This was Russia today Monday, November 3, 2025

Howdy, folks. In the mailing below, we direct your ears to a new season of a podcast that offers a more complex look at resistance in Russian society. Let us know if you’re enjoying the newsletter’s new format, why don’t you.

The podcast ‘Russia Underground’ is worth your time — especially its ‘Covert Curricula’ episode

Journalist Howard Amos and researcher Nina Berezner co-host a podcast called Russia Underground, which has just wrapped up its second miniseries. “The idea is to speak to Russians who oppose the regime and the war, but who remain inside the country,” Amos told Meduza, describing the show’s premise as “looking at compromise and (quiet) resistance.” In episode two, season two, Amos and Berezner tackle Russian school curricula since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, finding that education — even under mounting ideological pressure — isn’t the brainwashing experience you might expect.

For example, the show features one teacher in the Kaluga region who recalled holding class just a few hours after the initial invasion began in February 2022. He said he “felt it was important to talk to them honestly about the magnitude of what was unfolding,” but that led to an anonymous denunciation and a petition from the principal calling for his replacement. So far, the story sounds like a typical nightmare told about Russian society, but in this case, regional officials declined the request, saying: “No money, no staff, no resources.” In the end, the principal changed her tune. “She was all smiles. I guess she hoped I would stay,” the teacher said.

Amos and Berezner spoke to another teacher, this one at a remote rural school, whose principal actually protected him, despite his anti-war politics. That same teacher said he navigates classroom discussions about the war and Russian history by allowing everyone to speak, “giving students permission to talk about pain and empathy.” After all, some of them have relatives fighting in Ukraine.

Over the course of the war, the Russian authorities have meddled more and more in classrooms, introducing centralized lesson plans like “Important Conversations,” promoting lectures by veterans, and assigning a controversial history textbook by former Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky. These developments give the appearance of a school experience consumed by indoctrination. 

However, according to the teachers who spoke to Russia Underground, the truth is “more complicated.” Teachers find ways to “treat people humanely,” manage small acts of sabotage, and recognize the pain and feelings of all students, whatever their beliefs about the war. Part of it is active resistance from teachers with oppositional views, but sometimes it’s just overworked educators resenting yet another “unwanted obligation.”

Amos and Berezner also cite research by psychologist Yuri Lapshin and anthropologist Aleksandra Arkhipova showing that the Russian state’s attempts to seed patriotism with heavy-handed propaganda have instead taught children to speak in “two registers of speech” — officialese in public, and a “private, more honest” form of expression for family and peers. Even Medinsky’s textbook, because it’s such rubbish, serves subversive aims, one teacher explained. After all, “a badly written textbook is perfect for teaching critical thinking.”

Catch all six episodes of Russia Underground, divided into two seasons, right here and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

The Archive Collection: Nothing can stop Meduza from releasing anniversary merch — even if we have to make it ourselves. Check out our latest drop now!

We have a new tradition here at Meduza: every year on our birthday, we update the merch in our online store, Magaz. In 2025, we turned 11 — and despite the considerable challenges we’ve faced this year, we’ve found a pretty original way to bring you a new collection. Here’s a look at the latest clothing and accessories you can buy to rep Meduza and support our work.

We got The Beet. Don’t miss Meduza’s monthly newsletter (separate from the one you’re reading here)!

Today’s reporting from Meduza

Russia’s city of shadows: Alexey Titarenko’s photos use long exposure to capture the ‘infernal’ atmosphere of 1990s St. Petersburg

Photographer Alexey Titarenko’s City of Shadows series, shot in St. Petersburg between 1992 and 2000, uses ultra-long exposure to depict the bleak, chaotic atmosphere of Russia’s post-Soviet transition, where “people begin to resemble shadows.” A new exhibition in Italy and a reissued book bring renewed attention to his haunting images of grayness, scarcity, and endurance amid the collapse of everyday life.

🪖 Will Russia invade the E.U.? Meduza’s military analysts answer readers’ biggest questions about the war

Meduza’s military analysts say Russia is unlikely to expand its war into the European Union anytime soon, as its forces remain tied up in Ukraine and a broader conflict with NATO would be too risky. However, they note that signs of preparation — like troop buildups along the Baltic or Finnish borders or a new wave of mobilization — would indicate a serious shift toward that possibility.

⚖️🇧🇪 Russia charges woman who adopted Mariupol teenager with child trafficking. Yes, you read that right. Also, Belgium eases Russian asset unfreezing while stalling Europe’s ‘reparations loan.’

A Moscow court has charged Irina Rudnitskaya — a well-known foster parent who adopted Bohdan Yermokhin, a teenager taken from Mariupol — with child trafficking. Meanwhile, in Belgium, the financial depository Euroclear has begun unfreezing Russian investors’ assets without U.S. approval, even as Belgian authorities resist an E.U. plan to use frozen Russian holdings as collateral for a multibillion-dollar loan to Ukraine.

💰 Russian clients living in the E.U. struggle to regain banking access after fintech company Revolut freezes accounts

Revolut has frozen accounts of Russian and Belarusian citizens living in the E.U. to comply with new E.U. sanctions adopted on October 23, 2025, blocking access even for some with valid residency permits. The move sparked confusion and technical issues, leaving many unable to access funds while Revolut works to restore limited services for verified residents.

No country can be free without independent media. In January 2023, the Russian authorities outlawed Meduza, banning our work in the country our colleagues call home. Just supporting Meduza carries the risk of criminal prosecution for Russian nationals, which is why we’re turning to our international audience for help. Your assistance makes it possible for thousands of people in Russia to read Meduza and stay informed. Consider a small but recurring contribution to provide the most effective support. Donate here.