Photo: FreeAzat! on Telegram Azat Miftakhov, a Russian mathematician and anarchist currently behind bars on political charges, has been subjected to electric shock torture, beating, and threats of rape from prison workers and other inmates, he told the independent investigative outlet The Insider. On 21 April, Miftakhov was transferred to a penal colony in Kharp, a remote village north of the Arctic Circle in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.

Alexey Mordashov. Photo: Sergey Ilnitsky / EPA Russian billionaires are increasingly being called upon to “share” their profits for patriotic reasons. This is how the authorities are trying to find money for the war. The third person in the state, Valentina Matvienko, demanded that the richest Russian, Alexei Mordashov, help the impoverished Vologda region with money. The metallurgical magnate reported through the press service that he had no money.

Photo: Miftakhov support group Anarchist Azat Miftakhov, convicted in the case of “justification of terrorism,” is subjected to torture after being transferred to colony No. 18 “Polar Owl” in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The political prisoner himself spoke about this. Photo: Miftakhov support group Description of torture. According to Miftakhov, on April 21, they took him to the colony administration building and tried to force him to clean the toilet.

Photo: Maxim Shipenkov / EPA We tell you which services do not work in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities On the eve of Victory Day in Moscow, the Moscow region and other regions, authorities are introducing restrictions on mobile communications and the Internet. Outages have already been reported by MTS, Yota, MegaFon, T2 and Beeline, as well as the services of Sberbank and Yandex Go. The authorities explain the measures by security reasons and count on the “understanding” of citizens.

Photo: Ramil Sitdikov / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA On the eve of parades and processions on May 9, at least 21 regions of Russia are planning large-scale shutdowns, New Europe has calculated. When will the Internet be turned off? Telecom operators and banks began sending out warnings about mass Internet outages in regions where May 9 celebrations, parades and processions of the “Immortal Regiment” will take place.

Illustration: Lyalya Bulanova / “Novaya Gazeta Europe” Russian and Ukrainian women ended up working for the largest fraudulent conglomerate in the world. Telling their stories Telephone scammers work not only in Russia. The main fraudulent centers exist in the countries of Southeast Asia, primarily in Myanmar, Cambodia and neighboring countries.

Photo: EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV The number of criminal cases opened on charges of publicly inciting extremism or terrorism rose by roughly one-third in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to Russian Interior Ministry statistics reviewed by independent investigative outlet Mozhem Obyasnit. Cases under the statute criminalizing “public incitement to terrorism, justification of terrorism, or propaganda of terrorism” increased 28%, from 352 to 451.

Photo: Exilenova+ After an attack by Ukrainian drones that night, the Kirishinefteorgsintez oil refinery (KINEF) in the Leningrad region stopped working. Reuters writes about this, citing two industry sources. Details of the attack. As a result of the UAV strikes, three of the four primary oil processing plants were damaged, the agency's interlocutors said. They were unable to estimate how long it would take to repair the equipment.

Yana Lantratova. Photo: Dmitry Belitsky / Moscow News Agency Russia is getting a new human rights commissioner. Her appointment is the last nail in the coffin of the office's independence Last month, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova’s 10-year mandate came to an end.

Damaged high-rise building in Cheboksary. Photo: social networks Ukrainian missiles and drones attacked Cheboksary, said Prime Minister of Chuvashia Sergei Artamonov. The target of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was the defense enterprise VNIIR-Progress, Astra and Exilenova+ said. According to their data, two residential high-rise buildings were hit. Strike at a military plant. The Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on Cheboksary began on the night of May 4-5.

Photo: YSIA Authorities in the Russian city of Yakutsk plan to erect a statue honoring a local soldier killed in the war against Ukraine on the site where a memorial to Polish and Lithuanian exiles once stood, independent outlet 7x7 reports. The monument will be placed at the corner of Poyarkova and Kurashova streets, where a commemorative stone ensemble bearing plaques honoring hundreds of deportees who died in the city between 1941 and 1947 stood from 2002 until its removal in 2023.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky take part in the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Armenia, May 4, 2026. Photo: EPA Leaders of European countries, including Vladimir Zelensky, gathered in Armenia. Will this be a turning point in its relations with Moscow?