Russia

Since 2022, the Russian independent documentary film festival has been forcibly moved to Riga where, once again this year, it is telling the story of ‘The world at war’. Director Vitalij Manskij: ‘The internal war being waged in Moscow against civil society is no less significant’.

Although some Russian Orthodox priests have spoken out against “war liturgies,” they don’t all hold the same positions. Some have tried to stick with the patriarchal Church, others have turned to other Orthodox jurisdictions; some have limited themselves to passive resistance, while others have openly criticised the patriarch himself, such as the theologian and Deacon Andrey Kuraev.

In March 1944, accused of collaborating with the Nazis, tens of thousands of people from the Caucasus were forcibly transferred to Central Asia and Siberia. It was only 13 years later that they were able to return to the present-day republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. Official commemorations avoided mentioning Stalin and the Soviet oppressors. But local historians invite reflection on the relationship between the Russians and the ‘minor peoples’.

In the Pskov region, bills have skyrocketed to over 30,000 rubles per month without any notification of the rate increase, while in Chechnya or Dagestan, the government turns a blind eye to the billions of rubles owed for energy supplies, without suspending services.

The majority of the population believe they have defeated the West, emboldened by the American u-turn. But now the question that circles their minds is ‘what happens next?’.

Russian observers say change of guard in Washington has meant China is no longer able to benefit from the conflict in Ukraine, but has been reduced to the role of onlooker.

The international sanctions against Russia and Iran have allowed Azerbaijan to exploit its central position, and not only in geographical terms. The bet is on a large north-south transport corridor that would open the doors of the Indian Ocean to Moscow, from where it could circumvent any form of pressure.

The Russian army has launched more drones and dropped more bombs on Ukraine in recent days, stressing the point that its goal is conquest despite negotiations and partition plans with Donald Trump's United States. The goal is to continue to exalt the theology of Victory, the true divinity to which every effort and every sacrifice must be dedicated.

The discussions on the end of the conflict in Ukraine reopen the debate on the Russian path to Russian federalism and the many aspirations of the peoples of the immense Eurasian territory. An issue that does not only concern ‘ethnic minorities’, but the very structure of an imperial state,

The ‘Centre for the Study of Occupation’ founded by Petr Andrjuščenko, former councillor of the city council, denounces the Russian desire to ‘erase that part of the memory that had been preserved even after the world wars of the 20th century’. The emblematic story of the Drama Theatre that has become a symbol of the conflict in Ukraine.

A painting of the Mongols' victory against the Russian army on the Kalka River on display in the office of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims is sparking heated discussions in Moscow. The image was removed with an apology, but Vice-President Mukhetdinov insists on emphasising the legacy of the Golden Horde in today's Russia.

Zelenskyj is today crushed not only by Russian armies and bombs, but above all by the economic interests that unite enemies and friends, inside and outside the country.