Evening Medusa

What role did the Security Council play in defeating the independent media? What will be a success for "Smart Voting" in the Duma elections. Fourth military plane crashed in Russia in a month

Good evening,

THIS MESSAGE (MATERIAL) IS CREATED AND (OR) DISTRIBUTED BY A FOREIGN MASS MEDIA PERFORMING THE FUNCTIONS OF A FOREIGN AGENT AND (OR) A RUSSIAN LEGAL ENTITY PERFORMING THE FUNCTIONS OF A FOREIGN AGENT

This is Meduza's daily newsletter about the most important things that happened during the day. And I would like to start today's letter with a grandiose and long-awaited announcement:

WE. OPENED. SHOP. MERCHA! 🎉

Now you can buy great hoodies, t-shirts, backpacks, pendants, stickers, scented candles (and more) to support Meduza. The new section on the site and in the application is called "Shop". Here you can read about how it works. And here you can find out about our collaboration with the Oh May brand, with which we made a dream black hoodie.

Subscribe to our newsletter and share the link in social networks or messenger. And, of course, tell everyone about our "Magaz"!

Pulse

The main thing for the day - point by point

• "Islamic State" * claimed responsibility for yesterday's terrorist attack in Kabul . The death toll has already risen to 170 people .
• Cristiano Ronaldo has moved from Juventus to Manchester United. The Portuguese played for the English club from 2003 to 2009.
• in Perm Su-24 crashed . The pilots managed to eject. This is the fourth crash of a military aircraft in Russia in a month.
• The Central Election Commission is going through the court to remove from the elections to the State Duma candidates who own foreign assets, including shares in Yandex and Sberbank.
• Afghanistan bans public listening to music.
• Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been accused of rape .
• Former prosecutor of Crimea and State Duma deputy Natalya Poklonskaya will be appointed Russian ambassador to Cape Verde.

* An international Islamic terrorist organization banned in Russia.

Texts of the day

How is the campaign to turn independent media into “foreign agents” and “unwanted” — and what roles do “informers”, the Kremlin administration, RT, the Ministry of Justice and the Security Council play in it

This text by Meduza's special correspondent Lilia Yapparova is one of the most important stories of the month (or maybe the year). This spring, the Russian state, after defeating the opposition, took over the media. Since April, seven newsrooms and 20 more journalists have been declared "foreign agents." One media has become an "undesirable" organization. Several sites are blocked, several publications have closed; those left without "status" are threatened with checks and trials. The agencies involved in the campaign to tame the independent media are moving in a coordinated and swift manner—however, little has been known about how the system works so far. But now we know much more - including about the real "customer" of this campaign.

We demand that the Russian authorities stop persecuting independent media

In addition to Meduza, such statements were made by the TV channel Dozhd (declared a "foreign agent") , Novaya Gazeta and the Russian Forbes, as well as The Village, 7×7, Republic, Pskov Gubernia, Wonderzine and many other publications. Our requirements are:

1. Laws on "foreign agents" and "undesirable" organizations should be repealed.
2. All organizations and people included in the registers of such organizations should be excluded from these registers, and the registers themselves should be disbanded.
3. Illegal administrative and criminal cases against journalists must be stopped immediately.

The Kremlin said that “this appeal deserves attention,” but also noted that it “does not agree with the wording ‘persecution’.”

Leonid Volkov told us how Smart Voting will work under extreme pressure from the authorities

How will "Smart Voting" be arranged in conditions when all Navalny's projects are declared "extremist" and headquarters are disbanded? Will the application be able to hold out against blocking attempts? How safe is it to register on the site? And how effective is this project in general, given that most of the candidates still represent “systemic” parties loyal to the Kremlin? All the answers are in an interview with Meduza journalist Dmitry Kartsev.

What will Elden Ring be like - a new game by the authors of Dark Souls based on the story of George Martin

Meduza was the only publication from Russia at the closed screening of the game, which comes out on January 21, 2022. What to expect from her? In the shortest possible time, Elden Ring will be more accessible and more diverse than Dark Souls. George Martin himself was called in to write the mythology for the game, making the plot clearer. You can now travel around the (open!) world on a horse. And if along the way you meet a crowd of enemies, it is not necessary to engage in battle with them, it is enough to hide in the bushes. Or call your friends - Elden Ring can be played in a company.

Poll of the day

There are more and more "undesirable organizations" and people-"foreign agents" in Russia. And not only activists and journalists feel the pressure from the authorities. If you, too, are threatened with something, forbidden, hinted at the dangerous consequences of your actions, tell us your story .

Podcast "What Happened"

Angela Merkel said that in 25 years at the most, Europe will no longer need Russian gas. Is it time to be afraid?

Merkel's words mean the EU's transition to alternative energy sources to hydrocarbons. The US promises to create a zero-emissions economy by 2050. By the same date, Russia plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. China aims to be carbon neutral by 2060. In this issue, we are talking about the future of the economy based on alternative energy sources - together with Vitaly Kazakov, director of the Economics of Energy and Natural Resources program at the New Economic School. We are also trying to understand what will happen to Russia and the countries of the Persian Gulf after the era of oil and gas is finally over.

Listen to What Happened on Meduza and YouTube , and subscribe to Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Yandex.Music and other podcast services.

question of the day

Is there a new Kanye West album out?

And the answer is still no. But the rapper has already held the third presentation of the Donda album - and (we must give Mr. Ye his due) he breaks the deadlines very beautifully . This time, he built a replica of the home he lived in as a child at a stadium in Chicago, and then set himself on fire. And once again married Kim Kardashian (with whom, in fact, he had already managed to divorce). Well, the album ... what is the album? Now we are waiting for him on the third of September!

At the next presentation of "Donda" bonfires of mountain ash should burn. Your Medusa