Russian “military correspondents” announced a massive shutdown of Starlink terminals in the combat zone Ukrainian serviceman next to the Starlink antenna, Bakhmut, Ukraine, February 9, 2023 Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / Scanpix / LETA For many units of the Russian Army, Starlink equipment was the most important, and sometimes the only way to access the Internet for coordination and communication. “New Europe” discussed with experts the consequences of such a decision by Elon Musk.

Photo: social networks In prison No. 2 in Yelets, Lipetsk region, they began to collect up to 75% of money transfers from convicts. This was reported by a group supporting St. Petersburg dissident Alexander Skobov, who is serving a sentence in Yelets prison in the case of “justifying terrorism.” The FSIN refers to changes in the penal code, according to which administrations of places of detention can allegedly collect from convicts up to 75% of their income for maintenance and payment of fines.

Photo: frame from a REN TV report The head of the women's penal colony-7 in Zelenokumsk, Stavropol Territory, Albert Bidzhiev, harasses and personally beats prisoners, Astra found out after talking with prisoners. The publication managed to collect evidence of six cases in which Bidzhiev personally inflicted beatings, but in reality there are many more such cases, journalists believe. Albert Bidzhiev. Photo: Astra The last beating that Astra was able to confirm occurred on October 22, 2025.

Ukraine has changed its defense strategy. What could be new there? Ukrainian political scientist explains A Ukrainian soldier inspects a rifle during a military exercise at a position near the front line, Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 16, 2023. Photo: Yakiv Liashenko / EPA On February 2, a decree appeared on the official website of the President of Ukraine, which approves the structure of the country’s new defense plan - instead of the previous one, adopted in 2020.

Ukrainian POWs react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, 05 February 2026. Photo: EPA/STRINGER Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 157 prisoners of war each, state-owned news agency TASS reported on Thursday, citing Russia’s Defence Ministry. Three civilians from the area of Russia’s Kursk region that was occupied by Ukrainian forces for seven months in 2024–5 were also returned to Russia, TASS added.

Court hearing of former Nagorno-Karabakh top official Ruben Vardanyan in Baku. Photo: EPA/STR A military court in the Azerbaijani capital Baku has sentenced five senior members of the government of the now dissolved republic of Artsakh in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region to life imprisonment, state news agency AZERTAC reported on Thursday.

Journalist Mikhail Zygar answered questions from New Europe How is Russian history usually described? First of all, as the history of rulers and their eras. Writer and journalist Mikhail Zygar decided to approach the issue from a different angle. In his latest book, “The Dark Side of the Earth,” he talks about the USSR in a new way - through the habits of the “Soviet man” and his choices during life in the dictatorship. We asked Mikhail 10 questions about life in the late USSR.

In parallel, the second round of negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States ended in the UAE Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war according to the formula “157 to 157,” the Russian Ministry of Defense reported . Three civilian residents of the Kursk region also returned to Russia, the department specified. They were sent home, and the Russian military was sent to Belarus to provide medical and psychological assistance.

Photo: STR/EPA Photo: STR/EPA The Baku military court sentenced former NKR President Arayik Harutyunyan, ex-Minister of Defense Levon Mnatsakanyan, former Speaker of Parliament David Ishkhanyan, ex-deputy commander of the Armenian forces in Karabakh David Manukyan and former NKR Foreign Minister David Babayan to life imprisonment, Azertaj agency reports .

A participating snail during a snails race in the town of Tricio, northern Spain, 23 August 2025. Photo: EPA/FERNANDO DIAZ Russian scientific journal Batrachospermum has been urgently required to censor a book it translated about the sexual life of animals by its publisher, who cited alleged violations of Russia’s law against so-called “LGBT propaganda”, the magazine’s editor Viktor Kovylin revealed on Tuesday.

Vladimir Putin speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping via video link from the Kremlin, 4 February 2026. Photo: EPA / Vyacheslav Prokofyev / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping via video link on Wednesday, the Kremlin announced , just days after US President Donald Trump claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop buying Russian oil.

Propagandist Andrei Medvedev released a film about young “terrorists”. Ksenia Luchenko explains why the viewer sympathizes with them Photo: Radio Russia One of the main propagandists of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Andrei Medvedev made the film “Betrayal” about young people sitting in pre-trial detention centers and colonies on terrorist charges.

Giving up Donbas in return for US security guarantees could be fatal misstep for Ukraine Ukrainian servicemen launch a drone for aerial reconnaissance near the frontline in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, 23 January 2026. Photo: EPA / Oleg Movchaniuk There is a major sticking point often overlooked in the ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia currently being held in Abu Dhabi.

A Ukrainian Starlink terminal on the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine. Photo: André Alves / Anadolu / Getty Images Starlink satellite internet has stopped working for both the Russian and Ukrainian military along the frontline, Russian pro-war blogger Vladimir Romanov reported on Wednesday. Romanov, who writes about the war on his Telegram channel Romanov Light wrote: “On 4 February 2026, Starlink was cut off along the entire frontline.

The teacher was able to stop him, there were no casualties Liya Galeeva. Photo: Dmitry Dyachenko / Telegram An unknown man tried to break into the building of a kindergarten in the city of Buguruslan in the Orenburg region. This was announced by the head of the city Dmitry Dyachenko. “A man with a knife broke into the preschool, breaking the door.