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…

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is attempting to reassure the Russian population amid growing concerns about the country’s economy. During a meeting on economic issues, Putin announced that social payments and benefits in Russia would be indexed to the actual inflation rate of 9.5%. However, this indexation falls far short of keeping up with the rapid…

Russian media report on widespread layoffs at major state-owned enterprises in Russia. Following Gazprom, layoffs have now begun at Sberbank, the country’s largest financial institution. Reports indicate that four of Sberbank’s subsidiaries started downsizing in December under the pretext of “budgetary savings and orders from above.” IT specialists have been targeted, with plans to cut…

Following the fuel oil spill in the Black Sea, there has been a significant wave of cancellations for children’s vacation trips to resorts in Anapa, Russia. About a quarter of the bookings for children’s summer camps have already been canceled, and companies that purchased packages for their employees are now demanding refunds. People are increasingly…

Russia ends its third consecutive year with a budget deficit. By the end of 2024, the Russian Ministry of Finance reported a budget shortfall of nearly 3.5 trillion rubles (approximately 35 billion US dollars) – the largest deficit recorded during the full-scale war against Ukraine. To address this, the Russian Ministry of Finance plans to…

RT propagandists boast about receiving an award from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin for their war propaganda videos. The authors of the videos were recognized for “defending Russia’s interests in the information warfare.” Some of these videos were created as “social advertising” aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian society. With these well-produced, Ukrainian-dubbed materials, the enemy promotes…

For almost three years of full-scale war against Ukraine, the Russian National Welfare Fund has shrunk by two-thirds. At the start of 2022, the fund held $133.5 billion of “free money.” Now, it’s down to just $37.5 billion—the lowest level since the fund was created in 2008. The Russian government used this fund to assure…