Olesia Krivtsova

FSB arranges transport to the border, motel in Kandalaksha claims

"Our services came and picked them up,” a receptionist with the motel in Kandalaksha said when called by the Barents Observer on Tuesday. A few hours later, 41 migrants crossed the border to Finish Lapland at Salla checkpoint.
November 21, 2023

He killed his drinking buddy with a stool and slept with a teenager. A school in the North Russian region of Komi will keep medals of the criminal turned “hero of the Special Military Operation”

Sergei Durkin, a native of the village of Ust-Tsilma in Komi, spent many years behind bars. From prison, he was recruited to fight in Ukraine where he was killed on November 9, 2022. A year later, the house he had lived in was decorated with a memorial plaque, while his awards, including those from the Wagner paramilitary group, were taken to a local school. The Barents Observer spoke with the soldier's sister and with the principal of the school where they intend to keep Durkin's awards, regardless of his past.
November 20, 2023

“State for the people, not cogs for the empire.” A Murmansk politician ran for office under anti-war slogans

Maxim Kirilenko, a Communist Party candidate to the municipal council of Kildinstroy, Murmansk region, spoke out against war, imperialism and censorship in his election campaign. The Barents Observer spoke with the politician who is not afraid to speak his mind, despite repression and pressure from the authorities.
September 28, 2023

Wagner defector detained by Norwegian police in attempted illegal border crossing back to Russia

I want to go back to Russia, Andrei Medvedev told the Barents Observer in Kirkenes earlier on Friday.
September 22, 2023

Warship arrives in Arkhangelsk on propaganda tour

Onboard Northern Fleet’s large landing ship "Ivan Gren" are damaged Ukrainian weaponry and alleged "Nazi literature". The display is part of the “Strength in Truth” propaganda campaign. At the event, residents of Arkhangelsk are invited to sign up to fight in Ukraine.
September 17, 2023

“Women's rights in Russia are in a catastrophic state.” How war changes the lives of women in Russia

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the level of violence against women in Russia has increased, and the state has suddenly taken an interest in their reproductive rights again.
September 13, 2023

How the state crushed the protest movement in the Arkhangelsk region

Harassment on social media, mass denunciations, apologies on camera, expulsion from educational institutions – the political scene in the Arkhangelsk region has been cleared with special care. As a result, some ended up in prison, others were forced to leave the country, and some began to actively “cooperate with the investigation”. The Barents Observer collected testimonies from activists who spoke about “setups” by university professors, threats of conscription, a strange FSB officer who introduced himself by various names, and many other tricks that were used against activists and journalists.
September 05, 2023

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