British Ambassador to Russia Nigel Casey leaves the Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow, May 6, 2024. Photo: Sergey Malgavko / TASS / Profimedia British Ambassador to Russia Nigel Casey - about the confrontation with Putin and love for Russian culture Nigel Casey is a British diplomat and has been the British Ambassador to Russia since November 2023.

Collage: Novaya Gazeta Europe A new initiative aims to challenge the dominance of Russian by supporting literature in the country’s numerous indigenous languages PEN Languages of Russia , a new initiative co-founded by Russian writer Sergey Lebedev, aims to support "independent, anti-authoritarian, anti-war literary figures" writing in the many languages indigenous to Russia — from Avar to Chuvash to Tatar.

Vadim Pokrovsky. Photo: Andrey Nikerichev / AGN “Moscow” He dedicated his career to the fight against AIDS in Russia Russia's top AIDS specialist, Vadim Pokrovsky, has died at the age of 71. The death was reported to Rospotrebnadzor without specifying the cause.

Photo: Maxim Shemetov / EPA On the morning of May 20, Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Details of the meeting.

Photo: Delfi An air raid alert was announced in several areas of Lithuania, including Vilnius, after the appearance of a “suspicious drone,” the country’s Ministry of Defense reported . According to the department, the drone approached the border from Belarus. Air raid warning. At first, the Lithuanian military announced a “yellow” alert level, but then a “red” alert level was introduced in the Vilnius district.

Photo: social networks As a result of Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries in Russia, about 32% of oil refining, which accounts for about 28% of gasoline production in the country, was disabled. This follows from the calculations of New Europe . The last blows. Reuters, citing sources, reported that after the drone attack on May 15, the Ryazan Oil Refining Company completely stopped its work.

Photo: Palace Films The premiere of Andrei Zvyagintsev’s new film at the Cannes Film Festival: “Minotaur” was shown with resounding success, and it has every chance of winning the Palme d’Or Yesterday, May 19, when three days remained until the end of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, the long-awaited premiere of Andrei Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” finally took place.

Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the document signing ceremony in Beijing, China, May 20, 2026. Photo: Maxim Shemetov / EPA After seeing Trump out of Beijing, Xi Jinping also received Putin. What is hidden behind their assurances of unbreakable friendship? Vladimir Putin’s trip to Beijing on May 19–20 was even more filled with phrases about “great relations” than the recent visit there by US President Donald Trump.

Photo: Maxim Shemetov / EPA Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for talks on Wednesday morning in Beijing, where they signed more than 20 agreements. The documents included a joint declaration on the “emergence of a multipolar world and a new type of international relations”, as well as a statement on “strengthening the comprehensive partnership and strategic coordination” between the two countries.

Photo: Delfi Lithuanian authorities issued an air alert in multiple regions, including the Vilnius region, after a “suspicious drone” was spotted on Wednesday, according to the country’s Defense Ministry. The ministry said the aircraft approached the border from the direction of Belarus.

Collage: Lyalya Bulanova / “Novaya Gazeta Europe” Irina Kravtsova tells how Sedanka lives - Russia’s first “village of military valor” at the end of the world, from where almost all the men went to the front In March 2026, the first settlement appeared in Russia, officially awarded the title “Village of Military Valor” in connection with the war in Ukraine.