Meduza interviews iStories journalist Sonya Savina to learn more about her report on the Russian military’s alleged use of “torture pits.” Plus news from the week about Hamas and Iran in Moscow, Mikhail Fridman’s woes, poisoned cake, and more.

The Russian military’s ‘torture pits’

Meduza’s English-language podcast, The Naked Pravda highlights how our top reporting intersects with the wider research and expertise that exists about Russia. The broader context of Meduza’s in-depth, original journalism isn’t always clear, which is where this show comes in. Here you’ll hear from the world’s community of Russia experts, activists, and reporters about issues that are at the heart of Meduza’s stories and crucial to major events in and around Russia.

News &amp; Politics

To learn about Russia’s targeting of evangelical Christians in occupied Ukraine, Meduza speaks to Steven Moore and Anna Shvetsova from the Ukraine Freedom Project and Catherine Wanner, a professor of history and religious studies at Penn State University.

‘The American faith’: Why Russia targets evangelicals in Ukraine

Scholar David Szakonyi speaks to Meduza about his new article, “Corruption and Co-Optation in Autocracy: Evidence from Russia,” exploring what it could reveal about the future of politics in Moscow.

Corruption and co-optation in Russia’s autocracy

Meduza speaks to cyber, tech, and propaganda expert Gavin Wilde about his recent writings on the dangers of “overhyping” the threat of Russian disinformation in the United States.

How Russian disinformation really threatens the USA

Meduza interviews scholars Samuel Charap and Sergey Radchenko about their Foreign Affairs article, “The Talks That Could Have Ended the War in Ukraine: A Hidden History of Diplomacy That Came Up Short — but Holds Lessons for Future Negotiations.”

Returning to the talks that could have ended the war in Ukraine

Meduza speaks to Novaya Gazeta Europe editor-in-chief Kirill Martynov to dig into his outlet’s recent investigation into Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov and learn more about the predicament of Russia’s second-worst autocrat.

The Russian military’s ‘torture pits’

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