Russia's already overcrowded remand prisons are struggling to accommodate growing numbers of detainees, due in part to an influx of Ukrainians taken prisoner during the war, the newspaper Kommersant reported on May 30.

The city of Severodonetsk is currently at the epicenter of the battle for the Donbas. Ukraine's troops are trying to hold the line, but according to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian forces are already entrenched on the eastern outskirts of the city. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Russian strikes had destroyed all of the city's critical infrastructure, damaged 90 percent of its buildings, and completely destroyed two-thirds of its housing stock. Earlier, Oleksandr Stryuk, the head of Severodonetsk's military and civil administration, reported that at least 1,500 residents have been killed. In their own words, locals who managed to escape the city describe what life is like for those who stayed behind.

Using open sources, BBC News Russian has identified 3,052 Russian soldiers and officers killed in Ukraine since Moscow began its full-scale invasion on February 24.

It will take a lot of time and research to answer the question of what led to Russia's monstrous war against Ukraine. After Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, the notion quickly spread around the world that this was "Putin's war" and that he personally made the decision to invade. In this essay for Meduza's "Ideas" section, political scientist Kirill Rogov breaks down why this reasoning is more of a convenient pretense than a real explanation of how Russia reached this point.

On April 13, a court in St. Petersburg jailed artist Sasha Skochilenko for replacing price tags at a local grocery store with stickers bearing anti-war messages. Skochilenko stands accused of the felony offense of spreading "disinformation" about the Russian military. Meduza spoke to her girlfriend, Sofya Subbotina, about the artist's life before and after Russia's February invasion of Ukraine, her arrest, and the conditions of her pre-trial detention, which now jeopardize Skochilenko's life.

On May 29, Alex Bokoch shared a Facebook post that went viral. "For my European friends! Just keep in mind this area of Ukraine that has been occupied now by Russia, when you listen [to the] statements of your politicians," he wrote.

In the late 2000s, Andrey Konchalovsky released his most ambitious project yet: a large-scale movie version of The Nutcracker, with Hollywood actors and cutting edge graphics. He got funding for the film from Vnesheconombank (VEB), Russia's state development corporation -- but the film was a box office bust, leaving him unable to pay back the money. A new investigation by Transparency International Russia found that Konchalovsky owes VEB almost $130 million -- roughly equivalent to Russia's entire state film production budget for 2021. Below, Meduza is publishing a translation of Transparency International Russia analyst Lizaveta Tsybulina's report, which tells how the Nutcracker money ended up in Konchalovsky's offshore account -- and how VEB is trying to get it back.

As the battle for the Donbas rages on, Russian forces continue to make gains. They've seized Lyman, destroyed much of Sievierodonetsk, and are currently advancing on Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Lysychansk, which are currently still under Ukrainian control. Meduza spoke to residents of these cities about what life looks like right now -- and how they're preparing for the Russian army's invasion.

Six months ago, GES-2, an arts and culture center housed in a decommissioned Moscow power station, opened on Moscow's Bolotnaya Embankment. It was the brainchild of Leonid Mikhelson, one of Russia's richest businessmen, and was initially headed by Italian curator Teresa Iarocci Mavica. The building, which was originally built in 1907, was reconstructed by influential architect Renzo Piano. In December 2021, after seven years of design and construction work followed by a private showing for Vladimir Putin, the center was officially opened to the public. GES-2 instantly became the center of Moscow's cultural life -- until Russia launched its war in Ukraine. Cut off from the West, the institution found itself in isolation, while its philosophy suddenly appeared incompatible with Russia's new reality. The staff, from curators to executives, began to resign. Ksenia Korobeynikova, an art critic and author of the Ku-ku Telegram channel, spoke to Meduza about the center's uncertain prospects.

It's been more than three months since Russia invaded Ukraine and there haven't been any major resignations from the Russian government. Indeed, no top officials have publicly spoken out against the war. Meduza spoke to the economist and Gaidar Prize laureate Andrei Yakovlev about what Russia's elites are thinking, why they aren't trying to influence the President, where the war is headed, and why the ruling class replacement system fell apart as soon as the Soviet Union collapsed.