Current Time

Russia Designates Anti-Corruption Foundation A 'Foreign Agent'

Ukraine: Protesters Push Back Against Peace Plan For East

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on October 6 faced the first large-scale public challenge to his policies when thousands took to the streets in Kyiv to protest plans to hold local elections and grant autonomy to parts of eastern Ukraine under the control of Russia-backed separatists.  

Dying To Keep A Language Alive: Scholar's Suicide Shakes Udmurtia

Albert Razin, a scholar and activist in the Russian region of Udmurtia, set himself on fire in front of the local parliament building in September and died shortly afterwards. His death was a final act of protest in defense of the Udmurt language, which he believed was threatened by recent legislation from Moscow.

Moscow Court Upholds Prison Sentence For Activist Accused Of Beating Officer At Rally

Moscow City Court has upheld the two-year prison sentence handed down to an activist last month for assaulting police during an unsanctioned rally on July 27.

Russia's Path From LiveJournal Boom To Internet Crackdown

LiveJournal was founded in Seattle, but became the go-to platform for Russian activists. Then the Kremlin hit back, heralding a wider crackdown on Internet freedom. This story is part of Current Time's documentary series InterNYET: A History Of The Russian Internet.

“We’re Not Scared Of Anything:” Russia’s Protesters Vow To Fight On

Following an eventful summer, full of election protests and arrests, thousands of Russians took to the streets in Moscow again on September 29; this time, to call for the release of 13 men arrested as part of the so-called Moscow Case, an investigation into alleged “mass disorder” during an unauthorized July 27 rally for equitable candidate registration. With Russia's local elections now over, how much staying power do demonstrations for political transparency still have?

Interview: Ex-Protest Prisoner Pavel Ustinov Has No Plans To Stay At Home

His case has become arguably one of the best known among the dozens of prisoners arrested on criminal charges during Moscow’s chaotic summer of election protests. Now freed from prison, Pavel Ustinov, a 23-year-old Russian actor, told Current Time that he intends to take to the streets to rally for the freedom of other protest prisoners.

Interview: Ex-Protest Prisoner Pavel Ustinov Has No Plans To Stay At Home

Crossing The Front Line In Eastern Ukraine

Some 10,000 people a day cross a collapsed bridged across the front line in war-torn eastern Ukraine.

Russian Opposition Stages New Rally After Summer Of Protests

Thousands of protesters jammed a central Moscow square on September 29 as opposition groups sought to regain momentum following a summer of demonstrations that targeted both local elections but also Russia’s broader political system.

Zelenskiy And Trump Claim 'No Pressure,' Amidst Plenty Of Politics

How Russia's Social Media Giants Beat Facebook

Russia bucked global trends with two homegrown social media that are more popular there than Facebook. Both were backed by the same Israeli-Russian billionaire tech investor. This story is part of Current Time TV's documentary series InterNYET, exploring the history of the Russian web.

At The UN, Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Calls For Greater International Assistance

‘The Cards Are In Zelenskiy’s Hands:’ Ukrainian Expectations For Trump-Zelenskiy Meeting

Struggling To Survive In Saumalkol, Kazakhstan's Uranium Ghost Town

It once was a proud and prosperous part of the Soviet Union’s robust uranium-mining industry. But today, residents of northern Kazakhstan’s Saumalkol call their home a ghost town.

Jailed Actor Ustinov Granted Bail By Moscow Court As He Appeals Conviction

Pavel Ustinov has been released from detention hours after a Moscow judge took the rare move of accepting a request by prosecutors to allow the actor his freedom while appealing a conviction for violence against police during a protest rally last month he insists he did not participate in.

Face To The City: How Moscow’s Surveillance System Works

As this summer's protests showed, Moscow's camera surveillance systems are becoming more sophisticated and more widespread. They're now known as an "all-seeing eye." What these cameras could mean for ordinary citizens’ civil rights concerns many.

With Mother In Iraqi Jail, Children Of Dead IS Fighter Start New Life In Georgia

Three children look happy and healthy now with their grandparents in Georgia, but that's after living for a year with their mother in an Iraqi jail. Their father, an Islamic State militant, was killed in Iraq, and the Georgian government is still trying to bring her home.

Surviving In Saumalkol, Kazakhstan's Uranium Ghost Town

It once was a proud and prosperous part of the Soviet Union’s robust uranium-mining industry. But today, residents of northern Kazakhstan’s Saumalkol call their home a ghost town.

Decision To Remove Statue Of Red Army Commander Strains Czech-Russian Ties