Modding is the process of making changes to the appearance or functionality of technical devices that are not intended by the manufacturer. The goal is to create a unique look, improve performance, or enhance aesthetics.

Telemetry is a technology for automatically collecting, transmitting, and analyzing data from remote equipment or sensors in real time. It enables monitoring equipment, measuring physical quantities, and transmitting information remotely (via radio, GSM, or the internet) without human intervention.

An SDR (Software-Defined Radio) receiver is a receiving device in which most of the signal processing functions are performed by software running on a computer rather than hardware components. Resembling a USB flash drive, it connects to a PC to visualize the radio spectrum, allowing the reception of analog and digital signals across a wide range.

Fallout is a cult series of post-apocalyptic role-playing games set in the United States after a devastating nuclear war.

Retrowave is a nostalgic genre of electronic music and visual aesthetics inspired by 1980s culture. It emulates the style of synthesizer music, films, and video games of the era, blending them with modern technology.

December 1 is World AIDS Day; May 19 is World AIDS Memorial Day

Antiretroviral therapy, that is, treatment of HIV with the help of special drugs that suppress the immunodeficiency virus in the body of an HIV-positive person and allow them to live a long life.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV, involves taking antiretroviral drugs by an HIV-negative person

We are not naming him, as it is unsafe for an expert to be mentioned in the media, as he has been designated a “foreign agent.”

The warning was added at the request of the author of the publication and for safety reasons for the author, who, for a number of reasons, is forced to comply with legislation regarding so-called "foreign agents." NeMoskva considers the legislation regarding foreign agents to be illegal, unfair, and arbitrary, and complies with its provisions only in exceptional cases.

NeMoskva supports the position that Crimea was annexed in violation of international law and does not consider it a region of Russia. However, we believe it is important to mention Crimea in the context of this publication.

Agency for Strategic Initiatives for the Promotion of New Projects (Agency for Strategic Initiatives, ASI)   Russian autonomous non-profit organization, created By the Government of Russia[3] To implement a range of measures in the economic and social spheres. Specifically, to promote priority projects, implement measures to improve the business environment in Russia, develop professional personnel, etc.[3] Valid from August 11 2011 years[3]Chairman of the Supervisory Board - Vladimir Vladimirovich PutinThe first general director of the agency from July 27, 2011 was Andy Nikitin. But after February 13, 2017 by decree of the President of Russia he was appointed acting governor Novgorod region[4], replaced him in this position Svetlana Chupsheva, a financier by education, who worked in regional government bodies for 11 years before joining ASI Samara region[5].

By 2021, ASI supported more than 900 projects[7].

In 2011, Putin set the agency a strategic goal: to raise Russia's ranking in the World Bank's Doing Business ranking from 120th to 20th by 2018. To achieve this goal, the ASI created the National Entrepreneurship Initiative (NEI) program to improve the investment climate in Russia. Russia ranked 28th in Doing Business 2020 (in 2019 and 2018, it ranked below 20th).

In 2011, Kommersant wrote that the creation of the ASI was a pointless undertaking. This was explained by the unit's vague responsibilities, limited powers, and duplication of functions with other agencies.

After the war began, the ASI SI acts as tool «resource mobilization» in Russia: economy, technology, personnel, social infrastructure. In the context of sanctions and external pressure, the agency is responsible for the development of its own industry, technology, and domestic market. 

It is designed as mechanism for consolidating the state, business, and society — through support for "ideas for the good of the country" and "initiatives from above." The President personally approves ASI's participation in the implementation of national strategies. 

What Shleifer and Vishny say – in simple terms

They distinguish two types of corruption:

1) Decentralized corruption (“many hands corruption”)

When the bribes are taken at every level, independently of each other.

Every official tries to “mow his own lawn.”

What happens in such a system:

  • many competing extortion centers
  • everyone increases the price of their “service”
  • business pays many times
  • no one controls the overall flow
  • huge costs to the economy
  • chaos → maximum inefficiency

2) Centralized corruption

When there is corruption concentrated at the top, and the lower levels can only take bribes:

  • with permission from above,
  • or within the framework of certain rules.

In this model:

  • corruption is becoming more “organized”
  • less chaos,
  • fewer “excessive” levies,
  • the authorities control the flows,
  • economic costs are lower.

Shleifer and Vishny emphasized: centralized corruption is still corruption, but she less destructive for the economy than decentralized.

The project was founded by Anna Rivina in 2015. According to her, over the course of its 10 years of operation, the center's staff has helped over 10 people, created the first mobile app for victims of domestic violence and the first comprehensive informational website about the issue. In 2019, the project opened an office in Moscow, where people could seek help from lawyers and psychologists. In December 2020, the Russian Ministry of Justice added the organization to the register of foreign agents. An attempt to challenge the decision in court was unsuccessful. In February 2023, Rivina herself was recognized as a foreign agent. In October 2025, the Center announced its closure. According to her, their status as a foreign agent hindered their effectiveness: people were afraid to contact them, and services refused to cooperate with them.

A "small family" apartment is a one-room closet or room with a kitchenette, measuring 17–25 square meters. A legacy of Soviet times, they were typically found in small-family dormitories and specially designed small-family houses. These apartments were often occupied by young families, students, and singles.

Multi-level marketing. A business version of a cult that uses a pyramid scheme.
The gist of it is this: someone offers others not just the opportunity to sell a product (cosmetics, dietary supplements, courses, etc.), but also to recruit new salespeople for themselves. This person receives a percentage of both their own sales and the sales of those they recruit. The longer the chain, the greater the profit. In practice, only the top earners make the most money.

Circumpolar peoples are those living in Arctic and subarctic regions, that is, beyond the Arctic Circle—the zones surrounding the North Pole. Such ethnic groups include, for example, the Sami, Nenets, Chukchi, Inuit, Aleuts, Yakuts, and other indigenous peoples of the North. These peoples share similar living conditions, economic systems, and cultural elements that developed in extreme natural conditions, allowing us to speak of a "circumpolar civilization" or "circumpolar culture."

This concerns the tragic fate of the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900–1902, led by Baron Eduard Vasilyevich Toll. The expedition was organized by the Imperial Academy of Sciences to explore the Arctic regions and search for the legendary "Sannikov Land"—a hypothetical island in the Arctic Ocean.

In July 1902, Toll and three companions—astronomer Friedrich Seeberg, musher Rastorguev, and sailor Gorokhov—left the ship Zarya near Kotelny Island and headed for Bennett Island (part of the New Siberian Islands). They spent the winter there, built a winter hut, and continued their observations. However, when their food supplies ran out, Toll and his companions attempted to reach New Siberia on foot across the young ice. In November 1902, they disappeared without a trace.

A later search expedition led by Alexander Kolchak discovered the remains of Toll's camp, some geological collections, and documents, but neither the travelers themselves nor their bodies were found. They are presumed to have drowned while crossing broken ice.

The ProGEO project, established in 1996, compiles a list of significant geological and geomorphological sites. The designation of such sites confirms their special scientific, paleontological, and conservation value, often possessing unique characteristics. These sites are recommended for protection and inclusion in protected areas.

A legal mechanism whereby the owner of a property transfers it to a professional manager to manage it in the interests of the owner or a designated beneficiary. The manager receives the right to act with the property (shares, real estate, money, etc.), but does not become its owner.

Arkady and Boris Rotenberg are Russian billionaires and close friends of Putin. Journalistic investigations indicate that they play a significant role in implementing large-scale government initiatives and enjoy the government's loyalty. 
Their business is largely tied to government contracts, particularly in construction, and includes large-scale projects such as the Crimean Bridge and the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

The warning was added at the request of the author of the publication and for safety reasons for the author, who, for a number of reasons, is forced to comply with legislation regarding so-called "foreign agents." NeMoskva considers the legislation regarding foreign agents to be illegal, unfair, and arbitrary, and complies with its provisions only in exceptional cases.

In 2023, residents of Bashkortostan held a public gathering against gold mining. Environmental activist Fail Alsynov spoke at the gathering, saying that, unlike other peoples living in Bashkortostan, the Bashkirs themselves have no other land and, when environmental disasters begin, they will have nowhere to move. The speech was seen as inciting ethnic hatred, and Alsynov was sentenced to four years in prison. This was followed by mass protests of those who disagreed with the court's decision - from 5 to 10 thousand people took part in the actions. The police violently dispersed the rallies, and criminal cases were opened against 82 people. Two people died: one after being detained and interrogated by security forces (his relatives were not told the cause of death), the second a month after being detained. His acquaintances say that he was pressured, and he committed suicide.

A state-owned institution. Its tasks include collecting, analyzing and systematizing information necessary for making management decisions at the regional level, as well as supporting management processes, monitoring and analyzing changes in the regulatory and economic environment. The organization provides analytical and information support to state bodies of Bashkortostan.

The book was published in 2020 in a print run of 200 copies by the publishing house "Neftegazovoe Delo". It is written in the genre of documentary journalism and is dedicated to the environmental emergency in Sibay in 2019: the poisoning of city residents with sulfur dioxide due to an underground fire at the Sibay copper pyrite deposit.

After enrichment of the ore, the waste is dewatered (filtration, press filters). The resulting pulp is stored in the form of embankments or dams, which over time turn into a mountain. This is called a dump or tailings storage facility.

It flows mainly through the Baimaksky District of Bashkortostan. The length is 28 km, the area of ​​the drainage basin is 144 km². It belongs to the Ural Basin District and is part of the water system: Khudolaz → Ural → Caspian Sea.

It is not a major source of drinking water for populated areas, but, like many small rivers in the region, it supports local ecosystems and can be used for household needs and irrigation in rural areas.

 Sibaysky quarry is a large copper-zinc quarry located in the city of Sibay (Bashkortostan). It was discovered in the 1930s, active industrial development began in the 1950s. Depth: more than 500 meters, refers to super-deep quarries. One of the largest in Russia for copper ore mining. The quarry is currently not in operation, officially closed.

A water management system in which water used in a technological process is returned to circulation after purification, minimizing or completely eliminating discharge into the environment and the intake of fresh water.

It has a license for geological exploration, prospecting and production of minerals in the Salavat section of the subsoil deposit until 2044. The company was founded by JSC AGK (Aleksandrinskaya Mining and Ore Company), which is part of the RMK group.

Founded in 2004. Founder - Igor Altushkin, ranked 2023th in the Forbes rating in 36 with a fortune of $ 3,4 billion. Since 2022, he has been under sanctions from the US, UK, EU and Ukraine due to his support for the war in Ukraine. In 2023, he left the ownership of RMK, transferring his shares to other persons.

The company has consolidated mining and metallurgical enterprises in Russia and Kazakhstan, creating a vertically integrated structure with headquarters in Yekaterinburg. It is the third producer of refined copper in Russia, with a 16% share of the Russian market.

The Ottoman Empire controlled vast territories at various times, stretching from Central Europe to North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. After its collapse at the beginning of the 20th century, modern states emerged on these lands, including Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Algeria and others.

The essence of the agreement was the recognition by the Ottoman Empire of Russia's territorial acquisitions in the Western Caucasus under the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829 and the consent to the deportation of the Circassians from their historical lands to the Ottoman Empire. Russia sought to end the Ottoman Empire's support for the Circassians, sought to secure its new borders and resettle the Circassian population, which actively resisted Russian rule.

According to the UN Convention, genocide is an act committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. Such acts include: killing members of such a group; causing them serious physical or mental harm; deliberately creating conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the group in whole or in part; preventing births; forcibly transferring children from one human group to another.

The term "ethnic cleansing" is not recorded in the UN Convention. It came into use in international law later, especially in connection with the events in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The UN and its expert commissions define ethnic cleansing as the expulsion of certain groups from a territory, the purpose of which is to give the territory ethnic homogeneity. This is done through threats of force or the use of force and can be accompanied by mass acts of violence, including murder, torture, rape, deportation, destruction of property, serious bodily harm, etc.

Krasnaya Polyana (Kbaada tract) was the last center of resistance of the highlanders in the Western Caucasus, where in May 1864 Russian troops stormed the last stronghold of resistance of the Circassians, Abkhazians and Adyghes. This symbolized the final suppression of armed resistance and the establishment of Russia's complete dominion in the Caucasus.

Krasnaya Polyana was an ancient cult place of the Adyghe with historical monuments, which added symbolism to the victory celebrations.

In textbooks and official Russian historiography, Russia's military actions in the North Caucasus from 1817 to 1864 are usually called the "Caucasian War". The term was introduced in 1860 by Russian military historian Rostislav Fadeyev and is widely used in scientific and educational literature. The term "Russian-Caucasian War" is less commonly used, but Circassian researchers prefer it.

In his petition to the court, Zasukhin indicated that the examination was ordered and conducted in violation of the requirements established by Articles 195, 199 and 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, since a forensic biological examination was ordered, and
In fact, a comprehensive forensic biological, forensic veterinary and forensic ballistic examination was carried out. However, a veterinary expert and a forensic ballistics expert were not involved in their conduct: they were carried out by a biologist.

Dmitry is the uncle of Sergei Kyalundzyuga, who was killed by a tiger. The Udege are a small people, so many of them are related to each other in one way or another.

The Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization “Center for the Study and Conservation of the Amur Tiger Population” was created by the Russian Geographical Society in 2013 on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The center's goals include studying, preserving and increasing the population of the Amur tiger in Russia through the implementation of environmental, scientific, educational and cultural projects.

A pyrotechnic fire in the form of a cartridge case, which is recommended to be lit in order to scare away a bear or tiger with a bright flash.

A village in Primorsky Krai.

A city in Khabarovsk Krai.

During a biological examination, pieces of foam rubber were found in the stomach of the tiger that attacked Sergei.

The Amur tiger is listed in the Red Books of Russia and the world. In the wild in Russia, it lives in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, the Amur and Jewish Autonomous Regions.

An indigenous minority people of the Far East.

A former weightlifter, church leader from Novosibirsk Oblast, author of documentaries on drug addiction, terrorism and sects. In 2015, he was one of the organizers of the campaign against Timofey Kulyabin's production of "Tannhäuser" at the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater. He organized a prayer vigil in defense of the feelings of believers right in front of the theater, and also criticized the authorities for "condoning sacrilege." At the height of the fight against "Tannhäuser," he was awarded by Putin "for his labor achievements, many years of conscientious work and active public activity." He supported "SVO."

Until 2015, Russia had a targeted program called "Housing". At that time, housing (and in some regions, plots for individual housing construction) were provided to young families with many children. Vadim's father's family was able to receive a subsidy, which they used to buy an apartment.

In essence, this is a dismissal. You can return, but to another church, through repentance and petition. At the same time, Vadim Perminov was not deprived of his rank, such a decision can only be made by a church court, and there was none.

Patriarch Kirill first read the prayer "On Holy Rus'" in the fall of 2022. After that, he demanded that the clergy constantly read it at every liturgy, although before that the ROC had offered a petition for peace. The new prayer contains a wish for victory in the war for the "defenders of the Fatherland". Some of the priests refused to read the prayer or changed the words in it, considering it to glorify the "SVO". The ROC interprets such decisions as perjury and punishes those who resist. For example, the archpriest, rector of the Moscow Trinity Church Alexei Uminsky and the priest from the Church of the Holy Martyr Peter Krutitsky in Chelyabinsk Peter Ustinov were defrocked.

There should probably be the word "fuck" here, but we can only guess. In all open sources, the word is bleeped out in the video.

Now, in the column "worldview" Pavel indicates "Laissez-faire" (an economic doctrine according to which state regulation of the economy and economic intervention should be minimal). At the same time, the opportunity to choose Pastafarianism along with Islam, Orthodoxy, Buddhism and other religions is still available on VKontakte.

Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, popularizer of science, and author of The God Delusion. He is one of the most famous critics of religion and the creationist theory of the origin of the world.

Local sources claim that the temple was built in honor of the events of 1888, when a train carrying the royal family was blown up near the Borki station. According to oral tradition, Tsar Alexander III held the collapsed roof of the train car in his hands to save his family.

Temple of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

A murder written off as a combat loss.

Punishment for some misdemeanor, restriction of freedom in pits specially dug for this purpose.

Azat's words about the bodily harm inflicted on him are also confirmed by one of the witnesses. There are no medical documents in the case confirming the bodily harm.

A reference to a quote from Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment: "The candle end had long since gone out in the crooked candlestick, dimly illuminating in this beggarly room the murderer and the harlot, strangely brought together to read the eternal book."

Logotherapy is a type of existential psychotherapy based on the search for the meaning of existence.

Existential analysis is a person-oriented method of psychotherapy that aims to help a person live their life freely and fully and make their own decisions about it.

The fund helps clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church who, after February 24, 2022, spoke out against Russia's military actions in Ukraine and lost the opportunity to serve and earn money.

A psychological state in which a person, faced with repeated failures, loses faith in the ability to control the situation and stops trying to change it.

In 1988, a Local Council was held in the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, at which a new charter for the Russian Orthodox Church was adopted.

Father Sergius means that war and violence contradict the Gospel values ​​of love and mercy.

Dmitry Kovalenin is a Russian writer, translator, and orientalist. He traveled with Japanese writer Haruki Murakami to Sakhalin and translated a number of his novels, as well as translating other books, anime, and films from Japanese into Russian.

The Rakurs film club has been operating in Samara since 1980 and organized, in particular, discussions on intellectual cinema and art house. In March 2022, a message appeared on the wall of the film club's public page on VKontakte that the club had ceased operations for now.

A YouTube channel launched by Novaya Gazeta to give clergy who can no longer serve in churches after February 2022 the opportunity to address people with words about what is important to them.

As another priest, already defrocked, explained, this can only be done through a church court, about which the priest will be notified. If this does not happen, then either the priest is still out of state and the church is thus avoiding a scandal and not preventing him, for example, from going abroad and serving there, or he has been quietly transferred to the ban.

Because the page was blocked, Father Sergiy did not have time to collect the remaining 54 thousand rubles, but the parishioner was able to borrow the missing amount, and her daughter began undergoing a rehabilitation course.

Easter - a holiday that requires a lot of resources from the priest, both physical and moral. In the last week of Lent there are many services, longer than in other months; the service in honor of Easter itself is held at night, standing, and continues until the morning; on this holiday, crowds of people gather in the church and demand more attention, energy and time than usual; and the priest must also convey the meaning of the cross and salvation to the parishioners.

Metropolitan Sergius. In the world ー Poletkin Viktor Moiseevich. Head of the Samara and Novokuibyshev Metropolis since 2019.

This is what parishioners call the Church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Samara State University.

That is, a sudden breakthrough of fluid, most often gas, to the surface.

It was not possible to find more recent data in open sources.

Most of the city's sewage discharges actually flow directly into the sea, which is why swimming on Makhachkala's beaches is prohibited by Rospotrebnadzor

A drug with a similar therapeutic effect. Unlike a generic, which copies another drug, an analogue may have a different active substance (but similar in mechanism of action) or contain the same main component, but in a different form or in combination with other substances. That is, a "generic" is an exact "copy" of the original drug, and an "analogue" is a broader concept and may imply drugs with a similar effect, but not necessarily with an identical composition.

The name is informal, legally such an organization does not exist. According to a former member of the vird, the "wing" includes killers from among the Batalkhadzhins. Today, the "wing" is included in the list of terrorist organizations.

Depending on the established role, they are accused of leading a terrorist community and participating in its activities (parts 1-2 of Article 205.4 of the Criminal Code), organizing a terrorist act (part 4 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code), committing a terrorist act (subparagraph “b” of part 3 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code), illegal trafficking of weapons, ammunition, and explosives (part 3 of Article 222 and part 3 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code).

The terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall occurred on March 22. Terrorists in camouflage opened fire and set the hall on fire. 145 people were killed and more than 550 spectators were injured.

In the fall of 2018, mass protests took place in Ingushetia against the agreement on revising the administrative border with Chechnya, signed by the head of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov. According to this agreement, about 10% of the territory of Ingushetia came under the jurisdiction of Chechnya, which caused discontent among the population. In March 2019, protests resumed. On March 26, several tens of thousands of people took to the square in Magas. After that, mass arrests of activists and protest leaders began.

The youngest settlement in the republic, founded in 1995 and created from scratch as the capital of the region, which makes it unique in modern Russia. After the collapse of the USSR and the exit of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR from the RSFSR in 1991, Ingushetia separated from Chechnya and formed its own republic. Before that, the capital of Ingushetia was in Grozny, which remained part of Chechnya. After the division, Ingushetia did not have its own capital, and the city of Nazran became the temporary administrative center. However, it was not designed to function as a capital: it lacked the necessary administrative buildings and infrastructure. Therefore, a decision was made to build a new city - Magas.

For Muslims: going to holy places, as well as the very designation of these holy places.

The grandchildren of Batal-Khadzhi, the brothers of Sultan Belkhoroev, who led the community for decades until his death in October 2017.

The collection of words (hadith), actions and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad, which serve as a model for Muslims in various aspects of life. The Sunnah complements and explains the provisions of the Quran, being the second most important source of Sharia (Islamic law). The Sunnah is the life path of the Prophet Muhammad

An honorary and respectful title used in the Sufi tradition to designate a distinguished spiritual teacher or sheikh.

The tsarist authorities often exiled religious leaders or public figures of the North Caucasus to the central or northwestern provinces, where the climatic and cultural conditions differed significantly from their native places. For example, Kunta-Khadzhi himself was exiled to Kaluga, as well as influential Sufi sheikhs Bamatgirey-Khadzhi Mitayev, Sugaip-Mullah Goysumov, Chimirza-Khadzhi Khamirzayev and others.

A special Caucasian variety of the Sufi order of the Qadiri tariqa. A unique Sufi movement that arose in the conditions of resistance of the Caucasus to the Russian Empire and combined the spiritual principles of Sufism with political and social elements.

A sheikh in tariqa is a spiritual mentor and leader of a Sufi brotherhood, playing a key role in guiding students (murids) on their path to spiritual perfection and knowledge of God. A sheikh is considered a spiritual guide.

Zikr is a spiritual practice in Islam, especially common in Sufism. It consists of collective remembrance of Allah through the repetition of His names, prayers, or verses from the Quran.

Tariqah is a term used in Sufism to denote a mystical path or spiritual school, following which a person strives to understand the “divine truth”. From Arabic, the word “tariqah” is translated as “path” or “road”. The word “tariqah” meaning “path” is used in the Quran.

Sufism is a mystical movement in Islam that focuses on spiritual practice, inner self-improvement and direct experience of closeness to God.

Salafism is a fundamentalist movement in Sunni Islam that does not approve of Sufi practices. It is widespread in the North Caucasus.

As a former member of the vird explained to NeMoskva, each member of the community must evaluate their property (house, car, livestock, and even, for example, beehives) once a year and pay a “tax” (aka “humz”) on everything they own.

After the deportation, the Soviet authorities wrote down Ingush surnames as they pleased. In the original, the surname sounds like "Belkharoi", in the Russified version it can be transformed into "Belkharoevykh" and "Belkhoroevykh".

Faithful Muslims all over the world eat meat slaughtered according to the rituals of "halal" or according to the Jewish tradition, that is, "kosher". However, the Batalhajins followed a different tradition, their diet included only meat slaughtered by members of their clan. Meat recognized as "halal" ("permissible") for other Muslims did not meet their nutritional standards.

In Sufism, wird means "movement". For example, the words "he is a wird of Batal-Hajji" mean "he is a follower of his religious movement".

The opposite situation, when a woman from the community marries someone who is not a member of the brotherhood, is unlikely, almost impossible.

"The City of the Sun" is a philosophical and utopian treatise by the Italian thinker Tommaso Campanella, written in 1602. He created this work under the influence of Plato and sought to describe the perfect society, contrasting it with the monarchies existing in his time.

Clientele is a system of personal dependencies and patronage, in which a weaker participant (client) receives protection, support or resources from a stronger one (patron) in exchange for loyalty, services or political support. Clientele groups are associations of people based on the principle of patron-client relations. They can exist in politics, business, criminal structures and even the state apparatus. Such groups are built around a leader (patron), who distributes resources (positions, money, protection) among his supporters (clients), and in return receives their support.

A charitable foundation founded in 2018 by Nyuta Federmesser and Lida Moniava. Provides assistance to terminally ill children and young adults up to 30 years old, supporting the Moscow Children's Hospice, the Moscow Region Children's Hospice and the Hospice for Young Adults.

Dionysius (c. 1440–1503) was an outstanding Russian artist and icon painter of the second half of the XNUMXth century, a representative of the Moscow school of icon painting. His works mark the flowering of Russian art in the Middle Ages.

Full quote from the response to the request: “According to the data of the Administration of the Vologda Municipal District, the created conditions of the project “Parks in the Forest” near the Architectural and Ethnographic Museum of Semenkovo ​​made it possible to improve the territory near the museum, to make it more beautiful, modern, well-groomed and safe.”

From English. participatory design. An approach to developing products, services, spaces or systems in which end users and stakeholders actively participate in the design process. The method emphasizes collaboration, involvement and consideration of the opinions of all participants.

Mao Zedong is a Chinese politician and statesman, founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and Chairman of the Communist Party of China since 1943. He played a key role in the victory of the communists in the Chinese Civil War and in the transformation of China into a socialist state. His policies were accompanied by significant casualties and economic upheavals.

Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria held key positions in the NKVD (People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs) during the period of Stalin's repressions.

The deportation of Chechens and Ingush in 1944 was part of the Soviet policy of forced deportations. As a result, every fourth representative of both peoples died. In 1957, the Chechen-Ingush ASSR was restored.

ShkID — abbreviation for "Dostoevsky School". An experimental boarding school for children and adolescents that existed in Petrograd (later Leningrad) in the 1920s. The school was created for street children and difficult teenagers to help them adapt to life, provide an education and raise them in the spirit of socialism. ShkID became famous thanks to the book "The Republic of SHKID", written by former students of the school Grigory Belykh and Leonid Panteleyev. The book describes the life and upbringing of children in this school, their problems, joys and internal conflicts, as well as the unique pedagogical system used in the institution.

Ilkin Melikov, a 28-year-old Muslim from Nizhnevartovsk, has been accused of participating in the activities of the Nizhnevartovsk Jamaat organization, which allegedly promotes ISIS ideas.

Public monitoring commissions are created for public control over the observance of human rights in places of forced detention (prisons, pre-trial detention centers, colonies, temporary detention facilities, etc.). The main functions of the PMCs are: monitoring conditions of detention, working with complaints, promoting human rights activities, documenting violations.

However, in the end, the Ministry of Finance left them unanswered, and the Prosecutor General's Office refused to pay, since by that time, in 2022, the ECHR rulings had lost their force in Russia.

When the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) “communicates a complaint,” it means that the court has declared the complaint admissible and has sent it to the respondent state for a formal response. One of the important stages in the ECHR procedure.

Elizavet (stress on the last syllable) is a residential area of ​​Yekaterinburg, located on the southern outskirts of the city.

The possible punishment for this offence ranges from a fine of 600 thousand roubles to imprisonment for up to five years.

We are not providing the contents of the poster for the safety of the heroine.

 According to the decree of the governor of the Sverdlovsk region, people over 65 years old had to stay at home, and the activist was 79 years old at the time.

A protest movement in support of the defendants in the "Bolotnaya Case" brought against the participants of the rally on May 6, 2012. Every month on the sixth day, activists came out with leaflets and demanded freedom for political prisoners.

Protests that took place in different cities of Russia without notifying the authorities. They began in 2017.

According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, recent changes in legislation allow for the replanting of endangered plants or separating them with a twenty-meter buffer zone when carrying out such work. The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, for its part, has prepared amendments to the federal law "On Environmental Protection" allowing the use of endangered plants with a permit issued by an authorized executive body, and also imposing obligations on users of natural resources to restore plants in the event of removal.

Basically, the described area contains forest lands, some areas are used for agricultural purposes and are leased.

A downshifter is a person who consciously refuses to pursue a career, high incomes and material benefits in order to simplify their life, find balance and personal happiness. The term comes from the English word "downshifting" - literally "switching to a lower gear". Many downshifters move from large cities to small towns, villages or countries with a lower standard of living.

Open-pit gold mining is suitable for developing deposits located at a shallow depth. Powerful bulldozers or blasts remove the overburden (gang rock) and extract the sand, which is then delivered to the washing device. Hydraulic mining uses high-pressure water jets to displace or move the useful rock. The water jet transforms loose sediments into a liquefied mass, which is transported by gravity along troughs by hydraulic elevators or dredgers. (Leonid Geiman, Mark Saltsovsky, "In the Valleys of Golden Sand")

According to rusprofile.ru, the enterprise, established in 2020, is unprofitable: in 2021, the loss was 882 thousand rubles, in 2022 - 2,2 million rubles, in 2023 - 926 thousand. However, the unprofitability may be planned: the enterprise is part of a large group of companies associated with the exploration and extraction of minerals.

To churn is to churn butter from cream or sour cream.

According to Volga ecologists, MAC standards tend to increase (they are set by the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Russia).
Because of this, it often happens that there is a smell, but the maximum permissible concentration is not exceeded.

Although (less often) the opposite also happens: there are excess concentrations of harmful substances, they are recorded, but they are not accessible to the human sense of smell.

It is included in the list of cultural heritage sites of the region (CHS of regional significance).
Its appearance resembles the temples of ancient Rome or Greece.
A pavilion for farewell to deceased Volzhans who made a significant contribution to the construction and development of the city.
Built in the 1950s, author unknown.
Situated in the now closed "old" cemetery near the Lenta shopping mall and the Rabochy settlement.

A series of eleven decrees signed by Putin on May 7, 2012, the day he took office as President of the Russian Federation. Contained 218 instructions to the Russian government for 2012-2020. The decrees, in particular, spelled out target indicators for public sector salaries.

According to the Memorial Human Rights Center, there is a network of illegal secret prisons in Chechnya where people are held without formal charges. Detention can last from several weeks to more than a year. Detainees are subjected to humiliation, torture and sometimes secret executions.

A team of human rights defenders that helps LGBTQ+ people and their family members who have faced life-threatening situations, persecution and violence in the North Caucasus.

Chechen special forces formed under the leadership of Ramzan Kadyrov after the start of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Before starting their service, candidates from different regions of Russia undergo tactical and firearms training at the RUS. The Akhmat special forces are commanded by Apti Alaudinov, deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

International media outlet in English and Russian dedicated to Russian politics and society.

 Daniil Martynov is one of the authors of the idea and the curator of the construction of RUS. In this capacity, he gave several interviews to federal media, including Channel One. Martynov no longer works in the region - since the summer of 2022, the former security official has held the position of Deputy Minister of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. This was preceded by his unsuccessful participation in the invasion of Ukraine, in particular, in the battles in the Kyiv region. According to a source for Novaya Gazeta-Europe, Martynov was beaten by "Kadyrovites" in Chechnya due to the defeat in Ukraine.

This is what the media call the companies through which Kadyrov's clan cashes out budget money. As follows from the investigation by "Proekt", these are one-day companies with a nominal owner, practically without employees and contractors, which at the same time are among the top Chechen companies in terms of revenue and own assets worth 150 billion rubles.

It was precisely at that time, in the second half of the 18th century, that many Germans fled to Russia. At that time, a unified German state did not yet exist, Germany was fragmented into different principalities. Against this background, religious persecution periodically occurred, for example, Catholics were tried to be converted into Lutherans and vice versa. Already in Russia, refugees settled in the Volga region, Kuban, Crimea and other regions of the empire, where they lived for decades in enclaves and engaged in agriculture.

One of the largest camp systems in the USSR, where during the war, in addition to criminals and political prisoners, forcibly resettled Germans were sent. At its peak, in 1942, the number of prisoners was 76855 people. This is 43,3% of the total number of prisoners in the NKVD forest industry camps department in the USSR.

Term "labor army" (trudarmiya) most often associated with the deportation and mobilization of Germans into labor columns to perform forced labor service during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Although the experience of "labor armies" existed before that: in particular, in the early 1920s, similar formations were used to restore the national economy destroyed during the civil war. During the Great Patriotic War, this experience, in a much more brutal repressive form, was applied primarily to those whose historical roots were associated with states hostile to the USSR - Germans, Finns, Romanians, Bulgarians, etc. The main blow of the repressive policy fell on the Germans, since they were the most numerous ethnic group in this group, and Germany was the main enemy of the Soviet Union in the war. The labor mobilization of the German population took on a mass character in 1942.

Similar campuses are planned to be built not only in Khabarovsk, but also in Samara, Perm, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Ivanovo, Arkhangelsk and other cities. Some of the planned facilities in Ufa and Chelyabinsk have been completed. Most of the facilities are still in the process - the entire megaproject required more than 174 billion rubles.

She also said that Koledaev beat her when they were married, but the police ignored her statements about the beatings.

Average monthly salary in Primorsky Krai According to Rosstat for August 2024 was almost 80 thousand rubles.

Officially, this position is called the head of the administration department of the village of Putyatin.

Father and son Terentyev are namesakes.

For an additional flight, the captain asks for 2000 rubles: if there are 10 people, they pay 200 rubles each, but if one of them urgently needs to get to the mainland, they have to pay for the flight themselves.

This makes up 3% of all costs budget of the closed administrative-territorial entity Fokino in 2024.

A closed administrative-territorial entity in Primorsky Krai with the status of an urban district.

"Film! Film! Film!" is a Soviet cartoon for adults directed by Fyodor Khitruk, released in 1968 as a parody of the film-making process. In the cartoon, the scriptwriter and director run from one office to another at Goskino to agree on the script.

In Putyatin, this is the name given to the barge (ferry) that transports people between the island and the mainland.

Stadium of the Voskhod cultural center in Putyatin.

STORIES /
Time to read: 14 minutes(s)

Flourish in war

How to gain influence and contracts in exchange for supporting the Kremlin's military expansion and soft power? We'll use the example of a Novosibirsk developer to explain.

Author: Yuri Georgiev

Dmitry Savelyev (right) at a construction site. Source: the deputy's VKontakte page

***

Parents adjust the cap of a three-year-old boy in army uniform. A man in civilian clothes hobbles through the metal detector on crutches, one leg suspended. Forty soldiers, counted before entering, file into the hall. A musical evening, "What Soldiers Sing About," dedicated to February 23rd, is beginning at the Siberia-Concert Community Center in Novosibirsk. The performance will feature veterans of the war in Ukraine, according to the announcement.

The 600-seat stalls are almost full. Most of the seats are occupied by elderly people, including several women carrying United Russia branded shopping bags. Some adults have come to watch their children perform in costumes styled after Soviet military uniforms. Schoolchildren perform songs and poems about the Great Patriotic War, while newsreel footage, including of Stalin, plays in the background. There are no speeches in support of the fighting in Ukraine; even Robert Rozhdestvensky's poignant poem "Remember," which includes the words "Kill the war," is read. 

However, a man in camouflage and a woman then take the stage. Accompanied by footage of modern Russian soldiers, they sing about "guys" who "stand for Russia to the end" and about "our land" that must be "taken back," and to do so, "shake the dust off your machine gun." The entire second half of the concert is filled with references to the war in Ukraine: a neural network-generated image captioned "Kremnaya," a song about Chasov Yar with the lyrics "I'll walk through the park along the path of the retreating Bandera," and a song performed by two men titled "Opolchenskaya Lyubov" (Militia Love).

The concert was hosted by the "Rassvetai, My Homeland!" patriotic song center. This is a new project by a major Novosibirsk developer, the Rassvetai group of companies, which is owned by Dmitry Savelyev, a United Russia member of the State Duma for the Novosibirsk region. Using this example, NeMoskva examines how the war with Ukraine is being used to advance personal business interests.

Summary of the text
  • Novosibirsk developer Dmitry Savelyev combines business, politics, and family connections in government, creating a stable system of influence. His companies are formally registered to a relative, but management remains his.
  • Savelyev uses support for the war as a tool to integrate business into the government system. He does this through cultural and charitable projects, direct participation in military operations, and the formation of a loyal group in the city council using his "SVO veteran" status. 
  • The developer's controlled council members ensure the developer has the influence it needs over city policy, including changes to zoning and development parameters. This allows them to advance profitable projects, often despite resistance from residents.
  • The company's economic growth accelerated after the war began: the geography of its projects expanded, revenue and profits increased, the group of companies began receiving government contracts and purchased a site on which infrastructure will be built using budget funds.
  • Savelyev's activities have recently expanded to include international projects, such as supporting the Kremlin's soft power in Africa. Our sources believe the deputy is thus seeking to "become a player in the game" surrounding resources. 
  • Militaristic rhetoric doesn't win voters, but it does help secure government contracts and preferential treatment. In exchange, the authorities may ask for favors related to supporting the war and their other projects. 
A child with Savelyev's propaganda (a sticker for a parcel to the front from the "Towards Victory Together" foundation) 

Contents of the text:

In preparing this text, we spoke with six sources from Novosibirsk's political and economic circles, but we cannot disclose their names for security reasons. 

Entrance ticket to the system

Dmitry Savelyev was born in 1971 in Novosibirsk. He graduated from the State Academy of Economics and Management. His official biography is very brief, beginning at age 30, when he became the director of the Novosibirsk firm Fundamentstroy. His first projects involved infill development in the Dzerzhinsky District, where the future deputy spent his childhood.

Savelyev entered politics from business: first as an assistant to a State Duma deputy from Kuzbass, and at 40, he himself entered parliament on the LDPR list. He has been married twice: first to the daughter of Nadezhda Boltenko, the speaker of the Novosibirsk City Council, and Mikhail Boltenko, the head of the regional department for combating organized crime; and now to on my sister Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia Anatoly Razinkin. In 2013, Savelyev became the head of the Novosibirsk branch of the LDPR. His brother, Vladislav, was by then a member of the regional Legislative Assembly. 

Savelyev is known as the co-author of a number of repressive laws – on stripping “foreign agents” of their parliamentary mandates and on banning those whom the security forces have named from running "involved" to the activities of "extremist organizations." However, in the Novosibirsk region, he is known primarily as a major developer, the owner of the Rastsvetai group of companies. Eighty-four companies within the group are registered to his brother, but he is only the nominal owner; in reality, the business manages namely Dmitry Savelyev.

The businessman supported the war in Ukraine first days and did it very aggressively: he called it “self-defense,” and those who oppose it— traitors. In January 2023, he created the “Towards Victory Together!” foundation, which sends assistance to the Russian army, and previously financed i  volunteer battalion "Vega", where officials and Novosibirsk deputies from United Russia are assigned. Moreover, he himself traveled to the war zone. At first, perhaps only pretended, then pro-government Telegram channels began publishing his photos next to people in form. It is impossible to geolocate them, however, and some lubricated.

Savelyev is second from the right. To his left is Andrei Frunze, Savelyev's protégé who ran for the city council. To his right is Andrei Panfyorov, former first deputy speaker of the Novosibirsk Regional Legislative Assembly and now the region's business ombudsman. Photo source: Gorvodokanal Telegram channel 

Conversion into political influence

In the fifth year of the war, the "Rastsvetai" group continues to support the fighting. Announcing a concert for Defender of the Fatherland Day, the organizers stated that it would feature "combat veterans, heroes who distinguished themselves not only in the fight for justice but also in their creative work." Songs were performed by individuals identified as participants in the war in Ukraine: Yuriy "Khimik" Zubarev, Vasily "Ship" Solovyov, Valery Tarasov, and Anatoly Gradinar. 

Among the "veterans" was Yulia Loginova, head of Savelyev's "Towards Victory Together!" foundation and a United Russia member of the Novosibirsk City Council. She appeared in military uniform, with several medals (probably fake), and contemporary songs like "My Heart to You, Russia" (by local poet Natalia Davydova, critical (in social networks messenger MAX). 

One of Yulia Loginova's performances, with one "medal." Photo source: Loginova's VKontakte page 
Loginova is receiving citizens—she's already won four medals. Photo source: Loginova's VKontakte page 

Loginova became a "veteran" after signing a six-month contract with the Ministry of Defense in February 2025. At least six other people did so at the time. Related with Savelyev and the Rastsvetai Group of Companies. It's unknown where exactly they served, but everyone have returned Unharmed and with medals, which, however, have no connection to official state awards. For example, Loginova received a medal from the Association of Veterans of the Air Defense Forces of the Novosibirsk Region, while Alexander Shchepetnev, another member of Savelyev's team, received medals "For Service in UAV Units" from the Interstate Union of Hero Cities and "For Diligence in Service" from the Terek Host Cossack Society. 

Their "SVO veteran" status automatically gave them all a 25% boost to the United Russia primaries. In 2025, they ran for the Novosibirsk City Council.

Dmitry Savelyev surrounded by loyal deputies of the Novosibirsk City Council and the Novosibirsk Regional Legislative Assembly. Source: Savelyev's VKontakte page

Savelyev managed to get three "SVO members" elected to the city council. In total, opponents and political analysts consider 16 of the 50 deputies in the Novosibirsk City Council to be part of his influence group. They are members of the United Russia faction, but also represent a distinct force and can sometimes vote outside the "party line." i  With their help, Savelyev is able to rezone areas targeted for development and change the parameters of residential complexes permitted by local regulations, two former municipal deputies explained Savelyev's goals. 

Examples of the influence of Savelyev's group

One of the most striking examples of the use of administrative resources is the battle for land on Uzornaya Street in Novosibirsk's Pervomaysky District, which was designated as a military and restricted area. In April 2022, the city's land use and development commission, at the request of residents, denied rezoning to a subsidiary of Rastsvetai. However, right at the commission meeting, the then deputy speaker of the city council, one of Savelyev's closest allies, delivered a scathing speech.

"If you're not smart enough to understand how the situation will develop if you continue to escalate, I'll predict it for you, and you think about it carefully. Option number one: the commission makes a decision, and the situation develops in a manageable and predictable manner. Option number two: the commission refuses, then they sue the mayor's office for obstructing business activity—that's a criminal offense. The outcome is clear! Mayor, he'll go to jail!" shouted Evgeny Lebedev. 

There are also direct threats due to the actions of the Rastsvetai Group of Companies. говорил Former chief architect of the city, Alexander Lozhkin. He testified in court in the criminal case against the former vice-mayor of Novosibirsk. Artem Skatov, who was accused of slandering Savelyev through an anonymous Telegram channel.

Deputies loyal to Savelyev also voted against the city council's discussion of rezoning the site of Novosibirsk's Central Department Store for residential development, a matter of concern to local residents. The developer was ultimately chosen to be the Rastsvetai Group of Companies, and a new shopping center will be built on the site of the Central Department Store in the very center of the city. great Residential complex consisting of several sections, up to 33 floors high.

Conversion to money

While many developers are in crisis, and the country's largest developer, Samolet asks With the federal government in control, Savelyev's business is booming. Until 2022, the group of companies built housing primarily in the Novosibirsk region. Other than that, there was only one project in the Moscow region and one in Moscow. After the war in Ukraine began, the group expanded into the Leningrad region, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and annexed Crimea, where received Permission to build three low-rise buildings in Yalta, not far from the Vorontsov Palace. 

Screenshot from the website of the Rastsvetai Group of Companies 

During the war, the Rastsvetai Group of Companies became the largest developer in Novosibirsk and entered the federal top 20. In 2025, the group ranked 14th in Russia in terms of current construction volume. According to "Unified resource for developers". 

Today, the group comprises 40 companies (those listed in the unified register of developers, excluding those "dormant"). Typically, a separate firm is created for a specific project. Rastsvetai is particularly fond of plant-based names—"Lilac," "Melissa," "Acacia," "Viburnum," and "Sakura."

Savelyev's companies' combined revenue in 2024 increased by 388% compared to 2023. (more recent data is not yet available): up to 9,6 billion rubles, according to data from the Rusprofile service. 17 companies reported a total net profit of 5,5 billion rubles (another 55 reported a loss of 335 million). 

Also, the companies that are part of Rassvetai began to receive after the war began government contracts The total amount of funds allocated for purchasing apartments for orphans and relocating people from dilapidated housing has approached one billion rubles.

Shortly before the war began, the developer bought out The territory of former military unit No. 13840 near the northern border of Novosibirsk. The city limits begin literally across the road, and the site has every chance of soon becoming part of Novosibirsk. Savelyev's company bid almost 800 million rubles for the approximately 30-hectare site, which required significant infrastructure investment. Other (at the time, larger) Siberian developers withdrew from the bidding, considering the price too high. According to one of NeMoskva's sources, Representatives of the Rastsvetai Group of Companies knew that investments in communications here would come from the budget. And not just from the budget, but through an “infrastructure” loan, which the Novosibirsk region took the federal authorities at an incredible 3% per annum i  

How the loan scheme was implemented

First, a government commission headed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin approved The Novosibirsk Region received a 5,3 billion ruble "infrastructure" loan. The region needed the money for social facilities and new landfills. Then, First Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Alexander Zhukov (elected from Novosibirsk) объявилThat part of the sum would go toward the construction of water supply, sewerage, heating, and electricity networks for residential construction projects. The regional government then pushed through the Legislative Assembly to approve the use of two billion rubles of this loan for "infrastructure development," which in fact meant connecting utilities to two sites owned by the Rastsvetai Group of Companies. One is the aforementioned military base site, and the other is on Sorge Street in Novosibirsk's Kirovsky District, which is being developed by Tempo, also owned by Savelyev. 

Views of Africa

Dmitry Savelyev's geopolitical interests are not limited to the aforementioned Crimea. He recently reached Africa.

In January 2026, the head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Yevgeny Primakov объявил On the opening of "Russian Houses" in Mali and the Central African Republic. There are now 87 of them (not counting partner organizations, discussed below). The authorities position the "houses" as a "soft power" for promoting the Russian language and culture—they host exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and help international students enroll in Russian universities. They are funded by Rossotrudnichestvo, but also by the state agency signs agreements with third-party organizations. 

Savelyev with Rossotrudnichestvo head Yevgeny Primakov (to the left of Savelyev) and former deputy speaker of the Novosibirsk Regional Legislative Assembly and his right-hand woman, Natalia Krasovskaya. Photo source: Krasovskaya's Telegram channel

One of the partner organizations was the little-known NGO "Center for Public Diplomacy," which is also associated with Dmitry Savelyev. The organization's director is the deputy's closest confidant, his former assistant in the State Duma, and former Deputy Speaker of the Novosibirsk Regional Legislative Assembly, Natalia Krasovskaya. 

"We're opening Russian houses in African countries and building bridges between universities. I'm explaining why Africans want to learn Russian and study in Russia, what they admire most about Russian culture, and why we need to be friends with Africa in the first place," пишет Krasovskaya about herself on VKontakte.

At the same time, she herself calls the head of Savelyev's organization. He regularly появляется at the events of the Center for Public Diplomacy, heads the inter-parliamentary Russia-Ghana friendship group and even organized Translation into Russian of the autobiography of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, "My First Coup and Other True Stories of Africa's Lost Decades."

Savelyev's "Center for Public Diplomacy" has already opened "Russian Houses" in Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Ghana, and in 2026 launch offices in Libya, Mali, Namibia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Madagascar.

The President of Burkina Faso at the 80th anniversary of Victory Day. Photo source: Savelyev's VKontakte page
Meeting with the delegation of the Republic of Ghana. Photo source: Savelyev's VKontakte page
Meeting with the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Burkina Faso. Photo source: Savelyev's VKontakte page

Two of our interlocutors, a former deputy familiar with Savelyev and a political scientist, believe that the United Russia member has entered Africa not only to score yet another round of "loyalty points" but also to "become a participant in the game" surrounding resources.

"If Savelyev had an army, he would immediately start making money in Africa," says one of the sources.

Mutually beneficial exchange

A former municipal deputy from one of Russia's major cities is convinced that demonstrating loyalty to the war is not necessary to influence the electorate: 

"No amount of support from the SVO brings in real votes. Most people just want it all to end so they can go back to living a normal life, 'like before.' Therefore, the main focus is on what really resonates with people. Hence the tractors [for clearing snow with the names of specific candidates], hence the vote-buying in all its forms." 

Personalized snow removal equipment. Photo source: Yulia Loginova's VKontakte page

Businessmen and their trusted confidants' involvement in the military agenda is reinforced by their CVs, which subsequently allow them to participate in the distribution of parliamentary mandates or aspire to leadership positions in the executive branch. Following the lead of the current authorities ensures access to government contracts and preferential treatment. In exchange, governors may request favors related to their support for the war, says a Russian political scientist.

"They assist the authorities in cases where they are unable to cope due to the rigidity of the budget process. Since the issue of the SVO is a priority in assessing the performance of any regional governor, it is important for them to quickly and efficiently address emerging needs," the NeMoskva source explained. "Naturally, in such cases, the authorities turn to close businessmen. Therefore, it is practically impossible to remain a 'businessman close to the authorities' and not participate in supporting the war."

Large development businesses in modern Russia are inextricably linked to the government, both historically and practically. Participation in the military agenda is not only a prerequisite for their existence, but also a significant competitive advantage for those who are among the first to make their mark. 

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