Vladimir Rozanskij

The comparison made by EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell sparks criticism. Hermitage Director: 'Everyone cultivates their own garden'. According to the academic, the war in Ukraine responds to a problem of survival: better the Soviet "greenhouse" than the capitalist jungle.

Ukraine sanctions relatives of the founder of the majority party in Georgia, suspected of links to the Russian leader. Georgians do not want to be dragged into the war. Cautious opposition in Tbilisi.

The Iranians come to Putin's rescue with Shahed kamikaze drones. Used mainly against the Ukrainian energy network, they also mow down the civilian population. Russia and the Islamic Republic see the US as a common enemy. An internal collapse of the ayatollahs' regime would also have repercussions for the Kremlin.

Law against the "propaganda" of "non-traditional" sexual relations under discussion. The Orthodox Church sees the Lgbt reality as "an instrument of invasion of the collective West in a hybrid war against Russia". More proposals for restrictions and punishments for "Satan's messengers" will be forthcoming.

Some monks have blessed volunteers and mobilised to the front; others condemn the Putin offensive. Buddhism has tens of thousands of followers throughout the country. Buddhist beliefs admit the defence of the population from external threats.

Sanctions and military mobilisation are weighing heavily. In the 'Ciscaucasia', companies have lost up to 90% of their turnover. Income consumed by inflation. Income from the sale of energy resources will suffice for a year. It is difficult for the central government to make financial concessions to the periphery.

Situation has worsened with Serdar Berdymuhamedov's rise to power, replacing his father Gurbanguly. Tribal rules imposed and interpreted by the president weigh heavily. "Women must respect and defer to their husbands".

​It should be yet another alternative to the multilateral institutions controlled by the West. For Russia, it is a valuable tool for its autonomy from the US and Europe. Moscow's possible exclusion from the UN Security Council could mark the end of the post-World War II balance.

The presidential elections, brought forward after the reform of the Constitution, will be held on 20 November. Like his predecessor, the president is distancing himself from the parties and presenting himself with a 'popular coalition'. Curiosity for one of the three women candidates.

In the negotiations between Yerevan and Baku, the European Union and Turkey enter the scene. Confidence in Russia's mediation is waning, weakened by the Ukrainian conflict. The problem of Karabakh and the Azerbaijani "corridors" to Turkey and Iran.

The 'free peoples' are in favour of independence from Moscow. Russia seen as an 'artificial' construction. Major pushes in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Central government repression. Everything will depend on the outcome of the Ukrainian conflict.

Kremlin's response to the bombing of the Crimean bridge. At least 84 rockets fired from Moscow at targets including civilians. Expert: Putin wants to terrorise the Ukrainian population. The "czar" is in a panic: he takes contradictory and unpredictable decisions.