Russia

Already 38 clerics linked to the Moscow Patriarchate have been found ‘guilty’ of treason by the courts in Kiev. Many are asking to be transferred to Russia, but there are no signs of a particularly favourable welcome there: in the ‘hybrid war’ of Ukrainian politics, the presence of ‘loyal’ metropolitans, bishops and priests in the country is a factor that cannot be ignored.

Novaya Gazeta documents how, since the 1990s and increasingly during Putin's quarter-century of rule, 213 new monuments have been erected to Stalin, along with hundreds of actions of various kinds to commemorate him. This tribute, instrumental to the cult of Victory, today allows Putin to crack down harshly on any form of dissent.

Moscow is increasingly relying on resources provided by the mining industry in northern Siberia. The province of Mirnyj alone accounts for 14% of the world's diamond reserves. However, these activities come at a heavy environmental cost in terms of air and water pollution. With very little economic benefit for local communities.

While in Ukraine the conflict is entirely internal to Orthodoxy, on the shores of the Baltic Sea it is the great Christian traditions of all Europe that are vying for a small piece of land and a small people, on which the destinies of all others are concentrated. Among the battlegrounds is the historic Pjukhtitskij convent, located just twe

Even thousands of kilometres away from Tatarstan, their homeland, during the summer Tatar communities in the United States held cultural training camps for children and young people aged 5 to 20. The message: you can belong to this Russian people anywhere, in Russia as well as in America.

Gazprom's CEO announced a “legally binding agreement" with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). The pipeline, which Russia has been pushing for years, could supply up to 50 billion cubic metres of gas per year to China over 30 years. For Russia, it would be vital to offset lost markets in Europe. Chinese media have been silent on the details that have blocked the agreement so far.

In one of Russia’s most important cities, the local governor, Gleb Nikitin, made an unprecedented move by including the Catholic church among the historic buildings slated for restoration, and by returning it to the city’s small Catholic community of several hundred multiethnic believers. The goal is to show that in today's Russia, the "state religion," in addition to promote militant Orthodoxy, also aims to unite other confessions and religions.

To limit the damage to strategic targets from Ukraine’s remote-controlled drone counterattacks, Russia is shutting down mobile networks in many areas. In some regions, signals have been cut off indefinitely. People try to adapt as best they can, but some businesses now accept only cash.

Patriarch Kirill praises the “expression of goodwill” by the two leaders of "the most powerful countries on the planet." Meanwhile, Russian bloggers and propagandists praise the “magnificent achievement” of peace with America “while in Donbass we continue to advance”. And for Moscow, Zelensky can come to the Kremlin to acknowledge his defeat.

Speaking to the State Duma Committee on Development of Civil Society, Issues of Public Associations and Religious Organisations, Abbess Xenia, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's legal department, said that the most fervent senior officers and generals who adhere to traditional religions should be promoted to command positions in the military. She also called for an explicit ban on “atheism”, deemed “unworthy and immoral”, diametrically reversing the principles of Soviet censorship against religion.

The ‘strategic’ value of the location chosen for the ‘inconclusive’ meeting between the Russian and American presidents. A territory far from Ukraine and “weak” Europe, confirming the prevalence of the ‘economic’ factor. No breakthrough in the war launched by Moscow against Kiev. It was the Kremlin leader's first visit to American soil since 2007.

The Atlantic Alliance is Moscow's “number one enemy”, but the West fears conflict over a nuclear drift. European intelligence services and military and political experts believe that a clash is inevitable, starting in the Baltic states. The sanctions policy has led Russia to focus its economy on the arms industry. The goal: the conquest of Europe.