing various kinds of political persecution. t.me/Ateobreaking...

🇺🇦 Zelensky publishes an open letter calling on Putin to end the war: “Whatever you may say about NATO, geopolitics, or the Russian language, this war is your personal choice — a war without a real cause. That is how history will remember it.” www.president.gov.ua/en/news/vidk...

Russian territorial gains have flatlined, giving Moscow next to nothing to show for its consistently high losses. But in a long war that has seen many ebbs and flows, perceptions can be deceiving, and making quick judgements can be a dangerous game.

Our Russian KIA estimate now includes a new category: 90,000 soldiers declared dead by court order, many without a body ever returned. Combined with 261,000 “regular” fatalities, that brings our total estimate with @meduza_en to 352,000 by end of 2025 en.zona.media/article/2026...

“Lada-Rus’ followers are spread across Russia’s regions, from the republics of the North Caucasus to the Far East. The majority of them are women, a clear political advantage in a country where women increasingly outnumber men. ” www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/04/t...

🔴🇷🇺 NEW: Security measures of unprecedented severity have been instituted in the Kremlin in recent weeks as Russian President Vladimir Putin anticipates a possible coup or assassination attempt. Read more: www.occrp.org/en/news/secu...

“We don't just oppose Putin anymore, we're at war with him,” Nadya Tolokonnikova told the Kyiv Independent during a meeting in Kyiv. “To me, (saying) anything less bold is insufficient to meet the moment.”

Worth reading: Russia’s redevelopment plans for occupied Ukraine envision repopulating these territories with Russians & marketing them to tourists. Journalist Elizaveta Antonova digs into the institute recruiting young architects & students to make these plans a reality. meduza.io/feature/2026...

NEW: We’ve just published an investigation that shows how Russia recruits teenagers on occupied Ukrainian territory to become pro-Moscow infowarriors. The Young Correspondents program, ostensibly a journalism club, is part of Yunarmia, a militarized mass youth organization. 👇

Residents in Ukrainian-controlled areas say they are struggling to reach loved ones across the front line, as disruptions to Telegram coincide with broader efforts by Russian authorities to restrict internet access.

Finally out: my piece about Russia-occupied Mariupol where locals face homelessness due to Russian "laws". Incredibly challenging story to report. So grateful to the Mariupol residents who trusted me with their stories. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/w...

“Orbán’s was a regime built on both EU funding and on anti-European rhetoric, all the while attracting non-European allies, whether China or Russia, on the basis that Hungary was the one member state willing to veto EU measures” Great interview with the insightful Ivan Krastev.

As the war in the Middle East continues, Russia's windfall from soaring oil prices is only growing. “The war-risk premium will be in there for at least a couple years,” industry expert Sergey Vakulenko told me. Watch the full interview for @ceip-politika.bsky.social now! youtu.be/0LuzAi-cKoQ?...

💥🇭🇺🗳️ BREAKING: Péter Magyar says Viktor Orbán called to concede and congratulate him. Magyar will be Hungary’s next prime minister and, as it stands, is set to secure a 2/3 supermajority – enough to fully dismantle Orbán’s system. A 16-year chapter is over.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's camp and the opposition are accusing each other of electoral fraud as both sides gear up for a potential clash over the results of today's crucial election.

Right on schedule. (Putin did this last year too.)

Today in Russia (so far): ▪️Russian human rights group Memorial designated an "extremist" movement; ▪️FSB says former Russian freelancer for RFE/RL detained, accused of treason; ▪️Masked security officers searching Moscow office of Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

“We know everything already, but we’d like to know more." My deep-dive into how the FSB tries to recruit informants to keep tabs on Russian dissidents and foreigners helping them abroad

In Hungary, unfortunately, Orbán’s intelligence services spy on journalists. Also in Hungary—fortunately—it took only about two days to piece together the puzzle and understand who targeted me and why. Of course, it was my reporting that angered them.

Putin held a closed-door meeting with major Russian oligarchs today, where he asked them to pitch in to fund the war against Ukraine, reports The Bell. “We will push to the borders of Donbas,” one source quotes Putin as saying. thebell.io/putin-na-zak...

“Interviews with Ukrainians who fought for Russia reveal how they became Putin’s soldiers — and the agonising duty of those tasked with upholding their rights.” www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe...

Is Trump’s unpredictability making Putin nervous? How is Russia reacting to the war in the Middle East? And what does this have to do with the Kremlin’s latest Internet restrictions? For @ceip-politika.bsky.social, I asked Alexander Baunov. youtu.be/EQPaUA4hBUg?...

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, the Free Russia Foundation’s “Poshuk.Polon” (“Search.Captivity”) project has worked to track, document, and advocate for Ukrainians who have been captured, detained, or simply vanished amid the chaos of war.

Friday was my last day at Meduza. I'm still figuring out what's next, but I fully intend to keep my focus on Russia’s war against Ukraine. If you need a writer or editor for a project, don’t hesitate to reach out here or on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/posts/eilish...

Friday was my last day at Meduza. I'm still figuring out what's next, but I fully intend to keep my focus on Russia’s war against Ukraine. If you need a writer or editor for a project, don’t hesitate to reach out here or on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/posts/eilish...

“The Middle East has severely reoriented political attention” away from Ukraine, one of the EU diplomats said. “For us, and for Ukraine, it’s a disaster.” www.ft.com/content/c4fa...

NEWSFLASH: Trump admin lifts sanctions on Russian oil.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that indefinitely extends the ease of obtaining Russian citizenship in the occupied territories, a move that experts say is a sign that Russia is consolidating its occupation by pursuing mass passportization.

The U.N. Inquiry on Ukraine says Russia’s forced deportation and transfer of children from occupied territories constitutes a crime against humanity and a war crime. www.currenttime.tv/a/komissiya-...

What does the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran mean for Ukraine? Meduza spoke to top Zelensky advisor Mykhailo Podolyak for insight. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

In a political twist unimaginable when Russia began its full-scale invasion four years ago, the U.S. is requesting Ukraine's military expertise to help intercept Iranian drones. x.com/ZelenskyyUa/...

Russia’s recruitment numbers look steady, but regional funding is reaching a breaking point. How much longer can Putin avoid another mobilization? We asked researcher @jakluge.de. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia relies on high bonuses to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine, but with costs soaring, is there a looming risk of another mobilization? “Recruitment is clearly the Achilles’ heel of Russia’s war,” says @jakluge.de. My latest Q&A for @meduza.io. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia’s recruitment machine brings in 30,000 new volunteers every month to keep up with staggering losses. On this week's Naked Pravda, researcher @jakluge.de explains why the Kremlin’s "cash-for-combat" system is hitting a wall as regional budgets run dry. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

On this week's Naked Pravda, @eilishhart.bsky.social spoke to @jakluge.de about the regional funding dynamics of Russia's surprisingly successful, possibly teetering military recruitment system. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

What did this year’s Munich Security Conference reveal about the state of transatlantic ties? For Carnegie Politika, I spoke with @alexgabuev.bsky.social about war games, peace talks, and the mood in Munich. Watch now on YouTube! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRLV... @ceip-politika.bsky.social

Made in the EU, Dropped on Kyiv: How European Parts Are Enabling Russia’s Winter Drone War www.occrp.org/en/investiga...

“It can seem that the world watches Russia’s war on Ukraine as if it were a film. When attention wanes, there is a demand for an ending — if not good, then bad. For Ukrainians, this is not cinema but reality. It will last as long as it lasts” — Nataliya Gumenyuk. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/o...

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was killed in prison using a rare dart frog toxin, five European countries said today in a joint statement. meduza.io/en/feature/2...