INSIDE RUSSIA - WHAT'S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW | October 9, 2026

---------------------------------  1  --------------------------------- 

KREMLIN AGREES WITH U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE’S REMARKS ON LACK OF PROSPECTS FOR PEACE TALKS WITH UKRAINE 

The Kremlin has agreed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assessment that there are currently no prospects for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine. “Rubio is indeed right; for now, we see no preconditions for settlement," Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said. 

According to him, Ukraine does not want to “move toward a peaceful path.” At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman allowed that diplomats might be able to find “some kind of loophole” to resolve the differences.

The previous day, Rubio said that the war between Russia and Ukraine had reached a “strategic stalemate” because Moscow is demanding full control over Donbas region, while Kyiv considers this unacceptable. The US secretary of state noted that the impasse could be broken either through negotiations or through escalation by one or both sides. The United States is concerned that escalation “could affect other countries and develop into a much broader confrontation,” Rubio emphasized. According to him, “there are clear indications” that Vladimir Putin “intends to use the coming winter to completely destroy Ukraine’s energy system and force it to capitulate.”

---------------------------------  2  --------------------------------- 

RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES REPORT “UNPRECEDENTED INFORMATION PRESSURE” FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES DURING INVESTIGATION INTO PLAGUE INSTITUTE LABORATORY ASSISTANT’S DEATH 

Russian state health monitoring agency Rospotrebnadzor claimed that there was “unprecedented information pressure” during the investigation into plague institute laboratory assistant’s death. The agency noted that “fake news” was spread through social media, “primarily from foreign countries.”

“The specialists who organized and carried out the preventive measures worked under conditions of unprecedented information pressure and the spread of fake and unreliable information through social media, primarily from foreign countries. Our colleagues demonstrated restraint and professionalism and completed the full set of measures in the shortest possible time,” Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement.

The agency said it had identified “fake news” about the epidemiological situation in Irkutsk province and would therefore inspect media outlets: “Roskomnadzor will analyze the published reports and take action if knowingly false information of public significance is disseminated. Roskomnadzor has the right to demand the removal of knowingly false materials and, in the event of refusal, to block access to the resource.”

Earlier, Irkutsk Province Governor Igor Kobzev described the specialists’ work under “conditions of information pressure” as a “test” that, in his view, they had passed with distinction.

According to the provincial authorities, the quarantine in Irkutsk has been lifted. Nearly 5,000 laboratory tests were conducted in total, and “no dangerous pathogenic microorganisms” were detected, the governor said.

---------------------------------  3  --------------------------------- 

ONE OF RUSSIA’S LARGEST DATA CENTERS GETS DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF AN ATTACK

A Ukrainian Armed Forces attack on the Russian province of Kaluga damaged a data center of Russia’s largest IT company Yandex, with several modules completely knocked out of service. 

“Some Yandex services may experience disruptions. The full extent of the damage is currently being assessed. Emergency services and company specialists are working at the site. There are no casualties, and people’s safety remains the top priority,” the company said.

Yandex’s data center in Kaluga is located in the Grabtsevo industrial park and is the company’s most powerful facility. It occupies 130,000 square meters and serves the company’s internal services.

Yandex’s infrastructure has come under attack for the second night in a row. The previous day, drones damaged a data center in Sasovo, Ryazan province. A fire broke out there, and the data center’s operations were completely halted.

Following the fire, users experienced problems with a number of services. The disruptions affected state services portal Gosuslugi, Russian Railways, resale marketplace Avito, housing platform Cian, social network VKontakte, dating app Twinby, and other platforms. MTS, Tele2, Yota, Beeline, Rostelecom, and other telecom operators and internet providers also reported problems. VTB, Alfa-Bank, Ozon, and Wildberries experienced service disruptions. The company’s press service said that it could not yet say whether the damaged equipment could be restored.

---------------------------------  4  --------------------------------- 

RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES INCREASE THE VOLUME OF PROSECUTIONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN “EXTREMIST ORGANIZATIONS"

In just the first nine months of 2026, the number of cases involving participation in an “undesirable” organization increased in Russia by 50%. According to a report by the Memorial project, the number of people charged in these cases rose from 219 to 328.

The largest increases were recorded among supporters of deceased opposition politician Alexei Navalny, whose numbers grew by 107% (from 69 to 143 people); Meanwhile, the number of people charged with financing “extremist” activity surged by 117%, from 77 to 167.

The overall number of politically motivated prosecutions in the country changed only slightly, increasing by just 4% (1,393 cases over the first three quarters, compared with 1,339 during the same period in 2025).

Human rights defenders emphasize that the stability of the overall figures conceals a profound internal transformation of the repressive system. In 2026, the focus of prosecutions for public statements is shifting toward a systematic crackdown on allegedly organized, structured movements.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) remains the main source of criminal cases. At least one charge falling under the security service’s jurisdiction appears in 67% of all documented cases. Statistics on prosecutions for “words” illustrate this particularly clearly, the Memorial project writes. While the overall number of such cases is declining, charges under the FSB’s jurisdiction — those involving calls for extremism (+26%) and actions against state security (+13%) — are increasing.

---------------------------------  5  --------------------------------- 

MOSCOW RESIDENT IS FINED FOR WEARING A BLUE-AND-YELLOW BRACELET IN PUBLIC 

On September 18, Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court fined 21-year-old local resident Olesya Kulimova under the article on “discrediting” the army, SOTAvision noted.

According to the court’s ruling, the grounds for the “discrediting” charge were a blue-and-yellow bracelet on her wrist. The woman was detained at Alexandrovsky Sad subway station.

As the woman later told SOTAvision, officers at the police department  threatened her, and she signed a report under pressure stating that she had deliberately put on the blue-and-yellow bracelet. According to her, no denunciations against her had been made previously.

“An officer from the Center for Countering Extremism came there and said they would summon me. The next day, they came for me and personally took me to the department. The day after that, the police called me again and asked me to come in. So I went, and they confiscated my phone. They forced me to unlock it, and then officers from the Center for Countering Extremism came again, took me away, and told me they needed to search my home,” Kulimova said.

Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court fined her 30,000 rubles ($353).

---------------------------------  6  --------------------------------- 

ROSNEFT REFINERY SEEKS ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN CREWS TO DEFEND IT AGAINST DRONES 

The Kuibyshev Oil Refinery in the Russian city of Samara, part of the country’s largest oil company Rosneft, has posted openings on job hunting service HeadHunter for crew members to operate an anti-aircraft gun and an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) to defend against UAV attacks. Verstka drew attention to the listings.

Applicants are required to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry to join the mobilization manpower reserve, as well as complete specialized training and combat coordination exercises. They will have to work as part of an on-duty crew and “serve as part of an IFV crew in barracks conditions during training camps.” A general secondary or vocational secondary education is also required.

The employee’s duties include “protecting defense-industrial complex facilities” in Samara province, destroying aerial targets, and “maintaining the combat vehicle’s weapons in a state of readiness and keeping the vehicle in good technical condition.” 

The refinery is offering a monthly salary of 120,000 rubles ($1,400), as well as payments from the Defense Military and the state. Candidates will be accommodated in a hostel and provided with three meals a day and mandatory health and life insurance, according to the vacancy descriptions.

In May, RBC reported, citing sources, that the Russian authorities had allowed businesses to purchase large-caliber weapons for defence against drone attacks. Such weapons include anti-aircraft artillery systems, motor vehicles, and gun turrets. Previously, according to one of the publication’s sources, private companies had been allowed to purchase only small arms.

---------------------------------  7  --------------------------------- 

RUSSIAN COURT FINES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF A MEDIA OUTLET OVER REPORTS OF DRONE STRIKES 

In the Russian city of Vladimir, magistrate Ksenia Safonova imposed three fines of 30,000 rubles ($353) each on Sergei Golovinov, editor-in-chief of the local independent outlet Zebra TV, the outlet itself reports.

The journalist was found guilty of failing to comply with decisions issued by the governor or the provincial operational headquarters (Article 12.5 of the Vladimir Province Law). The law prohibits anyone other than the authorities from publishing information about Ukrainian attacks on the province. Zebra TV notes that the administrative charge against the journalist was based on a decision by the operational headquarters, the full text of which is not publicly available. T

Another independent Vladimir-based media outlet, Chesnok, had previously received an administrative charge for publishing reports about drone strikes.The journalists note that they obtained their information about drones from official sources, including the social media accounts of the Vladimir province governor.

---------------------------------  8  --------------------------------- 

RUSSIAN PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES ARE FORCED TO REPORT ON CONGRATULATING PUTIN ON HIS BIRTHDAY 

Employees of Russian state-funded organizations and activists from pro-government movements were required to congratulate President Vladimir Putin on his birthday and report on meeting the targets set for birthday greetings. An internal working document allegedly containing reports on the activities carried out was published by the outlet Dozor in Volgograd. 

According to the spreadsheet, certain types of birthday greetings were to be published by, for example, employees of the Volgograd Province Committee for Youth Policy, the Sozvezdie youth center, members of the Volunteers-Medics movement, university students, and others. The required formats included video greetings, flash mobs, and social media posts.

In addition to the type and title of the event marking Putin’s 74th birthday, organizers were required to specify the number of participants, links to social media publications posted from the event, and the contact information of the person responsible. The document indicates that reports were to be submitted by organizations and activists across Russia, as well as from the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic.” 

Journalists also published a “technical brief” for the creators of video greetings: they were supposed to introduce themselves and explain how Putin’s example had influenced their work, then thank the president and wish him a happy birthday. The address was supposed to look like a “personal, sincere first-person account,” rather than an official speech, the document emphasized.

---------------------------------  9  --------------------------------- 

RUSSIAN STREET ART AWARD BANS “FOREIGN AGENTS” FROM PARTICIPATING 

The Rassvety street art award, organized to mark the 400th anniversary of the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk, has prohibited artists designated as “foreign agents” by the Justice Ministry from applying to participate. This is stated in the competition rules on its website, as street art researcher Alexei Shakhov pointed out.

In addition to foreign agents, the award has barred people included on lists of “terrorists” and “extremists" and those involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The Rassvety award is held with the support of the Krasnoyarsk city administration, and the organizers describe it as Russia’s first nationwide award in the field of street art. 

The Russian Justice Ministry regularly designates not only political figures but also artists who criticize the authorities as “foreign agents.” The “Culture and Art” section of the ministry’s website, which features an “exhibition” of foreign agents, lists more than 100 people. The registry includes artist Slava PTRK, known for his socially critical works on the streets of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

ON THAT NOTE, WE END TODAY’S NEWS BROADCAST.

STAY TUNED FOR DAILY UPDATES ON WHAT’S HAPPENING IN RUSSIA.

K