INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
offense to collaborate with us in any way, shape or form.Despite the new challenges that this label has brought, we have continued our work
the biggest events in Russia this year.As we look back on 2024, we have decided to share six of our favorite articles of the year:Fraud,
Violations and Pressure: Election Observers Describe Russian 2024 Presidential VoteOur March report on fraud during the 2024 presidential
race, including falsifications of the final results and violations of election rules.Election officials in Moscow counting votes.Alexander
Nemenov / AFPAlthough the outcome of the election was never in doubt, experts argued that millions of the votes cast for Putin were likely
manipulated to guarantee his victory during the three-day voting period.The observers who spoke to The Moscow Times described falsification,
Alyona said that election commission members at her polling station refused to immediately record the results after all votes were counted
said, also violated standard procedure during the vote-counting process
Instead of counting the votes sequentially, it divided all the ballots into groups and distributed them among seven commission members
for falsification, making it harder for election observers to check individual ballots and the results themselves.In another example, at
least four observers who spoke to The Moscow Times also complained that members of the election commission lacked knowledge of Russian
Petersburg.On a Train in Southern Russia, Fatigued Soldiers See No End in Sight to WarIn late May, a reporter for The Moscow Times took a
train through southern Russia
On the train, they encountered Russian soldiers bound for the front lines of the war in Ukraine
He enlisted after he was told some of his relatives were killed by Ukrainian soldiers at the start of the war
tactic, aware that their chances of survival are slim
because he was paid well before the war, he donates his salary to charity
Rights Work in ExileVeteran human rights defender, and co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Memorial human rights group, Oleg Orlov was
one of the 16 prisoners freed by Russia on Aug
1 in a historic exchange between Russia and the West.In August, The Moscow Times spoke to Orlov about his exchange and the challenges faced
by Russian human rights defenders who have been forced out of the country but remain committed to continuing their work.Human rights
campaigner and head of the Nobel Prize-winning Memorial group Oleg Orlov.Natalia Kolesnikova / AFPOrlov describes the emotions he felt upon
realizing he was being released: the joy of seeing Sasha Skochilkenko and other political prisoners, the sense of freedom in seeing colors
experience in prison, Orlov said he still believes a better future for Russia is possible, and that he was always able to find common ground
UkraineIn September, we released this article about Russian soldiers who were fleeing the war in Ukraine
men in avoiding combat and told The Moscow Times it has helped over 900 people to desert
They have also provided consultations to at least 35,000 Russians on how to avoid military service, leave Russia or find refuge inside the
country.Volunteers help soldiers develop a desertion plan and establish a secure communication channel.One such soldier was Ivan, a doctor
He graduated this year, when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine had already been ongoing for two and a half years, and fled the country to
He faces 15 years in prison if he returns.Ilya, another, signed a contract with the Defense Ministry before the full-scale invasion of
When the war started, he was in a unit that shouldn't have taken part in the war
But things quickly changed, Ilya told The Moscow Times in an interview over text.Ilya contacted Idite Lesom
I waited for two weekends and just ran away
Psychiatry: An Increasingly Common Tool in Russia's Crackdown on ActivistsIn October, we released an article that examined the increasing
use of punitive psychiatry in Russia, a practice that dates back to the Soviet Union.Maxim Lypkan.SotaVisionPunitive psychiatry involves
being subjected to humiliation, beatings and being injected with powerful antipsychotic drugs
According to independent investigative outlet Agentstvo, the number of political activists placed in forced psychiatric treatment in 2023
was five times higher than the average for 2021-2022.After the start of the war with Ukraine, Russia sent 86 people to forced psychiatric
treatment, Agentstvo said in May, adding that distinguishing real and politically motivated cases is impossible
Human rights watchdog Memorial says at least 49 people in Russia have been sent to forced psychiatric treatment in politically motivated
punishment.The Moscow Times took a look at some of the most well-known cases, including teenage protester Maxim Lypkan, who told RFE/RL the
Artyom Vatria, a Muslim man from the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district who says that evidence was planted on him and two others by
in November that his region would hike the one-time payment to volunteers enlisting to fight in Ukraine to 3 million rubles ($30,000)
That made Nizhny Novgorod the region with the highest signing bonus.Yuri Kochetkov / EPA / TASSAs the recruiting pool for the Russian
military dwindles, governors have had to hike payments and salaries for new recruits
recruits to the front, money is the most decisive factor
For many, the signing bonus and the monthly wage far exceed the median salaries in their regions.Tatarstan and Bashkortostan even offer
rewards to volunteer recruiters who find future soldiers and accompany them to the nearest enlistment office to sign a contract
higher than the median monthly salary in the region.
