Until the early 2020s, Abbas Gallyamov was integrated into the Russian power structure: he worked as a speechwriter for Vladimir Putin when he was prime minister, as a political consultant in regional elections, and as deputy head of the administration of the president of Bashkortostan. But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Gallyamov left for Israel, was labeled a foreign agent by the Russian Ministry of Justice, and last year was sentenced in absentia to eight years for «discrediting the Russian army.» We spoke with Abbas about the changing world order after Trump’s election, the prospects of a Russian invasion of an EU neighbor, and how friends of Putin’s younger daughter are quietly preparing to take power into their own hands.

#AbbasGallyamov #authoritarianism #WarinUkraine #Hitler #EuropeanUnion #interview #resultsfor2025 #KaterinaTikhonova #Lithuania #Moldova #Mussolini #forecasts #Putin #Russia #Trump #WorldWarIII #futurology #Economy #Estonia

Read more

Sociologist Lev Gudkov has been studying public attitudes in Russia since the time of Perestroika. In the late 1980s, he worked at the All-Union Center for the Study of Public Opinion, from which he left in the early 2000s along with Yuri Levada’s team. From 2006 to 2021, Gudkov headed the Levada Center—the largest independent organization conducting sociological surveys in Russia—and then became its scientific director. Both the Levada Center and Gudkov himself have been designated as foreign agents by the Russian Ministry of Justice. Drawing on years of sociological surveys of post-Soviet society and the historical experience of countries that went through fascism in the 20th century, we spoke with the renowned researcher about the most likely scenario for Russia’s future.

#future #WarinUkraine #state #degradation #democracy #dictatorship #europe #lifeintheUSSR #west #interview #LevadaCenter #society #afterPutin #forecast #reforms #Russia #socialsphere #sociology #futurology #Economy

Read more

Of course, technologies are not yet capable of fully replacing the charisma and intellect of a real person. Even the richest and most powerful are mortal. But what seemed like science fiction in the 20th century (cryogenically frozen «leaders,» endless organ transplants, supercomputers making state decisions) is gradually taking shape as a scientific project in the 21st century. Authoritarian immortality is now not only a metaphor but also a goal that commands significant resources.

#autocrats #immortality #biotechnology #VladimirPutin #state #dictatorship #China #Nazis #Russia #XiJinping #aging #ThirdReich #futurology

Read more

Two autocrats – and Chairman Xi – talked last week in Beijing about the perception of age (at 70, still boys) and eternal life, which will soon become possible thanks to organ transplants; in any case, living to 150 is not a problem at all. However, in the Russian case, the Constitution will have to be changed once again so that the presidential terms of the current head of state are not limited to 2036 but extend much further in time. But that is definitely not a problem.

#autocracy #future #VladimirPutin #WarinUkraine #gerontocracy #state #dictatorship #longevity #lifeinRussia #conformism #society #XiJinping #Utopia #futurology #essay

Read more