Russian women marrying Muslim men convert to Islam in the certainty that a shared religion will strengthen their family. Nevertheless, cultural differences often win out — and Russian Muslims’ world remains closed to converts. RU
Выступления против передачи Исаакиевского собора Русской Православной церкви называются акцией «в защиту» собора. Никакого парадокса, если внимательно разобраться, в столь странной формулировке нет.
There’s a religious revival going on in Russia’s provinces. We travel to the town of Malmyzh, on the border of Kirov and Tatarstan, where Islam is experiencing a renaissance. RU
This village used to house one of the North Caucasus’ most dangerous Islamist paramilitary units. With the Russian state nowhere to be seen, Gubden has started policing — and developing — itself. RU
Georgia's Pankisi Gorge has been portrayed as a hotbed of Islamic radicalism. Its ethnic Kist residents suffer poverty and discrimination – a distant government and sensationalist media coverage alienate them further. на русском языке
Since the late 1980s, Kyrgyzstan has witnessed an Islamic revival. Recent talk of extremist threats and radicalisation obscures the real picture. Русский
After years of delayed construction, a new mosque has finally opened in Moscow. The timing of its opening ceremony was significant – as was the guest list.
In the Russian city of Kirov, local authorities recently closed down a scheme to rescue unwanted newborn babies after just four days. We speak to the women and priest involved. на русском языке
Following the outbreak of conflict in eastern Ukraine last year, inter-confessional strife has been ramping up inside the breakaway territories. на русском языке
In times of war, what can Russian arts and culture do to withstand interventions by the Russian state? An exhibition at Garage in Moscow could provide an answer.
When it comes to loss, this city has form stretching back to the Soviet era. But is the scandal surrounding the city's Opera House just another page in this century-long saga?
Under Patriarch Kirill, the Russian Orthodox Church has become an integral element of the hegemonic narrative that has been created in Putin’s Russia, to inoculate the country from pernicious outside influences.
The relationship between religion and ethnicity on the one hand, and civic assimilation on the other, is far less harmonious than Putin’s magniloquence asserts.
Security think-tanks and expert communities in the Western world are perpetuating the dangerous myth that Muslim radicalisation is rife in Central Asia.
Central Asian security services have been abducting their countries’ citizens from Russia to stand trial on trumped-up charges. And the Russian police have been helping them.
The Donbas separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army with the help of volunteers from all over the world – like the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-9.
We work with activists, journalists and researchers to investigate issues left behind by the mainstream press. If you want to contribute, please read our brief guidelines.
After Instagram removed a video detailing a corruption investigation into Russia's ruling elite, it's time to talk about social networks and the Kremlin.