Vlast is an independent media outlet that covers Russian politics and economics. Our original reporting and bias-free analysis help you peel away the layers of mystery and disinformation that surround the Kremlin.
In Russian, “vlast” means “power,” and we’re here to show you how power is wielded in modern Russia.
Vlast is a reader-supported publication. To support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Why read Vlast?
Our reporters have unrivalled sources and experience from years of working with the top Russian officials
We can see through Kremlin disinformation; we question and check everything that we write; we do not indulge in speculation or gossip
We always explain the context, helping you fully grasp the significance of what is unfolding
We prioritise clarity, brevity, and convenience—and will never send out a newsletter that takes more than 10 minutes to read
Our team
All our newsletters are written and edited by professional journalists with decades of experience reporting, analyzing, and explaining Russia. For security reasons, some of our team are anonymous.
Farida Rustamova is the founder of Vlast, and our lead author. She has been a political journalist for over 13 years, reporting for independent Russian outlets including Meduza, and the BBC Russian Service. She has worked on dozens of investigations about Putin's family, top officials, and other aspects of the Russian elite. Her work has been published by The New York Times and the Financial Times.
Margarita Liutova is a writer and reporter who has been covering Russian economics since 2011. After working for business daily Vedomosti, where she wrote about economic policymaking, she joined Russia’s Central Bank. She subsequently returned to journalism, and has reported on different aspects of the Russian economy for independent outlets TV Rain, and Meduza.
Howard Amos is a journalist who has been reporting and writing about Russia for 15 years. He was previously chief editor of The Moscow Times, and has also done editing work for Carnegie Politika, The Bell, and R.Politik. His non-fiction book, Russia Starts Here, was published by Bloomsbury in 2025.
How it all started
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Farida set-up a Russian-language Telegram channel, and an occasional English-language newsletter. Within a few years, the newsletter was being read by thousands of subscribers, and cited regularly by major publications, including El Mundo and CNN. In 2025, Farida expanded the team, and turned the newsletter into a regular, twice-monthly publication. The 2026 rebranding was designed to make our voice heard more widely.
Contact us
Please send us a message at vlastmedia@proton.me. We will reply as soon as we can!
