dmitry bakanov, head of roscosmos, has announced a new “national space project” that envisions launching over 1,000 satellites — including 886 for the “rassvet” internet constellation. It sounds ambitious, but achieving this goal is highly unlikely amid the deep crisis currently gripping russia’s space sector. ▫️ In 2024, russia carried out only 17 space launches…
Following a sharp drop in oil and gas revenues, russian government has slashed funding for its domestic 5G development program more than tenfold — from 23 billion to 2.2 billion rubles (from approximately $250 million to $24 million). ▫️ Since 2022, due to sanctions, russia has lost access to key technologies and equipment — including…
The continuation of the war against Ukraine is leading to a collapse in mortgage lending and the construction sector in russia. ▫️ russia’s second-largest bank, vtb, issued four times fewer mortgage loans in May than in the same month last year. This is one of the direct consequences of the aggressive war against Ukraine. Amid…
In 2024, nearly half of russian patients with orphan (rare) diseases were forced to interrupt their treatment due to a lack of medications. ▫️According to survey results, for a third of them, the interruption lasted more than six months. Particularly vulnerable are children, teenagers, and young adults who lose access to treatment after turning 18…
Major state-owned russian companies admit: the switch to russian software is being postponed for years due to lack of funds. ▫️ At the conference “digital industry of industrial russia 2025,” representatives of energy, transport, and communications companies acknowledged that despite kremlin orders, they will continue using pirated versions of Western software. Companies say they currently…
On the eve of the event in the city of tolyatti, veterans of the wagner pmc were invited to a kindergarten graduation ceremony. The administration of this institution has supported the wagner fighters since the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, forcing children to draw postcards for them, bake “kulichi” (Easter breads), and so on….
russian science is becoming increasingly militarized. This is evidenced by the inclusion of officials from defense enterprises into the russian academy of sciences: boris obnosov, CEO of tactical missile armament, and vladimir lepin, chief designer of the kalashnikov concern. ▫️ These individuals have no relation to fundamental science; they are involved in weapons production. In…
For the first time in russia, recruitment for the war against Ukraine is being conducted through government procurement. ▫️The authorities of the alexandrovsky district in the vladimir region announced a tender for the “search for candidates for contract service.” The contract was signed with the moscow military-patriotic center “voivode.” The cost of services will depend…
Even russian frontline soldiers are beginning to realize that the personnel program “time of heroes” is not a path to creating a new elite in russia, but a propaganda fiction. The program, presented by kremlin as a reward for service and a social elevator for veterans of the war against Ukraine, in reality accepts only…
As russia rapidly loses budget revenues due to the war and sanctions, the government is turning to a “simple” solution — taking more money from its own citizens. The plan for collecting fines from russians and businesses in 2025 has been sharply increased — by a third. ▫️According to the updated plans, the state aims…
russia is finding it increasingly difficult to cover the massive costs of war, forcing the government to slash funding for key development programs — including science, industry, and innovation. russian state duma has approved major budget cuts in these areas due to falling oil revenues and a growing budget deficit. ▫️ A cut of 97…
russian authorities often talk about their “care” for veterans of the war against Ukraine, but in practice, these initiatives often amount to shifting the responsibility for their reintegration onto others. ▫️ For example, in russia’s vologda region, starting September 1, businesses with more than 100 employees will be required to allocate 1% of jobs for…
