February 21, 2026
"Didn't believe in the war – means you deserve torture." "Terrible news" with Kirill Martynov
How Russian authorities are trying to erase the memory of past repressions by declaring Memorial an undesirable organization and replacing the Gulag History Museum with a "Museum of Memory" dedicated to the "genocide of the Soviet people." Negotiations in Geneva are again at a standstill: participants, it seems, had to listen to Medinsky's historical lectures again. ISW writes that a new mobilization is possible in Russia, and institutions are trying to gather new soldiers for meat assaults, lamenting the "unpatriotic" nature of students. At the same time, a current general is sending his acquaintances footage of torture of Ukrainians and mice. News from the colonies. What caused the death of political prisoner Alexander Dotsenko? Why is Alexei Gorinov demanding hospitalization? Why do they want to give a new sentence to the "Kansk teenager" who hasn't even managed to get out of prison yet? While the authorities are discussing blocking Telegram and trying to find a pretext for it, journalist Andrey Zakharov found a share of Putin's family in the messenger MAX. And good news: the rescue of activists who requested political asylum in the USA and Armenia's statement that it will not extradite Russian activists. Watch the main news of the week with comments from the editor-in-chief of "Novaya Gazeta Europe" Kirill Martynov.
TL;DR
- Russian authorities are accused of trying to erase memory of past repressions by targeting organizations like Memorial and altering museum narratives.
- Reports suggest a possible new mobilization in Russia and efforts to recruit soldiers, with an alleged incident of a general sharing torture footage.
- Updates on political prisoners detail concerns about the death of Alexander Dotsenko, Alexei Gorinov's hospitalization request, and a potential new sentence for a young activist.
- A journalist reportedly found a share of Putin's family in the MAX messenger app while authorities consider blocking Telegram.
- Positive news includes activists seeking political asylum in the US and Armenia's commitment not to extradite Russian activists.
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