Joshua Yaffa
Joshua Yaffa is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and the author of “Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia,” which won the Orwell Prize in 2021.
How Will Putin Respond to the Terrorist Attack in Moscow?
The Russian President has a long history of spinning lapses in security for his own political gain.
Has Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Improved His Standing in Russia?
As Russians go to the polls, the economy is booming and the public feels hopeful about the future. But the politics of Putinism still depend on the absence of any means to challenge it.
Was an Antiwar Russian Tricked Into Carrying Out an Assassination Plot?
Darya Trepova admits that a network of handlers in Ukraine recruited her to hand an explosive device to a far-right propagandist in St. Petersburg—but, she says, they never told her it was a bomb.
What Could Tip the Balance in the War in Ukraine?
In 2024, the most decisive fight may also be the least visible: Russia and Ukraine will spend the next twelve months in a race to reconstitute and resupply their forces.
A Russian Journalist’s Pained Love for Her Country
In a new book, Elena Kostyuchenko attempts to work through how she missed—or, rather, failed to adequately react to—Russia’s descent into fascism.
Putin’s Deadly Revenge on Prigozhin
The killing of Wagner’s leader, who is presumed dead after his private plane crashed en route to St. Petersburg, won’t address the deeper sources of stress affecting the Russian President’s grip on power.
Inside the Wagner Group’s Armed Uprising
How Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private military company went from fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine to staging a mutiny at home.
The Wagner Group Is a Crisis of Putin’s Own Making
For a decade, the Russian President outsourced his military ambitions to the mercenary force and its pugnacious leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin—then they turned against him.
The Vanishing Acts of Vladimir Putin
One of the seeming paradoxes of the Russian President is the degree to which he is at once a unitary micromanager and an absent, aloof, and often indecisive leader.
The Unimaginable Horror of a Friend’s Arrest in Moscow
It’s painful and surreal to write these words: Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, is being held by Russian authorities on espionage charges.
An Anniversary of Destruction, Loss, and Bravery in Ukraine
Ukrainians have responded with remarkable dignity and courage, but there is little to romanticize one year into the Russian invasion.
The Impact of Russian Missile Strikes on Ukraine’s Power Grid
The Kremlin wagered that by depriving Ukrainians of electricity—and heat and water—during wintertime, they would sap the country’s resolve.
The Hunt for Russian Collaborators in Ukraine
As occupied territories are liberated, some residents face accusations that they sided with the enemy.
A Ukrainian Prisoner of War’s Long Journey Home
An elementary-school teacher returned to her family at the start of the war—then Russian soldiers took her away.
Inside the U.S. Effort to Arm Ukraine
Since the start of the Russian invasion, the Biden Administration has provided valuable intelligence and increasingly powerful weaponry—a risky choice that has paid off in the battle against Putin.
Putin’s Escalation in Ukraine Is a Losing Strategy
The push to claim new territory and mobilize more troops is unlikely to reverse Russia’s losses on the battlefield—but it could move the war into its most dangerous phase yet.
The Psychologists Treating Rape Victims in Ukraine
A grassroots effort is offering mental-health care to Ukrainians who’ve faced sexual violence at the hands of the Russian invasion force.
The Fight to Survive Russia’s Onslaught in Eastern Ukraine
The war has become, as one Ukrainian soldier put it, a game of “artillery Ping-Pong.”
A Ukrainian City Under a Violent New Regime
How the Russian occupation transformed life in Melitopol.
The Siege of Chernihiv
For more than a month, the Russian military pummelled residents with bombing raids and missile fire, turning a locked-in Ukrainian city into an urban death trap.
How Will Putin Respond to the Terrorist Attack in Moscow?
The Russian President has a long history of spinning lapses in security for his own political gain.
Has Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Improved His Standing in Russia?
As Russians go to the polls, the economy is booming and the public feels hopeful about the future. But the politics of Putinism still depend on the absence of any means to challenge it.
Was an Antiwar Russian Tricked Into Carrying Out an Assassination Plot?
Darya Trepova admits that a network of handlers in Ukraine recruited her to hand an explosive device to a far-right propagandist in St. Petersburg—but, she says, they never told her it was a bomb.
What Could Tip the Balance in the War in Ukraine?
In 2024, the most decisive fight may also be the least visible: Russia and Ukraine will spend the next twelve months in a race to reconstitute and resupply their forces.
A Russian Journalist’s Pained Love for Her Country
In a new book, Elena Kostyuchenko attempts to work through how she missed—or, rather, failed to adequately react to—Russia’s descent into fascism.
Putin’s Deadly Revenge on Prigozhin
The killing of Wagner’s leader, who is presumed dead after his private plane crashed en route to St. Petersburg, won’t address the deeper sources of stress affecting the Russian President’s grip on power.
Inside the Wagner Group’s Armed Uprising
How Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private military company went from fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine to staging a mutiny at home.
The Wagner Group Is a Crisis of Putin’s Own Making
For a decade, the Russian President outsourced his military ambitions to the mercenary force and its pugnacious leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin—then they turned against him.
The Vanishing Acts of Vladimir Putin
One of the seeming paradoxes of the Russian President is the degree to which he is at once a unitary micromanager and an absent, aloof, and often indecisive leader.
The Unimaginable Horror of a Friend’s Arrest in Moscow
It’s painful and surreal to write these words: Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, is being held by Russian authorities on espionage charges.
An Anniversary of Destruction, Loss, and Bravery in Ukraine
Ukrainians have responded with remarkable dignity and courage, but there is little to romanticize one year into the Russian invasion.
The Impact of Russian Missile Strikes on Ukraine’s Power Grid
The Kremlin wagered that by depriving Ukrainians of electricity—and heat and water—during wintertime, they would sap the country’s resolve.
The Hunt for Russian Collaborators in Ukraine
As occupied territories are liberated, some residents face accusations that they sided with the enemy.
A Ukrainian Prisoner of War’s Long Journey Home
An elementary-school teacher returned to her family at the start of the war—then Russian soldiers took her away.
Inside the U.S. Effort to Arm Ukraine
Since the start of the Russian invasion, the Biden Administration has provided valuable intelligence and increasingly powerful weaponry—a risky choice that has paid off in the battle against Putin.
Putin’s Escalation in Ukraine Is a Losing Strategy
The push to claim new territory and mobilize more troops is unlikely to reverse Russia’s losses on the battlefield—but it could move the war into its most dangerous phase yet.
The Psychologists Treating Rape Victims in Ukraine
A grassroots effort is offering mental-health care to Ukrainians who’ve faced sexual violence at the hands of the Russian invasion force.
The Fight to Survive Russia’s Onslaught in Eastern Ukraine
The war has become, as one Ukrainian soldier put it, a game of “artillery Ping-Pong.”
A Ukrainian City Under a Violent New Regime
How the Russian occupation transformed life in Melitopol.
The Siege of Chernihiv
For more than a month, the Russian military pummelled residents with bombing raids and missile fire, turning a locked-in Ukrainian city into an urban death trap.