Russian dictator Vladimir Putin made several statements at a meeting of the Russian Council for Science and Education, signaling his intent to complicate the process of getting higher education in Russia. ▫️ According to Putin, by 2029, the highest demand in Russia will be for specialists with secondary vocational education. As a result, starting in…

The Azerbaijani media report on the suspension of the activities of the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office (the “Russian House” in Baku) in the country.  The “non-transparent schemes” of the organization’s activities and the “overtly reconnaissance nature” of its structure are emphasized. As the Center previously reported, Rossotrudnichestvo and the Russian Houses organized by it are an…

Across Russia, so-called “museums of smo” are being opened on a massive scale—yet another Kremlin propaganda tool, particularly aimed at children. These museums are already operating in Moscow and major cities, as well as in district centers, villages, and national republics like Buryatia and Bashkortostan. Special emphasis is placed on opening “museums of smo” directly…

According to official statistics, the average technical speed of freight trains on the Russian Railways network fell to 40.6 km/h last year, the lowest since 1960. The average sectional speed, which includes time spent at stops, dropped to 35.7 km/h, the lowest since 1993. At the end of last year, freight traffic on Russian railways…

The number of rockets Russia launches into space has been declining since 2014, when sanctions were first imposed on the country, while other space powers have rapidly expanded their launch capabilities. In 2024, Russia launched only 17 rockets, falling back to 1970s levels. For comparison, the United States conducted 152 launches last year. At this…

The Russian Ministry of Education has decided to transform children’s camps into centers for “patriotic education” and the promotion of “traditional values.” The goal is to form a “proper” citizen who understands their “unity with the state” and will go “to fulfill the duty to the homeland” when called upon. The Russian authorities are using…

Russia has introduced a new history textbook for grades 6–11, authored by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the Russian president and known for publishing other “ideologically correct” textbooks. ▫️ The textbook claims that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin “had no choice” but to start the war against Ukraine, alleging that the West and NATO “ignored Russia’s…

By the end of 2024, Russia’s steel industry faced a sharp decline. ▫️ Russia’s largest steelmaker, Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, reduced steel production by 14% and pig iron output by 4.5%. Nornickel, Russia’s leading non-ferrous metal producer, reduced nickel production by 6%, copper by 12%, and palladium by 10%. Additionally, exports of Russian steel…

Russian regions are continuing to raise the one-time payments for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense. In Tatarstan, local authorities increased the payment to 2.8 million rubles (about 28,000 USD), in Yamal to 3.1 million rubles (31,000 USD), and in the Samara region, a record payment of 4 million rubles (40,000 USD) was…

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has once again demonstrated his “promptness” in addressing critical issues, this time responding to the oil tanker wreck in the Kerch Strait. Nearly 40 days after the accident, which caused a massive environmental disaster in the Black Sea, he has finally ordered an inspection of the cleanup efforts and an audit…

Russia plans to include “patriotic” songs by well-known Kremlin loyalists, such as the singer “Shaman,” the band “Lyube,” and Oleg Gazmanov, in the school music curriculum for grades 1-8. Children are among key targets of Russian propaganda. The Kremlin aims to raise an entire generation loyal to the regime, conditioned to unquestioningly follow any dictator’s…