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Business Insider
29-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Last Sahel regime aligns with Russia on nuclear energy cooperation in Africa
The agreement, which focuses on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, will see Russia's Rosatom assist these West African nations in developing nuclear infrastructure, including the construction of power plants and research reactors, as well as the supply of nuclear fuel. The announcement was made on July 28 by the press office of Russia's Ministry of Energy. ' During today's meeting, an important memorandum of cooperation in the field of peaceful atom was signed. Our task is not just to participate in the extraction of uranium, we must create an entire system for the development of a peaceful atom in Niger,' Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev stated via the ministry's official Telegram channel. Tsivilev added that the memorandum outlines collaboration on multiple fronts, including 'the construction of nuclear power plants (NPP), nuclear medicine, and joint training of specialists in this field.' The deal highlights Russia's long-term strategy to build a nuclear development ecosystem in Africa's military-led states and signals a new phase of strategic engagement in the Sahel. Russia's deepening nuclear deals with Africa's Sahel states This deal marks the latest sign of deepening ties between Russia and Africa's transitional governments, which have increasingly turned to Moscow for diplomatic and technological support amid strained relations with Western powers. Last month, the Russian government approved similar civil nuclear cooperation agreements with Mali and Burkina Faso, signaling Moscow's long-term intent to expand its energy partnerships and influence across the strategically important Sahel region. Russia and Burkina Faso concluded their agreement at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), with Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev signing on behalf of Russia, and Burkina Faso's Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries, Yacouba Zabré Gouba, signing on behalf of Ouagadougou. Likewise, Russia and Mali formalized their cooperation in Moscow, where Likhachev signed the agreement alongside Malian Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Boubacar Diane. For the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—comprising Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—this growing nuclear partnership is seen as a bold move toward energy sovereignty and long-term economic resilience, amid persistent power shortages, population growth, and infrastructure gaps. The agreements also reflect the evolving global realignment in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, with Russia increasingly positioning itself as a strategic ally to African governments looking beyond Western-led institutions for support and investment.
The Hill
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Putin's talk of soldiers' feet puts the lie to Russian nationalist myths
Vladimir Putin recently admitted that Russia is an artificial construct created by violence. This is a bombshell, putting to the lie Russian propaganda's longstanding claim that some spiritual entity called Russia has existed since time immemorial. In fact, Putin reduced Russia to its soldiers' feet — hardly an elevated comparison. In his address to the plenary session of the Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 20, Putin made the following astounding, and deeply subversive, claim: 'wherever the foot of a Russian soldier steps is ours.' Whereas we apply the word 'Russian' to both the ethnic designation (russkii) and the political designation (rossiiskii), Russians distinguish between the two. Significantly, Putin specifically referred to the ethnically Russian russkii soldier. In effect if not in intent, Putin reduced Russia (the political entity) to the lands conquered by ethnically russkii soldiers, thereby giving the lie to the claim that Russia is a 'federation' of happily coexisting nations, the largest of which happens to be russkii. This is an admission both of Russia's being (and always having been) an empire, and of the subordinate status of its non-Russian nations, brought into the imperial fold by soldiers — that is, by violence. Ukrainians, Poles, Finns and scores of other nations know this quite well, and it shouldn't surprise us that they are allergic to the presence of the feet of Mother Russia's children on their lands. Who can blame them for wanting to put as many yards as possible between them and those imperialist Russian feet? None of this is new or surprising to such leading Sovietologists as Paul Goble, who have spent decades reminding policymakers that the non-Russians of the former Soviet Union are strategically important to the West, because they are the only thing standing between Russia as an expanding empire and the rest of the world. These states possess the wherewithal to maintain Russia as a more or less stable object of containment. But such ruminations presuppose that Russia exists, whereas Putin, its putative head, unwittingly subverted and reduced it to an artifice of history. The logic is simple. If Russia is a function of soldiers' feet and where they happen to land, then it's neither imagined by lofty-minded intellectuals determined to reach out to the oppressed masses nor primordially present as a self-identifying agent of history since the dawn of time. And Russia is certainly not the Third Rome or God's gift to humanity. Rather, it's just a bunch of real estate cobbled together by its soldiers' feet. But if so, then the Russia that exists today or that existed in the past is an arbitrary collection of dirt. Because Muscovite rulers sent the feet in one direction and not another, the resultant 'our' territory is merely the product of the serendipitous whims of autocrats. Had its rulers not embarked on expansion and let the feet stay at home, Russia might have been as tiny as the Kremlin. This matters because Russian political culture insists, and has insisted, that Russia is a quasi-mystical entity enjoined by the divine to save the world. That culture also insists that Russia was already present in the guise of the state known as Kyivan Rus some 1,000 years ago. Regardless of whether that state was or was not Ukrainian or proto-Ukrainian, it obviously follows from Putin's own claims that it definitely wasn't Russian. How could it be, since russkii soldiers and their land-grabbing feet did not exist in the city called Kyiv a millennium ago? They may have existed in the town called Moskva in the marshy wooded areas north of Kyiv, but that's hardly a grand and glorious way to initiate a divinely ordained state. So where does Putin's demolition of Russia leave Russians and their feet? Pretty much nowhere. Russia is just a bunch of stuff randomly acquired over the years, Russians are reduced to an accidental agglomeration of folks — akin to the commuters at Grand Central Station during rush hour. Their soldiers' feet are transformed into mere physical appendages without any rooting in a nation or state. This bodes ill for Putin. If Russia doesn't really exist as a nation, then he becomes little more than a puppet at the mercy of historical forces — and his imperial ambitions are doomed to fail. After all, if he can only ultimately rely on feet, he won't get very far. Alexander J. Motyl is a professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark. A specialist on Ukraine, Russia and the USSR, and on nationalism, revolutions, empires and theory, he is the author of 10 books of nonfiction, as well as 'Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires' and 'Why Empires Reemerge: Imperial Collapse and Imperial Revival in Comparative Perspective.'
Daily News Egypt
02-07-2025
- Science
- Daily News Egypt
Russia and China to jointly produce mass spectrometers by year-end
Russia and China will launch the joint mass production of mass spectrometers based on femtosecond lasers by the end of the year, the president of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Aleksander Kuleshov, announced. Speaking in an exclusive commentary at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2025, Kuleshov explained the division of labour in the project. The Russian side is responsible for the spectrometer itself, while the Chinese side is responsible for the femtosecond laser. A mass spectrometer is a device for analysing the composition of substances at a molecular level, allowing for a precise determination of which elements or compounds are in a sample. A femtosecond laser is a source of ultra-short laser pulses that provides high accuracy in measurements. Kuleshov emphasised that the project is being implemented through real technological cooperation with several Chinese universities, not just at the level of memorandums. 'This will be truly mass and, most importantly, inexpensive spectrometry,' Kuleshov said at the TV BRICS studio in the Roscongress International Cooperation Area. He noted that despite a popular belief that mass spectrometers are exclusively scientific equipment, they are in fact widely used for applications including product quality control. Kuleshov also emphasised that joint initiatives within BRICS give Russia access to a wider market.
Daily News Egypt
02-07-2025
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Russia's Zakharova: BRICS responds to challenges with practical action
The BRICS group of nations responds to many of today's challenges with practical action, the director of the Russian foreign ministry's information and press department Maria Zakharova said. Zakharova made the comments at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Speaking at the TV BRICS studio in the Roscongress International Cooperation Area, she discussed the role of BRICS countries on the global stage and the significance of the forum for participants from dozens of nations.
The Citizen
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
St Petersburg's serene splendour belies a nation at war
Russia's cultural capital St Petersburg exudes peace and beauty, masking the harsh reality of a country entangled in conflict. The captivating sense of calmness, the throngs of people milling about and the huge traffic volumes throughout St Petersburg belies the reality that Russia is in a state of war. St Petersburg is a sprawling cosmopolitan city. It is regarded as the mecca of Russia's culture and heritage, an epicentre of values as well as a haven of Russia's rich history. The city of Peter the Great The identity of being Russian can be easily located to a way of life in the majestic St Petersburg, sometimes referred to affectionately as 'St P'. Museums and art galleries decorate the city founded by Peter the Great in the 17th century. Born in Moscow in 1672, Peter the Great was first the Tsar of Russia and later became Russia's first Emperor from 1721 until his death in 1725, aged only 52 years and four months. His statue riding a horse overlooks the majestic Neva River around which St Petersburg is built. The architecture of the multi-storey buildings is clearly influenced by two factors – war and weather. Weather extremes and river life shape the urban experience Perimeter walls are as wide as nearly one metre. Ferocious winter weather, particularly around January to March, can see temperatures dropping to as low as -35°C. However, in the present summer season, dozens of boats travel with the Neva River's current in one direction, forming a beautiful flotilla. At times they travel pretty close to each other ferrying holiday makers from one end to the other. From Leningrad to modern St P: a city steeped in legacy and economics The metropolis was previously known as Leningrad until it was renamed back to its original name in modernity. ALSO READ: Anton Kobyakov: The quiet power behind Putin's Russia It plays host to the annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia's flagship trade and investment mega event. This year, up to 24 000 delegates from 144 countries participated in SPIEF, signing deals to the tune of 6.3 trillion roubles (about R1.4 trillion), according to the organisers. South Africa's delegation was led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, accompanied by eight ministers and business leaders. Mashatile delivered a public lecture at St Petersburg State University, the alma mater of legendary Russian leader Lenin, as well as the incumbent, President Vladimir Putin. Sacred scars St Petersburg also has a proud history of resistance. At its centre in Isak Square lies the famous Cathedral of St Isaac. The majestic cathedral is worshipped for surviving 148 bombs fired by Hitler's Nazi Germany's army that attacked during WWII from 1939-1945. Some of the cathedral's huge pillars bear evidence of the scars from the bomb attacks. The Russian authorities have elected to leave the pillars unrepaired as a symbol and constant reminder of the spirit of resilience. A law-abiding city Standing in front of the cathedral and facing the nearby Presidential Library, hundreds of vehicles can be seen throughout the six-lane wide roads. Men, women and children chill in the leafy parks. Everything looks oh so plush. Clearly-marked police vehicles incessantly drive past at high speed, with their siren blaring. At various intersections, uniformed traffic officers assist with traffic controls. Noticeably, there is no jay-walking. Pedestrians cross the roads only at the appropriate spots. The vivid respect for the law and for one another is hard to miss. Beneath the statue of Peter the Great tourists, by a large margin Russians, take turns taking photographs. ALSO READ: Cannes and caviar: Who is SA's Second Lady Humile Mashatile? Leisure and legacy on the water The statue of Peter the Great who founded the city takes pride of place. Picture: iStock You simply cannot claim to have visited St P without posing for pictures with the founder of the city. And then, there's the English Embankment. It runs along the Neva River, which I found to be too large to be described as a river. Instead, it looks more like a lake. Several canals spring from various spots to pour their waters into the Neva River, which itself runs for a total of 392km to neighbouring Finland, recently a new Nato member. Along the English Embankment tourists have fun. Ice creams, cold drinks, lovers and friends alike all mingle harmoniously to share in the enjoyment of St P. The midnight marvel of Palace Bridge On the horizon, the green-painted Palace Bridge serves to assist vehicles and pedestrians to cross from either side to the other. The bridge is famous for the magic it performs every day at midnight. The heavy steel structure that makes up the Palace Bridge separates in the middle. Slowly, one half moves to the left and other half to the right. It is an incredible show to watch. It is hard not to scream in awe of the magic. The practice is a carryover from an old tradition, when the tallest ships had to be accommodated to pass through the bridge. Although the ships no longer exist, St Petersburg has retained the practice, which is a hugely popular attraction for locals and visitors alike. There was a musical concert for the 20 000-plus delegates to SPIEF. It took place at Palace Square, in front of Hermitage Museum. The singing, dance and camaraderie once again triggered in me the lingering question – is Russia at war? NOW READ: Russia warns US against 'military intervention' in Iran-Israel war
