Recruiting convicts for its army has given Russia a manpower advantage. But it is backfiring in tragic ways when former inmates are pardoned and return home to commit new crimes.
Tag: Siberia
The Kremlin Was Never Able to Fully Silence Navalny
The opposition found ways to get his message out even after being imprisoned.
Ancient Worms Revived From Permafrost After 46,000 Years
Scientists want to understand how the worms survived in extreme conditions for extraordinarily long periods of time.
A Warming Siberia, Wracked by Wildfires, Nears a Crucial Threshold
Nearly 23 million acres burned from 1982 to 2020. But almost half of that occurred in 2019 and 2020, and the region may be near a threshold beyond which extreme fires become more common.
Recruitment Officer Wounded in Russian Draft Office Shooting
A gunman opened fire at a draft office in a Siberian town, in what is believed to be the first attack on a military recruitment center since February to result in serious injury.
A Reporter’s Memories of Gorbachev, and That Pizza Hut Commercial
Anatoly Kurmanaev, a New York Times reporter, recalls a childhood forever changed by a man with a distinctive birthmark.
A Mine Disaster in Russia Highlights Safety Shortfalls in Rush to Dig Coal
At least 46 miners were killed in an explosion at a Siberian mine. The director of the mine has been taken into police custody, along with five other administrators.
As Earth Warms, Old Mayhem and Secrets Emerge From the Ice
Climate change is revealing long-frozen artifacts and animals to archaeologists. But the window for study is slender and shrinking.
Long Arm of Russian Law Reaches Obscure Siberian Church
The arrest of the leader of a small religious group reveals that Russian repression reaches even to the depths of the Siberian forest.
How Russia Is Cashing In on Climate Change
Global warming may pose grave dangers around the world, but as one tiny Russian town on the Arctic Ocean shows, it can also be a ticket to prosperity.