March 14, 2026

The 20th Century Has Returned to Moscow. The Week's Top Events - in 'Terrible News' with Kirill Martynov

Every Saturday, Kirill Martynov, editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta Europe, comments on the most important events of the week in Russia and the world. A return to the nineties - now also in terms of technology. For over a week, Moscow has experienced disruptions in mobile internet: authorities cite 'security' and offer payphones, while residents buy paper maps, MP3 players, and remember how to live offline. Navigation is advised to be learned by the sun and stars, and the internet increasingly works via 'white lists.' Meanwhile, the state messenger MAX has already gained notoriety for fraudulent schemes, and the first fine for publishing an 'extremist' photo has appeared there. News of repression: Nikita Khrushchev's great-granddaughter declared a foreign agent, a criminal case opened for a gender party at the Zhukov monument, a streamer punished under the article on 'discrediting the army' for words about the Victory banner, and a woman sentenced to 17 years in prison for tearing down leaflets advertising contract service. And that's not all - the FSB reported thousands of 'terrorists' found in Russia in 2025 alone. International news is no less exciting. Donald Trump took offense at the Nobel Committee and stated he no longer wants the Nobel Peace Prize. He gifted his Secretary of State Marco Rubio ill-fitting shoes - now Rubio has to walk in them. Europe, meanwhile, is angry about the war in Iran, and Putin offers Trump help and discusses the situation with him by phone. Absurdity of the week: a lollipop as a gift to the mother of a soldier killed in the war, the renaming of 'Ivanushki International,' a policeman in VR glasses during an arrest, and a 'Special Military Operation' museum near Mamayev Kurgan.