2021 kicked off with some old and new challenges for Moscow: the economic and health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new administration in the US, sanctions and volatile oil prices, and political crises in Russia’s neighbourhood, where we are witnessing an escalating stand-off over Ukraine. At the same time, international concern over the health of the jailed Russian opponent Alexei Navalny is growing, while President Vladimir Putin has signed into law the results of last year’s constitutional referendum allowing him to potentially hold on to power until 2036.
Mosca ordina ai suoi soldati di tornare dal confine con l'Ucraina. La mossa sembra porre fine a settimane di tensione, causate da una massiccia mobilitazione di truppe e armi al confine.
Alexei Navalny è stato trasferito nel reparto ospedaliero del carcere in cui è detenuto. Le sue condizioni sarebbero “soddisfacenti” secondo il personale penitenziario ma l’opposizione alza il tiro e indice per mercoledì una giornata di proteste contro Putin.
Truppe Usa via dall’Afghanistan e sull’escalation in Ucraina Biden chiama Putin. Blinken e Austin in Europa premono sul coinvolgimento della Nato.
Fra il 16 e il 29 ottobre 1962 il mondo fu a un passo dalla guerra nucleare. Gli americani avevano scoperto a Cuba rampe e missili russi con testata atomica; altri erano in viaggio dall'Urss. Un anno prima a Berlino, Krushov aveva fatto costruire il muro. Gli arsenali nucleari delle due potenze crescevano ogni anno di più: nel 1986 avrebbero raggiunto il massimo di 68mila ordigni.
Truppe Usa via dall’Afghanistan e sull’escalation in Ucraina Biden chiama Putin. Blinken e Austin in Europa premono sul coinvolgimento della Nato.
Climate change - or climate crisis, as some media outlets relabelled it - is increasingly getting attention from governments and civil societies worldwide.
Over the last few years, environmentalism has proven to be an increasingly pressing civil society issue and climate change concerns spreaded across civil society. However, Russian environmentalism hardly has common traits with its Western counterparts. While 2019 was the culminating year of Greta Thunberg and the youth movement Fridays For Future in the West, similar initiatives did not enjoy such popularity in Russia, they did not gain importance within the public discourse and they had virtually no influence on policy-making processes.
Russia, one of the world’s leading suppliers of fossil fuels, is facing new challenges: as the world is entering a zero-emission path, the country’s future will largely depend on diversification of the country’s economy, including decarbonizing its energy sector.
The Arctic has always been very important for Russia. First, it makes up a considerable part of the country’s territory. Second, the region hosts important transport and military infrastructure. Finally, it possesses significant natural resources potential, which is not limited to oil and natural gas, but also includes minerals, timber, fish, and other resources including land itself.
In 1994 Russia ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and subsequently took part in all of its Conferences of the Parties. The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, was ratified by Russia in 2004. Developed countries, including Russia, have committed themselves to an annual 5% emission reduction compared to 1990 levels. But for Russia, these commitments do not imply a real "environmental breakthrough".