The Government of Kazakhstan has announced that three thermal power plants (TPPs) in Kokshetau, Semey, and Ust-Kamenogorsk will be constructed in cooperation with Chinese partners rather than with russian companies, as previously planned. ▫️ In 2024, russia and Kazakhstan signed an intergovernmental agreement on the joint construction of the three TPPs with a russian contractor….
A draft of Kazakhstan’s new Constitution proposes revising the wording that defines the status of the russian language. ▫️ The sentence stating that the russian language is used “on an equal basis” with Kazakh is proposed to be replaced with the wording “alongside Kazakh.” Although the changes appear formal, they reflect Kazakhstan’s consistent policy of…
Over the past month, every seventh region of russia has experienced critical failures in the housing and utilities sector. ▫️ According to russian media estimates, since early January 2026, large-scale disruptions to heating, water supply, and power grids have been recorded in at least 12 localities, including major cities with populations over one million. At…
Kazakhstan is cutting off russia’s opportunities to launder money and bypass sanctions through Kazakh banks. ▫️President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reported that around $14 billion was laundered from a “neighboring country” through one of Kazakhstan’s banks. While he did not explicitly name russia, it is clear to moscow which country he meant. ▫️These remarks came amid tightening…
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…
