Reporting the Russian Story Since 2007
The Russian Issues is an independent, advertiser-free publication devoted to war, history, and the enduring questions of the former Soviet space. For nearly two decades, we have filed from the front, the archive, and everywhere in between — committed to the record, without fear or favour.
“To document the conflicts and histories that shape the Russian world — accurately, independently, and for the permanent record.”
We believe history is not a settled account but a living argument. Our reporting connects today's frontline dispatches to the centuries of context that produced them — from the Mongol invasions and the rise of Moscow, through the Soviet experiment, to the war in Ukraine and the conflicts still unfolding.
We are reader-supported and answerable to no government, no party, and no advertiser. That independence is not a marketing claim; it is the structural foundation of everything we publish. When we are wrong, we say so plainly and on the record.
What We Stand For
Independent & Advertiser-Free
We accept no display advertising, no sponsored content, and no government funding. Our only stakeholders are our readers.
Rigorous Editorial Standards
Every dispatch is fact-checked against primary sources, archival records, and on-the-ground verification before publication.
Correspondents in 40 Nations
A global network of staff and stringer reporters filing from conflict zones, archives, and capitals across four continents.
Source Protection First
We protect the identity of confidential sources with the same discipline we apply to our reporting — without exception.
On the Front
- 2007
The First Edition
Founded as an independent digital broadsheet covering the former Soviet space, our publication filed its first dispatch from a borrowed desk in Tbilisi, with a single editor and a volunteer translator.
- 2014
Return to the Front
With the annexation of Crimea and the war in the Donbas, we re-established a permanent field bureau in Kyiv to cover the renewed conflict — and never left.
- 2022
Full-Scale Invasion
On February 24th, our correspondents were already in position. We have reported every day of the war since, without interruption.
The Newsroom
Editorial Desk
Editor-in-ChiefOversees all coverage, standards, and final publication decisions across the network.
Field Bureau
Correspondents & StringersStaff reporters embedded in Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, Warsaw, and across the frontline.
Archive & Research
Historians & AnalystsA dedicated team cross-referencing every contemporary dispatch against the historical record.
Standards & Ethics
Independent OmbudsmanAn external reader representative who reviews complaints and upholds our corrections policy.
Held to the Highest Standard
When we make an error, we correct it promptly and visibly. Every correction is logged, dated, and published alongside the original dispatch. We do not silently rewrite history — our own or anyone else's.
— The Editorial Standards Code, The Russian Issues
Contact the Desk
Editorial
desk@therussianissues.com
Bureau
Kyiv · Warsaw · Tbilisi · London
Newsroom Hours
24/7 — The desk never closes