The military supply sector is growing and thriving with a continuous flow of resources, raw materials, finance and technology. Small and medium-sized enterprises and the consumer sector are having to contend with restrictions due to sanctions, tax increases and limited access to capital. Moscow's economy has already taken root in a model that will not be easy to change in the future.

Kalmykia, the only region with a Buddhist majority in the European part of Russia, welcomed delegations from 35 countries around the world. Putin himself sent a message praising its ‘precious spiritual traditions’. Lama Kirishov praised the ‘spirit of sacrifice’ of Buddhist soldiers participating in the special military operation in Ukraine.

Moldova, which is seemingly the closest target for Moscow's "hybrid war”, is headed to parliamentary elections tomorrow. Meanwhile, unidentified aircraft circling in the skies of Europe are like menacing totems, evoking the Siberian-rooted shamanism that, in today’s Russia, is one of the most radical expressions of its “defence of traditional values” against Western depravity.

Despite announcements, Beijing continues to delay the construction of the gas pipeline that would represent a lifeline for Gazprom. Political and financial considerations are complicating the agreement on the terms of the contract to be concluded. Meanwhile, China is also looking to other suppliers to meet its needs, which are set to grow after 2030.

The Live Arena in Moscow hosted the latest edition of “Intervidenie”, the singing competition that brought together the countries of the Eastern Bloc during the Soviet era. Revived after Russian singers were excluded from the Western event due to the invasion of Ukraine, it brought together artists from 22 ‘friendly’ nations, with Dyk Fuk, a rapper from Hanoi, ultimately winning.

There is an essential and original link between the Orthodox faith and power, as already shown in the 11th century by Metropolitan Hilarion's “Discourse on Law and Grace”, the “manifesto” of the Russian faith. Apart from Philip II of Moscow, who rebelled against the massacres of the first Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible at the end of the 16th century and was suffocated in his monastic cell as a result, there are no known cases of other ecclesiastical opponents of the monarchs' holy wars.