Scholar Eliot Borenstein examines the worrying ‘video game logic’ behind Moscow’s fundamentalist fight By Dr. Eliot Borenstein Who, exactly, is the enemy Russia has targeted in its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine? Not Ukrainians, who, as the Russian media continually remind us, don’t actually exist. Not NATO and the “collective West,” however much they might fit the bill; Russian television has been demonizing them for more than a decade, but there is little appetite for a direct confrontation.

Russia’s fall conscription campaign is wrapping up. Here are four stories about what it takes to avoid the draft. Donat Sorokin / TASS Conscripts at a medical examination in the Sverdlovsk region, November 10, 2022 Reporting by Eva Alexandrova . English version by Emily Laskin . Russia’s fall conscription drive for mandatory military service, during which 120,000 people were supposed to be called up, runs from November 1 to the end of the year.

Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a contract with Al-Nasr football club from Saudi Arabia. This was announced by the press service of the team on Twitter. about the transition of the football player to the Saudi club Earlier, the sources of the Al Arabiya TV channel reported . According to media reports, the term of the agreement between Ronaldo and Al-Nasr is two and a half years, and the athlete's salary will be $ 75 million a year.

The length of the traffic jam that formed at the Crimean Bridge from the Krasnodar Region side exceeded five kilometers. This was stated by the Kuban operational headquarters, Interfax reports. "The capacity of the [inspection] points is currently approximately 190 vehicles per hour. Crossing the bridge will take several hours," the press release said.

Former director of Open Russia Andrei Pivovarov, convicted under the article on carrying out the activities of an "undesirable organization", was transferred from Krasnodar Krai. This was reported by the politician's supporters and the former head of his election campaign headquarters Tatyana Usmanova. According to Usmanova, Pivovarov was taken from correctional colony No. 2 in Krasnodar Krai to Volgograd. "He will spend the New Year in a special carriage for prisoners.

Russian gas suppliers will be able to accept payment for outstanding export deliveries from buyers in "unfriendly" countries in foreign currency. This is stated in a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The document amends another decree, “On the special procedure for fulfilling obligations by foreign buyers to Russian suppliers of natural gas,” signed by the Russian president in late March. This document regulates gas trade with “unfriendly” countries for Russian rubles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Svetlana Medvedev, wife of Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the country's Security Council, with the badge of distinction "For Benevolence". The decree on this was published on the official portal of legal information.

The Federal Air Transport Agency decided to stop publishing a notice on the extension of the regime of restrictions on flights at 11 airports in the south and central part of the Russian Federation. RBC was told about this by two sources close to the Russian aviation authorities. The last such notification was issued by the department on December 23. On December 30, the next message was supposed to come out.

Tony Blair in the early 2000s proposed to give Putin a “place at the main table” in world politics. How was it - in declassified documents of the British archive MARTYN HAYHOW / PA Wire / PA Images / Scanpix / Leta Vladimir Putin and Tony Blair in the residence of the British Prime Minister on Dauning Street.

Meduza got access to a Kremlin handbook on how propagandists should sum up 2022 Alexander Nemenev / AFP / Scanpix / LETA Story by Andrey Pertsev . Translation by Emily Laskin . The Kremlin released a handbook for authorities and pro-Kremlin media, what they should say in year-end reports about 2022.

We talk about the life of this amazing woman David M. Benett / Getty images On December 29, the British Fashion House Vivienne Westwood said that its founder Vivien Westwood "peacefully passed away surrounded by her family." She was 81 years old. She was a revolutionary in the world of fashion. Vivienne Westwood (maiden surname - Suyir) was born in 1941 in one of the villages of the county derbishir in the northern part of England in a family of workers.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Income and Expenditures released the tax returns of the 45th President of the country, Donald Trump, which he refused to disclose on his own. According to the Associated Press, the published documents relate to 2015-2020.

Roskomnadzor has blocked access in Russia to the website of the Ochevidtsy project, which publishes stories about how people's lives have changed since the start of Russia's war with Ukraine. The founder of the project, Viktor Muchnik, reported the blocking. The agency's registry notes that access to the ochevidcy.com website is restricted. The reason for this is not specified. "Well, dear RKN, thank you for the high assessment of our work. And we, we are... Mirrors there, VPN, you know.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to communicate with journalists from the Kremlin pool in the same format as before the coronavirus pandemic. This was stated by his press secretary Dmitry Peskov. “Honestly, it is unlikely [the president’s communication with the media] will be exactly the same as it was before the pandemic in the foreseeable future,” a Kremlin spokesman said, answering a related question from journalists.

The Russian army defeats NATO, Putin "gives Europe a chance to change his mind" Alexander Nemenov / AFP / Scanpix / Leta The political bloc of the Presidential Administration (AP) of the Russian Federation prepared a training manual for state and prolapping media about how exactly the results of 2022 should be summed up.