This was Russia today Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Howdy, folks. Today, I reviewed a recent AI-powered interview with imprisoned intellectual Boris Kagarlitsky, who weighed in on the state of Russian leftism and speculated about the real cause of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Keep reading for news briefs on covert Iranian–Russian nuclear cooperation and the British Navy losing patience with a Russian spy ship. If you’re enjoying the newsletter’s new approach (or want to complain), please let me know. Yours, Kevin.

AI avatar brings sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky’s prison letters to life in new interview on Russia’s left

Last month, Russian sociologist and leftist intellectual Boris Kagarlitsky appeared on the YouTube channel Vestnik Buri in an interview with leftist journalist Andrey Rudoi. Their conversation (available in English and the original Russian) is summarized below, but perhaps the most interesting thing about the footage is that the Kagarlitsky presented to viewers was generated from his written letters using artificial intelligence. You see, Boris Kagarlitsky is currently serving a five-year sentence for “justifying terrorism” in an online post about the 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion. Five minutes into the interview, after a brief telephone recording, Kagarlitsky’s digital avatar takes over. The effect is surprisingly natural, and it seems likely that other Russian media outlets will use this trick to breathe life into correspondence with political prisoners.

Much of the interview concerns the insider politics of Russia’s leftist community. What’s the best way to advocate against market liberalism while avoiding Soviet nostalgia? How should leftists navigate the USSR’s “highly contradictory society”? How can activists build big-tent leftism in Russia today? Why should Marxists fight for liberal democracy if capitalism’s collapse assures socialism’s victory? Generally speaking, Kagarlitsky’s advice is to look forward, not backward, and focus on democratization, peace, social rights, and the nationalization of Russia’s natural monopolies.

Less ideologically, Kagarlitsky said he doesn’t regret fleeing the country when it became apparent that he would face prison for his online commentary. Emigration “isn’t my style,” he told Rudoi. Kagarlitsky also praised the digital mail service run by the Federal Penitentiary Service, noting that it functions more reliably than Russia’s civilian postal service. 

The interview repeatedly returns to Russian liberals — leftists’ would-be nemeses, were it not for the greater enemy embodied in the Putin regime. Kagarlitsky blamed the liberal-led 2011–2012 Bolotnaya protests for wasting the social momentum sparked by the Great Recession. “All the protest’s energy sank into the bog of liberal opportunism,” he complained in a play on words (Bolotnaya, in this case, the name of the public square in Moscow where demonstrators gathered, literally means “boggy”). “The leaders of the liberal opposition, as well as the business figures who backed them, feared an uncontrollable political process” and steered a movement for “radical change” into futility. A decade ago, Kagarlitsky recalled, it was easier for Russian leftists to gain access to “patriotic platforms” (such as Dmitry “Goblin” Puchkov’s shows) than liberal outlets. This changed, according to Kagarlitsky, with the arrival of a new generation of professional journalists who were less hostile (or even sympathetic) to leftism.

Kagarlitsky also rejected the notion that Donald Trump has made any progress in resolving the Russia–Ukraine war, arguing that the conflict is fundamentally “rooted in Russia’s domestic political problems,” not territory or geopolitics. “The central issue is the transfer of power in the Kremlin. And in Ukraine, I believe, there is also a question of power redistribution, just in a different form,” Kagarlitsky said. “It doesn’t even matter how the fighting ends.”

According to Kagarlitsky, both liberal and Kremlin propaganda disguise the fact that the Russian elites “are deeply fragmented and pursue entirely different, often outright incompatible goals.” He compared the Putin regime to a “ship drifting on inertia while an endless argument rages on the bridge about which direction to sail.” Sooner or later, an iceberg will emerge from the fog.

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.

News you don’t want to miss today

☢️ Iran nuclear experts made a second covert visit to Russia ⚛️

Iranian nuclear scientists linked to the military-affiliated Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) research unit made a second covert visit to Russia last year, part of what the U.S. says is Tehran’s effort to acquire sensitive technologies with potential nuclear-weapons applications.

• The exchanges: The trip, arranged by an SPND front company, brought Iranian laser specialists to Laser Systems, a U.S.-sanctioned Russian firm near St. Petersburg that works on both civilian and classified military projects. Evidence reviewed by experts indicates Iran was seeking laser technology that could help validate a nuclear weapon design without conducting an explosive test.
• The implication: Documents obtained by the FT represent the first evidence of Moscow’s apparent willingness to engage Tehran on knowledge potentially relevant to nuclear weapons. Analysts say the activity appears “state-sanctioned at a high level” on both the Russian and Iranian sides. | Financial Times

🔱 U.K. warns Russia: ‘Military options’ ready after spy ship laser incident 🇬🇧

British Defense Secretary John Healey warned that the U.K. has “military options” prepared should the Russian vessel Yantar escalate its behavior, after the ship directed “deeply dangerous” lasers at RAF pilots monitoring it near Scotland.

• The escalation: The Yantar is a Russian intelligence vessel suspected of mapping and targeting the U.K’s critical undersea data and energy cables. Operated by Russia’s deep-sea intelligence directorate, the Yantar can deploy miniature submersibles capable of surveying (and potentially sabotaging) critical but largely undefended undersea infrastructure
• The response: The U.K. has changed the Navy’s rules of engagement to allow closer monitoring of the vessel. The Russian Embassy in London denied the claims, insisting its activities do not target U.K. security and that it has no interest in British underwater communications. | Reuters / BBC

🕊️ The Trump administration has another peace plan for Russia and Ukraine. One side will likely welcome it far more than the other. | The Trump administration has proposed a 28-point plan that would require sweeping Ukrainian concessions on territory, military strength, and sovereignty in exchange for vague U.S. security guarantees — a proposal widely criticized as aligning closely with Russia’s maximalist demands.

At least 25 killed in Russian strike on Ukraine’s Ternopil, others may be trapped under rubble | Russian drone and missile strikes on Ternopil killed at least 25 people, injured dozens more, and left residents trapped under rubble after two apartment buildings were heavily damaged overnight.

🪖 As the battle for Pokrovsk continues, Meduza’s military analysts weigh the costs for Ukraine on other fronts | Russian forces’ push toward Pokrovsk has forced Ukraine to pour so many reserves into holding the city that several other fronts — from Hulyaipole to Kostiantynivka, Siversk, and Lyman — are now at heightened risk as Russian troops advance on multiple axes.

🔍 Video analysis identifies X-101 cruise missile in Russia’s deadly Ternopil strike | Russia’s November 19 strike on Ternopil was carried out with an X-101 cruise missile, as confirmed by video analysis and Ukraine’s Air Force, which traced the launches to Tu-95MS and Tu-160MS bombers operating from Russia’s Vologda and Astrakhan regions.

📍 ‘Total nonsense’: A former Russian military cartographer on how the army cooks its maps to exaggerate gains | A former Russian military cartographer describes how commanders systematically falsify battlefield maps — exaggerating advances, fabricating troop positions, and deceiving both superiors and their own forces — while soldiers endure chaotic conditions, brutality, and a war many privately believe is unwinnable.

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.