The repatriation of a Russian surveyor who had swum to safety after opposing the war has caused a stir in Riga. It serves as a reminder that, in the post-Soviet space, simply fleeing is not enough: one must contend with a web of mistrust, mutual contempt and control that outweighs any shared ideas.
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.
The Washington meeting confirmed the role of the US as mediator in place of Russia. Many issues remain to be resolved, including the international disputes between Yerevan and Baku, borders and prisoners. But the central issue is the opening of the so-called ‘Zangezur Corridor’, renamed the ‘Trump Corridor’ and under US control. The challenge for the Armenian Church.
The former soccer player and secretary of Georgian Dream wants a third term as mayor of the capital. The Putin-aligned oligarch, the country's “real master,” was present at the party. Anti-Western slogans and threats to expel the EU ambassador. For the opposition, the mayor-champion's new candidacy is yet another anti-Brussels “signal.”
Moscow celebrated the Russian variant of the feast of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus', with Patriarch Kirill also commemorating the "believing atheist", Stalin, to extol the "new Baptism" of post-Soviet Russia. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Tikhon of Crimea inaugurated a major exhibition in Sevastopol dedicated to Prince Vladimir, presenting it as a true “universal museum of Christianity.”
From Piazza Madonna dei Monti to the streets of the city, young Ukrainians bring to the Jubilee the wounded and tenacious heart of their country, as well as flags, songs, meetings, and the word “Volya”: freedom and the will to resist. A 20-year-old man told AsiaNews that he came “to rest spiritually." For the Brand Ukraine NGO, “We are fighting for a European future.”
The Attorney General's Office has secured the banning of an “international movement” which, in reality, local authorities have used to lump together everyone from environmentalists to Pokemon fans, all accused of being part of “conspiracies organised to weaken patriotic spirit among young people”. Anthropologist Arkhipova: it is a new “millenarian ideology”, according to which only “true Russians” will be saved.
Grozny is expanding its network of Muslim educational institutions by increasing the number of Islamic schools and inviting well-known teachers from around the world. Even Grand Mufti Salakh Mezhiev, who is very close to Ramzan Kadyrov, often meets with students and gives lecture series. However, according to many observers and activists from the Chechen diaspora, what is being taught is an increasingly rigid form of Sufism.
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