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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Veronika Gredinskaya

How Russia's Future History Teachers Are Battling Kremlin Propaganda

Russia has introduced new history textbooks criticized for replacing facts with propaganda. Students preparing to teach history are torn between "patriotic" and "liberal" narratives, even as they refuse to accept the state's version without debate.

Since the start of the new academic year in Russia, high-school students have been learning history from new textbooks that include a chapter on the invasion of Ukraine. The revised text has been criticized for its substitution of historical facts with propaganda – a live example of how the authorities are rewriting the country's history.

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Russian independent news site Vazhnye Istorii spoke with a few students of history at Russian universities who intend to become history teachers when they graduate (their names have been changed for security reasons).

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FOCUS: Israel-Palestine War
Josef Rosen

How The Russia-Hamas Alliance Could Wind Up Undermining Both

Russia is largely discrediting itself as a viable leader in diplomacy after siding so plainly with Hamas.

-Analysis-

For many years, Hamas was a welcomed guest in Moscow. The leaders of the terrorist organization, including Ismail Haniyeh, his deputies Saleh al-Aruri and Musa Abu Marzouk, regularly held meetings with senior Russian officials. In March of last year, the Russian Federation also hosted a delegation from the terrorist organization "Islamic Jihad."

On Oct. 27, a Hamas delegation paid a visit to Moscow, where they met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his deputy Mikhail Bohdanov. During their visit, the militants expressed their gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his longstanding support and issued a call to the U.S. and Israel to cease hostilities in Gaza. They also announced their intention to locate eight hostages with Russian passports and secure their release, in exchange for weapons from the Russian Federation.

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Russia has previously been the victim of Sunni terrorism, including a hostage crisis at a Moscow theater in 2002, the 2004 school attack in Beslan claiming 330 lives, and the downing of a Russian plane by ISIS fighters in Egypt in 2015, in which 224 people died.

While Russia has officially designated groups like al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other Sunni terrorist organizations as such, Hamas, which has affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood, notably remains off that list. Why is this the case?

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Ideas
Janusz Onyszkiewicz

Can Russia Ever Learn To Live Without Its Imperial Ambitions?

Russian ambitions to expand its empire have existed for centuries. But are they doomed to be this way forever? Janusz Onyszkiewicz, the former defense minister of Poland, digs into the history — and the future.

-Analysis-

WARSAW — For Moscow to finally let go of its imperial ambitions, it must lose the war it has been waging in Ukraine. As the history of the last few hundred years shows, this is the only way Russia will change.

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The idealogue at the head of Putinist Russia, Vladislav Surkov, has made his vision of an ideal Russia very clear. In his view, Russia is a country that “having stopped falling, has begun to rebuild itself and returned to the natural and only possible state of a great, growing and land-collecting community of nations."

Surkov says that Russia makes "no promise" of peace. “The immodest role given to our country by universal history does not allow us to leave the stage or remain silent in the crowd," he declared.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Slavoj Žižek

Russia Flirts With The End Of "Mutually Assured Destruction"

Retired Major-General Alexander Vladimirov wrote the Russian “war bible.” His words have weight. Now he has declared that the use of nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine is inevitable, citing a justification that consigns the principle of deterrence to the history books.

Updated on Sep. 19, 2023 at 4 p.m.

-Analysis-

LJUBLJANANuclear war is the “inevitable” conclusion of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That's the opinion of retired Major-General Alexander Vladimirov, from an interview he gave last week to the journalist Vladislav Shurygin, and reported by the British tabloid The Daily Mail.

The retired general and author of the General Theory of War, which is seen in Moscow as the nation's "war bible," warned: “For the transition to the use of weapons of mass destruction, only one thing is needed – a political decision by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [Vladimir Putin].” According to Vladimirov, “the goals of Russia and the goals of the West are their survival and historical eternity.”

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That means, he concludes, that they will use all methods at their disposal in this conflict, including nuclear weapons. “I am sure that nuclear weapons will be used in this war – inevitably, and from this, neither we nor the enemy have anywhere to go.”

Recently, Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer sparked outrage in India because it contained an intimate scene that made reference to the Bhagavad Gita. Many people took to Twitter to ask how the censor board could have approved this scene. A press release from the Save Culture, Save India Foundation read: “We do not know the motivation and logic behind this unnecessary scene on life of a scientist. A scene in the movie shows a woman making a man read Bhagwad Geeta aloud (during) sexual intercourse.”

My response to this scene is precisely the opposite: the Bhagavad Gita portrays cruel acts of military slaughter as a sacred duty, so instead we should be protesting that a tender act of bodily passion has been sullied by associating it with a spiritual obscenity. We should be outraged at the evil of “spiritualizing” physical desire.

Isn’t Vladimirov doing something similar in this interview? He is seeking to somehow elevate a (self-destructive, murderous) passion by couching it in obtuse terms such as “historical eternity.”

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Piotr Andrusieczko

A Profound And Simple Reason That Negotiations Are Not An Option For Ukraine

The escalation of war in the Middle East and the stagnation of the Ukrainian counteroffensive have left many leaders in the West, who once supported Ukraine unequivocally, to look toward ceasefire talks with Russia. For Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, Piotr Andrusieczko argues that Ukraine simply cannot afford this.

-Analysis-

KYIVUkraine is fighting for its very existence, and the war will not end soon. What should be done in the face of this reality? How can Kyiv regain its advantage on the front lines?

It's hard to deny that pessimism has been spreading among supporters of the Ukrainian cause, with some even predicting ultimate defeat for Kyiv. It's difficult to agree with this, considering how this war began and what was at stake. Yes, Ukraine has not won yet, but Ukrainians have no choice for now but to continue fighting.

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These assessments are the result of statements by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, and an interview with him in the British weekly The Economist, where the General analyzes the causes of failures on the front, notes the transition of the war to the positional phase, and, critically, evaluates the prospects and possibilities of breaking the deadlock.

Earlier, an article appeared in the American weekly TIME analyzing the challenges facing President Volodymyr Zelensky. His responses indicate that he is disappointed with the attitude of Western partners, and at the same time remains so determined that, somewhat lying to himself, he unequivocally believes in victory.

Combined, these two publications sparked discussions about the future course of the conflict and whether Ukraine can win at all.

Some people outright predict that what has been known from the beginning will happen: Russia will ultimately win, and Ukraine has already failed.

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Geopolitics
Agentsvo

Did Russia Have A Hand In The Hamas Attack?

Russia has both the means and potentially motivation for triggering mayhem in the Middle East, including the benefits of distracting the West from its war in Ukraine.

Updated October 10, 2023 at 5: 10 p.m.

-Analysis-

The remarkable success of Saturday's surprise attack by Hamas across the border into Israel has sparked widespread speculation about foreign involvement. The complexity of the operation, believed to have killed at least 700 Israelis thus far with more than 2,100 wounded and dozens taken hostage, is raising suspicion that it could have only been carried out with the aid of outside planning, money and manpower.

Initial reports suggested that Iran may have played a part in facilitating the assault. On Tuesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that there was no Iranian involvement in the Palestinian militant group's attack, which has killed more than 1,000 Israelis.

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Others instead are pointing at Russia, accused of involvement in the Hamas operation, though concrete evidence has thus far not been cited.

Writing in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, retired British Army Colonel Richard Kemp said that “unwilling to engage directly with NATO, Putin is instead fueling conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Serbia and Kosovo, West Africa, and now Israel.”

Chairman of the Estonian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Marko Mihkelson, told Estonian National Television that the involvement of Russia and Iran in the attack is indicated by its timing as well as the fact that “both Moscow and Tehran maintain contacts with Hamas.”

Russia-Hamas relations are longstanding and active, with Moscow hosting a Hamas delegation in March this year. They met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who subsequently warned that Hamas' "patience" with Israel was "running out." Hamas leaders also visited Russia in May and September 2022.

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LGBTQ Plus
Editorial

How Russia's Crackdown On LGBTQ+ Rights Has Spiraled Out Of Control

Some social activists believe that this sudden shift can potentially threaten not just human rights organizations but virtually any Russian citizen.

The Russian Ministry of Justice has called for the Supreme Court to categorize LGBTQ+ individuals as part of an "extremist international movement." This demand has sparked significant confusion and concern as the acronym LGBTQ+ refers to individuals—lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people—rather than an organized movement.

Merely four days prior, Andrei Loginov, the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, stated at the UN that “Russia upholds legislative practices to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens”. He emphasized that “discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited under existing legislation”.

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The sudden strict stance appears to be linked to the upcoming presidential elections, according to a source close to the Kremlin cited by Russian news site Vorstka.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Agents Media

Russia's Boom In Facial Recognition Cameras To Crack Down On Dissent

Trailing only China in the widespread use across the nation of security cameras equipped with facial recognition technology.

Over the course of the past two years, Russian authorities have significantly expanded the use of facial recognition cameras, increasing the number of regions where they're used from five to 62, a twelve-fold increase. This has effectively created a nationwide surveillance system for monitoring citizens, and sharing information among regional authorities.

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This is now one of the largest video surveillance systems in the world, second only to China, allowing law enforcement to locate individuals not only within their own region, but also across Russia.

There is an ongoing process of connecting cameras across various regions into a single network, and a unified data storage center is already operational, Sarkis Darbinyan, a lawyer at Roskomsvoboda, a Russian NGO that supports digital rights of Internet users. “If all data is stored on the same servers, we are talking about trans-regional processing. This means that even if a person moves to another region, they can still be found there.”

The development of the facial recognition system began in 2017 when the city of Moscow announced the launch of one of the world’s largest facial recognition video surveillance networks, with the capital's Department of Information Technologies touting the 160,000 cameras installed across the city, including more than 3,000 of them connected to the facial recognition system. The reason given for this massive expansion was the crack down on crime, though even then there was suspicion that it was also designed to target government opponents.

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Geopolitics
Pierre Haski

Russia And Iran: At Least One Is Ready For Middle East Escalation

What happens next in the Middle East, including a possible expansion of the war at the Israeli-Lebanon border, will be determined by choices that are made in different capitals. Keep your eye on Tehran.

-Analysis-

PARIS — Iran holds one of the keys to the Middle East crisis: it can decide to either limit the scope to a war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, or transform it into a regional confrontation with the opening of a new front with Lebanon's Hezbollah.

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In The News
Valeria Berghinz, Michelle Courtois & Anne-Sophie Goninet

Russia Reacts To Biden Speech, China’s Nuclear Arsenal, Mannequin Thief

👋 ഹലോ*

Welcome to Friday, where Russia denounces the “calculations” of Joe Biden’s speech, a Pentagon report shows that China has considerably expanded its nuclear arsenal, and a Polish shoplifter experiments with a novel technique (and gets caught). Meanwhile, Paul Turban for French daily Les Echos marks the 400th anniversary of France’s palace of Versailles with a look at its never-ending and ever pricey renovation.

[*Halēā - Malayalam, India]

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War
Ihor Myslovsky

How Russia Will Capitalize On The New Wave Of Terrorism Set To Hit The West

Western leaders must take a more resolute stance in addressing terrorism and its hybrid forms, and see the connection with the tactics and strategy of Putin's Russia.

-Analysis-

Terrorist violence often follows a dangerous spiral. If not promptly curtailed, it can escalate, resulting in more frequent and severe attacks.

In recent years, we've observed a rise in violent incidents displaying certain recognizable characteristics of terrorism, involving both state and non-state actors, which involve a wide array of ideologies and methods.

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The ongoing Russian war in Ukraine offers another trouble model, where such tactics as nuclear threats, targeting energy infrastructure in winter, and missile strikes on civilian areas have been employed as tactical acts of terrorism.

There are others more recognizable: like the brutal attacks against civilians like those recently seen by Hamas in southern Israel, the murder of a teacher in France and a fatal shooting in Brussels of two Swedish soccer fans.

It is evident that both Western political leaders and societies need to respond. Political leaders should take resolute action, and societies should unite to safeguard their countries from destabilization by these adversaries. Failure to do so could ultimately benefit terrorists and authoritarian regimes.

The connection, in other words, is legitimate between the Middle East's sudden outbreak of violence and the way Russia conducts itself in international affairs.

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Economy
Benjamin Quénelle

How Russia's War Economy Has Withstood The Onslaught Of Sanctions

The Russian economy has proven remarkably resilient to Western sanctions, a phenomenon largely driven by Russia's expanding military-industrial complex and increased trade with India and China. One challenge remains unsolved however: a lack of young working-aged men ready for hire in the country's industrial and white collar sectors.

Updated October 12, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.

-Analysis-

MOSCOW — As fall began and business resumed, Russian company leaders faced a headache that has nothing to do with Western sanctions — far from questions about the ruble, inflation or interest rates. The most urgent priority is recruitment.

In a market where the unemployment rate has reached its lowest level in history (barely more than 3%), companies are struggling to hire. Incomes are soaring, with more than 13% monthly increases just before the summer and around 6% over the first half of the year.

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The Kremlin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine is partly to blame. The generous salaries given to the volunteers on the front attracted many young people from the most popular classes in industrial regions. On the other hand, in Moscow and other large cities, the shortage of qualified executives has worsened with the departure of men fleeing military mobilization and the absence of economic prospects.

But what Russia is paying for above all is one of its endemic afflictions: its demographic crisis. The country today suffers from the low birth rate of past generations and, consequently, from a lack of young men of working age. Companies are thus forced to increase salaries to attract insufficient recruits. Some can't afford it, but most find solutions.

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