First came the nighttime abduction of the friendly Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, then the boarding of two «shadow» tankers in the Atlantic, and now the announcement of «bone-crushing» sanctions that Congress had postponed all of last year. It seems incredible that less than two weeks ago, pro-government media in Russia were seriously anticipating a rapprochement between Moscow and Washington and predicting diplomatic isolation for Kyiv. The «spirit of Anchorage,» which Kremlin propaganda so eagerly inhaled last autumn, has completely dissipated by winter.

#Analytics #Venezuela #VladimirPutin #WarinUkraine #DonaldTrump #acrisis #NicolasMaduro #Russia #USA #shadowfleet

Read more

Today turns 73. He intends to live—that is, to rule—until the end of his days, though it’s not yet clear whether they will be his own or yours. And if you want to drink champagne to the repose of his soul (in which, admittedly, there are doubts), you’ll have to wait another twenty or thirty years. And I’m not being ironic. I’m talking about a sensible life strategy.

#VladimirPutin #state #dictatorship #DmitryKiselev #DmitryMedvedev #YevgenyPrigogine #kgb #MargaritaSimonyan #Bulk #society #aftertheUSSR #freedom #SergeyKiriyenko #Emigration

Read more

At the highest level of Russian power, there is almost no renewal. Many elite members have been waiting for a major reshuffle for over 10 years, but it still hasn’t happened.

#AlexeyMiller #Analytics #VladimirPutin #WarinUkraine #state #DmitryKozak #IgorSechin #career #MikhailFradkov #NikolayPatrushev #Russia #SergeyKiriyenko #elites

Read more

Following the column by commentator Tatyana Rybakova «The War Won. Why Putin Decided to ‘Squeeze’ the Economy» on «Most,» a discussion arose with economist Nikolay Kulbaka. Their conversation quickly went beyond the text’s topic. Moreover, the interlocutors decided to continue the discussion after the publication of the Russian Federation’s draft budget. For now, they debated whether a course toward Stalin-type industrialization has been taken and whether such economic policy is possible in Russia’s current realities.

#AnnaTsivileva #business #VladimirPutin #war #militaryindustrialcomplex #state #discussion #capitalism #KirillDmitriev #nationalization #society #oligarchs #redistributionofproperty #Russia #LaborandCapital #Ukraine #chaebols #elites

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

Last week, during the Eastern Economic Forum, acknowledged problems with the slowdown of the Russian economy but added that victory over inflation is more important – supposedly, it's better for the people. However, the issue is not the welfare of the citizens. The continuation of the war requires increased spending on it. And here, strict monetary policy is unavoidable. This will result in the labor of the majority of Russian citizens becoming cheaper.

#Analytics #VladimirPutin #militaryKeynesianism #WarinUkraine #GermanGref #state #monetarypolicy #lifeinRussia #society #Economy #ElviraNabiullina

Read more

China used the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II to showcase high-tech weaponry and assert its claims to global leadership

#VladimirPutin #weapons #East #WorldWarII #DonaldTrump #west #China #odd #Russia #XiJinping #USA #technology

Read more

Rosneft has made significant investments in India and does not want to lose them. ExxonMobil has invested just as heavily in Sakhalin-1 and is equally unwilling to lose its stake. India has stakes in Sakhalin-1 and also earns good profits from Rosneft’s investments in the country, and it too is reluctant to lose all this. The only ones spoiling the situation are two people: Trump, who wants to end the war by any means, and Putin, who does not want to stop it. And who better than Sechin to try to solve this puzzle?

#Exxon #Analytics #VladimirPutin #DonaldTrump #IgorSechin #India #NarendraModi #NarendraMori #oil #Russia #sanctions #USA

Read more

We, Soviet children, were incredibly lucky. We went through patriotic education with books by Vasily Bykov and Boris Vasilyev, Samuil Marshak and Lev Kvitko. And our early youth was not overshadowed by works of Vladimir Medinsky, Oleg Roy, and unknown authors included in the «List of Patriotic Works Created by Contemporary Writers and Recommended for Extracurricular Reading» published last week by the Ministry of Education.

#shaman #AgniaBarto #VladimirMedinsky #VladimirPutin #children #dictatorship #ideology #literature #MinistryofEducation #OlegGazmanov #OlegRoy #aftertheUSSR #propaganda #Russia #SergeiMikhalkov #Stalinism #school

Read more

The main condition for achieving peace in Ukraine that Vladimir Putin constantly names is the «elimination of the root causes of the crisis.» «Root causes» is a very broad, even philosophical term. But without delving into Aristotle's metaphysics, who introduced this term, the root cause of the war is not Ukraine's politics, but the imperial evolution of post-Soviet Russia.

#Analytics #AnatolySobchak #BelovezhAccords #VladimirPutin #gkchp #dictatorship #Empire #NATO #aftertheUSSR #collapseoftheUSSR #Russia #sovereignty #Ukraine #federation

Read more

This coming Saturday, Russia may wake up to a new reality. Or not, if Trump, contrary to his promise, does not impose sanctions on countries buying Russian oil, gas, and uranium.

#Analytics #VladimirPutin #gas #DonaldTrump #India #Iran #China #oil #duties #Rosneft #ruble #sanctions #Surgutneftegas #Taiwan #Uranus

Read more

Last week, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation declared the non-existent «International Satanists Movement» extremist. It's surprising that a phenomenon of Western pop culture like satanism still causes moral panic among Russian authorities.

#America #VladimirPutin #authorities #East #TheStateDuma #democracy #dictatorship #west #moralpanic #popculture #religion #RonaldReagan #Russia #Satanism #Christianity

Read more

By creating a cult around the image of the past, tries to justify his own authoritarian rule, great-power chauvinism, and external aggression. However, at some point, the reincarnation of Stalinism began to turn against its creators, taking on an oppositional tone.

#VladimirPutin #dictatorship #JosephStalin #CommunistParty #corruption #Crimea #LevadaCenter #propaganda #PutinandStalin #Russia #socialjustice #sociology

Read more

U.S. President Donald Trump finally announced his «surprise for Russia.» The most important thing – there is no threat of 500% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil without helping Ukraine. There is a 100% tariff on trade with Russia – and even that with a delay. On this news, the Moscow Exchange index happily soared. But in reality, there is nothing to celebrate.

#VladimirPutin #war #East #DonaldTrump #EuropeanUnion #west #NATO #oil #sanctions #USA #Ukraine

Read more

It is clear that the main strategic direction of the EU (in alliance with the United Kingdom) today must primarily focus on achieving autonomy in the field of security. This means arms production, training capable armies, and creating new command centers, either within NATO or alongside it – while simultaneously maintaining political and economic stability in Europe. Altogether, this represents a complex challenge, as European citizens wish to continue living peacefully, enjoying numerous social guarantees without giving up their accustomed way of life.

#Analytics #VladimirPutin #war #DonaldTrump #EuropeanUnion #west #Israel #Iran #MarkRutte #Russia #USA #tradewar #Ukraine #FriedrichMerz #EmmanuelMacron

Read more

Recently, Republican Senator from Utah Mike Lee introduced a bill to withdraw the USA from NATO, calling it the «Unreliable Organization Act.» This came immediately after the two-day Alliance summit in The Hague. Mike Lee stated that «NATO has fulfilled its role» and accused the European members of the organization of «making American taxpayers pay their bills for decades.»

#Analytics #VladimirPutin #war #militaryindustrialcomplex #DonaldTrump #europe #EuropeanUnion #NATO #defense #Russia #USA #Ukraine

Read more

Now, with hostilities between the two states at their peak and the United States coming to Israel’s aid, it is highly likely that the chances of an uprising in Iran are slim. However, if the Iranian regime is defeated, a popular explosion of outrage will most likely indeed overthrow it. Moreover, this will happen largely for the same reasons that led to the collapse of the USSR.‍

#AitollahKhomeini #whiterevolution #bushranger #VladimirPutin #dictatorship #reportonthedead #greenrevolution #israeliiranianwar #Iran #IslamicRevolution #IslamicRevolutionaryGuardCorps #Kurdistan #mahsaamini #mohammedrezapahlavi #nationalrevolutions #protests20222023 #protestsiniran #reformistmovements #savak #SovietUnion

Read more

«Some fear pain, others—poverty, exile, death. But there is a special kind of fear—it doesn’t shout, it simply lives in the chest and squeezes it from within. It’s the fear for someone who cannot protect themselves. My fear is for David. In Russia, children like him have almost no chance. We don’t need to be told what awaits David if he is deported. We know. And we are afraid. We are not afraid for ourselves—but for him. He smiles. He lives. But if he is sent back to Russia—he simply won’t be.»

#antiwaractions #fightagainstcorruption #VladimirPutin #IlyaYashin #MaximNovices #politicalpersecution #humanrights #PsychoneurologicalboardingschoolNo10 #PussyRiot #UnitedStates #Ukraine #FreeRussiaForum #Montenegro

Read more

American politician and diplomat Henry Kissinger would have turned 102 today (considering he lived to 100, this is quite a realistic assumption). His name is firmly associated with the concepts of «shuttle diplomacy» and Realpolitik. For his efforts to end the Vietnam War in 1973, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Despite being one of the architects of U.S. foreign policy aimed against the USSR during the Cold War, he later often spoke sympathetically about Russia, justified its foreign policy actions, and met with. Kissinger’s ideological legacy is especially interesting in light of the Russia-Ukraine war and Donald Trump’s attempts to stop it.

#Analytics #VladimirZelensky #VladimirPutin #war #WorldEconomicForum #HenryKissinger #democracy #JoeBiden #dictatorship #diplomacy #DonaldTrump #China #Russia #SovietUnion #SteveBannon #Ukraine

Read more