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In 1920, the USSR became the first country to legalize abortions at the request of a woman, but four years later the right to abortion was limited, and in 1936 there came out a decree banning abortions altogether. In this article, gender researcher Sasha Talaver tells how the abortion ban in the USSR affected women. … “I don’t have the strength to bear two children a year”: how Soviet women asked to lift the abortion ban

We spoke with Maria Andreeva, a member of The Way Home, a movement of relatives of conscripted men. Their activists are fighting for the return of their drafted husbands and calling for the complete demobilization of Russia’s civilian population. The Way Home has been one of the most visible protest movements in Russia over the … “That’s Not Patriotism, It’s Teaching Kids To Barbarically Romanticize War”: An Interview with Wife of a Conscript Maria Andreeva

Readers might be familiar with the online diary of Nastya Travkina, a journalist and writer – and Russian citizen – living in Kyiv who shares near-daily accounts of her experiences during the war. But Nastya’s diary covers more than just her own experiences. It also features sharp political reflections on Russian military aggression and musings on … ‘I suppose I just wanted someone to know what I was thinking before I died’: an interview with Nastya Travkina

In late August, Russian state media announced that architects were developing a Russian “grand style” that would strengthen the nation. [Translator’s note: in Russia, the phrase “grand style” (bol’shoi stil’) is most often associated with architecture built under Louis XIV and Stalin.] News simultaneously broke about plans to erect “lighthouses of the Russian world” in … “Who Cares about the Purges? I’m Here for the Rest of the ‘30s”: The Architects of Russia’s New “Grand Style”

We spoke with journalist, LGBT activist, and writer Elena Kostyuchenko. Elena travelled to Ukraine on the second day of the full-scale Russian invasion and spent five weeks on the front lines. It was Elena’s investigation that had confirmed the presence of Russian troops in the Donbas back in 2014. Over her 17 years at Novaya … “One Article Won’t Tear Down the Concentration Camp Walls”: An Interview with Journalist Elena Kostyuchenko

In the afterword to Charlotte Beradt’s «The Third Reich’s Dreams» Bruno Bettelheim, a former Buchenwald prisoner and psychologist, claims that one of the most terrifying aspects of the Nazi regime was that «even in their sleep, these people were not free.» When we collectively experience a catastrophe, trauma, and grief, they happen to sneak into … What Russians dream about Alexei Navalny

Over the past two decades, Russia has seen an uptick in policies limiting access to abortion. Several new measures were introduced in 2023, including stricter regulation of medical abortion drugs, laws imposing liability for ‘inducement to abort’ in the Republic of Mordovia and Tver Oblast, and some private clinics’ refusal to offer abortions in certain … Protecting life from conception: The Russian Orthodox Church’s anti-abortion rhetoric as part of a global traditionalist agenda

In August 2023, the Russian region of Mordovia passed a law banning “inducement to abort,” and Tambov Region intends to make a similar bill law. Meanwhile, other regions are looking to stop private clinics from offering abortions. These anti-abortion initiatives are all the doings of a foundation called Women for Life, which receives ongoing support … “The Best Part about Manipulating People”: The Russian Foundation Pushing Abortion Bans