Valerie Hopkins and Nanna Heitmann
Posts
A Russian Village Buries a Soldier, and Tries to Make Sense of the War
The pain and loss of the war in Ukraine are felt most profoundly in small Russian villages, where a soldier’s burial produces not just grief...
One Man’s Mission to Give Soviet World War II Soldiers Decent Burials
Konstantin Dobrovolsky searches for the remains of soldiers left to rot on the battlefield almost 80 years ago. Then he had to bury his own...
In Moscow, the War Is Background Noise, but Ever-Present
Muscovites go about their daily lives with little major disruption. But the war’s effects are evident — in the stores, at the movies and in...
In Belarus, the Protests Were Three Years Ago. The Crackdown Is Never-Ending.
Aleksandr G. Lukashenko brutally repressed those who opposed his claim of re-election as president. The crackdown on dissent has only deepened since.
No Wagner Group Here: Riddles Grow as Belarus Displays an Empty Base
Two weeks after the Wagner mercenary group’s rebellion against Russian military leadership, its fate is as murky as ever — as is the purpose of...
In a Celebration of War, Moscow Displays, and Demands, Unity
A concert and rally in Russia’s largest stadium romanticized the invasion of Ukraine, as Vladimir V. Putin and his government seek to normalize the country’s...
In Bleak Russian Cemetery, Sea of Crosses Signals War’s True Toll
A dismal, snowy plot near the Black Sea is the final resting place for more and more soldiers from the Wagner mercenary forces, a testament...
In Moscow, a Quiet Antiwar Protest With Flowers and Plush Toys
Amid Russia’s crackdown on resistance to the war in Ukraine, some have dared to lay bouquets and other offerings at a statue of a Ukrainian...
Ryazan, Home of Elite Russian Unit, Still Supports Ukraine War
Ryazan, not far from Moscow, regularly sends young men off to fight. Some are now buried in the local cemetery, but there is no surge...
In Russia, Memorial Forced to Downsize Tribute to Stalin Victims
Memorial typically conducts a marathon reading of the names, ages, professions and dates of death of those killed under Stalin, but it had to find...