Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, crisis centers throughout Russia are reporting a spike in requests from women for help against domestic violence. Self-isolation and quarantines reportedly contribute to this problem, but, unlike in the past, many women are opting to speak out.
They live in conditions reportedly akin to torture, according to some rights activists, and cannot always tell relatives their whereabouts. Current Time looked into the fate of a few of St. Petersburg's estimated 260 detainees from the February 2 protests against Aleksei Navalny's imprisonment.
In Russia, where 114 have tested positive for COVID-19, no coronavirus quarantine yet exists within the Russian Orthodox Church, the country’s majority religious belief. Instead, despite advice against close contact with others, hundreds of believers in St. Petersburg are opting to shore up their defenses by visiting the city’s Kazan Cathedral.
Reports of Russian mercenaries taking part in the war with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have dogged the conflict since its 2014 start. But how to distinguish between rumor and reality? Current Time tracked down some of the alleged Vagner fighters to the Soviet-era industrial hub of Tolyatti in Russia and spoke with Ukraine's Security Service for further details.
