The Real Russia. Today. An activist guarding Moscow’s Nemtsov memorial dies after an attack by a pro-Putin thug; Russian TV reveals North Koreans’ happy lives; and police in Surgut investigate a maybe-terrorist attack

Story of the day

An activist guarding the Nemtsov memorial has died after an attack. Several days after being attacked while guarding the makeshift memorial to Boris Nemtsov at the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, Ivan Skripnichenko has died, a fellow activist told the website Mediazona. On the evening of August 15, Skripnichenko was reportedly guarding the memorial, which is regularly dismantled by city cleanup crews and pro-Kremlin thugs, when an unidentified man approached him and tried to speak to him. When Skripnichenko turned away, the man allegedly punched him in the nose. According to the blogger Ilya Varlamov, other activists overheard the assailant shout, “What, you don’t like Putin or something?” On August 23, Skripnichenko died. Autopsy results are still unavailable, but “he likely died from a pulmonary embolism,” one of Skripnichenko’s fellow activists believes. Story in English

Oh, Russia

Werner Goldberg wasn’t a Nazi, Russia. On August 23, Europe commemorates the victims of Stalinism and Nazism. The memorial day coincides with the signing of the 1939 German–Soviet Non-aggression Pact. This August 23, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official Twitter account decided to demonstrate the error of comparing Nazi Germany and the USSR, pointing out that Nazis “started the Holocaust” and Communists “ended the Holocaust.” There’s just one problem with the photo: the man on the left, Werner Goldberg, wasn’t a member of the Nazi party. During the Second World War, he even rescued his Jewish father from being sent to Auschwitz. Story in English

A criminal case against a prominent economist. Maybe. On the evening of August 23, the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets and the news agency Interfax reported that former Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Aleksashenko is being investigated for smuggling illegal contraband: he allegedly tried to leave the country with several rare Soviet medals. Aleksashenko and officials at two Moscow airports where the incident could have occurred say they don’t know anything about a potential criminal case. Meduza examines what we know about this strange story. Story in English

Russian television tells all about North Korean hair salons, flowers, and smiles. Earlier this month, a morning program on Russian station television started airing short news segments from Pyongyang. In each broadcast, Pervyi Kanal correspondent Marina Kim focuses on one aspect of the apparently wonderful lives enjoyed by North Koreans. Meduza reviews the content of these strange broadcasts from the world’s last remaining Communist dictatorship. Story in English

Finally some readable Russian radar data on MH17. The Russian government has provided the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team with additional radar data related to the July 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine. Investigators say the radar information Russia provided last fall was impossible to decrypt because of the format in which it was delivered. Moscow says it’s now supplied new data and instructions on how to access it. Story in Russian

Russia and terrorism

It’s not terrorism. It’s terrorism. Russian police in Surgut have refused to say it was terrorism when 19-year-old Arthur Gadzhiyev non-fatally stabbed seven pedestrians over the weekend, but sources tell Radio Svoboda that officials have nonetheless charged two of Gadzhiyev’s acquaintances with aiding and abetting terrorism. Story in English

• Context: On August 19, nineteen-year-old Arthur Gadzhiyev attacked seven pedestrians with a knife in the streets of Surgut, before being shot and killed by a police officer. Law enforcement agencies have said they are reviewing Gadzhiyev’s mental health as the leading explanation for his motive. A day after the attack, the terrorist organization ISIS released a video apparently showing Gadzhiyev swearing allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Russian officials have not commented on the video.

A provocative monument in Kiev provokes some angry actions. A monument unveiled earlier this month in honor of Ukraine’s “anti-terrorist operation” veterans fighting against pro-Russian separatists sustained two attacks on August 24. First, the statue was splashed with white paint. Later in the day, a homemade bomb was thrown at the monument, though no damage was done. Funded and installed by local civic groups, the memorial was unveiled on August 15. It shows a large sword stabbing a map of Russia above an illustration of the video game Diablo’s Tyrael, the “former Archangel of Justice.” Story in Russian

Russia’s legal system

Russia’s own Francois Fillon. Vladimir Artamonov, the former deputy head of Russia’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, was given a three-year suspended sentence on August 25 for embezzling 1.3 million rubles ($22,000). He hired his wife to a research position that she never actually performed, though she did collect the income. Artamonov’s wife and the research center’s director received three-year and 18-month suspended sentences, respectively. Story in Russian

Russian justice system closes in on public transportation hackers. A court case in Moscow is wrapping up against three hackers who broke into several reusable transportation card services, including the “Troika Card.” Prosecutors say the defendants caused 2 million rubles ($34,000) in damages by hacking Moscow’s public transportation payment system, illegally adding fare credits to reusable cards, and then selling the cards. A verdict is expected by the end of the month. Story in Russian

And that’s why you don’t punch reporters in the head. Alexander Orlov, the drunk man who punched a Russian television reporter in the head during a live holiday broadcast on August 2, has been sentenced to six months of community service and the state will begin garnishing 10 percent of his income. Orlov reportedly apologized to the reporter and his TV network, and in court he asked for mercy, saying that his retired mother relies on his support. The NTV reporter declined to advocate any particular punishment, telling the court to make the decision on its own. Story in Russian