In the spring, the Ripol publishing house published a new book by one of the main Russian-language writers of the 21st century - “Chronicles of the Ash Spring” by Anna Starobinets. Starobinets needed to move the action of the novel 17 centuries forward in order to be able to talk about good and evil without taking sides in current conflicts. Lisa Birger advises Starobinets to carefully read the new book.

Sergey Aleksashenko Photo: courtesy of Sergei Aleksashenko This week the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum got off to a very bright start. Nowadays there is only talk about explosions and cringe, but once upon a time it was a platform where different voices were heard, they argued seriously, and important international treaties were concluded. But what do investors see now? Can a business be interested in a country at war under sanctions?