Vladimir Rozanskij

The country holds vast potential for the development of solar energy, yet it is still in the early stages of this journey. As a result, to heat water for tea, people often have to light a coal fire while waiting for a bit of electricity to arrive — electricity that is still rationed to just a few hours a day, especially during the winter.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Moscow, the "Power of Siberia-2" gas pipeline—vital to Russia’s economy—was once again a topic of discussion. Beijing is already supporting Russia’s expanding military production by supplying microelectronic components blocked by Western sanctions. The presence of Chinese soldiers in the parade before Lenin’s mausoleum also reflects internal political considerations within China.

Just as Putin today celebrates the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with the leaders of all “friendly” countries, Dmitry Steshin—one of the most fervent pro-Russian war correspondents from the Ukrainian front—speaks about the tense situation in the North Caucasus republic: “Dagestan lives by its own laws, drifting further and further from Moscow.”

Since the collapse of the USSR, the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia have been debating whether to abandon the Cyrillic alphabet in favour of Latin script. Some argue it more closely reflects the phonetics of Turkic languages, but the issue is entangled with broader calls for “de-Russification” in the context of the war in Ukraine. Even in Kazakhstan—where Nazarbayev launched the transition with the aim of completing it by 2031—serious doubts remain.

Along the banks of the Amur River and on Sakhalin Island, small ethnic groups have lived since time immemorial, braving extreme cold and remaining distant from modern-day Russia while preserving animist religious traditions. Documented by great 19th-century Russian explorers, today they are a small people of only a few hundred individuals who speak their own language. And they believe that even if they vanish, they will reunite with the cycles of nature.

According to expert Aleksey Ižak of the Institute for Strategic Research, the 50% split of royalties provided for in the agreement reached after the meeting between Trump and Zelensky seems fairly equitable for Ukraine's needs, even if the funds accumulated in the operations are unlikely to be sufficient to cover the full cost of rebuilding the country.

n Tajikistan, construction has just been completed on a special hangar for the luxurious presidential aircraft that Emomali Rakhmon purchased from Mexico, which could no longer afford the maintenance costs. This is the latest example of a widespread trend among heads of state throughout the region.

After suspending operations in March 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine, the fast-food company has resubmitted its registration application to the relevant office of Rospatent. While diplomatically stating that this is only a renewal of trademark rights, Moscow already considers it a seal of the new friendship with Trump's United States.

Through tax breaks and the commissioning of new small hydroelectric power plants, the government in Bishkek is resolutely pursuing a path of ecological transition. This will bring significant benefits for businesses, but doubts remain about the impact on the behaviour of individual citizens.

The statements made by Vladimir Kara-Murza, one of the most influential members of the opposition to Putin in exile, on the large presence of non-Russian ethnic groups among Moscow's soldiers on the front line in Ukraine have sparked debate. Many have accused him of racism. But there are also those who recall the Caucasians fighting in the ranks of Kiev, bitterly observing that in this bloody conflict ‘everyone is looking for their enemies’.

According to documents, hundreds of Uzbek farmers have handed over their property “voluntarily”, but many claim that this happened “under pressure from the internal affairs and prosecution authorities”. There are currently over 3,500 Chinese companies operating throughout the country.

Patriarch Kirill recalls the historic meeting in Cuba in 2016 and Francis' desire to “heal the wounds of conflict”. Putin's tribute: “A consistent defender of the great values of humanism and justice”. Orthodox writer Andrei Lorgus: ‘His death on Easter has a special meaning for the whole Christian world’.