#political-thaw

#political-thaw

Cojocari approached the river and noticed the stench of oil and dark spots on the water's surface, indicating something was wrong.

The Supreme Court's ruling stated that Memorial and its supporters are 'clearly anti-Russian in nature and are aimed at destroying the basic foundations of Russian statehood, violating its territorial integrity, and eroding historical, cultural, spiritual, and moral values.'

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the release of 250 political prisoners on Thursday in exchange for easing sanctions from Washington, according to the US embassy in nearby Lithuania. It is reportedly the largest one-time release of its kind so far, as Belarus is ramping up efforts to normalize ties with the United States.

The narratives they offer through culture are therefore some of the clearest expressions of how they see their role in a wartime country. This year, Moscow has hosted two major government-backed awards ceremonies one for books, one for films. In both cases, the organisers played it safe, repeating familiar themes, many of them rooted in Soviet-era cultural and wartime mythology. Prizes went largely to people within the same orbit in most cases, the families of well-known Soviet-era cultural icons.