Nataliya Vasilyeva
@nataliyavasilyeva.bsky.social
Freelance reporter @nytimes.com Past: Jerusalem and Moscow, ex-Telegraph, AP survivor. Shortlisted for 2024 UK Press Awards Foreign Correspondent of the Year.
My piece on the growing water crisis in occupied eastern Ukraine. Completely man-made and not solvable until the war ends.
“Dams have been destroyed, and there is no canal: It’s just not there. You will have to build it all from scratch.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/w...
“Dams have been destroyed, and there is no canal: It’s just not there. You will have to build it all from scratch.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/w...
With Canal and Dams Wrecked, a Russian-Occupied City’s Taps Run Dry
www.nytimes.com
August 29, 2025 at 10:48 AM
My piece on the growing water crisis in occupied eastern Ukraine. Completely man-made and not solvable until the war ends.
“Dams have been destroyed, and there is no canal: It’s just not there. You will have to build it all from scratch.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/w...
“Dams have been destroyed, and there is no canal: It’s just not there. You will have to build it all from scratch.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/w...
I got to sit down with the Tikhanovskys in Vilnius last month to talk about the future of Belarus and a stunning role reversal that his couple is now having to navigate.
"I’m teaching him to be more careful about the words you say."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/w...
"I’m teaching him to be more careful about the words you say."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/w...
He Left a Belarus Prison 132 Pounds Lighter, but Just as Outspoken
www.nytimes.com
August 18, 2025 at 9:49 AM
I got to sit down with the Tikhanovskys in Vilnius last month to talk about the future of Belarus and a stunning role reversal that his couple is now having to navigate.
"I’m teaching him to be more careful about the words you say."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/w...
"I’m teaching him to be more careful about the words you say."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/w...
My deep condolences to Derk's family. He was such a towering presence in Russian media - and a helping hand to many newsrooms.
Journalist en ondernemer Derk Sauer (1952-2025) was een moedig en gelukkig mens, met een groot talent: hij kreeg dingen voor elkaar
Journalist en ondernemer Derk Sauer (1952-2025) was een moedig en gelukkig mens, met een groot talent: hij kreeg dingen voor elkaar
De Amsterdamse journalist, uitgever en ondernemer Derk Sauer is donderdag op 72-jarige leeftijd overleden. Hij kwam de gevolgen van een ongeluk met zijn zeilboot vorige maand niet meer te boven. De laatste column van Sauer, sinds 1991 verbonden aan Het Parool, stond 27 juni in de krant.
www.parool.nl
July 31, 2025 at 3:15 PM
My deep condolences to Derk's family. He was such a towering presence in Russian media - and a helping hand to many newsrooms.
In Russia, the war in Ukraine has claimed an unlikely casualty: mobile internet networks.
Piece by me and Alina Lobzina on how Russians from big cities are getting used to navigate a life without apps, online maps and contactless pay.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w...
Piece by me and Alina Lobzina on how Russians from big cities are getting used to navigate a life without apps, online maps and contactless pay.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w...
Russia Counters Ukrainian Drones by Turning Off Russians’ Mobile Internet
www.nytimes.com
July 29, 2025 at 7:23 AM
In Russia, the war in Ukraine has claimed an unlikely casualty: mobile internet networks.
Piece by me and Alina Lobzina on how Russians from big cities are getting used to navigate a life without apps, online maps and contactless pay.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w...
Piece by me and Alina Lobzina on how Russians from big cities are getting used to navigate a life without apps, online maps and contactless pay.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w...
“It’s utterly surreal to see adult men with veritable military distinctions give reports to and grovel in front of a child.”
There's a looming issue for the Kremlin that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. My piece on succession plans for Chechnya:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/w...
There's a looming issue for the Kremlin that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. My piece on succession plans for Chechnya:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/w...
Once Russia’s Most Volatile Region, Chechnya Is Bracing for Succession
www.nytimes.com
July 3, 2025 at 8:19 AM
“It’s utterly surreal to see adult men with veritable military distinctions give reports to and grovel in front of a child.”
There's a looming issue for the Kremlin that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. My piece on succession plans for Chechnya:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/w...
There's a looming issue for the Kremlin that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. My piece on succession plans for Chechnya:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/w...
My piece on Kaskad, an obscure Russian army unit that offers officials, pro-Kremlin youth activists and various regime "Mitläufer"s a chance to get the badge of war veteran and come back home safe and sound after a short deployment in Ukraine:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/25/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/25/w...
Selfies From the Front: Inside the ‘V.I.P.’ Brigade for Ambitious Russian Officials
www.nytimes.com
May 25, 2025 at 3:04 PM
My piece on Kaskad, an obscure Russian army unit that offers officials, pro-Kremlin youth activists and various regime "Mitläufer"s a chance to get the badge of war veteran and come back home safe and sound after a short deployment in Ukraine:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/25/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/25/w...
Landmark case, even by today's Russian standards:
Melkonyants is Russia's preeminent election expert and co-chairman of Golos which has provided unrivaled expertise and training to elex monitors who went on to expose widespread fraud.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/w...
Melkonyants is Russia's preeminent election expert and co-chairman of Golos which has provided unrivaled expertise and training to elex monitors who went on to expose widespread fraud.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/w...
Russia Sentences Prominent Election Expert to 5 Years in Prison
www.nytimes.com
May 14, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Landmark case, even by today's Russian standards:
Melkonyants is Russia's preeminent election expert and co-chairman of Golos which has provided unrivaled expertise and training to elex monitors who went on to expose widespread fraud.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/w...
Melkonyants is Russia's preeminent election expert and co-chairman of Golos which has provided unrivaled expertise and training to elex monitors who went on to expose widespread fraud.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/w...
"You constantly have to play cat-and-mouse with the school."
Grateful to the brave teachers and parents who were willing to share their experience battling propaganda at school:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/w...
Grateful to the brave teachers and parents who were willing to share their experience battling propaganda at school:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/w...
With Acts of Subversion, Some Russians Fight Propaganda in Schools
www.nytimes.com
May 6, 2025 at 10:24 AM
"You constantly have to play cat-and-mouse with the school."
Grateful to the brave teachers and parents who were willing to share their experience battling propaganda at school:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/w...
Grateful to the brave teachers and parents who were willing to share their experience battling propaganda at school:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/w...
Russian independent newsrooms in exile have been essential for our understanding of the Kremlin's crackdown on civil society in Russia: A lot of what we know about the closed-door trial of four journalists in Moscow is thanks to the excellent Mediazona:
zona.media/online/2025/...
zona.media/online/2025/...
Журналистов судят по делу ФБК. Приговор
Антонину Фаворскую, Сергея Карелина, Константина Габова и Артема Кригера приговорили к 5,5 годам колонии каждого
zona.media
April 16, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Russian independent newsrooms in exile have been essential for our understanding of the Kremlin's crackdown on civil society in Russia: A lot of what we know about the closed-door trial of four journalists in Moscow is thanks to the excellent Mediazona:
zona.media/online/2025/...
zona.media/online/2025/...
Strong story by NYT colleagues @paulsonne.bsky.social Alina Lobzina, Milana Mazaeva on what Eastern Europe and Central Asia stand to lose if RFE/RL shuts down following Trump's executive order:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/w...
Its Journalism Challenged Autocrats. Trump Wants to Silence It.
Journalists at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who have been imprisoned for their work are dismayed by the effort to close the outlet.
www.nytimes.com
April 16, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Strong story by NYT colleagues @paulsonne.bsky.social Alina Lobzina, Milana Mazaeva on what Eastern Europe and Central Asia stand to lose if RFE/RL shuts down following Trump's executive order:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/w...
Donald Trump may very well believe Vladimir Putin's word to stick to any peace deal they might negotiate.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians who fled the country in the aftermath of the invasion are not that gullible. My Sunday piece:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/w...
Hundreds of thousands of Russians who fled the country in the aftermath of the invasion are not that gullible. My Sunday piece:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/w...
Peace in Ukraine Will Not Mean a Return Home, Russian Émigrés Say
Hundreds of thousands fled Russia after the Ukraine invasion, fearing the draft and widening repression. Talks toward a possible truce have done little to allay their fears.
www.nytimes.com
April 7, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Donald Trump may very well believe Vladimir Putin's word to stick to any peace deal they might negotiate.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians who fled the country in the aftermath of the invasion are not that gullible. My Sunday piece:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/w...
Hundreds of thousands of Russians who fled the country in the aftermath of the invasion are not that gullible. My Sunday piece:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/w...
With the war in Ukraine and war-related repression expanding in Russia, it's easy to overlook a major transformation in Russia right now: thanks to a new 'extremism' designation, gay people are virtually outlawed in Russia.
My piece with Alina Lobzina:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/w...
My piece with Alina Lobzina:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/w...
A Prison Death Highlights Russia’s LGBTQ Crackdown
The Russian government has unleashed a wave of repression against L.G.B.T.Q. people, with the police raiding gay night clubs and investigators targeting people they suspect of being gay.
www.nytimes.com
April 1, 2025 at 9:27 AM
With the war in Ukraine and war-related repression expanding in Russia, it's easy to overlook a major transformation in Russia right now: thanks to a new 'extremism' designation, gay people are virtually outlawed in Russia.
My piece with Alina Lobzina:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/w...
My piece with Alina Lobzina:
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/w...
Three years into the war and exile, Russian independent media are feeing the squeeze: The editor-in-chief of the excellent @en.zona.media is making an urgent appeal for donations - he has taken himself off the payroll to avoid more cuts.
en.zona.media/article/2025...
en.zona.media/article/2025...
Mediazona on the brink. We need 5,000 monthly subscribers to survive
Mediazona is running out of money. We’ve had to cut staff and slash salaries. Editor-in-chief Sergey Smirnov and editor Dmitry Treshchanin will now be working without pay. If thing...
en.zona.media
March 31, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Three years into the war and exile, Russian independent media are feeing the squeeze: The editor-in-chief of the excellent @en.zona.media is making an urgent appeal for donations - he has taken himself off the payroll to avoid more cuts.
en.zona.media/article/2025...
en.zona.media/article/2025...
Curious stats from Russia's Federal Treasury this morning:
The federal budget last year sent some $2 billion (176 billion rubles) to Crimea in budget subsidies.
Putin claimed in 2014 that the Crimean annexation would be profitable for Russia.
www.rbc.ru/economics/04...
The federal budget last year sent some $2 billion (176 billion rubles) to Crimea in budget subsidies.
Putin claimed in 2014 that the Crimean annexation would be profitable for Russia.
www.rbc.ru/economics/04...
Крым вышел на первое место по объему внешней поддержки бюджета
Республика Крым по итогам 2024 года заняла первое место по общему объему так называемых безвозмездных перечислений в ее бюджет — из федерального центра и других источников. По этому показателю регион ...
www.rbc.ru
March 4, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Curious stats from Russia's Federal Treasury this morning:
The federal budget last year sent some $2 billion (176 billion rubles) to Crimea in budget subsidies.
Putin claimed in 2014 that the Crimean annexation would be profitable for Russia.
www.rbc.ru/economics/04...
The federal budget last year sent some $2 billion (176 billion rubles) to Crimea in budget subsidies.
Putin claimed in 2014 that the Crimean annexation would be profitable for Russia.
www.rbc.ru/economics/04...
Reposted by Nataliya Vasilyeva
LSE researchers have "identified more than 200 Russian court rulings to nationalize private companies since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022," for violating privatization laws, per
@nataliyavasilyeva.bsky.social.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/w...
@nataliyavasilyeva.bsky.social.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/w...
Emboldened Kremlin Steps Up Efforts to Seize Businesses in Russia
The legal onslaught on Moscow’s second-largest airport has been seen as part of the Kremlin’s wartime drive to seize control of key assets still in private hands.
www.nytimes.com
February 23, 2025 at 7:05 PM
LSE researchers have "identified more than 200 Russian court rulings to nationalize private companies since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022," for violating privatization laws, per
@nataliyavasilyeva.bsky.social.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/w...
@nataliyavasilyeva.bsky.social.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/w...
Three years ago today Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine that killed tens of thousands and erased entire cities from the face of the earth. 1/2
February 24, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Three years ago today Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine that killed tens of thousands and erased entire cities from the face of the earth. 1/2
My story on the aftermath of the Kerch oil spill:
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/w...
"Two weeks into the new year, and four weeks after the spill, President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged the extent of the disaster and dispatched senior officials to deal with Russia’s largest oil spill in years."
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/w...
"Two weeks into the new year, and four weeks after the spill, President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged the extent of the disaster and dispatched senior officials to deal with Russia’s largest oil spill in years."
A Storm, a Spill and a Disaster for the Black Sea’s Beaches
Vast stretches of Russian coast have been tarred by heavy fuel oil from two freighters that foundered in a storm.
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2025 at 10:31 AM
My story on the aftermath of the Kerch oil spill:
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/w...
"Two weeks into the new year, and four weeks after the spill, President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged the extent of the disaster and dispatched senior officials to deal with Russia’s largest oil spill in years."
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/w...
"Two weeks into the new year, and four weeks after the spill, President Vladimir V. Putin acknowledged the extent of the disaster and dispatched senior officials to deal with Russia’s largest oil spill in years."
This Sunday’s presidential election in Belarus couldn’t be more different from the heady days of the 2020 election campaign.
My preview:
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/w...
My preview:
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/w...
His Opponents Sidelined, Lukashenko Is Set for a 7th Term in Belarus
President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia’s leader, Vladimir V. Putin, has been making signs of reaching out to the West. He is all but certain to win an election on Sunday.
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2025 at 11:18 AM
This Sunday’s presidential election in Belarus couldn’t be more different from the heady days of the 2020 election campaign.
My preview:
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/w...
My preview:
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/w...
This story took several weeks and over a dozen interviews to report. My deep-dive into the fascinating saga of Wildberries where a battle over a multi-billion business got mixed with a family drama:
www.economist.com/1843/2025/01...
For @economist.com
www.economist.com/1843/2025/01...
For @economist.com
The warlord, the oligarch and the unravelling of Russia’s Amazon.com
Before the Ukraine war, Wildberries was a giant of e-commerce. Now it’s caught up in a medieval blood feud
www.economist.com
January 25, 2025 at 8:27 AM
This story took several weeks and over a dozen interviews to report. My deep-dive into the fascinating saga of Wildberries where a battle over a multi-billion business got mixed with a family drama:
www.economist.com/1843/2025/01...
For @economist.com
www.economist.com/1843/2025/01...
For @economist.com
This is becoming a sub-genre: a public figure from the West shows up at a neighborhood store in Russia to admire the variety of goods.
This time, it's Slovak politician Andrej Danko who is psyched that butter at an Auchan in Moscow costs between 1.30€ and 2,80€
www.instagram.com/p/DExgQv2qsW...
This time, it's Slovak politician Andrej Danko who is psyched that butter at an Auchan in Moscow costs between 1.30€ and 2,80€
www.instagram.com/p/DExgQv2qsW...
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
www.instagram.com
January 14, 2025 at 9:16 AM
This is becoming a sub-genre: a public figure from the West shows up at a neighborhood store in Russia to admire the variety of goods.
This time, it's Slovak politician Andrej Danko who is psyched that butter at an Auchan in Moscow costs between 1.30€ and 2,80€
www.instagram.com/p/DExgQv2qsW...
This time, it's Slovak politician Andrej Danko who is psyched that butter at an Auchan in Moscow costs between 1.30€ and 2,80€
www.instagram.com/p/DExgQv2qsW...
More overtures from Lukashenko to the West. This time, they parade former presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryka who seems to look reasonably well.
t.me/sprava_by/12...
t.me/sprava_by/12...
SPRAVA || Роман Протасевич
t.me
January 8, 2025 at 8:25 AM
More overtures from Lukashenko to the West. This time, they parade former presidential hopeful Viktor Babaryka who seems to look reasonably well.
t.me/sprava_by/12...
t.me/sprava_by/12...
My story on the ongoing wave of presidential pardons in Belarus in recent months.
“Lukashenko has over the years shown his willingness to release his sworn enemies as long as he saw he was getting something worthy in return."
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/w...
“Lukashenko has over the years shown his willingness to release his sworn enemies as long as he saw he was getting something worthy in return."
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/w...
Is a Putin Ally in Belarus Making a Cautious Overture to the West?
President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus keeps arresting political opponents, but analysts wonder if a string of unusual pardons is a bid to get sanctions eased.
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2024 at 7:29 AM
My story on the ongoing wave of presidential pardons in Belarus in recent months.
“Lukashenko has over the years shown his willingness to release his sworn enemies as long as he saw he was getting something worthy in return."
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/w...
“Lukashenko has over the years shown his willingness to release his sworn enemies as long as he saw he was getting something worthy in return."
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/w...
Great digest of Russian state TV's week of turnout in the aftermath of the demise of the Syrian regime (RUS)
The current propaganda line: Nothing to see here, we can do without Syria (9 years and billion of rubles worth of military involvement later)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lr1...
The current propaganda line: Nothing to see here, we can do without Syria (9 years and billion of rubles worth of military involvement later)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lr1...
📺 ЗОМБОЯЩИК | Переобувание года: Сирия больше не нужна! | Шаман спасает карьеру в объятьях мужчины
YouTube video by Популярная политика
www.youtube.com
December 13, 2024 at 3:37 PM
Great digest of Russian state TV's week of turnout in the aftermath of the demise of the Syrian regime (RUS)
The current propaganda line: Nothing to see here, we can do without Syria (9 years and billion of rubles worth of military involvement later)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lr1...
The current propaganda line: Nothing to see here, we can do without Syria (9 years and billion of rubles worth of military involvement later)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lr1...
Strong words from Alexei Gorinov, a Moscow councillor in prison for an anti-war statement, now on trial for talking against the war in prison:
"As a citizen of my country I'm guilty for letting that war happen and failing to stop it. Please make a note of it in your verdict."
"As a citizen of my country I'm guilty for letting that war happen and failing to stop it. Please make a note of it in your verdict."
Алексей Горинов и его последнее слово
Цитирует Льва Толстого и говорит вину за войну
Сегодня ему вынесут новый приговор
zona.media/online/2024/...
Цитирует Льва Толстого и говорит вину за войну
Сегодня ему вынесут новый приговор
zona.media/online/2024/...
Новое дело против депутата Алексея Горинова. Приговор
Ему запросили 3,5 года колонии
zona.media
November 29, 2024 at 10:01 AM
Strong words from Alexei Gorinov, a Moscow councillor in prison for an anti-war statement, now on trial for talking against the war in prison:
"As a citizen of my country I'm guilty for letting that war happen and failing to stop it. Please make a note of it in your verdict."
"As a citizen of my country I'm guilty for letting that war happen and failing to stop it. Please make a note of it in your verdict."
Russia's Channel One said in a live broadcast earlier this morning Germany has ordered them to shut down their Berlin bureau and leave the country. No confirmation from Germany yet. Russia's foreign ministry has promised a swift response.
November 27, 2024 at 8:46 AM
Russia's Channel One said in a live broadcast earlier this morning Germany has ordered them to shut down their Berlin bureau and leave the country. No confirmation from Germany yet. Russia's foreign ministry has promised a swift response.