Bank of Russia increased today its key interest rate sharply to 7.5%, delivering its sixth hike this year in an effort to tame the highest inflation since early 2016, and indicated that more rate rises were still possible.
High inflation dents living standards and has been one of the key concerns among households, taking into consideration a stunning poverty of Russians.
Putin’s conservatism at its best. God forbid any changes.
High inflation dents living standards and has been one of the key concerns among households, taking into consideration a stunning poverty of Russians.
Putin’s conservatism at its best. God forbid any changes.
Russian Covid Disaster
It is safe to say that out of all major countries of the world Russia is handling Covid the worst. Russian death toll is devastating.
On the one hand, it shows the incompetence of Russian public administration starting from the President. The only thing these people are highly effective in is corruption.
On the other hand, Russian deaths are directly connected with low vaccination rates. Sputnik is availiable, although questionable, but people still resist to take its shots.
It shows how low is the trust level between the people of Russia and Kremlin. It also shows that if you feed your people with propaganda about Americans and enemies of Russia 24/7, then they lose the ability of critical thinking elsewhere.
Just think about it: almost 23% of daily registered deaths from Covid all over the world yesterday were Russians. 1072 people of 4743. We don’t think that Bunker Prophet Putin and his inner circle really care though.
It is safe to say that out of all major countries of the world Russia is handling Covid the worst. Russian death toll is devastating.
On the one hand, it shows the incompetence of Russian public administration starting from the President. The only thing these people are highly effective in is corruption.
On the other hand, Russian deaths are directly connected with low vaccination rates. Sputnik is availiable, although questionable, but people still resist to take its shots.
It shows how low is the trust level between the people of Russia and Kremlin. It also shows that if you feed your people with propaganda about Americans and enemies of Russia 24/7, then they lose the ability of critical thinking elsewhere.
Just think about it: almost 23% of daily registered deaths from Covid all over the world yesterday were Russians. 1072 people of 4743. We don’t think that Bunker Prophet Putin and his inner circle really care though.
Tatarstan is resisting the latest draft which is aimed to dismantle Russian federalism and turn the regions into actual colonies. Tatar parliament found that the draft of Klishas and Krasheninnikov doesn’t meet the requirements of federal Constitutuion.
Kremlin wants the President of Tatarstan not to be called the President. There could be only one, and he must be an ethnic Russian.
Tatarstan is the last non-Russian region with the leader officially called the President.
Kremlin wants the President of Tatarstan not to be called the President. There could be only one, and he must be an ethnic Russian.
Tatarstan is the last non-Russian region with the leader officially called the President.
A Dutch court ruled on Tuesday to hand over golden Scythian artifacts from Crimea to Ukraine, dealing a blow to Russia’s claims to the collection.
Allard Pierson Museum’s “Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea” exhibit opened in February 2014, one month before Russia seized the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine.
Both Russia and Ukraine claimed the artifacts, and now the court in Amsterdam sided with Ukraine.
This has already driven anger from Russian lawmakers and officials. It is indeed a significant blow, since Russian policies are often driven by symbolic issues and Putin has to look like an almighty figure.
Sure enough, Kyiv will make a big deal of it to further irritate Kremlin. Russians should’ve been more responsible in the case of MH17 flight which was clearly shot down by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from a Russian-controlled territory.
Allard Pierson Museum’s “Crimea: Gold and Secrets of the Black Sea” exhibit opened in February 2014, one month before Russia seized the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine.
Both Russia and Ukraine claimed the artifacts, and now the court in Amsterdam sided with Ukraine.
This has already driven anger from Russian lawmakers and officials. It is indeed a significant blow, since Russian policies are often driven by symbolic issues and Putin has to look like an almighty figure.
Sure enough, Kyiv will make a big deal of it to further irritate Kremlin. Russians should’ve been more responsible in the case of MH17 flight which was clearly shot down by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from a Russian-controlled territory.
Murders in Moscow
Former top-manager of Smolensk Bank Mikhail Yakhontov, his wife, and their son were killed in their Moscow apartment. In 2016, Yakhontov’s name was mentioned in a criminal case on intentional bankruptcy.
Former Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Combating Economic Crimes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, a 69-years old Alexey Novoseltsev was killed in Moscow.
As the socioeconomic environment in Russia is getting worse day by day, the criminal environment is getting closer and closer to the 90s.
Former top-manager of Smolensk Bank Mikhail Yakhontov, his wife, and their son were killed in their Moscow apartment. In 2016, Yakhontov’s name was mentioned in a criminal case on intentional bankruptcy.
Former Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Combating Economic Crimes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, a 69-years old Alexey Novoseltsev was killed in Moscow.
As the socioeconomic environment in Russia is getting worse day by day, the criminal environment is getting closer and closer to the 90s.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed on Tuesday that the Ukrainian military used the Turkish-made Bayraktar UAV. According to the press service, the drone was used "to enforce ceasefire compliance by the enemy."
There are three things you can watch forever: fire burning, water falling and Erdogan humiliating Putin. Russia has found itself in a same weight class with Turkey and it looks like Kremlin isn’t able to handle even that.
There are three things you can watch forever: fire burning, water falling and Erdogan humiliating Putin. Russia has found itself in a same weight class with Turkey and it looks like Kremlin isn’t able to handle even that.
EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told European energy ministers that Brussels' competition police had started gathering evidence on whether soaring energy prices can be blamed on illegal activity by any of the bloc's main gas suppliers.
The gas supplier which is not mentioned is Gazprom. EU is taking its usually effective actions against the Russian gas monopoly: competition law is EU’s most powerful policy in this case.
Brussels will try to collect evidence of the company withholding supply to increase prices. The European Commission can issue a fine of up to 10 percent of a company's turnover in a financial year.
The gas supplier which is not mentioned is Gazprom. EU is taking its usually effective actions against the Russian gas monopoly: competition law is EU’s most powerful policy in this case.
Brussels will try to collect evidence of the company withholding supply to increase prices. The European Commission can issue a fine of up to 10 percent of a company's turnover in a financial year.
Russian inflation shot a new high. Annual price rises, according to Rosstat, came in at 7.97% by October 25.
This is the highest level of inflation since February 2016. Prices have risen twice over governments initial target of 4% and will almost surely go up further. Kremlin isn’t able to target the inflation.
If the official inflation is that high, then the real inflation in Russia has almost certainly hit double digits. With the fall in Russia’s agricultural output price rises for basic food products in the coming months seem inevitable.
Taking into consideration the stunning poverty of Russians, it won’t be any exaggeration to say that the inflation in Russia is catastrophic.
This is the highest level of inflation since February 2016. Prices have risen twice over governments initial target of 4% and will almost surely go up further. Kremlin isn’t able to target the inflation.
If the official inflation is that high, then the real inflation in Russia has almost certainly hit double digits. With the fall in Russia’s agricultural output price rises for basic food products in the coming months seem inevitable.
Taking into consideration the stunning poverty of Russians, it won’t be any exaggeration to say that the inflation in Russia is catastrophic.
Novyi Vek assumes that we support Tatar nationalism and denies Russian nationalist sentiment as a political force in modern Russian discourse.
As Americans we do not support any ethnic nationalism, but, using your own words, if Tatar President bothers you so much that you call the very title separatist, then what is Russia worth?
Why are you so scared?
Russian attitude towards non-Russians in the country is totally colonial. It is so colonial, that you do not notice it and think of non-Russians as a threat.
By oppressing non-Russian languages, destroying national republics and turning all non-Russians into “non-state forming nations” Kremlin shows its real attitude towards federalism and non-Russians. They are considered a second sort people, and they know it very well.
Kremlin is killing federalism out of fear, but Moscow doesn’t have enough resources in long term for a new colonial project. We believe in federalism and sincerely think that strong regions mean strong country, you think otherwise.
If any nationalism will kill Russia, then it will be Russian nationalism and emotional ressentiment. Thank you very much for your comment.
As Americans we do not support any ethnic nationalism, but, using your own words, if Tatar President bothers you so much that you call the very title separatist, then what is Russia worth?
Why are you so scared?
Russian attitude towards non-Russians in the country is totally colonial. It is so colonial, that you do not notice it and think of non-Russians as a threat.
By oppressing non-Russian languages, destroying national republics and turning all non-Russians into “non-state forming nations” Kremlin shows its real attitude towards federalism and non-Russians. They are considered a second sort people, and they know it very well.
Kremlin is killing federalism out of fear, but Moscow doesn’t have enough resources in long term for a new colonial project. We believe in federalism and sincerely think that strong regions mean strong country, you think otherwise.
If any nationalism will kill Russia, then it will be Russian nationalism and emotional ressentiment. Thank you very much for your comment.
A criminal case into hunting without a license has been opened against Valery Rashkin, a Communist lawmaker and one of Kremlin’s most vocal critics.
Rashkin was almost the only Russian public figure who supported jailed Alexei Navalny. Moreover, communists tried to challenge the online voting fraud committed by Kremlin in the parliamentary election.
Moscow police attempted to raid the Communist Party’s city headquarters in response. Rashkin is the boss of Moscow communists.
Therefore, we don’t know what the hell Rashkin was thinking traveling with a killed deer. On the other hand, this case shows that Putin, Patrushev, Kirienko and others don’t have political mentality.
Kremlin decided to destroy Rashkin and ensure the transfer of power in the party from Zyuganov to a loyal figure in a mafioso way. These people are only sensitive to brute force, they do not have enough intelligence and political culture for classical politics.
It's not that Rashkin was a big threat, but Putin's siloviks want Russia to be a political desert.
Rashkin was almost the only Russian public figure who supported jailed Alexei Navalny. Moreover, communists tried to challenge the online voting fraud committed by Kremlin in the parliamentary election.
Moscow police attempted to raid the Communist Party’s city headquarters in response. Rashkin is the boss of Moscow communists.
Therefore, we don’t know what the hell Rashkin was thinking traveling with a killed deer. On the other hand, this case shows that Putin, Patrushev, Kirienko and others don’t have political mentality.
Kremlin decided to destroy Rashkin and ensure the transfer of power in the party from Zyuganov to a loyal figure in a mafioso way. These people are only sensitive to brute force, they do not have enough intelligence and political culture for classical politics.
It's not that Rashkin was a big threat, but Putin's siloviks want Russia to be a political desert.
Vladimir Putin hasn’t attended the G20 summit in Rome among other leaders who were absent. Instead the President of Russia addressed other leaders from his bunker.
The Bunker Putin narrative is getting so ridiculous that the man has become the laughing stock of the whole world, although that's not the only reason of his absence.
The declining health of Putin has made the usually suspicious Russian President fully paranoid. Anyway, we cannot say that Putin’s absence helped or hindered Biden.
The Bunker Putin narrative is getting so ridiculous that the man has become the laughing stock of the whole world, although that's not the only reason of his absence.
The declining health of Putin has made the usually suspicious Russian President fully paranoid. Anyway, we cannot say that Putin’s absence helped or hindered Biden.
Russian state oil major Rosneft is developing a new strategy centred on the transition to renewable energy resources. The company’s CEO, Russian oligarch №2 behind the Tzar himself, Igor Sechin introduced the new approach at the Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona, Vedomosti reports.
Sechin also said that Rosneft had invested more than $580mln in green energy in 2020 alone, and that it had reduced the volume of pollutants it released into the atmosphere by 14% in the same period.
The transfer of Sechin to the “green strategy” is somehow doubtful. So far he has been only effective in transferring the money of Russian taxpayers to his own pockets through various mechanisms, but mostly thanks to his close ties with Putin.
Anyway, Russia has to start the announced transfer. The country is heavily dependent on its natural resources, so the future green economy is an obvious challenge to change.
Sechin also said that Rosneft had invested more than $580mln in green energy in 2020 alone, and that it had reduced the volume of pollutants it released into the atmosphere by 14% in the same period.
The transfer of Sechin to the “green strategy” is somehow doubtful. So far he has been only effective in transferring the money of Russian taxpayers to his own pockets through various mechanisms, but mostly thanks to his close ties with Putin.
Anyway, Russia has to start the announced transfer. The country is heavily dependent on its natural resources, so the future green economy is an obvious challenge to change.
Rosstat has published a report on the social and economic well-being of Russians, which is actually a report on growing poverty and decline.
According to the official stat, the real pension in Russia is going downhill for the last 8 months. Raises of pension have been annihilated by the inflation, the living standard of Russian elders has deteriorated.
The average Russian pension is $220 a month which means that elder people are practically surviving. There is no money in Russia. For people.
According to the official stat, the real pension in Russia is going downhill for the last 8 months. Raises of pension have been annihilated by the inflation, the living standard of Russian elders has deteriorated.
The average Russian pension is $220 a month which means that elder people are practically surviving. There is no money in Russia. For people.
The price of fake QR vaccination code in Russian regions is about $30-50, people are illegally buying them to get access to cinemas, restaurants etc.
Russian corruption is by far more devastating than COVID.
Conspiracy theories that were encouraged by Kremlin for years have hit back massively. At the same time, Russian healthcare overall showed its ineffectiveness and need for big time investment, although seemingly nobody is talking about it.
Russia is setting death records every day, and people still hesitate to get vaccine because of huge level of distrust in Russian society.
Lancet magazine published yesterday the results of Sputnik Light test. The vaccine proved to be highly effective.
Get vaccinated, people.
Russian corruption is by far more devastating than COVID.
Conspiracy theories that were encouraged by Kremlin for years have hit back massively. At the same time, Russian healthcare overall showed its ineffectiveness and need for big time investment, although seemingly nobody is talking about it.
Russia is setting death records every day, and people still hesitate to get vaccine because of huge level of distrust in Russian society.
Lancet magazine published yesterday the results of Sputnik Light test. The vaccine proved to be highly effective.
Get vaccinated, people.
Kremlin decided to classify all FSB, FSO, SVR and National Guard procurements as state secret. In other words, Russians are not allowed to know how Russian siloviks spend their money.
In feudal terms, which are more appropriate for modern Russia, the peasants do not have to know how much money their feudals give to mercenaries.
Kremlin’s spokesman Peskov said that the provision is fair because it covers some “special departments”. Fair enough, if we take into consideration that anti-corruption investigations are extremism in Kremlin’s world.
In feudal terms, which are more appropriate for modern Russia, the peasants do not have to know how much money their feudals give to mercenaries.
Kremlin’s spokesman Peskov said that the provision is fair because it covers some “special departments”. Fair enough, if we take into consideration that anti-corruption investigations are extremism in Kremlin’s world.
Russia's rouble fell on Wednesday, heading towards a one-month low against the dollar and the euro, as oil prices dropped and the market awaited any U.S. Federal Reserve announcement on tapering.
The Fed announced it will taper its $120 billion monthly bond-buying programme by $15 billion. Monetary tightening in the United States is likely to support the dollar, while putting pressure on the rouble.
Russian Finance Ministry reacted to monetary changes in the US by announcing a plan to buy $7.2bln in November which is 70% more than in October. This put a great pressure on the national currency.
When Washington sneezes, Moscow catches a cold.
The Fed announced it will taper its $120 billion monthly bond-buying programme by $15 billion. Monetary tightening in the United States is likely to support the dollar, while putting pressure on the rouble.
Russian Finance Ministry reacted to monetary changes in the US by announcing a plan to buy $7.2bln in November which is 70% more than in October. This put a great pressure on the national currency.
When Washington sneezes, Moscow catches a cold.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a roadmap of 28 programs that include coordination on macroeconomic and monetary and credit policies, as well as having common policies on industry, agriculture and energy, among others.
The military doctrine of United State of Russia and Belarus has also been approved.
It’s all good on paper, the question is what will really come out of this integration project. So far Lukashenko always managed to be on top of Putin and even make humiliating remarks about Russian president.
There is no reaction in Washington so far. Belarus is not Ukraine, people care less.
The military doctrine of United State of Russia and Belarus has also been approved.
It’s all good on paper, the question is what will really come out of this integration project. So far Lukashenko always managed to be on top of Putin and even make humiliating remarks about Russian president.
There is no reaction in Washington so far. Belarus is not Ukraine, people care less.
Another ethnic scandal broke out in Russia. Four men attacked a man with child in Moscow area of Vatutinki. The attackers appeared to be ethnic Azerbaijanis from Ural region of Orenburg, their mother is ethnic Russian.
Still, Russian media and telegram immediately started to boost a xenophobic, chauvinistic narrative against North Caucasians, migrants and basically all non ethnic Russians, although they do not do the same when ethnic Russians commit the majority of all crimes in the country.
The headliner of anti-Caucasus xenophobia in this case is Margarita Simonyan. She started her career by lying about number of victims in Beslan school massacre, so it is the type of media figure appreciated by top ranked siloviks.
Xenophobia is seen by them as an instrument to distract Russians from real problems - corruption, poverty, bad economy and Moscow draining resources from all over the country. The latter is actually the reason why people of all ethnic background flood Moscow.
Simonyan's hate speech drew an angry rant from Ramzan Kadyrov who accused her of boosting hatred and xenophobia. Usually nobody dares to oppose Kadyrov publicly, but Simonyan knows that she has FSB and other siloviks behind her.
Anyway, it is interesting that Patrushev, Bortnkikov, Bastrykin and their likes are acting to boost ethnic conflicts in Russia using hate speech and chauvinism against citizens of Russia who are ethnic Caucasians, Asians, Tatars etc.
These brain dead people will ruin the whole country only to save their capitals and pass them safely to their children.
Still, Russian media and telegram immediately started to boost a xenophobic, chauvinistic narrative against North Caucasians, migrants and basically all non ethnic Russians, although they do not do the same when ethnic Russians commit the majority of all crimes in the country.
The headliner of anti-Caucasus xenophobia in this case is Margarita Simonyan. She started her career by lying about number of victims in Beslan school massacre, so it is the type of media figure appreciated by top ranked siloviks.
Xenophobia is seen by them as an instrument to distract Russians from real problems - corruption, poverty, bad economy and Moscow draining resources from all over the country. The latter is actually the reason why people of all ethnic background flood Moscow.
Simonyan's hate speech drew an angry rant from Ramzan Kadyrov who accused her of boosting hatred and xenophobia. Usually nobody dares to oppose Kadyrov publicly, but Simonyan knows that she has FSB and other siloviks behind her.
Anyway, it is interesting that Patrushev, Bortnkikov, Bastrykin and their likes are acting to boost ethnic conflicts in Russia using hate speech and chauvinism against citizens of Russia who are ethnic Caucasians, Asians, Tatars etc.
These brain dead people will ruin the whole country only to save their capitals and pass them safely to their children.
Zhalo’s Case
A Russian diplomat who was found dead on October, 19 outside the country's embassy in Berlin appeared to be Kirill Zhalo – FSB officer and son of FSB general Alexey Zhalo.
Zhalo-senior isn’t just a random FSB general, he is the head of the FSB’s Directorate for Protection of Constitutional Order and Deputy of general Alexei Sedov, Director of the Second Service of FSB.
People of this rank are usually untouchable in Russian feudal hierarchy, but Zhalo did something unforgivable in the current dogfight of Russian elites. Of course, he was killed, we won’t even discuss that.
To understand the background of Zhalo’s assassination you have to accept the fact that Kremlin actually tried to kill Navalny. It wasn’t a joke, it wasn’t a fake – Navalny was supposed to die.
Zhalo-senior’s and Sedov's department is directly linked to Navalny’s failed assassination attempt, as well as to other “operations” abroad. Zhalo-junior’s assassination can be explained only one way: he was suspected of passing some sensible information on the case to Germans.
Russian political order is getting more and more archaic and vividly resembles the last years of Nicholas I.
A Russian diplomat who was found dead on October, 19 outside the country's embassy in Berlin appeared to be Kirill Zhalo – FSB officer and son of FSB general Alexey Zhalo.
Zhalo-senior isn’t just a random FSB general, he is the head of the FSB’s Directorate for Protection of Constitutional Order and Deputy of general Alexei Sedov, Director of the Second Service of FSB.
People of this rank are usually untouchable in Russian feudal hierarchy, but Zhalo did something unforgivable in the current dogfight of Russian elites. Of course, he was killed, we won’t even discuss that.
To understand the background of Zhalo’s assassination you have to accept the fact that Kremlin actually tried to kill Navalny. It wasn’t a joke, it wasn’t a fake – Navalny was supposed to die.
Zhalo-senior’s and Sedov's department is directly linked to Navalny’s failed assassination attempt, as well as to other “operations” abroad. Zhalo-junior’s assassination can be explained only one way: he was suspected of passing some sensible information on the case to Germans.
Russian political order is getting more and more archaic and vividly resembles the last years of Nicholas I.
Alexander Lukashenko has initiated another border crisis with Poland and Lithuania, using Iraqi migrants as a retaliation against sanctions imposed on his regime by the EU.
This is a full-scale fascist dictator who is leaning in his actions on Kremlin. Being under Western pressure, Putin is also trying to win some room by putting Europeans in a hard situation.
From American standpoint, there is nothing to worry about. Contrary to many opinions, the Minsk regime wasn’t in the middle of discussions held by William Burns in Moscow. Washington knows well, that even if Putin wanted to stop Lukashenko, he isn’t able to do so.
Still, the EU has to react now. It is not normal that the likes of Lukashenko impose any kind of threat to Europe.
Talking about Moscow, we know all too well that Kremlin isn’t capable of strategic thinking. Everything these people do abroad at the end works out against Russian people. It might be so with Lukashenko’s migrants, too.
This is a full-scale fascist dictator who is leaning in his actions on Kremlin. Being under Western pressure, Putin is also trying to win some room by putting Europeans in a hard situation.
From American standpoint, there is nothing to worry about. Contrary to many opinions, the Minsk regime wasn’t in the middle of discussions held by William Burns in Moscow. Washington knows well, that even if Putin wanted to stop Lukashenko, he isn’t able to do so.
Still, the EU has to react now. It is not normal that the likes of Lukashenko impose any kind of threat to Europe.
Talking about Moscow, we know all too well that Kremlin isn’t capable of strategic thinking. Everything these people do abroad at the end works out against Russian people. It might be so with Lukashenko’s migrants, too.
On November, 2 CIA Director William Burns raised, among others, in Moscow the issue of Russian cyberattacks.
On November, 8 United States have charged two suspected hackers, nationals of Russia and Ukraine, in connection with a wave of ransomware attacks that targeted US companies earlier this year.
Ukrainian national Yaroslav Vasinsky has already been arrested in Poland at the American request. Yevgeny Polyanin is allegedly in Russia, but he also will be brought to justice, sooner or later.
On November, 8 United States have charged two suspected hackers, nationals of Russia and Ukraine, in connection with a wave of ransomware attacks that targeted US companies earlier this year.
Ukrainian national Yaroslav Vasinsky has already been arrested in Poland at the American request. Yevgeny Polyanin is allegedly in Russia, but he also will be brought to justice, sooner or later.