Vladimir Vaks. Photos from social networks Former vice-rector of TGASU Vladimir Vaks died while under arrest, the office of the Investigative Committee for the Tomsk Region reported . He was 75 years old. On May 18, Vaks was hospitalized from a pre-trial detention center in the city of Kolpashevo due to a sharp deterioration in his health. The next day he died. The Investigative Committee began inspections. Vax's death was confirmed by his lawyer Evgenia Rodchenko.

The world premiere of “The Minotaur” was a triumph in Cannes. Still from the film "Minotaur" Andrey Zvyagintsev is one of the favorites of the festival, generously rewarded here (all four of his films received prizes). It took almost 10 years to return after a serious illness, coma, and long rehabilitation. Zvyagintsev's films have always breathed the air of their time, absorbing the noise of change, resonating with social tectonic shifts, acting as a kind of seismograph of the era.

10 minutes of applause and the main Russian film of the year? Andrei Zvyagintsev presented his new film “Minotaur” in Cannes - and received a long standing ovation. Film critic Larisa Malyukova - straight from the festival - talks about the premiere, the reaction of the audience, chances for awards and why this film is already being called one of the main events of the Cannes Film Festival. Also about new films by Pawel Pawlikowski, Cristian Mungiu and Kantemir Balagov.

At least two schools in the Tomsk region - in the village of Moryakovsky Zaton and the city of Kedrovy - have banned students from wearing clothes with inscriptions in foreign languages, writes NeMoskva Speaks * with reference to a reader.

“Novaya” asks for help for the family of the deceased Valentina Davronova to leave Lugansk Valentina. Photos from social networks The story of Tatyana Davronova and her daughter Valya was described by many media outlets, including Novaya . This is the story of a woman from near the Luhansk city of Shchastya, whose family turned out to be strangers to both Russia and Ukraine. Tatiana's daughter was killed by the military: this is a proven crime, they were convicted.

The 15th Arbitration Court of Appeal overturned the decision to recover almost 140 million rubles from the insurance company VSK after a drone attack on an oil depot in the Krasnodar Territory, writes Kuban Press. The court, citing the criminal case, concluded that the attack was a terrorist attack, which means it does not fall under a standard insurance event. We are talking about a UAV attack on an oil depot near Anapa in 2024. After the drone fell, oil tanks in the area caught fire.

What and why is happening to exchange rates and what to expect in the future Photo: Alexander Shcherbak / TASS In April-May 2026, the ruble accomplished something that had recently been considered impossible. In just over a month, our currency strengthened by about 12%, reaching 70.6 rubles per dollar at the moment and reaching a new maximum since February 2023. Many hastened to declare this a victory for “financial sovereignty” and proof of the stability of the Russian economy.

Historian Alexey Kuznetsov - about the collapse of the Union 35 years ago they were still trying to save the USSR - through a new union treaty, a referendum and negotiations in Novo-Ogaryovo. But the country was already bursting at the seams.

Photo: Mash At Sevastopol school No. 13, the balcony on which graduates were taking pictures collapsed. According to the regional governor, Mikhail Razvozhaev, nine teenagers were injured - six boys and three girls aged 17. Three teenagers are in serious condition. The authorities assure that there is no threat to their lives. Known. that one of the schoolchildren was taken to the hospital unconscious, the doctors could not revive him for a long time.

The authorities do not even try to explain why they designate someone as an extremist or “foreign agent.” That's why no one is allowed into the courtroom. Photo: Irina Bujor / Kommersant What much of the current state repression has in common is that it is carried out behind closed doors. This applies to recognition as undesirable organizations, “foreign agents”, and classification as extremist organizations.

The dollar exchange rate on the morning of May 20 reached a minimum of 69.92 rubles, but by noon the currency had partially recovered the fall and consolidated above 70, Frank Media writes , citing data from the interbank market. The last time the dollar was worth less than 70 rubles was in December 2023. At the same time, on the over-the-counter market the dollar fell to 70.71, exceeding the value threshold to 70 rubles.

On Sakhalin, the town of Shakhtersk plunged into Egyptian darkness. But coal miners report “something else” "Solntsevsky coal mine". Photo: social networks Sakhalin Shakhtersk was choking on coal dust for a week. In the video from local residents there is Egyptian darkness, everything is black, the sun is not visible.

An air alert has been declared in some areas of Lithuania, including Vilnius, due to a “suspicious drone,” the country’s Ministry of Defense reported. The agency claims that the drone flew up to the border from Belarus. Delfi writes that residents of Lithuania received emergency notifications with a “red” danger level. The message says: “Air danger.

Following the results of Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to China, Moscow and Beijing signed more than 20 joint documents, the Kremlin reported. Presidential pool journalist Alexander Yunashev published a photograph of a suitcase with papers that the Russian delegation was carrying from Beijing. Among them is a statement on deepening Russian-Chinese relations.

The main question for the post-Putin reform project: is normalization possible without democratization? Let's continue the discussion Illustration: Petr Sarukhanov / Novaya Gazeta (18+) THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) IS PRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED AND (OR) SENT BY FOREIGN AGENT IRINA MARKOVNA BUSYGINA OR CONCERNES THE ACTIVITIES OF IRINA MARKOVNA BUSYGINA. The expert project “Normalization Platform” by Andrei Yakovlev offers a reasonable program of post-Putin reforms.