New show: NewsReal with Joe & Niall

nice take on life in Russia for a single mum.

In this video I’m continuing sharing my daily live in Novosibirsk, Russia. 🇷🇺 As an introvert and a single mom of 2 sons on my journey of healing from anxiety. Im sharing my slow daily routine. Cooking, grocery shopping etc.In this episode the weather suddenly turned warm and we had “babye leto” with beautiful golden leaves. And so we went to explore the Central park with my son and ride some attractions. Then I was going to the market, was talking a bit about the new apartment and finally we went to dacha just once again this year!

 
Niall said:
I'm interested in how things are going in its 'small cities', cities that would actually be quite large by west European standards. These are the kinds of "mid-sized cities" that the vast majority of Russia's population lives in.
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I decided to use Alice (YandexGPT) and ask it several questions, since it searches through sources in Russian. Here's what it said, translated from Russian.

First I asked about changes that occured in Russian cities for the last 20 years:

Over the past 20 years, life in Russian cities has undergone significant changes in almost all areas.

The housing issue has changed dramatically. Instead of typical gray panel houses, modern new buildings with original architecture, improved facade finishes and well-thought-out infrastructure have appeared. Preferential mortgage programs appeared, which made the purchase of housing more affordable for the general population.

The urban environment has been transformed beyond recognition. Broken sidewalks and dirty courtyards have been replaced by landscaped public spaces. Everywhere appeared:
* Modern playgrounds
* Sports areas with exercise equipment
* Cozy parks and squares
* Well-maintained embankments
* Comfortable places to relax

Infrastructure accessibility has increased significantly. Cities have become more convenient for all categories of citizens, including people with limited mobility. Ramps and special assistance services in public transport have appeared.

Leisure and entertainment have become more diverse. There are new ones in the cities:
* Indoor skating rinks
* Fitness centers with pools
* Tennis courts
* Modern sports complexes
* Cultural centers

The transport system has become more comfortable. Public transport has been upgraded and new routes have been added. Special attention is paid to safety and accessibility of movement.

The appearance of cities has changed due to the introduction of design codes - special rules for the design of facades, signage and urban advertising. This has made the appearance of cities more aesthetic and orderly.

In general, modern Russian cities have become more comfortable for living, working and relaxing, offering residents a wide range of opportunities for self-realization and leisure.
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Niall said:
Here's a snapshot of life today in Keremovo
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Second question was specifically about Kemerovo and its changes for the past 20 years:

Kemerovo has changed significantly over the past 20 years. Here are the key changes:

* Transport infrastructure:
* The Kemerovo-Novokuznetsk highway has been repaired (about 300 km), travel time has been halved
* New roads and overpasses have been built
* There is a North-Western bypass of the city for transit transport

* Sports facilities:
* The Kuzbass Ice Palace has been built, the largest indoor sports complex outside the Urals with an area of over 65,000 m2
* The palace can accommodate 1,000 athletes at a time, the stands can accommodate 6,000 spectators

* Educational institutions:
* The Kemerovo Presidential Cadet School of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
has opened * 360 cadets study at the school, there are modern classrooms

* Cultural sphere:
* A branch of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg has been opened
* New public spaces and parks have been added

* Urban environment:
* New residential neighborhoods have been built
* Embankments and public spaces have been landscaped
* Modern shopping malls and infrastructure have appeared

* Tourism:
* The ski resort of Sheregesh, which has become famous throughout Russia, is developing
* The number of vacationers has grown from 30,000 to 2 million people annually
* A modern resort infrastructure has been created with 26 trails and 18 lifts

* Architecture:
* New business centers have appeared (for example, Kemerovo City)
* The central districts of the city have been transformed
* New public spaces have been created: Moscow Square, Olympic Park
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And then I asked about the changes in small Russian cities, including examples.

Over the past 20 years, the quality of life in small towns in Russia has improved significantly. Let's consider the main directions of positive changes:

### Housing and communal services
* Modernization of infrastructure: updating of water supply, sewerage and heating systems
* New housing standards: modern apartment buildings with landscaped courtyards
* Energy efficiency: the introduction of modern energy-saving technologies

### Public space
* Landscaping: creation of new parks, squares and embankments
* Modern playgrounds: equipped children's and sports areas
* Pedestrian zones: development of a comfortable urban environment for pedestrians

### Social infrastructure
* New institutions: construction of modern schools, kindergartens and hospitals
* Cultural facilities: opening of cultural centers, libraries and museums
* Sports facilities: the emergence of new stadiums and sports complexes

### Transport and mobility
* Road network: repair and construction of new roads
* Public transport: renovation of the bus fleet
* Bicycle infrastructure: creation of bike paths in some cities (for example, Almetyevsk)

### Digital technology
* Internet access: the development of broadband access
* E-services: implementation of e-government systems
* Security: installation of surveillance cameras

### Specific examples
Kolomna: preservation of historical heritage, modernization of the tram network
* Almetyevsk: bicycle infrastructure development following the example of Copenhagen
* Tambov: construction of new medical facilities, landscaping of courtyards
* Kurilsk: the appearance of a new school, kindergarten, hockey field

### Social programs
* Specialist support: benefits for doctors and teachers
* Mortgage programs: preferential conditions for young families
* Tourism development: creation of tourism infrastructure

These changes make small towns more attractive for living, working, and raising children, narrowing the gap in quality of life between megacities and small towns.
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Niall said:
destitution in entire villages of the Tver region between those two cities
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Final question was about the state of villages in Russia, and it matches your above negative description.

The situation in Russian villages over the past 20 years has been characterized by serious problems and negative trends:

### Main issues

* Demographic crisis:
* More than 20% of villages in some regions are depopulated
* Between 1 and 100 people live in half of rural settlements
* Active migration of the young population to cities

* Social infrastructure:
* The number of rural schools decreased by 1.7 times
* There are 4 times fewer hospitals
* Polyclinics — 2.7 times
* Hospitals are projected to disappear completely by 2023

* Living conditions:
* Only 60.9% of rural residents have a toilet in their house
* 38.2% use a toilet in a detached building
* Only 25% of residents are connected to the centralized sewerage system
* 32% do not have hot water supply

* Transport accessibility:
* 30 thousand villages do not have paved roads
* Problems with transportation
* Difficulties with the passage of emergency services

### Economic problems

* Employment opportunities:
* High unemployment rate
* Uncompetitive salaries
* Outflow of qualified personnel

* Agriculture:
* Reduction of the machine and tractor fleet
* Lack of machine operators
* Difficulties with the development of farms

### Prospects

Despite the negative trends, there are also positive aspects.:

* Development of distance education
* Introduction of telemedicine
* The emergence of cottage settlements
* Development of agrotourism in selected regions

However, in general, the situation requires serious attention from the state, as the current rate of reduction of social infrastructure outstrips the rate of population decline, which creates a vicious circle of problems and contributes to the further outflow of residents from rural areas.
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Regarding the last part about villages, there are many in Russia that predict a reversed trend, including Khazin. That the upcoming economic changes are going to create such conditions, that many Russians will "return to land" and there will be a trend of villages revival. There will be an exodus from big cities, and that makes sense and matches with what the C's also said. The main problem so far, when it comes to villages (as mentioned above), that most of them still don't have a developed infrastructure, not to mention access to most services that Russians who live in the cities have access to.
 
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Niall said:
I'm interested in how things are going in its 'small cities', cities that would actually be quite large by west European standards. These are the kinds of "mid-sized cities" that the vast majority of Russia's population lives in.

Here's a snapshot of life today in Keremovo, a city of 600,000 people, and which is located about 200km east of Novosibirsk, Siberia, from two people who know the city well, and one of whom grew up there as a child:
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Kemerovo is my home region too, it's the place where I was born and grew up. Another name of Kemerovo region is Kuzbass. It's like the Siberian Donbass: in the USSR there were two coal mining regions, Donetsk coal basin and Kuznetsk coal basin. So they were called DON+BASS (Donetsk basin) and KUZ+BASS (Kuznetsk basin). My father was born in Donbass and soon his family moved to Kuzbass where he has been living ever since.

So naturally, the economy of Kemerovo region (Kuzbass) is strongly dependent on coal mining industry, which is one of its major drivers.

In the 90s (before Putin), the region was in a very poor state, when the miners didn't receive salaries for many months and were so desperate that at one point they just blocked the Trans-Siberian railroad, sitting on the rail tracks for weeks and demanding immediate payment of their earnings.

In the 2000s, Kuzbass has been doing quite well, as they've been selling coal to Europe. And then... came the sanctions. They are still selling coal elsewhere, but the industry is struggling for sure.

Apart from coal, Kuzbass also has major metallurgical and chemical plants. Metallurgy is another driver of the regional economy. The name 'Kuz(nets)' means 'smith' in Russian. This industry is in a better position now, especially due to the military needs and such.

Russia in general has a problem of the so-called 'mono-cities', meaning the cities depending solely on a single industry. So if your city is heavily dependent on coal-mining, then it may be struggling right now. The metallurg cities are doing better, etc.

Another currently developing part of the regional economy is tourism. Since the European resorts are now much more difficult to access, many Moscovites now travel to Siberian mountains instead of the Alps. There is a famous large mountain ski and snowboarding resort in Kuzbass called Sheregesh. That place is certainly booming now.

Another famous tourist attraction is the Tomskaya Pisanitsa complex near Kemerovo city. It's an open-air museum of ancient petroglyphs.

So in short, some parts of the region are flourishing indeed, while others may be struggling at the moment.
 
Ricardo said:
Thanks for detailed reply @Niall , was left with one question though , are its main cities ( well the ones you visited at least ) dotted all over with "cellphone towers " ? , like in western Europe ? Lisbon for sure is ( ie).
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Yes. There's no escaping that I'm afraid. I had continuous mobile phone connection throughout the Moscow region. And the city is bathed in Wifi.
 
Thanks for the description Niall.
As to “everywhere has its problems” a few th bugs come to mind. First it’s probably better to pick your problems (from the vast array available).
Second, what is the job and housing situation like for the younger generation? Is “wealth” measured by the ability to buy a house in Russia?
What’s the birth rate like (and population distribution by age)?

All of the second points are problems (on the decline) in most western societies.
 
Chu said:
I don't know whether this journalist is trying to paint a particularly negative picture, but the footage kind of speaks for itself too. There seems to be a huge difference between the big cities and the countryside.


I've heard some Westerners mention that too. Many more people have it GREAT (in the cities and close to them), others really struggle.

Maybe our Russian members can tell us how they see it?

I saw the same in China and Argentina when living there. Maybe it's a symptom of "gigantism", like Lobaczewski talked about. You can do a lot in the centers of power, but 10 or even 30 years may be too short a time to make such a giant country prosper and have less corruption everywhere.

[Note: second link removed, since Emeraldr had just posted it. :-) ]
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Your assessment is correct, Chu. On the one side, the author of these videos, blogger Ilya Varlamov, is recognized as a foreign agent in Russia. And on August 14, he was found guilty of spreading fakes about the Russian army and evading the duties of a foreign agent. He was sentenced in absentia to eight years in a penal colony and ordered to pay a fine of 99.5 million rubles. He now lives abroad.

On the other hand, the footage really speaks for itself and life in the countryside is really hard. Russia is such a huge country, and one Putin and a few conscientious officials will not be enough to restore order everywhere.

Even in our small, compact country Belarus, where there is one main the president-boss, and it would seem that any minor problem can be covered by his attention (be it livestock deaths on farms, flax production, university admission, the work of a film studio and any factory, etc.), it is not possible to achieve perfect order and justice. Lukashenko scolds officials almost every day and tells them that they should think about people and make decisions themselves, without waiting for his kick.
We have endangered villages, but there are also new agro-towns built closer to the places of work.
And if desired, the problem can be found in almost any area of life.
 
More confirmation of the US turning to it own back yard. The General says we need to "step up are game"

"Gen. Laura Richardson lists the Lithium Triangle in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, Venezuela’s gold and oil, Guyana’s crude, and 31% of the planet’s fresh water as “national security” interests.No mention of democracy, human rights, or self-determination, just resources."

"Why this region matters? With all its rich resources..."

"They don’t care about drugs. The resources are what they want. This is why they’ve declared drug runners terrorists."

X video below:

 
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Niall said:
Coming up shortly on today's NewsReal...

"It's WAR, sir!"
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I asked to the modest 2.5GB Qwen3-4b-thinking model to summarise the text. Look like he did an acceptable job. Here is the output:

# Summary of "Dept of War" - Trump's Rebrand Heralds End of Pax Americana

This transcript from a podcast discussion explores how Trump's rebranding of the Department of Defense to the Department of War signals a significant shift in American foreign policy. The speaker argues this represents the end of "Pax Americana" (the American-led global order established after WWII) and a strategic pivot toward regional security rather than global dominance.

Key points include:

- The Department of Defense was created after WWII to maintain America's global empire, but now the US is shifting focus to protecting the homeland and Western Hemisphere (North and South America)
- This rebranding represents a reversal from previous American foreign policy where the US acted as a global policeman
- The speaker uses the "schoolyard bully" analogy: Trump is like a bully who's now claiming to be a "pacifist" after having been a bully for years
- The US is moving toward "multipolarity" as its global dominance wanes, with China and Russia becoming more influential
- Venezuela serves as a key example of this shift - the US has been trying to regime change there but has had limited success, while China has become a major economic partner for Venezuela
- The speaker notes that the US has been "the reality creators" for decades but this mindset is now being challenged as the world moves toward multipolarity
- The text also discusses "kinetic tariffs" (using military force as economic pressure) and how the US is trying to address border security issues while avoiding direct confrontation with major powers

The overall message is that Trump's rebranding represents a strategic adaptation as America's global power diminishes, moving from a unipolar world order to a more multipolar one where regional security becomes more important than global dominance.
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