The statements made by Vladimir Kara-Murza, one of the most influential members of the opposition to Putin in exile, on the large presence of non-Russian ethnic groups among Moscow's soldiers on the front line in Ukraine have sparked debate. Many have accused him of racism. But there are also those who recall the Caucasians fighting in the ranks of Kiev, bitterly observing that in this bloody conflict ‘everyone is looking for their enemies’.
Patriarch Kirill recalls the historic meeting in Cuba in 2016 and Francis' desire to “heal the wounds of conflict”. Putin's tribute: “A consistent defender of the great values of humanism and justice”. Orthodox writer Andrei Lorgus: ‘His death on Easter has a special meaning for the whole Christian world’.
Total turnover remained more or less the same, but print runs collapsed, with a 23% drop in the number of books printed compared to the first quarter of 2022. Books translated from abroad fell by 27%, with a decidedly poor average for Russian readers of 2,500 copies printed per text. Readers are looking for substitutes for banned literature, buying Russian fantasy and horror books and Chinese novels.
This is the estimate by the government-funded Korea Institute for Defense Analysis for North Korea’s shipment of weapons, men and technology to Russia. The supplies include 21,000 containers of weapons sent by sea. Between late 2024 and the start of 2025, North Korea sent almost 127,000 phishing emails to South Korean officials, journalists and researchers.
As part of the conversion to a war economy over the past three years, the Russian Attorney General's Office has confiscated 411 large companies from private individuals, with assets exceeding 30 billion dollars. Among the main managers of these operations are the two oligarch brothers closest to President Vladimir Putin, Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.
Despite bans on demonstrations and pickets, environmentalists have still managed to make their voices heard against the work in progress in the parks of the Russian capital. According to the municipal authorities, the work is necessary to improve ‘the care and use of green spaces’, but according to the opponents it is simply a favour to the ‘business-minded building lobbies’.
