Steve Rosenberg: "Hole in Russia's State Budget" Bigger Than Expected

Sep 10, 2026 | In today’s Russian papers: “hole in the state budget” bigger than expected; “growing demand in Russia for insurance cover for drone attacks”. And a senior official claims: “Russia can survive only as a great power. We’re either a great power, or nothing.”

Steve Rosenberg: What Are Today's Russian Papers Saying about Russia's Economic Problems?

September 8, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Diplomacy of the Doomed": What the Russian Papers Are Saying about US Talks with Putin

Sep 7, 2026 | "Diplomacy of the Doomed" is how one of today's Russian papers sums up Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's talks with Vladimir Putin, adding "Their mission was doomed to underachievement from the outset."

Steve Rosenberg: Russia: Change, Apples and a National Idea

September 6, 2026 | What has been changing in Russia? What were the Russian papers writing about last week? Plus, memories of Soviet TV.

US-Iran Conflict Has ‘Makings of a Tinderbox’ as Putin Assures Iran of Russia’s Support

Sep 2, 2026 | “This really has the makings of a possible tinderbox.”

The US has struck Iran after Putin expressed solidarity with Tehran which means that the US-Iran conflict can get “particularly out of hand”, says former US colonel Cedric Leighton.

Steve Rosenberg: Modi Calls on Putin to Move towards Peace. How Should We Interpret the Response?

Sep 1, 2026 | Yesterday Prime Minister Modi of India urged Vladimir Putin to move towards peace in Ukraine. What are today’s Russian newspapers saying about that? And how should we interpret the Kremlin leader’s response?

Steve Rosenberg: “The Destruction of the World Order Can No Longer Be Stopped,” Warns Russian Paper

Aug 31, 2026 | Today’s Russian papers report on Russia’s economic problems: “Stagnation in industry” & “Investment downturn significantly worse than expected.” But it's not just Russia that has problems, thinks one paper: “The destruction of the world order can't be stopped.”

Steve Rosenberg: Russia’s Anti-drone Cages for Buildings: What Are They Like?

Aug 28, 2026 | The Russian press continues to discuss John Ratcliffe’s surprise trip to Moscow. One paper: “The visit of a CIA chief is not a sign of peace & not a sign of war. It’s a sign normal channels are no longer effective and that the heavy artillery is required.” Plus, Russian cages for protecting buildings from drone attack.

How Putin Seized the Oligarchs' Billions | Martin Sixsmith

Aug 4, 2026 | “By the end of the 1990s, the oligarchs were essentially running the government.”

Former Russia correspondent at the BBC and author of 'Suing the Kremlin: The Battle for Putin’s Billions' Martin Sixsmith reveals the process undertaken by Vladimir Putin to retrieve money and power from Russia’s oligarchs.

Steve Rosenberg: What Are the Russian Papers Saying about the CIA Director's Trip to Moscow?

August 27, 2026

Will Musk Give Ukraine Eyes Over Russia? | DW News

Aug 27, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Russians "Withdrew More Cash Than They Deposited"

Aug 25, 2026 | In today’s Russian papers: a Putin decree, Russians “withdrew more cash than they deposited, praise for Marine Le Pen and a message for Andy Burnham: “He won’t see Moscow in his dreams. He should…in his nightmares.”

Steve Rosenberg: Russian Paper: Fuel Crisis Won't End If Russia Can't Protect Its Refineries from Drone Attacks

Aug 24, 2026 | Two very different headlines in Russia today. The army paper declares: “Victory will be ours!” Nezavisimaya Gazeta: “Is there a way out of the petrol crisis if infrastructure isn’t protected?”

Amid Fuel Crisis, Russia Now Importing Petrol from India

August 23, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Swan Lake and a Coup: Russian Papers Remember August 1991

Aug 19, 2026 | 35 years ago today there was unscheduled Swan Lake on Soviet TV…and a coup by hardliners in the USSR. How are today’s Russian papers remembering the August 1991 coup?

Steve Rosenberg: Russia: “Tense Situation with Fuel Supply" Russian Newspapers Report

August 18, 2026

Steve Rosenberg: Russia: Petrol Queues, Pickles and an Anti-war Party Barred from the Election

August 16, 2026 | A look at how the Russian papers have covered the Supreme Court's decision to remove the anti-war Yabloko party from the ballot ahead of the parliamentary election. Plus, petrol queues return to Moscow. And biting social comment from the joke pages of the newspapers.

Why Are Westerners Moving to Russia? | BBC News

August 5, 2026 | A group of prominent, controversial influencers made a visit to Russia this summer. They included Andrew Tate, Candace Owens and British far-right anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.

They argue that Russia is upholding the traditional conservative values they fear are in decline at home. It is certainly an image Vladimir Putin is keen to project.

Two years ago Russia set up a special “shared values” visa, which makes it easier for Westerners to move to the country if they align with its supposed ‘traditional spiritual and moral beliefs’. Russia claims thousands of Westerners have applied.

We speak to the BBC’s Dan Hardoon, whose documentary The Russian Dream follows Westerners who have moved to Russia, and to Russia expert Mark Galeotti, host of the podcast In Moscow's Shadows.

Victory No Longer Possible for Putin, Dmitry Muratov Tells Steve Rosenberg | BBC News

August 13, 2026 | In an exclusive interview, BBC Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg sits down with Dmitry Muratov, the Nobel Prize-winning Russian journalist.

Muratov co-founded Novaya Gazeta, a newspaper that became the flagship media outlet for independent journalism in Russia. He and his colleagues have faced threats for their work and six of the paper’s journalists were murdered, including Anna Politkovskaya, who investigated human rights abuses in Chechnya.

Soon after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, under pressure from the authorities Novaya Gazeta halted operations and its licence was subsequently revoked.

In the Novaya Gazeta offices that were raided earlier this year by police, Muratov talks to Rosenberg about public perception of Russia’s war on Ukraine, increasing repression inside the country, and the man who has ruled Russia for more than a quarter of a century – Vladimir Putin.

Voices from the Streets of Moscow...Plus, a Review of the Putin 2027 Calendar.

August 9, 2026 | In Reading Russia Weekend Extra I ask Russians for their reaction to last weekend’s restaurant bomb & drone attacks on Wildberries warehouses. Plus, the Putin 2027 calendar is out already: what messages does it contain?