How have two years of war affected close relationships between Russians? And why is love a political emotion?

The Russian army has captured Ugledar, is again advancing in the Kursk region and is going to recruit defendants for the war. We are discussing this week’s military events with Meduza expert Dmitry Kuznets in the “What Happened” podcast.How to support Meduza https://mdza.io/dOANVOeTWQUTelegram channel Plot: https://t.me/plottwist_m📘 Meduza Publishing House continues to publish fiction.

For many Russian officials and businessmen (including Putin's inner circle), the dollar has become increasingly unreliable since the annexation of Crimea. At the same time, for many Russians, the dollar is still one of the main indicators of the state of affairs in the country.What place does the dollar exchange rate occupy in the economic and political views of Russian residents? Is it possible to judge the state of the economy from it?

The Russian authorities will allow the defendants to enter into a contract with the Ministry of Defense. Previously, a contract could only be concluded before or after the trial. According to the publication “Important Stories”, the authorities expect to recruit about 40% of those in pre-trial detention center for the war.Here are the consequences this will lead to.

Israel launched a ground operation in Lebanon against Hezbollah and killed the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah. How will Iran, whose regime patronizes Hezbollah, respond? We discuss with orientalist Nikita Smagin in the podcast “What Happened.”How to support Meduza https://mdza.io/dOANVOeTWQUTelegram channel of Nikita Smagin: https://t.me/irandezhurniy0:00 Israeli strikes05:54 Logic of Iran10:13 Iran Axis21:14 Iran's response31:58 Working on mistakes

In 2022, Russia annexed four occupied Ukrainian regions: Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Authorities, propagandists (and sometimes the opposition) call them “new territories.” Why can’t this concept be considered neutral?The Signal podcast is an appendix to the email newsletter of the same name from the creators of Meduza. Our newsletter helps more than a hundred thousand readers truly understand the news. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://getsignal.news/.

New telegram channel about culture Plot https://t.me/plottwist_mThe Kremlin's unclear reaction to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region. Record war costs. An unsuccessful attempt to pass off “North Military District veterans” as the new elite. Inconsistency in the ruling class.The authors of the podcast “View of the Kremlin” believe that all of this is one of the many signs of the disintegration of the system.

Because of the war in Ukraine, the authorities are planning an increase in military spending in the budget for 2025–2027. It was previously assumed that in 2025, defense spending, on the contrary, would begin to decline. What does this say about the state of the Russian economy?

Why would a dictator, who miraculously extricated himself from one unsuccessful and costly aggression, immediately get involved in the next, even more risky one?In the “What Happened” podcast we talk with Maxim Samorukov, a researcher at the Carnegie Berlin Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, about the logic of dictators (not only Saddam Hussein, but also Vladimir Putin) who resort to external aggression.How to support Meduza https://mdza.io/dOANVOeTWQUText by Maxim Samorukov:

In the speech of Russian officials, professional military men and conscripts, the concept of “duty to the Motherland” is often heard. Often this formula is accompanied by a mention of a completely different debt - financial debt that fighters must pay to credit organizations.The debt to the Motherland, which must be repaid by fighting in the army, and, for example, the mortgage that the family must pay, are they the same debt or two different ones? How are they connected?

Putin again threatens to use nuclear weapons; Russian army storms Ugledar; fighting in the Kursk region continues; Zelensky presented a “victory plan.” We are discussing with Dmitry Kuznets the main news of the Russian-Ukrainian war.How to support Meduza https://mdza.io/dOANVOeTWQU📍 Meduza launched Plot, a telegram channel about culture.

On September 23, the Israel Defense Forces announced the start of a “preemptive military operation” against the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The stated goal is the complete destruction of the group’s infrastructure in Lebanon. Why should Israel fight there too?In the “What Happened” podcast we talk about this with Israeli journalist Alexandra Appelberg and orientalist-Arabist Maxim Zhabko.How to support Meduza https://mdza.io/dOANVOeTWQU📍 Meduza launched Plot, a telegram channel about culture.

In 2023, more than a third of people around the world intentionally avoided news (36% according to the Reuters Institute), a historical record. Among the top reasons cited by respondents was fatigue with violence in the news. In addition, users began to share news on social networks less often.You can increasingly come across the formula “I don’t read the news”: this is how many express their fatigue, frustration and demonstrative apoliticality.Why bother with the news at all?

The State Duma is considering a bill banning “propaganda of conscious refusal to bear children.” How do autocracies try to take control of our personal lives?

In Russia, a register of foreigners who are illegally in the country is being created. Obviously, this is a continuation of the anti-migrant course of the Russian authorities. Who creates this registry and why?