One of russia’s largest state-owned banks has acknowledged that the liquid portion of the National Wealth Fund (NWF) could be fully exhausted within a year. ▫️ According to estimates by Gazprombank’s Center for Economic Forecasting, at current oil prices ($36–40 per barrel), the Fund’s resources would last approximately 1–1.3 years. If prices fall to $30–35…
In russia, smartphones, satellite internet, and Western IT services have been officially declared “security threats.” ▫️ At Infoforum-2026, dmitry gribkov, assistant secretary of the security council of the russian federation, stated that smartphones, satellite internet systems such as Starlink, email services, and other technologies of Western companies are allegedly used for “destructive information and technological…
The russian ministry of education plans to reduce foreign language instruction in schools starting in 2026. In grades 5–7, the number of classroom hours will be cut from 510 to 408, ostensibly to “optimize the academic workload.” ▫️ Formally, foreign languages will remain a mandatory subject. In practice, however, the state is consistently diminishing their…
The kremlin is actively militarizing school education, effectively introducing a full-scale “basic military training course” in educational institutions. ▫️ The russian government has approved a list of training equipment for the mandatory subject “Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland.” This list includes mock-ups of small arms, hand grenades and grenade launchers, first-aid equipment…
Last year, propaganda films funded by russian state once again massively failed at the box office. Out of 35 films made with funds from the russian state cinema fund, only four films recouped their costs at the box office. The vast majority of such films are created solely for propaganda purposes, featuring the heroization of…
A sharp drop in the number of space launches has been recorded in russia – to a minimum since the times of Yurii Gagarin. By the end of 2025, roscosmos carried out only 17 launches of carrier rockets. For comparison: the USA conducted 181 launches during the same period, and China – 91. Thus, russia…
By the end of 2025, russia ranked first in the world for internet shutdowns. russians may take pride in this “global leadership” — but there is a catch. ▫️ According to monitoring services, the cumulative duration of shutdowns reached 37,166 hours, while economic losses amounted to $11.9 billion. By comparison, Venezuela, which ranked second, was…
russian dictator vladimir putin marked Christmas alongside military personnel and their families, using a church service to once again justify the war against Ukraine. ▫️ During the Christmas service, putin claimed that russian soldiers are carrying out a “holy mission” to defend the homeland “by God’s will.” In effect, the war was presented not as…
In the settlement of atamanovka in russia’s zabaykalsky krai, a third rupture in the heating system has occurred within just a few days. Due to this chain of accidents, thousands of residents remain without heating in –30°C temperatures. ▫️ Breakdowns in the heating network were recorded on 30 December, 2 January, and 5 January. While…
russia is forced to admit that the era of superprofits from the oil and gas sector has come to an end. ▫️The russian ministry of finance stated that oil and gas revenues will decline both in the medium and long term. According to the ministry’s calculations, this year the share of oil and gas revenues…
In the russian state duma, they openly announced the possibility of disconnecting mobile internet on New Year’s Eve. ◽️ The official explanation is classic – concern for citizens, so that they can “peacefully walk and celebrate”. That is, the authorities are once again trying to present restrictions on basic freedoms as a benefit. ◽️ According…
Against the backdrop of the 2026 tax reform, which is expected to bring at least 2.3 trillion rubles ($30 billion) to the russian budget, putin claimed that citizens would supposedly “understand” tax increases if the funds were allocated to “defense.” In this way, the kremlin is preemptively justifying fiscal pressure with the war, directly shifting…
