Putin the pro-choice champion The Russian leader’s fans among the U.S. Christian Right prefer to ignore his liberal views on abortion feature Amie Ferris-Rotman
For Christian conservatives, ‘sinners’ are essential allies From Putin to Trump, “family values” advocates say they will work with anyone to advance their agenda dispatch Agata Popeda
Small gay rights rally held in Tbilisi amid fears of violence Activists ceded the streets to homophobic priests and neo-Nazis dispatch Giorgi Lomsadze
Georgia’s condemned condoms A cheeky contraception in Georgia renews the debate on the separation of church, state and safe sex dispatch Giorgi Lomsadze
How Two Russian Grandmothers Turned Into An Internet Sensation The Russian government got more than it bargained for when it slapped down a bunch of cadets for uploading a spoof dance video video Coda Story
How disinformation became a new threat to women Female politicians and other high profile women face a growing threat from sexualized disinformation dispatch Nina Jankowicz
Why the Kremlin is waltzing over ‘Matilda’ A new movie about Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II, and his affair with a Polish ballerina has brought protesters onto the streets — and many are Putin supporters. But the Kremlin is dancing with both sides feature Daria Litvinova
Meet the gay Russian man blackmailed to infiltrate terrorist groups in Syria An investigation by a Moscow-based newspaper this spring made headlines around the world that the Russian government in Chechnya, a republic in the North Caucasus, was committing horrific crimes against gay men. Russia’s leading independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta exposed systematic arrests, torture and in some cases killings of homosexuals in Chechnya. dispatch Katia Patin and Caucasian Knot
‘Anywhere You Live, There is Your Home’: Story of a Refugee Holding on in Berlin’s Tempelhof video Luisa Beck and Sofiya Voznaya
Russian TV network won’t air ‘Simpsons’ episode over fears of offending christians dispatch Katia Patin
Europe, Germany Brace for African Migrants as Record Numbers Land in Sicily As European countries pull back from past commitments to accepting refugees, tens of thousands linger in Italy as they navigate an overwhelmed asylum system. dispatch Perla Trevizo
Kremlin, nationalists face off over Romanov romance ‘Mathilda’ Moscow’s conservative friends become its foes in campaign to defend Tsar Nicholas II’s memory feature Natalia Antonova
Refugees Paid One Euro an Hour by German Employment Program Germany is expanding its job program for asylum seekers. But 100,000 new jobs paying 80 cents an hour stirs resentment dispatch Laura Kasinof