Russian opposition politician Lyubov Sobol says that the country's federal censor, Roskomnadzor, sent a notice to Twitter ordering the social network to block her account.

The Moscow Arbitration Court has ordered the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta to delete an article by politician Leonid Gozman, reports the human rights group Pravozashchita Otkrytki. The article in question alleges that the state-owned television network Russia Today (RT) obtained wiretapped records of a phone conversation between Gozman himself and journalist Igor Yakovenko.

The prosecution in the so-called "Sanitary Case" is seeking a two-year parole-like sentence for opposition politician Lyubov Sobol.

Russia's current election season has featured several unexpected announcements from celebrities that they, too, would like seats in the next State Duma. Political inspiration has struck (sometimes faded) stars like former t.A.T.u. singer Julia Volkova, rapper Slava KPSS, musicians Victoria Dayneko and Tatyana Bulanova, and entertainer and stylist Sergey Zverev, just to name a few.

Last week, Russian billionaire Arkady Rotenberg's ex-wife Natalia reported that "radical terrorists from Chechnya" seized her villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (a charming little corner of the French Riviera). Officials in the area confirmed to a local newspaper that her police report is real. Natalia Rotenberg announced the incident in an Instagram post on July 15, saying, "On July 10, radical terrorists from Chechnya captured my villa in France. They kicked out my guards, seized the home, smashed and replaced the locks, and established a base there." She also shared several videos recorded on the villa's premises. Meduza breaks down how the Rotenbergs' divorce got ugly.

For many years, solitary pickets have been a cornerstone of public protest in Russia. Whereas protest rallies have long required official permission, holding a solo demonstration was, at one time, a legal way to publicly express one's discontent. Though the authorities began working to close this loophole following major protests in 2012, the crackdown on individual picketers reached its peak in 2020. Under the guise of combating the spread of COVID-19, the Russian authorities were able to effectively ban not only public gatherings, but also single-person pickets. Meduza breaks down how they did it here.

Russia's widespread vaccine hesitancy has given birth to a thriving black market for counterfeit documents proving "immunity" to COVID-19. Since the start of 2021, the Russian authorities have opened dozens of criminal cases over the falsification of vaccination certificates, medical disqualification certificates, PCR test results, and even QR-codes. The cybersecurity firm Group-IB even declared the sale of fake vaccination certificates "the most widespread form of online fraud" in Russia during the pandemic. On July 27, MBK Media published an investigation into how the black market for forged medical certificates works, revealing that the organizers behind these schemes are allegedly making millions of rubles (sometimes in a matter of days). Meduza summarizes the investigation's main findings here.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) says it's mobilizing supporters for nationwide protests against election officials' decision not to register the party's former presidential candidate, Pavel Grudinin, on its parliamentary ticket, this September. Last week, sources close to the Putin administration told Meduza that the Kremlin decided in advance to block Grudinin's candidacy this fall after KPRF head Gennady Zyuganov refused to coordinate with Putin's office. The Kremlin also holds a serious grudge against Grudinin for performing a little too well in Russia's 2018 presidential race.

Roman Dobrokhotov, the editor-in-chief of the investigative outlet The Insider, was reportedly planning to leave Russia on July 28. But at 7:30 in the morning, the police came knocking at his door. Law enforcement raided Dobrokhotov's apartment, seizing not only his electronic devices but also his international passport. The Insider believes the raid is in connection with a libel case initiated on behalf of Max van der Werff - a Dutch blogger who The Insider has linked to the Russian GRU. Roman Dobrokhotov's lawyer says the journalist is currently considered a witness in the case. The raid on Dobrokhotov's home comes less than a week after the Russian Justice Ministry designated The Insider as a "foreign agent."

Alexander Ionov, the founder of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, has filed a complaint against the investigative journalism outlet iStories with the Russian Attorney General's Office. Ionov told MBX Media that he reported iStories to the Russian authorities because the outlet has allegedly been the recipient of foreign funds.