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Theo Merz

Theo Merz is a British journalist working in Moscow. He has reported from across the former Soviet Union and written for The Telegraph, Agence France-Presse, The Economist, VICE and others.

A couple embrace during a protest in Trafalgar Square, London, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. They are demanding the release of all hostages allegedly taken by the militant group Hamas.

‘A link with my ancestors’: Britons reconnect with Jewish roots for EU passports

Sacred Nation

Since the Brexit vote of 2016, hundreds of thousands of Britons have applied for citizenship of European countries, allowing them to continue to work and travel freely while holding onto their British passport. Thousands have been able to acquire passports of other European nations through sometimes distant Jewish roots.

A video still from "The Lemberg Machine," 2023.

New film tackles Ukraine’s role in the Holocaust

Ukraine
silent movie still

A silent movie cinema thrives in Brussels

man at table

Ethnic minorities in Russia are campaigning for the breakup of the country

Ukraine
paintings on the wall

Russian artists in exile create new identity and work 

protest

Energy workers in France threaten power cuts over retirement age

France’s energy union has threatened mass power cuts over Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age after months of violent street protests. The powerful CGT union has already cut power to an airport and school that the president was visiting this month.

Bundz cheese from Poland.

Polish cheesemakers bask in newfound fame

Food

The food website Taste Atlas recently rated the light and creamy bundz, made from sheep’s milk, as one of the top cheeses in the world. The cheese doesn’t come from France or Italy — it comes from the southern mountains of Poland.

A white wall with black ink drawings and a person standing to view it

Moscow multimedia exhibition focuses on anti-Kremlin protest culture

Arts, Culture & Media

“Time Difference,” a new multimedia art exhibition by Katya Muromtseva, 31, urges viewers to listen to the voices of those who are critical of the Kremlin.

Two women dance together wearing red clothing.

One small step: Moscow’s first queer dance festival challenges homophobia

LGBTQ

The Russian capital’s first queer dance festival hopes to change attitudes toward the LGBTQ community in a country where pride marches are illegal and LGBTQ-related hate crimes are on the rise.

A woman is shown sitting a large frame with the Barents Sea in the background.

The ‘edge of the earth’: How Chinese tourism is changing one Russian Arctic village

Business, Economics and Jobs

Every day, dozens of visitors drag their suitcases to the tiny, arctic village of Teriberka, Russia, with the hope of seeing the Northern Lights at a fraction of the cost of similar trips to Scandinavia, Iceland or Canada.