Category: Analysis

Tourist tax revenues increased 2.5-fold to 7 billion rubles. The Russian Union of Travel Industry proposes making tourists the payers, introducing a fixed rate instead of a percentage-based one, and offering investment deductions for hotels.

By 2036, the U.S. will spend 18% of its budget on debt interest payments. How refinancing amid high rates is constraining policy space in developed economies.

How student loans work in the US and Russia: debt volumes, interest rates, tuition costs, and repayment terms. An analysis of American and Russian models for financing higher education.

The main outcomes of the 2026 Eastern Economic Forum: 318 agreements worth 7 trillion rubles, a unified preferential regime starting in 2027, a transport corridor to China, and a shift from extraction to processing.

Day three highlights from EEF-2026: agreements worth 6 trillion rubles, a unified preferential regime for the Far Eastern Federal District and the Arctic, technology experiments, and signs of economic cooling. An analysis of the new macroregional development strategy.

Day two of the Eastern Economic Forum brought announcements of a 100 billion ruble petrochemical cluster, preferential treatment reforms, regional gas infrastructure expansion, and a 2.5-fold increase in trade with China to 1.7 trillion rubles.

Day one highlights from the 2026 Eastern Economic Forum: agreements on pharmaceuticals derived from marine bioresources, 7.5 billion rubles in housing and utilities modernization, development of the creative economy and satellite communications. Contract projections reach 6.5 trillion rubles.

Russia is transitioning to a two-tier higher education system: foundational and specialized degrees replacing bachelor's and master's programs. Here's how study duration, diplomas, and university curricula will change.

Starting September 1, Russians can ban themselves from gambling through the Gosuslugi portal. We examine how the self-exclusion mechanism works, its effectiveness, and the problem of illegal operators that remain beyond government control.

An analysis of new American sanctions against Iran: how Operation Economic Pariah affects trade with China, Russia, and other partners. The effectiveness of restrictions and mechanisms for circumventing sanctions.

Russian grain producers are selling wheat at a loss due to export problems through the Black Sea. The Ministry of Agriculture is discussing a temporary elimination of export duties and a package of support measures for the industry.

Analysis of Russia's intergenerational wealth transfer market: 1.27 million people inherited property in 2025, with 600,000 wills executed. We examine asset transfer strategies, property division risks, and the role of notaries.