Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow has not discussed the possible release of political prisoners with the United States in exchange for easing US sanctions, because the Russian authorities deny that political prisoners exist in the country.

On 21 May, Novaya Gazeta published an article by journalists Tatiana Britskaya and Svetlana Vidanova about Oleg Nefedov, a judge of the Supreme Court of Russia. The occasion was that on 26 May the Supreme Qualification Collegium of Judges was due to consider his candidacy for chair of the judicial collegium for civil cases. The authors describe him as a judge whose rulings have allowed dozens of NGOs to be shut down, and they go through the cases he has handled in detail.

Novaya Gazeta examines the Kolmozero lithium project on the Kola Peninsula and concerns about its effects on Sámi lands, reindeer herding and fragile ecosystems. Valentina Sovkina describes obstacles to meaningful participation in decisions about the project. The report explores whether consultation respects free, prior and informed consent, and places the dispute in the context of pressure on independent Indigenous voices. Source: Novaya Gazeta Source date: 30.03.2026...