A letter from the publisher
Dear friends and readers,
Thank you for your continued interest in and support of The Moscow Times!
To mark the fourth anniversary of our move into exile in the Netherlands, we’d like to invite you to the vernissage of “Back to the USSR: When Russia Took a Wrong Turn,” an exhibition of photographs from The Moscow Times archive, on April 17 in Amsterdam.
As the oldest independent Russian media outlet, The Moscow Times has a rich and unique photo archive dating back to the early 1990s. I brought this archive with me to Amsterdam on an encrypted hard drive when I fled Russia in April 2022, following my colleagues. I was afraid, but fortunately, I wasn’t searched at the border.
When I started choosing photos for this exhibition last month, I was stunned: 30 years ago — and even 20 years ago — life in Russia seemed normal. It was a life filled with freedom, hope, development and achievement. I had forgotten this, even though I was already a working journalist at the time, reporting on these events and taking part in them. From the vantage point of 2026, these images feel like scenes from another life, or even another planet: the Russian prime minister welcoming the Queen of the Netherlands at the Moscow airport, the King of Spain opening the Cervantes Institute in Moscow, Russians laying flowers at the U.S. Embassy after the 9/11 attacks…
For this exhibition, I have not selected “The Moscow Times’ best photos,” but rather images that capture what everyday life looked like in Russia under Yeltsin and in the early years of Putin — as a reminder that democracy and freedom of expression are very fragile and must be cherished and protected.
Vernissage: April 17, 2026 at 19:00
Guided tour: ~19:30
Location: Localie Hub, Rudi van Dantzigstraat 3, 1095 PK Amsterdam
Exhibition: April 17 – June 10, Mon–Fri 11:00–20:00
Admission: Free (registration required)
Admission is free, but advance registration is required so we can estimate the number of guests.
If you’re unable to attend the vernissage, you’re very welcome to visit the exhibition at any time before June 10. Localie Hub is open Monday through Friday, from 11:00 to 20:00.
With best regards and hoping to see you soon,
Alexander Gubsky
Publisher, The Moscow Times