Banned in Russia and cut by Condé Nast from the GQ website, this story (presented in full) details the intrigue behind the Moscow apartment bombings, blamed on Chechens, that allowed Putin to rapidly ascend to power.

Russia is dead set on being a global power. But what looks like grand strategy is often improvisation—amid America’s retreat.

On Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet, its uncanny knack for reflecting changes in Russian politics and culture, and the recent acid attack on its artistic director.

The complex, highly evolved world of Moscow’s subway-riding stray dogs.

The rise and fall of The Exile, Russia’s angriest English-language newspaper.