Trolls on the March on Kremlin’s Orders

Where do online provocateurs come from? What makes the trolls popular? How do the eccentric antics of laughable media personalities undermine politics to the benefit of the regime? Evgeny Kazakov returns with an article about online trolls and their role in Russia’s political system

The Kremlin’s Perfect Storm

Editorial Statement on Recent Events in Russia

The Conservative Turn of Russian Rap

Why has Russian rap suddenly started to advocate traditional values and express its support for the security services and the state at large? How is this renaissance of “patsansky rap” (“street-guy rap”) connected to the war against Ukraine? Writer and journalist Vlad Gagin looks into the issue

On the Edge of the World. Javier Milei’s Argentina, Two Years After

How have anti-communist rhetoric and the rewriting of historical memory become tools of domestic politics? What lies behind Argentina’s near-unconditional alignment with Trump’s foreign policy, and what risks does this pose for the country? And why hasn’t the economic chaos yet undermined Milei’s approval ratings? Historian Martín Baña analyzes Javier Milei’s first two years in office

Mamdani: The First Hundred Days. An Interview with Rossen Djagalov

What did Zohran Mamdani’s campaign and victory mean? Why do so many immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the United States continue to lean rightward at the ballot box? And what can be said about the first three months of a socialist mayoralty in New York City? Rossen Djagalov — a scholar and a participant in Mamdani’s campaign in Brighton Beach — reflects on the political anxieties and aspirations of local residents in conversation with the sociologist Aleksandra Zapolskaia

The People Say No: The Fightback Against ICE in USA

What is the Trump administration using ICE for? What tactics is it employing? And how are American citizens resisting the immigration police? These questions are answered by Suzi Weissman, professor of political science and longtime political commentator.

“All Jokes Aside”

Why does the Russian government crack down on memes? How does laughter become a political act — and why do those in power fear it? Cultural studies scholar Petr Lebovich explores the political philosophy of humor, from Spinoza to memes as resistance in wartime

A Utopia of Workers and Partisans

Who invents the national mythology of Belarus? What purposes do new narratives about the country’s past actually serve? Nationalism scholar Nadya Krupenkova examines the top-down search for Belarusian identity

Impossible Island

What would Russian foreign policy look like after a peace treaty with Ukraine? And what would such a deal mean for the future of Russia and its neighboring countries? Journalist and researcher Georgy Birger, creator of the project Playing Civilization, finds deeply unsettling answers in the “Island Russia” concept — at first glance, one of the most peaceful ideas in Russia’s geopolitical discourse

“A man of Dagestan would rather die on his feet than become a woman”

Why have misogynistic public narratives become so prevalent in Russia in recent years? What does the war in Ukraine have to do with it? Yekaterina Neroznikova, a member of the “Marem” crisis group, examines the lies and fears behind initiatives and statements targeting feminists

Our Dear Friends in Moscow: From Journalists to Propagandists

What became of those who forged their careers in Russian journalism in the 2000s? How did the country’s political trajectory affect their lives? What transformations did Russian media undergo in the early years of Vladimir Putin’s rule, and to what extent were journalists themselves responsible for those changes? In a new text from the column “A View from the Left”, Kseniya Lepekha reflects on the book Our Dear Friends in Moscow by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan

On Moral Duty and Left-Wing Theory: An Interview with Bohdan Krawchenko

How did the publication of one magazine unite Ukrainian leftists who criticized the USSR from a Marxist perspective? Why are contemporary Ukrainian leftists virtually unheard, despite society’s dire need for social alternatives? In an interview with the magazine Spilne, Bohdan Krawchenko, a veteran of the Ukrainian leftist movement, contributor to the magazine Dii͡aloh (Dialog), and co-founder of the publishing house Osnovy, discussed these and many other issues. With Spilne’s permission, we are publishing a translation of the interview on Posle

Fourth Anniversary of the War: Statement by the Posle Editorial Collective

“People are still stuck in this cage”

How did a young, successful programmer become a “terrorist” and “extremist”? How did prisoners and prison guards react to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? And why did some prisoners, even those who were in prison for desertion, go to war? Viktor Filinkov, a defendant in the “Network” case who got 7 years in prison, talked about this in an interview with Posle

Labor Protest in China

What is remarkable about the Chinese strikes of recent years? What regions and workplaces are seeing a working-class identity emerge? Independent researcher Sergey Shlyapnikov breaks it down

MAX by Mandate

Who is pushing the country towards a single, state-backed messenger, and why? Where is the line between convenience and control? Is it still possible to opt out? Independent journalist Daniil Gorodetsky explores these questions

Military Ecology and Russia’s War Machine

What role do ecologists play in the military? How is military ecology connected to the Cold War era? What role does it play in the Russian Armed Forces today? Natalia Tikhonova and Zoe Komaroff examine the evolving entanglement of military-wrought destruction and environmental monitoring

Volunteering in Wartime Ukraine: Interview with Daria Saburova

How does volunteer labor today become a site of gender and class tensions? What are the specific features of class relations in contemporary Ukraine? And how do French leftists view the war in Ukraine? The editorial team at Posle spoke with Daria Saburova, PhD, a researcher at Central European University and a member of the editorial board of the Ukrainian leftist journal Spilne (Commons), as well as the author of Travailleuses de la résistance (Women Workers of Resistance).

Russia’s “Shadow Fleet” Risks Becoming a Disaster

How did Russia’s “shadow fleet” come about? What environmental risks are associated with its operations? Why is the Arctic’s future a particular cause for concern? Can these threats be mitigated? Journalist Alexei Martov examines these questions with insights from experts

The Non-Peaceful Atom

In what ways does Russia use nuclear energy as a strategic tool? Why have sanctions failed to end Europe’s dependence on the Russian nuclear industry? How is Rosatom involved in the war? Vladimir Slivyak, co-chair of the Eco-Defense group, answers these questions

“We need to change our view of the Arctic as a frontier.” Part 2

How has Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reshaped international cooperation in the Arctic? What is now at risk in climate monitoring and environmental research? And how has Russian Arctic policy itself changed? Researcher Vitaly Zemlyansky explains in an extensive interview.

“We need to change our view of the Arctic as a frontier.” Part 1

How is climate change transforming Arctic ecosystems? What does the Arctic mean in geopolitical terms? How do colonial narratives shape the way we perceive it? Researcher Vitaly Zemlyansky discusses these questions in depth

Feminist Search for Alternatives

How can we shift the focus from discussing state gender policy to seeking alternatives? Why does this matter now, in the third year of the war? What weaknesses and strengths of Russia’s feminist movement has the war in Ukraine exposed? Historian and gender studies scholar Ella Rossman, author of the Telegram channel The Laughter of Medusa, discusses these questions in an interview with journalist and feminist activist Anastasia Polozkova

Enemy of the State No. 1. Repressions against Russian Anarchists

How did the Russian state turn its fight against anarchists into a rehearsal ground for mass persecution? What does the history of high-profile cases from “The Network” to “People’s Self-Defense” reveal about the practices of security forces? And what does it tell us about the nature of the Russian regime during wartime? Journalist Ivan Astashin discusses the repression of anarchists

You Can Expel Them, But You Can’t Replace Them

How does strict immigration control square with Russia’s need for labor? How will new restrictions affect the lives of the country’s most vulnerable residents? Insan Khismay, an anthropologist and staff member at a migrant rights NGO, speaks about the paradoxes of Russia’s migration policy

Lessons in Childbirth

Why are Russian girls, who consistently outperform boys in school, led to believe that their knowledge is irrelevant? How do Russian textbooks, new curricula, and regional welfare programs turn schoolgirls into a tool of demographic policy? Writer and feminist activist Liliya Vezhevatova investigates

Migrant Women and the War: New Discriminatory Laws

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the government has tightened its grip on migrants by introducing an increasing number of xenophobic laws. What impact have these measures had on migrant women living in Russia? Journalist Anna Azyalova investigates the issue

Capital vs. Sanctions

Why do Western technologies continue to fuel Russia’s war machine despite sweeping sanctions? Is it a matter of loopholes — or proof that global capital itself is beyond the reach of governments? Why has the global economic system become, however unintentionally, the aggressor’s most reliable ally?

Kazakhstan and Russia’s Neo-Imperialism

How have the deployment of peacekeepers in January 2022 and the subsequent outbreak of war in Ukraine reshaped Kazakhstan’s relationship with Russia? How is Kazakhstani society responding to the problem of Russian imperialism? Independent researcher and journalist Dmitry Mazorenko reflects on these questions

“We Wanted to Show the Whole Range of Anti-War Resistance in Russia”

What can courtroom speeches by imprisoned protesters tell us about the breadth of anti-war resistance in Russia? British historian Simon Pirani discusses his new book Voices Against Putin’s War with independent Russian journalist Ivan Rechnoy

“One Day, Women Will Eat the Kremlin”

How do lesbians in Russia navigate wartime conditions, and why is claiming a lesbian identity openly such a potent act of resistance? Tatyana Kalinina, an expert on women’s and queer rights, addresses these questions by sharing the stories of openly lesbian women from Russia

“We Simply Must Fake It”

How have schools changed since February 24, 2022? What behavioral patterns do students adopt from their teachers? Where might all of this lead in the future? Olga, a social studies teacher at a Russian school since 2021, shared her personal experience on this topic in an interview with Posle

Army Contract and Draft: the New Architecture of Military Conscription

How will the autumn military draft change as of October 1? How does Russia recruit soldiers for its war against Ukraine? How does the new conscript oversight work? Journalist Daniil Gorodetsky answers these questions

Astrakhan Region during the War

In what ways has the war affected the lives of people in a Russian region with an extremely poor population? What impact has it had on the regional budget, human losses, and patriotic sentiment? Politician Oleg Shein shares his analysis

“We Need a Humanist Alternative to Capitalism”

Why do some Iranian feminists support Ukraine? What can we learn from the feminists in Iran? Iranian-American socialist feminist Frieda Afary reflects on the Iranian opposition in exile and discusses her vision for a global alternative to capitalism

Caught Between Two Pressures: Militarism and Reproductive Control

How do women in Russia’s border regions experience life today under both militaristic and reproductive pressures? Why is war the most effective deterrent to childbirth? Feminist activist Anna Shalamova has gathered three monologues from women living in the Kursk region

Empires’ Wings

How should we understand “anti-imperialism” today? What questions do dual-use technologies, such as drones, pose for struggles against oppression? Photojournalist and researcher Caspar Ermert draws on his fieldwork in Ukraine and Kurdistan to explore struggles for self-determination in these regions

Negotiations in Alaska

Does Trump's peace deal have a future? Posle comments

The American Leftists and Solidarity with Ukraine

How does American exceptionalism play against solidarity with Ukraine among the American left? Is it possible to combine an anti-militarist position with support for Ukraine? Ilya Budraitskis discussed these issues with Tanya Vyhovsky, a Vermont state senator and Democratic Socialists of America

Poland and Volhynia: Tribute to Victims or Self-Victimization?

How does the Polish far right instrumentalize the Volhynian massacres of 1943–1944? Can one pursue historical justice without impeding the Polish-Ukrainian alliance? Andrea Braschayko (Italy), Francesco Brusa (Italy), and Szymon Martys (Poland) report on their weekend at the commemoration ceremony in Volhynia

Wartime Protest across Russia’s Internal Borders

What legal means of protest remain in Russia today? Where do its environmental, human-rights, and Indigenous movements overlap? Kirill Medvedev discusses new forms of struggle across Russia’s internal borders

Weaponizing the Female Body in Warfare

In what ways do women’s bodies become both targets and instruments of war? How is this connected to the patriarchal logic underlying warfare? And how do women defend their bodily autonomy during conflict? Anti-war and feminist activist Yulia Nightingale discusses the violence inflicted on women’s bodies during the war in Ukraine, as well as the broader concept of violence as an ideology

On the Revolution

What was the French Revolution to its contemporaries and descendants? What is modern politics? How are our historical sentiments organized? And what connection does it have to the war in Ukraine? Historian of ideas Marina Simakova reflects on the revolutionary legacy today

Revolutionary Roads and Marxism Today

What does the work of late Marx tell us about anti-colonial and indigenous struggles’ role in overcoming capitalism? What are the revolutionary trajectories of our times? Sociologist and political activist Kevin Anderson discusses his new book and recent protests in the USA

Fabric of Resistance: Women’s Activism in Times of War

How has women’s activism in Russia changed since February 24, 2022? Why have women-led, grassroots initiatives become one of the few resilient forms of resistance? Feminist and LGBT+ activist Liliya Vezhevatova explores how women across the country continue to support one another and establish horizontal practices despite repression, isolation, and militarization