Редакция - Season 4

Recently, we have published many issues on science and enlightenment: this topic has experienced a real boom against the backdrop of lockdown - it seems that there have never been so many podcasts, lectures and other scientific and educational content. However, the publisher of the popular science portal "N + 1" Andrey Konyaev believes that the educators failed, because all this time they were not talking about what turned out to be necessary. We discussed this idea with Andrey and another popularizer of science, biologist Alexander Panchin.

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the recruitment of prisoners by PMCs to be sent to Ukraine. The network has already dubbed the new formations "penal battalions" - by analogy with the famous TV series of the 2000s. Those who are older also remember Vysotsky's song "Penal Battalions". For obvious reasons, there is little documentary evidence of those who fought in real penal companies of the Great Patriotic War. Although the very idea of involving slaves in the fighting is far from new.
 

For the first time since the Great Patriotic War, partial mobilization has been declared in Russia. Of course, this caused a huge number of questions for everyone.

Mobilization continues to be the main topic of the news agenda. Emotions are running high, and this is understandable - after all, nothing like this has happened in the memory of current generations. It is all the more important to look at what is happening in the context of the era. Why is the French Revolution considered the birth of modern mobilization? How were the conscriptions at the beginning of the First World War and the Great Patriotic War? Why was there no mobilization in the Afghan war? And an unexpectedly relevant topic - how did the Americans oppose being sent to Vietnam and what was it for them?

Mobilization has been going on in Russia for a week already. Hundreds of thousands of people will be sent to the line of contact. And hundreds of thousands more have been living along this line for the past few months: they hear explosions, see artillery and air defense volleys, and come under fire. Of all the big Russian cities, Belgorod turned out to be closest to the front line. Until recently - quiet and prosperous. And now?

During the first week of partial mobilization, almost 100,000 Russians left Russia for Kazakhstan. Most are young men, but there are also women and families. They are ready to freeze for days, live in tents and warm themselves by the fire in order to cross the border. Our today's special report is from the Teploe border point on the border with Kazakhstan. This is one of the points through which thousands of Russians are trying to leave the country. We decided it was important to capture the spirit and atmosphere of an exodus never seen before in our memory at one particular point.

After September 21, Turkey again became one of the main destinations and hubs of Russian emigration. Turkey is our main portal to the outside world after the West closed.

Turkey is Russia's most important trading partner, and at the same time it is a NATO member and a country that supports Ukraine. And not only in words, but also with weapons.

How does this country manage to maneuver and sit on all the chairs at the same time? Why, with such impressive successes in foreign policy, is everything not so good inside? And what about the "double solid", censorship, freedom of speech? How logical is it to flee to Turkey from authoritarianism?

In recent months, the influence of military commanders has grown incredibly. Often they actually replace news agencies and, moreover, pretend to formulate the ideology of what is happening on the battlefield.

But for professional journalists, war is always a test. So how do they keep their objectivity? And is it necessary to keep it, especially if one of the participants is the army of your country?

One of the most popular theses now is that on September 21, many Russians said goodbye to illusions. Illusions that what is happening in Ukraine is somewhere far away and does not concern them.

We found it interesting to talk about this in this regard. Why is it so common for us not to see or believe that "something has happened" until the last moment? Is it true that subconsciously it is always easier for us to escape from reality into some illusory world, especially in difficult times? And how long can you sit out in this world? Our today's issue is about illusions and their collapse.

Last week, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, also became a media mogul, buying out the social network Twitter for $ 44 billion.

In recent months, we have watched Musk turn from a businessman into a politician — he voiced plans for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine and put a space Internet system in the conflict zone.

We decided to take a closer look at the history of Musk's life. How did he create SpaceX, Tesla and Starlink, and then wanted to colonize Mars, tried to purchase a launch vehicle in Russia and became a world leader? And is it true that the American government is behind his initial successes?

The forgotten phrase "mobilization economy" has returned to the Russian officialdom. Its goal is to provide for military needs: the government wants to attract even small businesses to this, and the president calls for competition among manufacturers of military equipment and equipment.

Does the transition of the Russian economy to "military rails" mean moving from the market to the plan? What is the general state of the Russian economy after eight months of large-scale sanctions, mobilization and two waves of emigration?

The thesis about the isolation of Russia, that the country is cut off from the civilized world, has been regularly heard for months. More recently, Dmitry Medvedev said in another post that Russia was "abandoned by frightened partners," and called them "clingers and hangers-on."

Medvedev did not specify who exactly was meant, but, obviously, we are talking about those countries that limited their ties with Russia after February 24. There are many such countries, but is Russia really isolated? Who are they, our remaining allies and partners? What is their motivation? Or does Russia, according to a long—standing definition, have only two allies - the army and the navy?

Today we have a completely exclusive story coming out, which in its plot resembles a "Conman from Tinder", but with national specifics.

Our story is about Svetlana Bogacheva (as far as we know, this is a real name). Her scam with fictional personalities and luring real millions to "help" them recently thundered on Twitter — after Svetlana's next victim was a stand-up comedian from St. Petersburg (who ended up in Istanbul as a result of this scam).

The story seemed important to us also because it raises an indelicate question — is it necessary to recklessly save the person who asked you about it?

The main news of recent days is the retreat of Russian troops from Kherson. The city was occupied on March 3 and became the only regional center that came under the control of Russia.

In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" we decided to study the city in more detail, which does not leave the news headlines.

Why is Kherson called Kherson? What role did he play in the Empire and later in the USSR? And what significance (other than symbolic) does Kherson have for Russia and Ukraine now?

The word "volunteer" comes from the Latin root meaning "voluntary". Volunteers help those who are in trouble, and after February 24, there were many more such people — the UN estimates the number of Ukrainian refugees at almost eight million people.

Three years ago, in our issue about philanthropists, one important conclusion was made — the motivation to help others, as a rule, is associated with helping yourself, sometimes even unconsciously.

However, now the circumstances of our life and the world around us have changed so much that we decided to ask these questions again — what motivates volunteers to help others? And how do those they help and the authorities of the countries where they live treat them? Collected stories of volunteers from Europe, Russia and Georgia

For many, acquaintance with the work of Richard Wagner began (and probably ended) "Flight of the Valkyries" in the movie "Apocalypse Now" about the Vietnam War. However, recently Wagner's surname has become associated with military operations not at all because of the Francis Coppola film.

The Wagner PMC is actively involved in the fighting in Ukraine and recruits prisoners into its ranks, and before that, according to numerous media reports, it participated in other conflicts, for example, in Syria. Another conflict is also obvious — the legal one: the existence of a private military company in Russia and a criminal article on mercenary activity. At the same time, mercenary warriors as a phenomenon appeared in the world a very long time ago — and especially did not go anywhere.

In the new edition of "Editorial. Context" we have studied the history of private armies and fighters for hire

The State Duma has found a way to "anticipate emotional outbursts in society." In any case, this is one of the main goals of the draft law on psychological assistance, which is currently being actively discussed.

There are very controversial theses in this document that have raised questions from the professional community, but concern most of us.

What is mood monitoring? What do psychologists have to do with it? And what is the probability that your psychologist or coach will soon report your problems "to the right place"?

Reparations is a word that has migrated this year from history textbooks to news headlines. Recently, Ukraine demanded $300 billion in payments from Russia. Of course, this does not oblige anyone to anything, but it is all the more interesting to remember that in the past a rare peace treaty did without a list of financial conditions.

For thousands of years, tribute, reparations, indemnities and other types of payments to the winners, in fact, were one of the goals of the war.

Who and when demanded reparations — and what did they get in the end? How did reparations become the causes of new conflicts? And how to calculate the damage from the war in general? We analyze in the new edition of the "Editorial Office. Context"

Today we have a new investigation of Sasha Sulim in the genre of "true detective". In the center of the plot is a Moscow plastic surgeon (he is also the main suspect) and patients who accuse him of harassment.

Moreover, the police have statements from patients and from the doctor himself, who, in turn, accuses women of slander and extortion. This is the beginning of the story, and the rest you will learn firsthand — from all its participants

The Kresty pre—trial detention center, which was put up for auction, is one of the largest and most famous insulators in Russia, which opened already in 1892 and during this time managed to acquire a legendary history. The Bolshevik Trotsky, the poet Brodsky, Marshal Rokossovsky, the actor Zhzhenov were sitting there, and Anna Akhmatova wrote the poem "Requiem" about the "Crosses" — one of the most poignant texts of the XX century.

In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" we decided to conduct a kind of tour of the "Crosses" — both the prison itself and the fate of its prisoners.

Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, who prevented a nuclear war in 1983, became a media figure in the West in the 90s. There they made films about him, wrote a book, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro and Matt Damon met with him.

Very few people in Russia still know about Petrov. As well as about the circumstances of that night from September 25 to 26, 1983.

Now that nuclear war has become a real possibility again, we decided that we simply have to share this story with you — the story of Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet officer who was not afraid to take responsibility not to start World War III.

The practice of exchanging particularly important prisoners dates back many hundreds of years and has survived to the present. More recently, American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was convicted of drug smuggling in Russia, was changed to businessman Viktor Bout — in the West he is called a "gun baron"

How are such exchanges conceived and who approves them? How do the stories of the exchange participants end?

We discussed this with an unexpected expert — Francis Gary Powers, the son of one of the most famous prisoners exchanged by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. See in the new issue of "Editorial. Context".

The phrase "Winter is near", memorable since the days of "Game of Thrones", has become a real threat this year: winter and cold weather are now being talked about seriously — against the background of the shelling of Ukraine, Europe's refusal of Russian gas supplies and record electricity prices.

In general, winter 2022-2023 is not just a season. In our new issue, we decided to understand what to expect from it and how it feels in Europe, Ukraine and Russia.

There is a term "complex issues" in the lexicon of diplomacy. These are long-standing conflicts and painful problems in relations between countries and peoples. These are the "difficult issues" that make up Russia's relations with the Baltic states.

On the one hand, this is the history of their accession to the USSR during Stalin's time. On the other hand, the problem of the rights of the Russian-speaking minority. Recent events have only aggravated everything — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia occupy the toughest position among the EU countries. The story of the "Rain"* is another confirmation. 

In general, it's time to figure out — why did this happen? And where will this neighborhood lead?

During the Cold War, thousands of bomb shelters were built in the United States and the USSR: collective shelters were built in the Soviet Union, and in America, citizens equipped shelters in the basements of their homes. Hollywood even made a comedy about how a family, fleeing the end of the world during the Caribbean crisis, spent 35 years in a bunker.

This year, fears of a nuclear conflict for obvious reasons returned again, and with them the request for bunkers — and this time private shelters began to be built in Russia, as well as to revive the Soviet ones. In this issue, we figured out whether Russia will again become a country of bomb shelters and where to run in case of anything.

Last week, the military conflict in Ukraine turned 300 days old. In the reports of recent months, the name of the small town of Bakhmut appears more often than others. Vladimir Zelensky visited there, Yevgeny Prigozhin recorded video messages from there.

Bakhmut is located at the intersection of the most important roads of the DPR and the LPR — between Lugansk, Donetsk, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

What else do we know about this place and its history? For example, why is it called either Bakhmut or Artemovsk? We analyze in the new edition of the "Editorial Office. Context"

Today we will go to a country that is well-known after the World Cup and which this year has become another address of Russian emigration.

Russia and Argentina have a lot in common, for example, a totalitarian past, a huge number of state employees and dislike of the United States. But there are also differences: unpredictable choices, attitude to wealth and general vibe.  

And director Pavel Kostomarov, co-author of the project "Term", which we shot together 10 years ago and which we also talked about, now lives in Argentina.

In the first edition of the new year's Edition, we decided to finally introduce you to our team — especially the part of it that usually remains behind the scenes.

Our team members will tell you what their work looks like from the inside, which issues they consider favorite and how the work helps to make sense of what is happening around.

Our release today is in a format that we usually do only for our sponsors, those who donate to us. Alexey Pivovarov answers their questions every week.

This time we decided to make such a release for everyone. You sent us a lot of cool questions: some, to be honest, were very difficult, some were relevant, and others were philosophical. We tried not to miss any important topics

The recent strike on the Dnieper River once again showed how relevant a topic has become, until recently far from the general public — the device of air defense.

And it is clear why: in the 21st century, any large-scale conflict is largely a war in the air, and with what is in the air. No wonder such a stir was caused by reports about the supply of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Kiev. Are they that good?

What are the differences between the American and Soviet, and later Russian air defense models? And what role did the highway around Moscow, popularly called "concrete", play in its formation? See in the new issue of "Editorial. Context"

We have been discussing for a long time whether it is worth continuing our format of "Walking with Pivovarov", which was so popular with the audience last summer. And, having thought over the route, we decided that it was worth it — after all, looking around, listening to our associations and reflecting, we can better understand what is happening to us and why.

Today we are walking around St. Petersburg — we learn new things, reflect and reflect.

Until recently, the phrase "enemies of the people" seemed to be a thing of the past and was perceived with irony. But in recent months, it has increasingly sounded in all seriousness — it is also used at the state level.

At the same time, the "enemies of the people" were still in Ancient Rome, and in revolutionary France, the guillotine was invented for them. In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" we understand the historical side of the issue — who compiled the lists of enemies of the people and who (and, most importantly, for what) were included in them

Many people have probably heard about the "20 ideas for the development of Russia", which were widely advertised by top bloggers, stars and even the government press. A request for advertising "20 ideas" was also addressed to the Editorial Office at the time, but we refused.

The author of "20 ideas" is the mysterious Dmitry Davydov. His identity is completely anonymous, while he spends millions (if not billions) of rubles on advertising. But... in January 2023, the Ministry of Justice recognized Davydov as a foreign agent. So who is he? A brilliant hoaxer or a participant in undercover political games? And in general — is this a real person? See in the investigation of Ilya Egorov

All of you have already heard that the West will supply Ukraine with tanks. In Russia, they say that Western tanks will not change anything on the battlefield. Why?

This type of weapon has been considered the main striking force of the ground forces since the last century, but in the realities of modern conflicts, many argue, tanks are not so effective. We figured out what the tank decides in the battles of our century, in the new edition of the "Editorial. Context"

In modern German, there is a word "putinfersteer" — literally translated as "understanding Putin." This is what people in Europe call people who support the Kremlin's policy. Of course, they are not the majority, but their voice is heard: firstly, because they like to be quoted by the Russian state media, and secondly, because they have become a kind of dissidents in their homeland.

European media call them Kremlin agents and hint that they are not acting for free.

We decided to get to know these people better — who are they? And what exactly did they "understand"?

This week ends one of the most high-profile stories that happened before February 24 - the verdict will be announced to the former governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, Sergei Furgal. The jury has already delivered its verdict and found that he does not deserve leniency on any of the charges.

Many of you probably remember that after the arrest of Furgal in Khabarovsk, mass protests took place for several months, which at first were not dispersed, and the governor himself was called "people's" - he was a candidate from the Liberal Democratic Party and was elected on a wave of protest moods. Now Furgal has been convicted of murder, the first such case among former Russian governors.

We decided to remember who Furgal is, what he was accused of, what he was convicted of, and why his supporters are sure that if he is guilty, it is not what he will be sentenced for

Many brands left Russia last year, and if it's not so difficult to find a replacement for McDonald's or H&M, then experts had rather pessimistic assessments about cars. During the year, Russia was left without 46 car brands, but so far little has changed in Russian cities — the same traffic jams, especially in Moscow.

The vacant places in the market are quickly occupied by Chinese manufacturers. And the most popular brand in Russia remains Lada, which has been familiar since Soviet times.

In the new issue, we decided to figure out what happened in the automotive industry in Russia over the year and what will happen in the near future. Has parallel import started working? How much will cars cost, will we be able to afford them and why is it time to forget the concept of "Chinese car"?

Anyone who reads the news at least sometimes now has to delve into specialized army terms that have become firmly embedded in our lives over the past year.

In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" we decided to study the history of the issue and figure out what the "Art of War" means, indicated in the famous treatise of Sun Tzu — or, to put it in modern language, what is included in the basics of military affairs. What was the path of humanity from the Roman legions to the battalion-tactical groups? How did the strategy and tactics change (and how do they differ from each other)?

The days when "nerds" (or "nerds") hunched over the keyboard caused laughter are long gone — and over the past year, IT specialists in Russia have become a profession of not just political, but even strategic importance. Only according to official data, 100 thousand IT specialists left Russia, and the authorities quickly saw this as a problem.

In our new issue, we decided to find out whether persuasions and threats work on IT specialists who have left, do those of them who have stayed in Russia plan to leave? And what in general happens to this most popular profession in Russia after February 24?

In recent weeks, the phrase "Minsk agreements" has returned to the headlines — at first, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the documents were an attempt to delay time and give Kiev the opportunity to become stronger. Then Vladislav Surkov, who participated in the development of the agreements, answered "no" to the question whether he hoped for their implementation.

In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" we decided to recall how and under what circumstances the Minsk agreements were concluded. What were they about and was there a chance that they would be fulfilled?

General Alexander Lebed, who went through several armed conflicts, went down in history as the man who stopped two wars — in Transnistria and the First Chechen One. He took third place in the 1996 presidential election. Then he became the governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where he tragically died three years later.

How did a combat general become a politician? Who was behind it, who financed it and why? And why did the path that seemed to lead to the presidency end so tragically?

Now it's hard to believe, but 30 years ago the United States and Russia were friends: the leaders of the countries talked to you and "my friend". Now only a lazy person does not compare our relations with the Cold War.

We decided to look into the history of relations between Russia and the United States in more detail (and less emotionally). After all, both countries have repeatedly found themselves a few steps away from pressing the red buttons, but each time the crisis was replaced by a detente. Can it happen this time too?

Today we have a new series from the cycle "How are you, Russia?". This time we went to Volgograd. In connection with the recent celebration of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, discussions about returning the name Stalingrad to the city have returned again - it even reached the commission under the governor.

But the Battle of Stalingrad is far from the only factor that determines the life of modern Volgograd residents. It is influenced by the economy, politics, and the mood of young people — in the city, by the way, they complain that many young people are leaving Volgograd.

And they also say about Volgograd that this city is a typical slice of Russian life. We tried to look at it carefully and objectively.

In the context of this week, the word "saboteurs" sounds loud again — of course, we are talking about an attack on the Bryansk region. Although this word itself has been heard more than once over the past year.

In general, there have been many high-profile sabotages and well-known saboteurs in history: the Soviet intelligence officer Ilya Starinov, the Austrian Otto Skorzeny, who stole Mussolini from captivity, and many others.

In the new issue of the "Editorial. Context" we decided to consider the term "sabotage" in more detail. How did he appear? Who cooks and how does he use people in this profession, which is undoubtedly very cruel?

The topic of the past is relevant in Russia now — it is addressed in many discussions, primarily in political ones. Partly as a result, the demand to study their personal roots and pedigrees is also growing.

Genetic tests are gaining popularity, which, in addition to predisposition to certain diseases, also show your living relatives. There is also a growing demand for genealogical services — when, at your request, information about your ancestors is searched in the archives.

We decided to find out how it all works, how much it costs and how it is related to the current agenda. Along the way, Alexey Pivovarov also found a new relative.

Mass protests have not subsided in Georgia over the past week. Tens of thousands of people rallied against the law on foreign agents — many considered it a tracing paper of a well-known Russian law. The opposition accused the Georgian government of wanting to "please the Kremlin." And in Russia, they saw the "hand of Washington" in this story. As a result, the authorities decided to withdraw the bill "without any reservations."

Who and why in Georgia needed to initiate a bill on foreign agents? Why now? Is it related to Russia? And why do the young people who went to the rally want to continue?

25 years ago, Lukashenka was called the main ally of Moscow, the "last dictator of Europe", and the "father" who manages to sit on two chairs: to build an alliance with Russia, but not to become the governor of the Belarusian Republic. To be at enmity with Europe all the time, but at the right moment to become an irreplaceable peacemaker in its eyes. Now everything is the same — Lukashenka actively supports Russia, scolds Ukraine, but Belarus does not participate in hostilities.

After the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president, the Kremlin called it outrageous and unacceptable, and the Investigative Committee opened a case against the ICC prosecutor and several judges.

In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" we decided to understand not so much the political as the legal side of the issue — what kind of court is this and who gave it the authority to issue subpoenas to heads of state (despite the fact that neither the United States, nor Russia, nor Ukraine recognize its jurisdiction)

International brands have left, prices have increased by 30%, and demand has remained the same. And no wonder — we definitely can't live without clothes! The question is — without what? At one time, we already did an issue about clothes and shopping in Russia. To say that a lot has changed in this market since then is to say nothing.

Our new issue is about what and how has changed in the clothing industry in Russia over the past year (spoiler: everything!)

Billionaires from Russia's Forbes have become the biggest target of Western sanctions after the conflict in Ukraine began. It is clear why: the oligarchs have a lot of things abroad. And a large-scale hunt was announced for this property.

We decided to calculate what exactly, where and from whom was arrested. And they asked themselves: what should billionaires do now? Should I follow the advice of former US Ambassador Michael McFaul and donate half of my fortune to help Ukraine in exchange for the lifting of sanctions? Or listen to the Kremlin, drop everything and return to Russia?

The heroine of our today's issue is the youngest female billionaire in history. Turned out to be one of the most famous scammers.

Elizabeth Holmes proposed a revolutionary idea — a compact device with which it would be possible to conduct complex studies on a single drop of blood. Billions of dollars were invested in her company, celebrities invested in her, but it all turned out to be fraud.

As a result, one of Holmes' whistleblowers was her closest associate. He gave us the first big interview.

Extraordinary issue of the "Editorial Office. Context" is dedicated to the explosion in a St. Petersburg cafe, as a result of which military commander Vladlen Tatarsky (real name Maxim Fomin) was killed. The main suspect is 26—year-old Daria Trepova, and one of the main questions is how did she have an explosive device?

In the first hours and days after such incidents, there are many versions of how and why these events occurred: some come from the investigation, and some are outright information noise and speculation. We decided to collect all the verified information so that you could better present the whole picture.

70 years ago, Joseph Stalin's associates, who lamented at his funeral yesterday, began dismantling Stalinism. Subsequently, this time will be called a thaw, but one important detail in this story does not seem to be fully realized.

The irony is that the customers and inspirers of de-Stalinization were not Stalin's opponents, but yesterday's loyal Stalinists. Rehabilitation was carried out by those who were directly related to the repression.

In our new issue Pavel Lobkov speaks with some participants and witnesses of those events and tells the detective story of Mulder and Scully of the Soviet thaw

The unrecognized Transnistria is increasingly flashing in the news: Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of preparing military scenarios for resolving the frozen conflict. However, over the decades that it has been frozen, too many people have learned to benefit from it.

In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" we understand what is the importance of Pridnestrovie, why the republic's relations with Moscow are so special, why locals prefer to have three passports and what are the chances that hostilities will also begin there.

In the Tula region there is a small town of Efremov — it was here that the father and daughter of the Moskalevs lived. A year ago, a girl drew an anti-war picture in a classroom at school. Then followed a chain of events that led Masha to the orphanage, and her father Alexei to the dock on charges of discrediting the army.

Surely you've heard about this story. But it seemed important to us to study it in more detail, and most importantly — on the spot. We went to Efremov to talk to those who know the Moskalev family well, with those who support Alexey — and those who claim that Masha's father himself brought the situation to an extreme.

A couple of days ago it was Alla Pugacheva's birthday. If earlier this date was celebrated on television as the New Year, this time it was met with silence. Pugacheva and her husband Maxim Galkin* are being written to the prosecutor's office, their performances in Russia are impossible. And not only them.

How has music censorship manifested itself at different times? How correct is it to compare the current and Soviet bans? And what did she relate more to — music or to the personalities of the performers?

Today, for the first time in the history of the Editorial Office, we have the premiere of a mini-series. And we are starting it in Berlin, which 100 years later has again become one of the main centers of Russian emigration.

Our series is dedicated to the first wave of emigration, which began in 1920 and which is often (spoiler: mistakenly) called white. We decided to look at it more closely and in detail, at the level of private stories, in which there were so many familiar and topical things — tragedies, comedies, detectives, and sometimes adventurous novels.

Lately, we seem to hear especially often that there is a conspiracy against Russia. In fairness, this theory did not appear now — it has been more than a decade and even more than a century.

Conspiracy theories have accompanied mankind throughout its history and appeared not only in difficult and anxious times, as now, but also in the most stable countries and circumstances.

What is the strength and vitality of such theories? Why do not only average citizens, but sometimes even academics believe in them so easily? We tried to understand conspiracy theory and its phenomena.

the second episode of our mini-series about white emigration. We continue it in Berlin, where in the 20s of the last century, according to various estimates, from 200 thousand to 300 thousand Russians arrived.

For a city with a population of about four million, it was palpable — you couldn't spend a day on the street without hearing Russian speech. Just like in Prague, where the Czechoslovak authorities decided to pay extra to Russian emigrants. For what? And how much? All the answers are already on the channel!

Today, the tax service has frozen part of the accounts of blogger Oksana Samoilova. According to unconfirmed reports, the accounts of the popular Russian tiktoker Dina Isaeva have also been blocked. And more recently, the security forces detained Elena Blinovskaya, a personal growth coach and organizer of the "Marathon of Desires". She is accused of non-payment of taxes for 900 million rubles.

Before Samoilova, Sayeva and Blinovskaya, two more Bulgarian women became defendants in cases of non-payment of taxes. They have smaller amounts, but they are still impressive. In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" we decided to figure out why, on the one hand, so many people believe them, and on the other — why is there so much schadenfreude in the network after Blinovskaya's detention? Where did the word Infocygans come from in general and what do real Gypsies think about it?

The third episode of the mini-series about the heroes and antiheroes of the white emigration. It is dedicated to France and Paris — which in the late 1920s became the capital of "external Russia".  

How did Russian emigrants earn and have fun in Paris? How did emigration split after Hitler's attack on the USSR and what happened to it in 1946, when Stalin promised to forgive all returning white emigrants? And how do their Russian-French descendants live now? The final episode of the documentary series.

Joe Biden recently met with the heads of major IT companies to discuss the risks associated with artificial intelligence and its rapid development. One of the main risks is that it will soon become impossible to distinguish the content created by neural networks from the one created by man. But is it true? The Editorial board conducted several experiments. 

For example, we offered a specialist to determine which drawing was drawn by a human on our order, and which one was drawn by artificial intelligence.

And we also tried to create a fragment of the News edition with the help of AI. And also — to combine two Editorial authors into one. And that's not all.

All the last days there has been nothing but talk about the upcoming offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — and about its possible directions. Zaporozhye is called one of the most likely. But what do we know about this place? By and large, not so much.

What does the legendary anarchist Nestor Makhno have to do with the fate of Zaporozhye? And what are the no less legendary heroes of Repin's painting? And why is the current Zaporozhye region and historical Zaporozhye "not exactly the same" or even "not at all the same"?

Many of us had (and still have) the habit of traveling, which has changed radically over the past six months. It has become expensive and difficult to travel abroad, nevertheless, more than 60% of Russians did not rest at home last year. That is, many began to travel around Russia.

But was the Russian tourism industry, primarily hotels, ready for this? To the fact that many more people now go to them, who now cannot go abroad? How have the trends and moods in Russian tourism changed in general? No matter how you feel about it, it is impossible not to notice that at the end of last year, Russians did not travel less often. The question is — where do they go now?

The other day, the Yekaterinburg court, as expected, found Yevgeny Roizman * guilty of discrediting the army. The verdict was unexpected: a fine, as the prosecutor demanded. Roizman himself called it an "excuse" — after all, according to the article on discrediting, it is now easy to give both 5 and 7 years.

This, of course, caused a surge of interest in one of the most unusual Russian politicians. It is in this capacity that Roizman is mostly known now. But even before politics, he had a very unusual and not very boring life.

Although Russian medicine did not fall under direct sanctions, it did not save it from the shocks of the last year. Doctors have been cut off from foreign clinical trials, medicines are disappearing, then appearing and definitely becoming more expensive, and it has become much more difficult to repair complex medical equipment or import a new one.

Stress and stress disorders are increasingly affecting our health, and doctors warn that there will be even more of this. Therefore, we decided to figure out how our society is doing with health, not figuratively, but in the truest sense of the word? And — if anything — how much is the treatment?

This morning, many in Moscow and the surrounding area woke up to sounds that they had previously heard only on the Internet or on TV — after all, there are plenty of air defense personnel there now.

After the strikes on airfields in the rear and on the Kremlin, the new attack on Moscow came as a surprise to few, but the issues that it outlined only add to the urgency. In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" collected facts and first comments.

The "elections of the century" were held in Turkey — for the first time in 100 years, the second round of presidential elections took place there. With a turnout of about 90% (real!) the difference between the candidates turned out to be minimal, that is, the residents of Turkey were actually divided 50-50.

It seemed that mass protests could not be avoided — some even predicted a civil war for Turkey. But no — the opposition admitted defeat, and everything went seemingly without question. Why?

The part of the Belgorod Region bordering Ukraine has become a real front from the frontline zone. There was a battle with a sabotage group in Novaya Tavolzhanka for several days, the evacuation of residents from Shebekino continued.

We talked with direct witnesses of the events — local residents.

The word "relocants" has become one of the main ones over the past year — after February 24 and mobilization, no one needs to explain what it means. However, some of those who left returned back.

There are no exact statistics, as well as on relocation, but we are definitely talking about a large number of people who, after living abroad for several months, decided that they should go home — despite the fact that the situation at home has definitely not become softer. What is behind their decisions?

Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the beginning of the AFU counteroffensive, which was previously announced by the Russian authorities, military commanders and Western media. The "offensive", as it is called in the near-war telegram channels, has been talked about for more than six months, it did not come as a surprise, and the direction in which the main blow is being struck was confirmed.

There is much less clarity on how this offensive is developing. And what in general in the current circumstances can be considered a success for each of the parties?

Today's issue in the true crime genre is about the amazing story of serial fraudster Nikita Dolgopolov. His victims were a dozen and a half people in several Russian cities, including St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Dolgopolov convinced his victims — and among them a variety of people, from young girls to sophisticated businessmen — simply... lend him money. And, paradoxical as it sounds, few people could refuse him. Now the victims have united in a kind of committee and are trying to achieve justice. And Dolgopolov himself? He continues to live a free life as if nothing had happened, and we even managed to find him in an elite residential complex in the capital.

You've probably seen videos shot "on behalf" of kamikaze drones - when the approach to the target is visible through the "eyes" of the drone. This technology is called first person view, and it is increasingly being used on the battlefield.

If we make a rating of weapons of war, whose progress has been the maximum over the past year, then drones will take the first place by a large margin.

This is a new issue of our format "Walking with Pivovarov". Today we are walking around the capital of the Urals, which is called the "backbone of Russia", and listen to the associations that it causes.

The history of the first Russian businessmen and the main city of street art, the murder of the Romanovs and the Yeltsin Center, the "NKVD combine" and the ruffled intractability of the locals, the surviving punks, the announcer Levitan and the sunrise Balabanova - how does all this together form a metropolis that is reputed to be the most free in Russia?

Yevgeny Prigozhin's months—long conflict with the Ministry of Defense reached a climax, which many speculated about theoretically - but hardly anyone seriously believed in the reality of which. The head of Wagner rebelled and marched on Moscow.

In Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Voronezh and other Russian cities — tanks, military equipment, blocked roads and cordoned off buildings. In this issue, we collect all the known information about Prigozhin's rebellion and estimate together with experts how this story can end

How did a restaurateur from St. Petersburg with a difficult fate and a criminal record for serious crimes become the owner of a private army with its own artillery, air defense and tanks? How did such a biography become possible at all?

Rostov has become a symbol of the "weekend putsch" — the rebellion of Yevgeny Prigozhin. A tank at the gates of the circus, the headquarters of the Southern Military District occupied by Wagnerians, civilians surrounded by equipment and PMCs fighters on the main square — these shots flew around the world media.

How does the city live now, after the mutiny? And what do Rostov residents think about everything that happened to them? The editorial office went to the city on the Don.

The Kherson direction has been considered secondary at the front in recent months. The Dnieper divides Russian and Ukrainian forces here, and the only bridge was blown up last year. However, now Kherson can again become a key battle zone.

How did the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP affect the course of these battles? And can the Ukrainian army carry out a full-scale crossing of the Dnieper here? About this — in the new issue of "Editorial Office. Context"

The journalists of the Editorial Office traveled from the Rostov region to Moscow exactly the same way that the Wagnerians passed. And we talked to people — ordinary Russians who were watching what was happening, literally, from the sidelines.

Yes, they did not participate in this story personally. But if you think about it, these people are not the heroes of the second plan. They are the main characters. Their emotions, thoughts and impressions are in the new edition of the Editorial Office.

Clashes of parishioners with security forces, detentions, cordoned off and sealed buildings — this is how the news from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra looks today. Its monks and parishioners remained under the authority of the Moscow Patriarchate and became one of the main actors in the religious confrontation between Moscow and Kiev.

How much does our picture of the world correspond to reality? Why is it so difficult to convince a person with different views, even if you give hard facts and clear arguments?

Now these issues look especially relevant — after all, it seems that having closed their friendlies and echo chambers, people tend to form their own reality, declaring everything that does not correspond to it propaganda and fake news.

But is it really so? Why do we tend to see only what we want to see and accept only what confirms our point of view? Is it possible and necessary to fight this? Is there any objectivity at all — or has this concept itself already become a manipulation?

A new attack on the Crimean Bridge took place on Monday night. The roadbed of the bridge is badly damaged, traffic on it has been stopped. As a result of the strike, a man and a woman from the Belgorod region were killed, their 14-year-old daughter was in the hospital. The main version of what happened is the APU attack.

How long will it take to rebuild the bridge this time (last time it took about two months)? What will happen to the vacationers who have been traveling en masse to the Crimea in recent weeks and who are now recommended to return through the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, along the rear of the active army? What actions will Russia take?

"When will all this end?" is a question that, after a year and a half, worries both those who condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine and those who support them

How complete is our information about what is happening on the line of contact? What to expect next from the Ukrainian counteroffensive? And which scenario are we closer to: a new wave of mobilization or negotiations for peace?  

To analyze the situation at the front after a year and a half of hostilities, we talked with military expert Valery Shiryaev, whom you regularly see in our releases

The political situation in Russia is assessed in different ways. The only thing that can be said for sure is that it is stable. Or not anymore? After Prigozhin's rebellion, everything became less obvious

Insiders from the Kremlin corridors speak of an atmosphere of tension and anxiety. After all, in addition to military operations, preparations are underway for the elections. This September, governors will be elected in many regions, and a mayor will be elected in Moscow. Presidential elections are waiting for us in March 2024.

Are their results obvious? Or has the notorious transit of power already begun? To understand the political situation that has developed in Russia after a year and a half of the war*, we talked with political scientist Ilya Grashchenkov

Drone attacks have already become a constant news background in recent weeks in Russia. Only in recent days there have been several, including deliberately symbolic ones — on "Moscow City".

By itself, the use of drones to strike cities is not news for a long time. Now the question is precisely the frequency of these strikes, how successfully can air defense and electronic warfare counteract them? Will it be necessary to declare air alerts in Russian cities, following the Ukrainian ones?

At what point is our economy on the background of the war*? In an interview in 2022, MSU Professor Natalia Zubarevich said — at the bottom. But now there are nuances.

On the one hand, prices are rising and supply is decreasing, but on the other hand, demand is growing. And first of all — in the regions. At the expense of what? How is this related to mobilization? How do the departure of Western brands and tax increases affect private business? And can the Russian state run out of money?

The word "theroborona" in relation to the Russian regions has been flashing in the headlines since last year. It was reported that its main task is patrolling and preventing attacks by the DRG. And the other day the news spread that the Belgorod defense ministry was given weapons. Which, of course, immediately raised questions.

On the one hand, is the state thereby conceding the monopoly on violence, the importance of which is much talked about after the Wagner rebellion? On the other hand, how serious a force are the Theroborona detachments? And where will her fighters keep their weapons?

We are already used to the news about the shelling of Russian border territories. But it's one thing when it's just news and just geographical names — and quite another when a city that happens to be near the front is a huge part of your life.

The journalist of the Editorial Office Katya Kazanchuk was born and grew up in Kursk in a military family. Periodically, she comes to her small homeland and sees how much the city of her childhood has changed. And Katya also communicates with her family, with whom it is sometimes not so easy to find a common language. Usually we in the "Editorial Office" strive to ensure that the personality of the journalist is not too noticeable. This issue is a rare and important exception for us, because Katya's story is both personal and typical.

The central bank at an extraordinary meeting raised the key rate by 3.5 percentage points at once — up to 12%. The ruble has strengthened a little against this background, but still continues to balance on the magical edge of 100 rubles per dollar.

Since the beginning of the year, the Russian currency has fallen in price by a third, becoming one of the three fastest depreciating monetary units in the world. The reasons are different, but it is clear that they are all somehow connected with military operations. How exactly and to where else can the ruble fall?

Dacha is one of those Russian concepts for which there are no analogues abroad. For a modern citizen, a dacha is no longer just a piece of land the size of six acres with a house, garden and vegetable garden. This is the reset point. Politics, troubles, even war — everything seems to remain behind the green gate.

It's August, the height of the holiday season. And we decided to make a collective portrait of modern summer residents.

At the end of July, Russia announced that it would consider all ships going to the ports of Ukraine as potential carriers of military cargo. This was followed by massive strikes on the infrastructure of Ukrainian ports. Kiev has also become more active on the sea front: it is enough to recall the attack of naval drones on the Crimean Bridge.

In the new issue of "Editorial. Context" let's try to figure out what consequences the naval blockade and, in general, the escalation of the conflict in the Black Sea can have

The fate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, about which so much has been said in recent months, has made another incredible and, it seems, final turn. Together with other employees of the PMCs, Prigozhin was on board the Embraer Legacy, which crashed in the Tver region.

When a plane crash occurs, there is always a standard set of actions: a commission gathers, puts forward obvious versions, then the extra versions are crossed out, and only one remains. But it seems that this is the case when the main version is obvious to everyone from the very beginning. It was an explosion. Now the main question is what caused it. Have collected everything we know about what happened by this minute

"It's one thing to leave the country when you're young and relocation is perceived as a kind of adventure, and quite another when you have a child and emigration turns into a colossal job."

So wrote one of the subscribers of the Editorial Board, who watched our issue "The Returned" — it became one of the most commented on this season. Maria (now she is in Kazakhstan) and many others asked why we, having shown those who did not stay in emigration, did not give the floor to those who do not want to return to Russia.

In that issue, we didn't do it consciously, but decided to make a sequel — "The Unfaithful".

After the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, many Wagnerians and sympathizers came to lay flowers at spontaneous memorials in different cities of Russia and excitedly said that the main thing now is not to lose the legacy of "bati".

This meant, of course, Prigozhin's main asset, which cost him his life — the Wagner PMCs. Alexander Lukashenko said that Wagnerians can stay in Belarus. And the press secretary of the president Dmitry Peskov said the other day that "such a structure" does not exist at all.

1980. Moscow. Olympiad. The city is completely immobilized: the authorities have tried to send all adults on vacation, children to pioneer camps, and they simply do not let them into Moscow without a residence permit. And suddenly tens of thousands of people appear on empty streets. This is not an authorized action by anyone. And no one is dispersing it.

People are going to say goodbye to the most popular performer and actor — Vladimir Vysotsky. Surprisingly, inside the closed Soviet society, Vysotsky managed not to be silent about the most pressing problems and at the same time not to be banned — to give a huge number of concerts, and at the same time remain "on-site".

Why, having traveled half the world, could he not succeed anywhere except in his own country? What role did Marina Vladi play in his fate? Why was everyone so fond of him? And why exactly now his poems have become relevant again?

The most inconspicuous continent on the information map of the world is Africa. With her, everything seems to be clear in advance: almost universal poverty and no important news. But lately Africa has been in the spotlight.

A series of coups in which Moscow and the West suspect each other, fierce disputes over the grain deal, the activity of the Wagner PMCs. Well, in general, the continent is becoming more and more clearly a front of confrontation in a new cold (and sometimes hot) war with Europe and the United States.

Against this background, the question increasingly arises, what is Russia looking for in Africa — and can these investments pay off?