Russia

The synod of the Orthodox community led by Metropolitan Epifanyj has appealed to Patriarch Bartholomew to condemn Kirill for the "ethno-filetist heresy". The clash with the other Orthodox jurisdiction, which has always been linked to Moscow, despite having formally distanced itself from it after the Russian invasion.

The appointment at the Ministry of Defence in Moscow of the economist Belousov (master of ceremonies of the Orthodox Church) in place of Šojgu seems to indicate a willingness to make the war industry the main engine of increasingly protracted conflicts. While the new energy minister - on whose activities 70% of Russia's GDP depends - is now Sergei Tsivilev, husband of Putin's niece.

On several occasions, Putin said that he had no intention of staying in power for life, but the matter was shelved long ago. During the latest presidential inauguration, Patriarch Kirill invoked upon him God's blessing “until the end of your existence and until the end of time, as we say.”

Among the 18 agreements signed in Budapest with Xi Jinping there is also cooperation on nuclear power plants. In the background are the difficulties of the new Paks II plant project, under construction with the Russian agency Rosatom and at risk of sanctions. For his part, the Chinese president praises Hungarian support for Beijing on "Taiwan, Hong Kong and human rights".

More than a month after the attack on Krokus City Hall, the retaliation against Tajik migrants in Russia has not subsided, to the point of prompting a protest note from Dushanbe. Hundreds remain stranded at airports and at the border with Kazakhstan, but Moscow cannot afford to lose the country where its most important military base in Central Asia is located.

These days' announced simulations with tactical atomic weapons leave no room for illusions about a possible more conciliatory course of Russian policy. But for the experts 'it is only a reminder that Russia possesses these types of weapons, not that their use is any closer'.

During the Holy Thursday service, Patriarch Kirill recited a special prayer ‘for the victory of holy Rus’", which intensifies the war litanies imposed on priests, on pain of deprivation of clerical status if they refuse to pronounce them. The Easter celebrations must recompose the people of believers to show that Russia has defeated the evil within, finding the right path to sobornost.

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Kazakhstan is seeking more than $150 billion in foreign funding for the exploitation of fields on the Caspian. But Moscow does not fail to mention often that its northern territories are 'originally Russian' and Russian-speaking, as is claimed for the Donbass.