When the ex-president of Russia Boris Yeltsin was asked: "What is your forecast for Russia in one word?" “Good,” the president answered. "And if in two words?" - "Nothing good." From this joke, the founder of the American consulting company Euarasia Group, Jan Bremmer began a discussion about Russia at the Davos forum on January 22. His interlocutors could be conditionally divided into two camps: those who were closer to Yeltsin’s answer from one word, and those who were two.

The loud resignations of last year, the provocative interviews of disgraced priests and the sharp statements of the official representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church forced to again recall the internal political struggle that did not subside inside the church. Slon Magazine sums up the results of the latest church reforms and talks about the main candidates for the successors of the Patriarch, as well as the political forces that are behind them.

The Kremlin denied reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Syria President Bashar Assad resign. “No, this is not so,” said TASS spokesman for Russian president Dmitry Peskov. On January 22, the Financial Times, with reference to sources in Western intelligence, said that Putin through the head of the GRU Igor Sergun handed over to Assad to leave his post.

The current president of Brazil Dilma Rusef was re -elected for a second term of a year and a half ago, on October 26, 2014. Almost half of the country voted against her - Ruseph went around her rival ACECIE Neva by only 3%.

Slovenia will refuse to accept migrants who do not go to Austria and Germany in the status of refugees, said the Minister of Internal Affairs of the country Spring Reaper. She also announced the tightening of the border control of Slovenia, reports Reuters . “Entrance to Slovenia will now be allowed only to those migrants who want to get asylum in Germany and Austria.

Stones at the University of Breno. 1939. AP / TASS The University of Breno, located in the American state of Georgia, has been the owner of the odious archaeological find for many years - 46 stones, on which 75 years ago, society put the stigma of the fake. At one time, they made a real splash after scientists proclaimed them with the heritage of the settlers of Roanok - the disappeared colony founded by the British in North America back in the 16th century.

The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) decided to fine Gazprom by 85 billion hryvnias ($ 3.4 billion), Yuri Terentyev, head of the department, said on his Facebook page. “A decision was made regarding the abuse of the monopoly position in the market of natural gas transit through the territory of Ukraine by Gazprom as a monopoly buyer. The amount of the fine is 85 billion hryvnias, ”Terentyev explained.

USM Holdings businessman Alisher Usmanov and his partners is one of the Uber taxi mobile investors. It is reported by RBC with reference to sources. As the interlocutor of RBC, close to Usmanov’s holding, USM invested in the American startup several tens of millions of dollars in the summer of 2015. The holding himself did not report the exact amount and refused to comment.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will purchase porcelain and other dishes for several military units, follows from documents on the public procurement website. According to the first tender , for military unit No. 59313 in Khabarovsk, more than 11 thousand objects are purchased in Khabarovsk - porcelain straditsa, teapots, ice cream creams, napkins, saucers, cake plates and more.

The Moscow City Court recognized the decision of the Presnensky court of the capital to refuse the former wife of billionaire Vladimir Potanin Natalia in the section of the share of Norilsk Nickel. Interfax communes about this. After the meeting, Potanin said that she did not exclude further trials on this issue. “Hope dies the last, we do not exclude that we will continue to appeal the court decision.

The cost of a barrel of Brent oil on the ICE London Exchange exceeded $ 30. As of 8:40 Moscow time, the cost of the March futures is $ 30.14 per barrel. A few minutes earlier, the price of a barrel of oil rose to $ 30.25. The cost of a wti brand now reaches $ 30.45.

According to the results of 2015, the deficit of the federal budget of Russia amounted to, according to preliminary estimates, about 1.95 trillion rubles. This was reported in the materials of the Ministry of Finance. As RIA Novosti clarifies , the deficiency size reached 2.6% of GDP. The budget revenues last year 3% exceeded the initially planned level and were at the level of 13.66 trillion rubles. Expenses increased by 1.2% compared to a plan of up to 15.6 trillion rubles.

A quarter of Russians is afraid to express their own opinion “regarding current affairs in the country” in sociological surveys, Kommersant reports with reference to the study of “Levada Center”. The survey was conducted from November 20 to 23, 2015 among 1.6 thousand people in 48 regions of the country. 26% of the respondents are afraid to tell their point of view on sociologists in the country, 23% to colleagues, 17% to their family.

A member of the rally under the slogan "In unity is our power" in support of the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov. Anton Podgayko / TASS On January 22, a mass rally was held in Grozny in support of the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov. The organizers of the event, according to local TV, were the “Youth and public organizations of Chechnya”.

Russia needs to analyze the export capabilities of domestic brands of automotive industry. This was announced on January 22 by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev at a meeting on the current state of the industry and its development until 2025, Interfax reports. “We need to <...> think about how to promote our companies, our brands in foreign markets,” he said. Medvedev noted that the Russian car market, according to current estimates, will not grow in the near future.