Dasha Litvinova

Navalny's top strategist Leonid Volkov attacked in Lithuania. nearly a month after Navalny's death in an Arctic penal colony and just days before a presidential election in Russia. https://t.co/GPBbIOj324

“Russia is no longer an authoritarian state -– it is a totalitarian state,” Oleg Orlov, co-chair of Memorial, told me in January. a month later Orlov, 70, was handcuffed and hauled out of a courtroom after being sentenced to 2.5 yrs in prison. my latest: https://t.co/U0rds8wDNq

my latest on the Russian prison system, political prisoners and the harsh conditions they have to endure. first in a series of stories on crackdown on dissent in Russia.

The Associated Press @AP

What's life like for Russia's political prisoners? Isolation, poor food and arbitrary punishment https://t.co/zaB6a4uLx3

veteran human rights advocate Oleg Orlov, 70, was prosecuted over an article he wrote denouncing Russia’s war in Ukraine. last year, he was convicted and fined; but prosecution appealed, prompting a re-trial that ended with a prison sentence. https://t.co/zMlYz8jmqE

RT @AP: Some of what Putin told Tucker Carlson missed the bigger picture. This fills in the gaps https://t.co/NoWo25sNhx

Kremlin foe Navalny was moved from a prison east of Moscow, his allies say, but new site is unclear. https://t.co/wj08PTVaAq

abortion in increasingly conservative Russia is still legal and widely available, but govt in recent years sought to curtail access to the procedure by imposing various restrictions. more restrictions are in the works, and women are concerned. my latest: https://t.co/5wVYuTAvIU

pressure mounts on Russian political prisoners. many are held in isolation in their prisons for months on end; no calls, few letters. visits from lawyers are often the lifeline; but today, Navalny's lawyers were detained, raising concerns. my latest: https://t.co/wV2HIVgwOG

RT @TamerFakahany: The Ukraine war, propaganda-style, is coming to Russian movie screens. It’s the narrative the Kremlin has been promoting…

Navalny feels optimistic and “absolutely believes in what he’s doing,” and “it certainly helps him cope with all that and keep doing what he’s doing,” @Kira_Yarmysh told me today.

The Associated Press @AP

BREAKING: A Russian court convicted Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny of extremism charges and sentenced him to 19 years in prison, his third and longest prison term. Navalny is already serving a nine-year term on charges he says were politically motivated. https://t.co/r95bTloIwq

Russian czars vacationed on its beaches. it hosted history-shaking meetings of world leaders and was the site of repressions. as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages, Crimea is again a battleground, with Kyiv seeking to dislodge Moscow’s hold on it. my latest: https://t.co/PEhSnhDVD8

Russian MPs took their crackdown on LGBTQ+ people a step further today. they approved a bill outlawing gender transitioning and added clauses annulling marriages in which one person “changed gender” and banning adoption for transgender people. my latest: https://t.co/9Rgm9lFc85

RT @samya_kullab: From the left bank of Kherson, to Russia, Baltic states to Poland, and back to Ukraine. Hundreds of Ukrainians are trav…

some convicts recruited by Russia's private military contractor Wagner to fight in the war in Ukraine are coming home and committing new -- often violent -- crimes. that has raised fears in communities where they are returning. my latest: https://t.co/soex6S1p6U

Russian MPs gave initial their OK today to a bill that would outlaw gender transitioning procedures. this is another blow to the country's beleaguered LGBTQ+ community as the Kremlin's "traditional values" campaign continues. my latest: https://t.co/Mcvd6v3vEb

the number of political prisoners in Russia keeps growing, and their life behind bars is anything but easy. I interviewed some of them and their loved ones to get a glimpse of what it’s like: https://t.co/3zjd0r2TSU

my latest:

The Associated Press @AP

Russians are under intense government scrutiny. Authorities monitor social media accounts, prosecuting critics of President Putin or the war in Ukraine. Surveillance cameras allow police to swiftly detain activists or draft dodgers. By @dashalitvinovv https://t.co/rCzhYJMRnT