Meduza.io

3 weeks ago | meduza.io

Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it's become nearly impossible to “stay out of politics” in Russia. Militarization has permeated every corner of society — even the most intimate spheres, like the porn industry. Just three years ago, adult videos were readily available on the Russian social media network VKontakte; now, they’re gone. Back then, the most popular Russian-speaking porn actress, Eva Elfie, was living in Russia. Today, she lives in the U.S. Journalists at Novaya Gazeta Europe recently explored how the war has reshaped Russia’s porn industry. Meduza shares an abridged translation of their reporting.

1 month ago | meduza.io

The Russian authorities are prosecuting more and more “producers and distributors of pornographic materials.” According to a new investigation by Novaya Gazeta Europe, the number of convictions for porn-related offenses jumped 1.5 times between prewar 2021 and 2023 to more than 315. The shift follows a ruling by the Russian Supreme Court’s Plenum, which classified live-streamed performances by webcam models as pornographic productions. Novaya Gazeta Europe journalists examined how Russia’s stricter enforcement of anti-pornography laws has affected the lives of webcam studio workers and given police another tool in the crackdown on queer bloggers. Meduza summarizes their findings.

2 months ago | meduza.io | Sam Breazeale

The Baltic Sea handles around 15 percent of global shipping traffic — approximately 2,500 vessels daily, according to researcher Julian Pawlak. A rising number of these ships belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a group of hundreds of aging, poorly regulated oil tankers that Moscow uses to bypass Western sanctions.

Feb 7, 2025 | meduza.io | Diana Kruzman

Amid record-breaking temperatures, glaciers worldwide have been steadily melting away, leaving scientists with the difficult task of documenting their disappearance. In Central Asia’s Tian Shan Mountains, these rivers of ice have been retreating for decades, shrinking faster than the global average and posing a threat to the region’s water supply.

Jan 24, 2025 | meduza.io | Andrey Pertsev

A lack of competitive elections has left political strategists in Russia in low demand — but the Kremlin has a plan. A new contest aims to redirect them toward social projects, repurposing strategists as “social architects” tasked with designing and overseeing regional initiatives for various demographic groups, from schoolchildren to retirees. And by keeping them financially afloat, the Kremlin also hopes to secure their loyalty.