LET US EXPLAIN

“Zeroing”: the Russian name for extrajudicial killings on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. Before 2022, the word was used to describe new constitutional amendments that allowed Putin to stay the president of Russia for two more terms.

A person proclaimed “a foreign agent” by the Russian government — usually for speaking truth to power. Two of StraightForward cofounders and eight of our authors had been slapped with the label.

‍

An FSB agent, a cop, or a spy: in Putin’s Russia, a member of a privileged social class that holds business and government under control.

‍

Truthful information regarding the war in Ukraine, which the Russian government recognizes as “fake.” To distribute such information is a felony offense.

A region in Eastern Ukraine, where, in 2014, Russian-backed forces started a separatist movement that led to war. In 2022, Putin used “the defense of people of Donbas” as a pretext for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A person who wholeheartedly supports Putin’s war in Ukraine. The term is derived from Z, a letter which became one of the “patriotic” war symbols in Russia.

A Russian person called up for obligatory military service during “partial mobilization”proclaimed by Putin. Mobiks usually receive very little training and die in droves on the frontlines of the Ukraine war.

“Special military operation”: the Kremlin’s name for its criminal war in Ukraine. The words“war” and “peace” are virtually banned in Russia.

A regime of total control of the Russian population through digital surveillance: collecting of personal data, tracking one’s actions through CCTV and other technological means, etc. TheKremlin has been trying to create the digital GULAG in Russia for ages, but the Russia black data market is too rogue to comply.

1: Aleksandr Gabyshev, a Yakut spiritual practitioner, who, in early 2020s, tried to march8,000 kilometers on foot to Moscow in order to “exorcise Putin from the Kremlin,” but was taken down by siloviki and prosecuted.
2: A Russian patriotic pop singer, the author of a hit song “I am Russian,” and the most notable symbol of the new Russian official pro-war culture.

“An undesirable:” a label that the Russian government puts on organizations that it deemsespecially dangerous for the regime. Even a loose affiliation with a “nezhelatel’nyi” mayconstitute a felony offense. Most “nezhelatel’nyi” are independent media and politicalorganizations, or Western NGOs (including, for example, WWF).

An official euphemism for an explosion: the Russian state media use it to soften the effect of the news.

“A meat storm”: A Russian military strategy in Ukraine: infantry (usually mobiks or former convicts) is sent to attack in waves, so that the enemy is overwhelmed by numbers. The shturms usually result in huge losses for their participants.

“Grandpa”: A nickname for Russian president Vladimir Putin, widely used by the members of the Russian elite.

A process during which Russian military units “clean up” a potentially hostile settlement, be it a Chechen village or a neighbourhood in a Ukrainian city. Often results in numerous extrajudicial killings and civilian death.

A semi-nomadic Turkic tribe that, in 9th and 10th centuries, used to control vast lands in southeastern Europe and often waged wars with ancient Russians. Figuratively, the word is often used to allude to Vladimir Putin’s dangerous love of history: the Russian president often uses ancient events as pretexts for his actions, and adores giving lectures on history toRussian people and foreign leaders.

An official designation that the Russian government reserves for the most “dangerous”people — i.e., often for opposition activists and independent writers. Extremists’ bank accounts are blocked, and they are prosecuted as felons. Among StraightForward authors, there are two “extremists:” Sasha Kazantseva, who has spent many years educatingRussians about ethical sex practices and LGBTQ+ people, and Ksenia Luchenko, who writes about the Russian Orthodox Church.

“Discrediting.” According to Russian laws, any (usually truthful) information regarding the Russian military that does not match official statements of the Defense Ministry of theKremlin. Public actions that are allegedly aimed at “diskreditatsiya” is a felony offense, hundreds of people have been prosecuted for it.

“Kickback”. A common part of any big business deal in Russia, especially when dealing with the state money: officials at any level of government take otkat for their help in setting up the deal, going to the right contractors, etc.

An employee of the Center for Countering Extremism — a special department of the InteriorMinistry dedicated to combating extremism. In practice, eshniks’ actions usually entail monitoring protest activities, harassing activists, journalists, independent religious groups and LGBTQ+ people, and creating criminal cases out of thin air.

A technological complex provided by the FSB that allows it to monitor people’s calls and messages. The Russian law obligates internet providers, mobile services and other technological companies to install SORM, which is then used by the FSB discreetly: nobody knows what and how is being monitored.

A sledgehammer. A symbol of extrajudicial killings committed by the Russian PMCs and military personnel. In 2023, a video of a sledgehammer execution of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a former PMC Wagner’s soldier, who was captured by Ukrainians and then exchanged back toRussia, gained notoriety; after that, even Russian officials began using kuvalda as a symbol of strong power.

“To squeeze.” To take over someone's business or property using illegal methods: most often with the help of law enforcement or government officials. The verb is especially popular inDonbas, a Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia, where even individual apartments of refugees from the region are “otzhat'” by the occupying authorities.

“A basement.” In the eastern regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia, to send someone to “podval” means to detain a person without any legal framework, to arrest without a trial. “Podval” usually entails inhuman conditions and torture, sometimes detainees are eventually killed.

Literally, a tape. Figuratively, a frontline. To send someone beyond “lenta” is to send them to the battle.

An abbreviation for “line of combat engagement.” Same as lenta.

A deserter. The term derives from the abbreviation from “unauthorized abandonment of a unit”.

“200th.” A dead combatant in Russian military slang. The term derives from “cargo 200”, which, in Soviet times, was a codename for the transportation of military fatalities.

‍

“300th.” A wounded combatant in Russian military slang.

“500th.” A deserter in Russian military slang.

A civilian person who comes to frontline areas to volunteer, perform, or sell something: usually a pro-Kremlin blogger, artist, or activist. Some come voluntarily, others have to go in order to have them removed from government blacklists.

“A birdie.” A Russian slang term for a military drone, most often used around frontlines.

A process of obtaining someone’s sensitive personal data through stolen databases from government offices, banks, police, etc. The databases, which may contain everything from personal address and bank statements to medical analyses, are widely available on the Russian black market, and are so convenient that even Russian police officers use them for work.

“An evacuation.” A term used by the Russian official to describe mass kidnappings of Ukrainian children, who are involuntarily transported to Russia, then are often given Russian documents, and placed in Russian foster families.

‍