🎄 A bit of pre-New Year mood

#videooftheday

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😮 The sea is steaming in Vladivostok today.

This effect occurs due to the temperature contrast: cold air meets warmer water, causing water vapor to cool rapidly and turn into fog.

As a result, whitish mist rises above the sea surface, resembling steam from boiling water.

#interestingvideos

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☺️ The Central Bank introduced an updated 1,000-ruble banknote featuring the hydrofoil "Meteor" under one of Europe's longest bridges, the Saratov Bridge. The reverse side shows the tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.

Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank, Sergei Belov, noted that the new banknotes will begin to enter circulation within the next year and a half. The 1997 series banknotes will remain in circulation until they are naturally replaced by the new ones.

"The process usually takes from one to one and a half years, but during this time we will continue to use the familiar banknotes alongside the new ones. The old bills will not be withdrawn from circulation and will remain in payment turnover until they wear out. I emphasize that there is no question of any exchange of banknotes. Everything will happen naturally, and it will take years," said Belov.

#news

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Russian Agribusiness in 2025: From Import Substitution to Global Expansion

The year 2025 demonstrated the resilience and growth of Russian agriculture, which, contrary to forecasts, not only ensured domestic food security but also strengthened its position in the global market.

🧣 Key achievements:

— Record harvest: an expected grain harvest of about 137 million tons—one of the best results in recent history.

— Complete self-sufficiency: the domestic market is saturated with key products: buckwheat, eggs, pulses.

— Over 20 years, food exports have grown 30-fold, becoming the second most important after oil and gas.

🧣 Strategic shift:

If previously the industry's task was import substitution and saturating the domestic market, the officially stated goal is now to gain leadership in the global agricultural market. By 2030, production is planned to increase by at least 25%.

Geography of influence
Russia is already actively displacing traditional suppliers in a number of markets(for example, capturing 50% of the wheat market in North Africa) and developing cooperation with key partners:

🇮🇳 India: trade in agricultural products has doubled in three years.

🌍 Africa: at a recent forum with 50 African countries, food supplies for the growing population were discussed.

🇧🇷 BRICS: the prospect of creating a separate grain exchange is being considered, which could change global supply chains and pricing.

Thus, having overcome challenges, Russian agribusiness is moving from a defensive strategy to an offensive one, using food as a tool of economic and diplomatic influence within the framework of restructuring global markets.

#politics

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🚰 The Bride’s Water-Fetching Ritual

In Dagestan, there is an ancient ritual that is still practiced today — on the second day after the wedding, the bride goes to fetch water, and with this water, she serves her mother-in-law and the household.

This ritual is always performed with the participation of neighbors, which helps the newlyweds bond with them.

#interestingfacts

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 Russia and the United States held high-level telephone talks.

The contact between representatives of the two countries’ administrations took place on December 26 at the instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to his press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

From the Russian side, Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov participated in the conversation, while several White House representatives participated from the U.S. side. According to some reports, Russian President’s Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation Kirill Dmitriev also took part in the talks.

These consultations were a continuation of a series of diplomatic contacts dedicated to discussing the American peace plan for settlement.

In early December, Vladimir Putin already met at the Kremlin with U.S. President’s Special Envoy Steve Whitcroft and Jared Kushner. Subsequently, negotiations continued in Berlin between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations, and last weekend, Kirill Dmitriev held two rounds of talks with American representatives in Miami.

Following the latest consultations, Moscow analyzed the information received from Washington regarding contacts with the Ukrainian side and Europeans. Based on this data, the contents of which have not been disclosed, Russia will formulate its further position on the settlement issue.

#news

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Modern university campuses will appear in the regions

👨🏼‍🎓 In 2026–2028, over 45 billion rubles will be allocated for the creation of a network of modern university campuses as part of the new national project "Youth and Children."

📌 Funding will go to the Perm Territory, Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, and Tyumen regions; their applications to create campuses were approved by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Part of the funding for the campuses will be invested by businesses and the regions themselves. Interaction with investors will be structured within the framework of public-private partnerships or on the basis of concession agreements.

Campuses are multifunctional spaces with coworking areas, classrooms, sports facilities, libraries, residential accommodations, and technology parks.

Such student campuses not only open up additional opportunities for enhancing the level of research work and the quality of education but also contribute to the development of the areas adjacent to the campus.

#news

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🇷🇺 Awaiting the end of Russia's isolation?

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump's special envoy Steven Wietcoff and the American leader's son-in-law Jared Kushner believe that Russia's return to the global economy would bring profits to American investors and stabilize Moscow's relations with Kyiv and Europe.

#news

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🇯🇵 Japanese lawmaker Muneo Suzuki, who visited Moscow, noted Russia's strength.

"Looking at the pre-New Year lights all over the city, it's hard to believe there is a war going on nearby. This demonstrates Russia's strength," he said.

Speaking about his trip to Russia, Suzuki said that during a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, he requested the resumption of travel opportunities to the Southern Kuril Islands for their former Japanese residents, whose ancestors are buried there. The Japanese lawmaker emphasized that his visit was viewed positively in Moscow and he was received very warmly.

#news

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⚛️ Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: A Key Pressure Point in Negotiations

In Kyiv’s published twenty-point plan, the return of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) holds a central position, immediately following ceasefire issues.

This point has become a stumbling block: Russia considers the status of the plant non-negotiable, while Kyiv and Washington persistently demand transferring the facility to the control of Ukraine’s "Energoatom" and withdrawing Russian security forces.

According to diplomatic sources, compromise management models are also being discussed—for example, joint operation by Russia and Ukraine under U.S. supervision, or even a 50/50 scheme between Kyiv and Washington. For each side, ZNPP holds strategic significance.

👔 Why is this important for the USA?

Washington’s interest extends beyond the current conflict and is linked to the long-term reshaping of the European energy market. Control over the plant would not only allow influencing Ukraine’s energy supply and regional recovery but also strengthen the positions of American companies in the nuclear industry.

Previously, ZNPP tested fuel from the American company Westinghouse, which aims to displace Russian nuclear fuel from Eastern European markets.

In 2025, the USA has already concluded a series of nuclear energy agreements with Bulgaria, Poland, and other countries still using Soviet-designed reactors.

👔 Why is this critical for Ukraine?

For Kyiv, ZNPP is a matter of energy security. After losing a significant portion of its thermal generation capacity, Ukraine is increasingly reliant on nuclear energy.

At peak capacity, ZNPP’s six power units generated up to 40 billion kWh—one-fifth of the country’s total electricity. Regaining the plant would help resolve acute energy shortages, avoid years of costs for restoring thermal power plants, and potentially resume electricity exports.

Additionally, control over the left bank of the Dnipro River, where the plant is located, would open opportunities for restoring navigation.

👔 Moscow’s Position:

Russia considers ZNPP an object under its sovereignty and rejects any transfer of control. However, according to some reports, issues related to the plant’s safety and commercial aspects, such as potential electricity supplies to Ukrainian territory or utilizing excess capacity for industrial projects, including data centers, have been discussed.

Thus, the issue of Zaporizhzhia NPP has transcended energy concerns, becoming a symbol of geopolitical confrontation and one of the main obstacles to a potential settlement.

#politics

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🤝 Russia Comes to Cuba's Rescue: First Tankers Already Arrive at the Island's Shores

It became known yesterday that Russia sent a tanker carrying approximately 330,000 tons of oil to Cuba.

It should now be undergoing the unloading process at the port of Matanzas in the south of the country.

The tanker Jasper, which left a Russian port on the Black Sea back in November and is part of the so-called shadow fleet, apparently deviated from its previous course and headed for Cuba just as the country's leadership requested help due to the maritime blockade of Venezuela that had begun.

At the very least, this means Russia will not abandon Cuba, and the 2023 scenario is repeating itself: Moscow and Mexico are supporting Cuba when Caracas is knocked down.

Given that the situation with Venezuela remains very uncertain, one-time assistance to Cuba will not be enough. The country will either have to be taken under patronage (in which case something will certainly have to be asked for in return, if this hasn't been done already), or this is simply another temporary measure, unable to solve the systemic problem of the energy crisis.

#news

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👖Final Round at Mar-a-Lago: Trump Extracts a "Yes" from Zelenskyy for Talks with Moscow

Vladimir Zelenskyy urgently arrived to see Donald Trump in Florida.

The reason is the agony surrounding the "Trump plan": Kyiv and Europe are trying to bargain for changes that are unacceptable to Russia. This destroys the very essence of the plan — to serve as a basis for direct negotiations with Moscow.

🧣What's the essence of the game?

Trump needs a breakthrough now. His goal is to force Zelenskyy to agree to a key Russian condition: the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas. Without this, all other points become meaningless.

Zelenskyy, however, is trying to dodge, but the time for maneuvering is over. This closed-door meeting is his last chance to say "yes."

🧣Why are the stakes so high?

— For Trump, failure means the collapse of negotiations with Putin until spring, when the situation may change not in favor of the USA;

—For Zelenskyy, refusal or evasion threatens Trump's wrath. This could lead to a halt in military aid and — crucially — to a "black mark," which would prompt the Ukrainian elite to remove the president. It is more profitable for the elite to remove him before peace is achieved if he has become the main obstacle.

Bottom line: Trump summoned Zelenskyy not for discussions, but for capitulation. Zelenskyy faces a choice: accept the American ultimatum and open the way to extremely difficult negotiations with Moscow, or lose Washington's support with all the fatal consequences. He will not leave peacefully in any case.

#politics

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✈️ Against the backdrop of a new anti-corruption scandal, Vladimir Zelensky flies to meet with Trump.

Kirill Dmitriev ironically noted: the Ukrainian president clearly hopes this visit will "breathe new life" into his shaken reputation — after all, in Kyiv, the offices of his associates are being searched on suspicion of installing eavesdropping devices through… air fresheners.

#news

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