Freight traffic on the RZD rail network — russia’s railway transport monopoly — declined even more sharply than expected in the first quarter of 2025: by 7.2% instead of the projected 5.5%. The steepest drops were recorded in grain transport (-30.8%), construction materials (-23.2%), cement (-13.5%), metal (-13.1%), and oil (-5.9%). ▫️ This indicates a…
In russia, payments to participants of the war against Ukraine and their families are being delayed. According to the prosecutor general of the russian federation, the number of such complaints continues to grow. Last year, the prosecutor general had already promised to “promptly address” the issue of delayed payments. However, the number of complaints has…
The russian state corporation Rosnano, established to develop nanotechnologies, has declared a technical default on its government-guaranteed bond issue. The company failed to make a scheduled payment of 1 billion rubles to investors. ▫️ Since its creation, Rosnano has primarily been an image project, intended to showcase russia’s “high technological potential” to the world. However,…
The profit of russia’s largest truck manufacturer, KamAZ, collapsed 28 times in 2024. Over the past year, the company’s net profit amounted to 731 million rubles (approximately 8.6 million USD), compared to 20.4 billion rubles (over 240 million USD) in 2023. ▫️ The company admits that the drop in profits is due to rising loan…
In moscow, st. petersburg, and the lipetsk region, ninth-grade students applying to technical schools and colleges will now take only two entrance exams instead of four. This experiment is linked to a shortage of labor, particularly at defense industry enterprises. The kremlin is lowering admission requirements for vocational institutions to produce more skilled workers within…
russia’s largest drone manufacturer, Geoscan, has sharply increased its profits after a fund linked to the daughter of russian dictator vladimir putin, katerina tikhonova, acquired a stake in the company. In 2024, Geoscan’s net profit jumped nearly 6.2 times to a record 1.27 billion rubles (around 15 million USD). According to Western media reports, other…
Last year, russia recorded the highest consumption of strong alcohol per capita in eight years — 8.5 liters per person. According to russian official statistics, this sharp increase in alcohol consumption began after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The highest levels of drinking are reported in sakhalin, chukotka, karelia, komi, and magadan — with over…
The Rostselmash plant, the largest agricultural machinery manufacturer in russia, has reported a record drop in sales. To avoid mass layoffs, the company has shifted to a four-day workweek, with its management calling the past year the worst in a decade. ▫️ After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the plant lost its…
russian dictator vladimir putin has announced the most large-scale conscription of conscripts in the past 14 years. This spring, the ministry of defense of the russian federation plans to add 160,000 people to the army. This is more than in any of the previous three years of full-scale war. ▫️ In spring 2022, 134,500 people…
A record drop in demand for smartphones has been recorded in russia.According to russian state media, smartphone sales in the first three months of this year collapsed by approximately one-quarter compared to the same period last year. A similar trend is observed with other portable electronics — laptops, tablets, etc. ▫️ russian propaganda is trying…
A sharp increase in wage arrears is being recorded in russia. According to the russian federal labor and employment service, the number of complaints related to unpaid salaries rose by more than a third in 2024 compared to the previous year. ▫️The key reasons are soaring credit costs and the inability of many enterprises, amid…
The russian ministry of education has published a list of over 400 films recommended for schoolchildren. Notably, 88% of the list consists of soviet-era films that align ideologically with today’s state propaganda in russia. ▫️ A significant portion of the list — especially for middle and high school students — includes films about wars and…
