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2015 was a difficult year for Russian society and economics. the site presented the main monthly events of the outgoing year for Russia.
January—beginning of the EAEU work
On the first day of 2015, a new integration union of the countries of the former USSR - the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) - began its work. The founders and members of the EAEU were Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Later they were also joined by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. The EAEU was created for the purpose of comprehensive modernization, cooperation and increasing the competitiveness of national economies, as well as creating conditions for stable development and improving living standards in the member states.
February - murder of Boris Nemtsov
The murder of Boris Nemtsov occurred on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge on the evening of February 27. The oppositionist received four gunshot wounds and died on the spot. Five people are under arrest on suspicion of murder. The event received great publicity in foreign media. Today, ten months later, the investigation still has not given an official version of the cause of death and has not disclosed the name of the customer.
March - Russian suspension of the CFE Treaty
Since March 11, Russia has suspended participation in meetings of the Joint Consultative Group on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) due to the fact that NATO countries were circumventing the provisions of the treaty “by expanding the alliance,” while simultaneously preventing the entry into force of the Adaptation Agreement, which the Russian side insisted.
April - 13th “direct line” of Russian President Vladimir Putin
More than 2.5 million people expressed a desire to ask questions to the president during the event, which lasted about 4 hours. The main topics of discussion were sanctions, the situation in Ukraine, fires in Siberia, preparations for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, the Nemtsov case, etc.
May – 70th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War
The Victory Anniversary became the main event of the outgoing year, according to Vladimir Putin. The festive events were particularly solemn; military parades were held in 26 cities. Despite the grandiose scale of the celebration, the heads of such countries as the USA, Germany, France, Finland, Poland, South Korea, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, as well as Belarus and Uzbekistan. Many of them explained their refusal by Russia’s actions towards Ukraine.
June — XIX St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
Despite various political components, this year SPIEF gathered a record number of participants from 115 countries. The total amount of concluded transactions amounted to more than 293 billion rubles. The forum reflected the real attitude of the world community towards Russia and demonstrated in which direction the country will move in the conditions of Western sanctions and an unstable economic situation.
July - Russia vetoed the creation of an international UN tribunal for the crash of the Malaysian Boeing on July 17, 2014
Russia opposed the idea of creating an international tribunal in this case, believing that the crash of the Boeing was the result of a criminal offense that cannot be regarded as a threat to peace and security. According to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergei Lavrov, the idea of creating a tribunal is designed to ensure the guilt of those who are considered responsible for this plane crash in the United States.
August - resignation of Vladimir Yakunin from the post of president of JSC Russian Railways
In August, the head of Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin, was dismissed. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's first attempt to fire Yakunin occurred in the summer of 2013. For the last two years, under Yakunin, Russian Railways has received hundreds of billions of rubles from the federal budget through various channels. Many media outlets called Yakunin’s departure “the main resignation of the year.”
September – Russian military assistance to Syria
The Federation Council unanimously supported Putin's proposal to involve Russian troops in the fight against ISIS in Syria. The possibility of conducting a ground operation was excluded; it was only about aerial bombing. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turned to the Russian President for military assistance.
October - plane crash in Sinai
On October 31, a plane carrying Russian tourists crashed on Sinai Peninsula, heading to St. Petersburg. There were 224 people on board, all died. Responsibility for the incident was claimed by militants from the Vilayat Sinai group, which swore allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist organization banned in Russia. Subsequently Russian authorities For safety reasons, all flights to Egypt have been suspended.
November - Türkiye shot down a Su-24
On November 24, Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber, which, according to its version, violated Turkish airspace. These accusations were rejected in Moscow. Currently, political relations remain tense; the Russian side has imposed economic sanctions on some Turkish goods.
December - extension of the EU anti-Russian sanctions regime for six months
On December 21, the European Union extended economic sanctions against Russia for another six months. The United States also announced the expansion of the sanctions list, to which a number of Russian companies and individuals were added.
Others important events for Russia in 2015 there was a drop in Russia's GDP by 4%, a reduction in real wages by 9%, the bankruptcy of Transaero, the results of regional elections, a power outage in Crimea, the suspension of military operations in the Donbass, a corruption scandal involving Yuri Chaika.
2015 was wonderful and terrible. The Islamic State terrorists entered the international arena, the world gained two princesses, scientists found water on Mars, and the Kremlin switched its attention from Donbass to Syria. “Forum” has collected the most important and interesting stories of the year. Some of them, like Cecil the Lion, have an unexpectedly good ending.
A “spy mother” with many children is acquitted
In January, employees of the Russian special services almost stormed the apartment of Russian woman Svetlana Davydova, tore her away from infant and other children, were accused of treason and put behind bars. The mother of seven children was accused of calling the Ukrainian embassy to report that they were heading to Donbass Russian soldiers from a nearby military unit. Two weeks later, Davydov , the Prosecutor General's Office apologized to her. Now the woman continues to be involved in social activities.
Legalization of same-sex marriage throughout the United States
Previously, gays and lesbians could only get married in certain states. In June of this year, the US Supreme Court ruled that : in any state and city, in court, church, synagogue and anywhere else where they are signed by a person who has the right to marry.
Islamic State threatens civilization
January 7, Islamic State militants to the editors of a satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, shooting 12 people and wounding almost as many.
October 31st in Egypt Russian plane with vacationers, 224 people (passengers and crew members) were killed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Russia flights to Egypt and evacuated all tourists.
November 13th militants again Paris: Bataclan concert hall, several bars and restaurants, and a football stadium. Total in , more than 350 were injured. The world shook with horror, many began to say that the “Islamic State” and its atrocities pose a threat to the entire civilization.
And then terror came to America. On December 3, in the United States, a husband and wife who swore allegiance to the Islamic State and with weapons at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, which helped people with developmental disabilities. 14 people were killed, 17 were injured. History will soon — the weapon used to shoot people was bought by Maria Chernykh, who emigrated from Russia in 2009.
Solar eclipse and blood moon
Behind solar eclipse which happened on March 20, people in all corners of the Earth, including Russia, Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania. To please passengers, pilots of dozens of regular flights routes in Europe. And on September 28, the people of America for a very rare phenomenon - the “blood moon”, when moon eclipse coincided with a supermoon.
Execution of American civilians
The past year has been marked by mass shootings, the victims of which were innocent Americans. In Louisiana in July, a 58-year-old man opened killing two and wounding nine. He had mental problems. Nine more people were killed by the 20-year-old shooter in South Carolina while serving. The criminal hoped to start a race war. In October, at a college in Oregon, a student based on his anti-religious views and belief in the superiority of white people. These and other tragedies have sparked intense public debate about the need for greater gun control.
Pope Francis's visit to America
The Pope visited the United States in September , within which he also UN in New York. Everything went very positively. The Pope was greeted by Barack Obama and his wife throughout the visit filled with Americans who greeted him. From the UN rostrum, Pope Francis called on the UN to end wars on the planet. And a little later, on Halloween, a charming child dressed as a pontiff came to visit Obama at the White House.
Russia bombs Syria
September 30 Russia its first airstrike in Syria in response to a request from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Two months later, the military contingent increased to four thousand people. Americans always accuse Russia of striking not only against the Islamic State, but also against all opponents of Assad, and they talk about casualties among the Russian military. The Kremlin denies that the military is filming patriotic videos about Russian pilots and .
Mother Teresa canonized
A nun who dedicated her life to helping the poor and sick, to the ranks of Catholic saints. This became possible after Pope Francis recognized the healing of a Brazilian man who had several brain tumors as a miracle. In 2008, he unexpectedly recovered after his priest prayed to Mother Teresa.
Murder of Boris Nemtsov
A well-known Russian oppositionist and opponent of President Vladimir Putin was shot three hundred meters from the Kremlin. . Those who ordered Nemtsov’s murder have not yet been found. The alleged perpetrator, a fighter from the Chechen battalion of internal troops, was detained. Activists proposed renaming the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge in honor of the politician, but the authorities refused. The court also refused to recognize the murder of Boris Nemtsov as political.
Frozen conflict in Donbass
Military operations in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 and, according to the UN, claimed nine thousand lives. More than 20 thousand people were injured, and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians . Fighting between Russia-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army in the fall. Minsk and are more or less fulfilled, but the world there is far away - rather, . The Kremlin turned its attention to Syria and ordered militants from the self-proclaimed republics to concentrate on establishing systems for managing the occupied territories.
Russia and sanctions
In response to Russia banned the West almost all food products from Western countries, and also created a list of US and EU citizens who are prohibited from entering Russia. Bydecree of the Russian PresidentVladimir Putin, the country even began to demonstrate “sanctioned” products. And in November, when a Turkish bomber Russian plane, Kremlin instantly sanctions against Turkey - canceled the visa-free regime and banned Russian travel agencies to popular Turkish resorts.
70th Anniversary UN Assembly
The presidents of the United States and Russia spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York, and the two of them talked on the sidelines. Experts called the speeches of Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin programmatic in the background. At the same time, Putin and Obama presented absolutely current events in the world. Putin was also greeted by them.
Iran nuclear deal
In July, Iran, USA, France, UK, Germany, China and Russia agreement on the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against Tehran. Under the agreement, Iran will allow inspectors into its nuclear facilities, and Western countries will gradually lift sanctions on Iran. Despite all the pride of the participants, the news is mixed. Many doubt Iran's sincerity, deal an important topic in the election debate of US presidential candidates, and former Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that this agreement “will remain in memory ”.
Two princesses
On the night of May 2, the Duchess of Cambridge the Queen of Great Britain's great-granddaughter, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Six months later, Prince William and Kate Middleton Photo of the baby on Twitter.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg too dad. The girl, who was born on December 2, was named Maxima Chan Zuckerberg. The happy father promised to someday give 99% of the company to charity, and then .
Cecil the Lion's death made sense
Cecil the lion lived in a national park in Zimbabwe and was under the supervision of scientists from Oxford University. In early July, American dentist Walter James Palmer . The dentist woke up famous - about 35 million people Googled the story. Below his office . Cecil's death was not in vain - environmental legislation was changed in America and France, and Oxford received about a million dollars in donations for a program for the protection of wild animals.
FIFA corruption scandal
Grandiose (FIFA) drew a line under the 17-year period of rule. The powerful official was suspended from any football activities for a period of 8 years, and a criminal case was opened against him. The sanctions also affected French football legend Michel Platini, who led the European League and was considered the leading candidate for the post of FIFA president in the elections in February.
The US presidential race and the Trump phenomenon
The US presidential elections, which will take place on November 8, 2016, promise to be interesting. The clear favorite among Democrats is . But the Republicans have an intrigue. Donald Trump, whom no one took seriously back in the summer, is now the leader . Americans like him, despite (or perhaps because of) the huge amount of insults that literally pour from his lips against Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants and women. He even offered completely .
Syrian refugees
At first civil war In Syria, about four million people fled the country. The main influx of migrants occurred in the countries of the European Union, and Europe has not experienced this since the Second World War. But the United States has hosted only one and a half thousand people since 2011 (about 0.03% of the total number of refugees). In September, the Barack Obama administration presented a plan to house 10,000 Syrians in the country - but after the November terrorist attacks in Paris against and many Republicans, including the same Trump.
Knife Intifada in Israel
In 2015, a series of natural disasters began in Israel. . They are similar in handwriting: random Jewish passers-by in public places are attacked with knives by Arabs, most often young ones; in one case, they were two schoolgirls. The targets were Jews, although a couple of times the attackers made mistakes and stabbed other Arabs. Due to the fact that attacks are spontaneous and knives are used, they are difficult to prevent.
Water on Mars and lettuce in space
This year, humanity has made many exciting discoveries in space. Scientists found, made, and the first commercial shuttle, Space X, thereby opening the way for private, and not just government, initiatives.
And American astronaut Scott Kelly, who is on the International Space Station, became. Kelly posted constantly. beautiful pictures, answered even the stupidest questions from social network users (for example, how not to lose socks in space) and even fed it to his colleagues.
The fall of the ruble
Last year, many residents of the CIS began to live worse. The fall in oil prices, sanctions against Russia and other factors have led to the fact that the ruble exchange rate compared to the beginning of 2014 . On December 15, the ruble reached a record low against the dollar (70.82 rubles per dollar). They fell just as strongly in 2015 and Ukrainian hryvnia.
Volkswagen tightened up the meters
It turns out that Volkswagen software, which failed the checks. For inspectors, the cleaning systems worked at full capacity, but during normal driving they did not, and in reality the emissions harmful substances some cars of the automaker exceed established norm 40 times. The company will be fined $18 billion for fraud.
Nobel Prize for Belarusian writer
Svetlana Alexievich became with the formulation “for the polyphonic sound of prose and the perpetuation of suffering and courage.” Before the award ceremony in Stockholm, the Belarusian writer spoke . Alexievich is the author of such books as “War Has No woman's face”, “Zinc Boys” and “Second Hand Time”. She became the first Russian-speaking author to be awarded the Nobel Prize since 1987, when Joseph Brodsky became the laureate.
Unusually Warm Christmas on the East Coast
Warm weather on the east coast of the United States all temperature records. In New York on Christmas it was +22 Celsius (70 Fahrenheit) and people walked around in T-shirts. The weather is so warm since the beginning of winter.
Food and energy blockade of Crimea
At the beginning of September, the Crimean Tatars imposed a food blockade on Crimea annexed by Russia. They blocked the highway and blocked transport with goods from mainland Ukraine. And in November, due to the explosion of two power towers, there was electricity in Crimea. Amid protests by Crimean residents due to a long lack of electricity, Putin flew to the peninsula and connected the first energy bridge from Russia. A week later, Ukraine, having repaired one of the power towers, also gave light to Crimea.
New Star Wars
The most anticipated film of 2015 record. The box office receipts of the new episode of the Star Wars film saga reached a billion dollars in just 12 days of worldwide release. And there are already guesses that two new episodes of Star Wars based on the universe created by George Lucas, but everything else will be different.
RBC remembered the most important things in the past year
Charlie Hebdo editorial shooting
One of the leitmotifs of 2015 was the growing threat of international terrorism. It manifested itself already in the first week of January: on January 7, two Islamists - brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi - started shooting at the editorial office of the Parisian satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. The terrorist attack killed 12 people, including the publication's editor-in-chief, Stephane Charbonnier. The Kouachi brothers were killed two days later during a special operation by the French police. Their accomplice, Amedy Coulibaly, who seized a kosher grocery store in Paris on January 9, was also killed by the police. The Yemeni al-Qaeda cell claimed responsibility for the attack. About 3 million people took part throughout France, and about 40 world leaders joined the action in Paris: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Italian and Israeli leaders Matteo Renzi and Benjamin Netanyahu. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Memorial events were also held in London, Berlin, The Hague, Vienna and other European cities.
On the picture: Members of the European Parliament and residents of Brussels on January 8 during a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the attack on Charlie Hebdo
Minsk agreements on the settlement in Ukraine
The first Minsk agreement to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine, concluded in September 2014, was ultimately never implemented. The second agreement was preceded by 16-hour negotiations with the participation of Vladimir Putin, Petro Poroshenko, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande. The document was signed by representatives of the self-proclaimed LPR and DPR and Kyiv. Under its terms, the parties would withdraw heavy weapons, and Ukraine would regain control of the border with Russia, but only after local elections were held in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In the end, the parties did not agree on the elections. Nevertheless, the agreements in Minsk have become a kind of starting point for negotiations between the parties to the conflict, to which they appeal. For residents of eastern Ukraine, the agreements meant the end of the active phase of fighting and the freezing of the conflict
Murder of Boris Nemtsov
Opposition politician Boris Nemtsov fired four shots at 23:15 Moscow time on February 27, after which the killer fled in a ZAZ Chance car. The location of the murder (Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, which is located a few hundred meters from the Kremlin) and the figure of the murdered man turned this crime into one of the most notorious in history new Russia. Already on March 7, law enforcement officers reported on the capture of the alleged perpetrators of the murder - Zaur Dadaev, Temirlan Eskerkhanov, Khamzat Bakhaev and the Gubashev brothers. Nevertheless, the question of the motives and those who ordered the massacre remains relevant almost a year after the crime. The defendants in the case initially confessed (the murder was committed because of Nemtsov’s offensive statements about Muslims), but later retracted their words. The investigation calls the mastermind of the murder Ruslan Mukhudinov, who, according to media reports, was the Moscow driver of ex-fighter of the Sever battalion Ruslan Geremeev (the whereabouts of Mukhudinov and Geremeev are now unknown). According to the lawyer of the Nemtsov family, Vadim Prokhorov, recognizing Mukhudinov as the customer is “deflecting the blow from the real criminals,” since he “cannot have his own motives for killing” the politician. Boris Nemtsov's daughter Zhanna left Russia, explaining that she did not feel safe here. She later complained about the ineffective investigation to the European Court of Human Rights. In Russian courts, Nemtsova is unsuccessfully trying to get her father's murder recognized as political.
Germanwings A320 crash
One of the largest plane crashes in terms of the number of victims in 2015 occurred on March 24. On this day in France, the German low-cost airline Germanwings was flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. The plane crash killed 150 people. Experts found that the plane's co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, left alone in the cockpit, deliberately sent the plane uphill. As the investigation found, Lubitz had been treated for depression for a long time.
On the picture: cortege with coffins of victims of the A320 plane crash in the German city of Haltern am See
FIFA corruption scandal and Blatter's resignation
The man who led FIFA for 17 years and who, in the words of Vladimir Putin, should have been given the Nobel Peace Prize, Joseph Blatter lost his post and reputation in a matter of months. The reason for this is one of the largest in the history of world sports corruption scandals. An investigation by American law enforcement officials found that since the early 1990s, corruption in the highest echelons of FIFA had reached $150 million. On July 2, Blatter had to announce his resignation, and a few months later, Swiss prosecutors announced that Blatter himself was involved in corruption. As a result, Blatter was excommunicated from football for eight years - the same punishment suffered by his irreconcilable opponent, the head of European football Michel Platini. Blatter himself considers himself a victim of the geopolitical confrontation between the United States and Russia
On the picture: Blatter is hit by counterfeit bills thrown at him by British comedian Lee Nelson after a meeting of the FIFA executive committee on July 20
Riots in Baltimore
Less than a year after the events in Ferguson, when the death of black teenager Michael Brown in police custody sparked riots, history repeated itself in another city and state. This time the scene of unrest was the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The reason for the protests is the death of 26-year-old black man Freddie Gray. He died as a result of injuries received during arrest. After Gray's funeral begins. On the night of April 29, cars were already on fire throughout the city. The authorities responded with hundreds of detainees, the deployment of the National Guard and the announcement of a curfew. Only after the police officers who detained Gray were charged on May 1 did the riots and protests begin to subside. “This feeling of injustice, lack of rights, when people do not have a voice - all this became one of the reasons for the protests,” Barack Obama commented on the incident.
On the picture: Baltimore protester surrenders to police
Earthquake in Nepal
The largest natural disaster in 2015 occurred in Nepal. On April 25, a series of tremors with a magnitude of 7.8-8.1 occurred in the central part of the country. Less than three weeks later, the earthquake struck again, this time near the capital Kathmandu (magnitude 7.3). Almost 9 thousand people became victims of two earthquakes, including two Russians - diplomats Alexey Lipeev and Maria Yakovleva. Nepal's economy suffered colossal damage: it reached 100% of GDP. Many architectural monuments of the country were also destroyed, many of which are included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list.
On the picture: Nepalese family on the ruins of their house on the outskirts of Kathmandu
First photographs of Pluto's surface
Thanks to the New Horizons spacecraft, humanity in 2015 had the opportunity to see images of the surface of Pluto. July 15 NASA first images of a dwarf planet. The pictures were taken from a distance of 77 thousand km from the surface of Pluto. In the photographs you can see ice mountains on the surface of the planet. Later, in September, New Horizons transmitted photographs of a sunset on Pluto to Earth.
Legalization of same-sex marriage throughout the United States
On June 26, the struggle of American gays for more than 40 years to legalize same-sex marriage ended. On this day, the US Supreme Court rendered its verdict in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges. The court made it mandatory for all states to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples. In its decision, the court relied on the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees equality to US citizens and prohibits any state from passing discriminatory laws
On the picture: The White house in Washington, illuminated with rainbow colors to celebrate the legalization of gay marriage
Greek referendum
At the beginning of July, all of Europe had to memorize the Greek words nai (“yes”) and oxi (“no”). Six months after the left-populist government of Alexis Tsipras came to power, Athens put to a referendum the question: agree to the proposals of international creditors, implying pension reform and a sharp decline budget expenditures, or refuse - such a response was fraught with a serious risk of flying out of the eurozone. Residents of Greece decided to support their prime minister (more than 60% of voters voted for the “no” option). The referendum, the results of which were touted as the “beginning of the end” of the European monetary union, ultimately had virtually no effect on anything. Greece remained in the eurozone, creditors decided to allocate €86 billion to the country stricken by the debt crisis, and Tsipras had to agree to implement austerity measures
On the picture: street action of solidarity with Greece in Trafalgar Square in London, July 4
Restoring diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba
2015 marked the end of one of the most obvious relics cold war: After 54 years, diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba were restored. The process of establishing relations began back in 2013. Then Raul Castro and Barack Obama shook hands at Nelson Mandela's funeral. In April 2015, the leaders of the two countries held full negotiations at the Summit of the Americas in Panama for the first time in more than half a century. Finally, on July 20, the American and Cuban flags were raised in Havana and Washington (Secretary of State John Kerry participated in the opening of the US Embassy in the capital of Cuba)
On the picture: next to the US Embassy in CubaHavana resident holding an American flag
Invasion of migrants into Europe
Since the summer of 2015, due to the activation of the Islamic State (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) in Iraq and Syria, as well as the civil war in Yemen, Europe has faced an unprecedented influx of migrants from the Middle East. The flow of refugees is so great that it has been compared to the resettlement during World War II. At the beginning of September, the attention of all Europe was focused on migrants blocked in Budapest, who at some point, unable to board a train, walked to the Austrian border. In a critical situation, the leadership of the European Union decided to introduce a quota mechanism for the placement of migrants. Now migrants will be distributed among EU countries in accordance with the country's welfare. The symbol of the European migration crisis has become a photograph of the drowned Syrian boy Aylan on the shore near the Turkish city of Bodrum
On the picture: migrants and refugees on a Turkish fishing boat off the coast of Greece
Destruction of sanctioned products
At the end of July, Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the destruction of products imported into Russia despite the embargo. In early August, this presidential decree began to be implemented. For several weeks, the main topic in the official reports of relevant departments has been the destruction of food. Two weeks after the signing of the presidential decree, Rosselkhoznadzor reported the destruction of 600 tons of sanctioned products throughout the country. One of the most caustic remarks in this situation was the remark of Spiegel magazine, which saw in Moscow’s actions similarities with the behavior of Somali pirates who burned food only because it was of foreign origin.
Series of explosions in Tianjin
In the Chinese port city of Tianjin on August 12, a series of explosions occurred at a chemical warehouse. The destruction was so severe that it became the main topic of the world's television news channels for several days. More than 100 people became victims of the explosions. Damage - $11 billion. According to one of The reason for the incident was the low security culture in China, which does not keep pace with the development of the Chinese economy. The owner of the warehouse that exploded, Ruihai International Logistics, formally did not have the right to store explosive chemicals in the warehouse.
On the picture: Cars burned in a fire in Tianjin
Resumption of personal contacts between Putin and Obama
After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, communication between Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama was reduced to occasional conversations of a few minutes in the “on their feet” format at major international forums. The first full-fledged negotiations between the leaders of Russia and the United States since the summer of 2013 took place on September 29 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The next time Obama and Putin had a conversation was in mid-November - at the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey. In addition, the presidents held talks on the sidelines of the Climate Summit, which took place in Paris from November 30 to December 12. At this meeting, the discussion of the situation in Syria and the fight against international terrorism was added to the already familiar topic of Ukraine for communication between the Russian leader and his Western colleagues.
Food blockade of Crimea
The open-ended action, initiated by the leaders of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Refat Chubarov and Mustafa Dzhemilev, began on September 20. Together with members of the nationalist organization Right Sector, the Tatars blocked checkpoints at the Kalanchak, Chaplinka and Chongar crossings, through which one could enter Crimea by land. Crimean stores replaced Ukrainian goods, which occupied at least 80% of the shelves before the blockade, with products from Russia and Belarus. One of the consequences of the food blockade of Crimea in stores on the peninsula
The first Russian-speaking Nobel laureate in 28 years
On October 8, 2015, for the first time in 28 years, a Russian-language author, Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, became the Nobel laureate in literature. The award, in the words of the Nobel Committee, was given for “the polyphonic style of writing, a monument to suffering and courage in our days.” Alexievich’s main works (“War Has No Woman’s Face”, “Zinc Boys”, “The Last Witnesses”, “Chernobyl Prayer”) are dedicated to painful subjects of Soviet history - the Chernobyl disaster, the Great Patriotic War and the Afghan War
On the picture: Svetlana Alexievich reads her Nobel lecture
Russian aviation operation in Syria
On September 30, the Federation Council approved the use of Russian military force abroad by the president. On the same day, Russian planes deployed in advance to Syria began combat sorties, striking positions of terrorists from the Islamic State (banned in Russia). From the very beginning of the operation, Moscow emphasized that only Russia acts legitimately in Syria (at the request of the country's President Bashar al-Assad). In addition, the Russian authorities have repeatedly clarified that the operation in Syria does not involve the intervention of ground forces. The first accusations that Russia was bombing the positions of the “moderate” Syrian opposition and residential areas were made on September 30. However, Moscow insists that strikes are carried out exclusively against terrorists
On the picture: Russian military personnel at the Khmeimim airbase in Syrian Latakia
Destruction of Palmyra by Islamic State terrorists
The destruction of monuments of ancient history and culture has become a kind of calling card of the fighters of the “Islamic State” (the organization is recognized as terrorist in Russia). In Iraq, terrorists destroyed a unique 90-kilogram Gospel and used a sledgehammer to smash an Assyrian statue created several thousand years ago. In Syria, Ancient Palmyra suffered, which came under the control of ISIS in May. Terrorists blew up two temples on the UNESCO World Heritage List and also destroyed the most recognizable monument ancient city— The Arc de Triomphe, the construction of which dates back to the 2nd century AD. ISIS uses ruins of ancient city for executions
Terrorist attack on board Russian A321 in Sinai
The largest plane crash in 2015 occurred with a Russian plane: on October 31, an Airbus A321 airliner of the Kogalymavia airline flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, carrying 224 people, crashed in Egypt near the city of El Laxima in less than half an hour. after takeoff. That day, thousands of people came to Palace Square in St. Petersburg to light candles in memory of the victims. Western media sources in the intelligence services were the first to report a possible terrorist attack on board the A321, then the authorities hastily stopped flights to Egypt in Great Britain. Finally, on November 16, the FSB director reported to President Putin that the cause of the plane crash was a terrorist attack. The head of state ordered the destruction of the terrorists responsible for the incident
Cancellation of flights with Egypt
A week after the A321 crash, Vladimir Putin agreed with the proposal of FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov to suspend flights to Egypt. At that time, the number of Russians in Egypt was estimated at 80-90 thousand people. By November 20, the Rostourism program to evacuate Russian citizens was completed. For safety reasons, people were returned to their homeland without luggage, which was later delivered by Emergencies Ministry planes. According to the head of Rostourism Oleg Safonov, the largest tour operators lost one of the most popular destinations among Russians due to the closure.
A series of terrorist attacks by the Islamic State in Paris
On the evening of November 13 in Paris, the Islamic State (an organization banned in Russia) staged a series of terrorist attacks. Five coordinated attacks were carried out throughout the city, including an explosion near the Stade de France football stadium (it was hosting a match between France and Germany at that moment), the shelling of several popular cafes and the taking of 1.5 thousand hostages in a concert hall Bataclan. The result of the “night of terror” was 130 dead. After the incident, French President Francois Hollande announced the need to unite the forces of the Western coalition and Moscow to combat terrorism. Protests in support of Paris took place around the world
On the picture: spectators at the Stade de France stadium in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis after reports of terrorist attacks
Energy blockade of Crimea
On November 22, in the Kherson region, unknown persons blew up power line supports, which started rolling blackouts in Crimea. For ten days, light was provided for only a few hours a day. The problem was partially resolved only on December 2, when the first line of the energy bridge from the Krasnodar Territory with a capacity of 200 MW was launched. In mid-December, the authorities launched the second branch of the bridge (another 200 MW). And by May it is planned that Crimea will receive up to 800 MW from the Krasnodar Territory. Taking into account Crimea’s own generation, this will completely cover the peninsula’s electricity needs. It was also possible to partially restore electricity supplies from Ukraine: since December 8, Ukrenergo has restored one of the four power line branches leading to Crimea
Türkiye shot down Russian Su-24
The strike of a Turkish F-16 on a Russian Su-24 on the border of Syria and Turkey and the death of the Russian military, the aircraft commander Oleg Peshkov and the marine Alexander Pozynich who went to look for the Russian pilots, led to a 180-degree geopolitical turn in relations between Moscow and Ankara. Turkey, which until recently was perceived as a partner in a number of major projects (including the Turkish Stream gas pipeline), in statements by the Russian authorities instantly turned into a traitor country and almost a secret sponsor of the Islamic State (about Ankara’s ties with the oil business high-ranking military officials, officials and Putin himself say terrorists). The crash of the Su-24 also became the reason for the introduction of sanctions against Turkey, the main ones being the cessation of tourist flow from Russia and the embargo on Turkish vegetables and fruits
On the picture: rescued Su-24 pilot Captain Konstantin Murakhtin answers journalists' questions at the Khmeimim airbase in Latakia
Trucker protests
Not a single government initiative in the past year has led to such a massive protest as the November 15 launch of Platon, a system for collecting payments from heavy vehicles for travel on federal highways. Protests were held in more than 20 Russian regions against the system, whose operation was discovered in the first days after its launch. In the Moscow region, protesters set up two camps - in Khimki and on Kashirskoye Highway. Heavy truck drivers demand that the issue of introducing tolls for trucks on federal highways be put to a referendum
On the picture: trucker protest camp on Kashirskoye Highway
Illustration copyright Thinkstock Image caption The main intrigue of 2015 is the dynamics of the dollar-ruble pair, fraught with consequences both for ordinary citizens and for the entire economy
The crisis of the Russian economy, the first manifestations of which became noticeable one and a half to two years ago, unfolded in full force in 2015, reaching ordinary Russians in the form of a reduction in real wages and pensions, rising prices in stores and unpredictable dynamics of the national currency.
If the authorities continued to cautiously call these events “crisis phenomena,” then citizens at the end of the year came to a very definite conclusion: the crisis had arrived.
This is evidenced by sociological surveys: in particular, according to a study by the Public Opinion Foundation, published in November, 72% of the country's residents believed that there was an economic crisis in Russia (in August there were 4% fewer supporters of this point of view).
The number of Russians calling the state of the national economy the main problem has almost doubled compared to the fall of 2014 (from 10% to 17% - VTsIOM survey).
The BBC Russian service highlighted the main parameters characterizing the Russian economy in the past year and illustrated them with graphs.
Without a doubt, the main economic news of 2015 can be called the ruble and its dizzying turns against the dollar. If in May the American currency suddenly dropped below 50 rubles per unit, then already in August it made us remember “Black Tuesday” on December 16, 2014, when the collapse of the Russian national currency began.
In the fall, the dollar continued to strengthen and by the end of December, as can be seen in the figure, it broke its own February record (the graph shows its value at the Central Bank exchange rate on February 2 - 68.92 rubles - and on December 21 - 71.32 rubles).
Such dynamics caused many Russians to lose faith in the prospects of the national currency by the end of the year: according to a December survey by the National Agency for Fiscal Research, 52% of respondents expected further growth of the US currency, whereas in the last crisis, in December 2008, only 30% of Russians were equally pessimistic about the ruble.
Gone are the days when Russians could afford not to be interested in oil prices.
Back in October last year, sociologists from the Public Opinion Foundation found out that only 5% of respondents blamed global oil and gas prices for the fall in the ruble exchange rate. Literally five months later, in March 2015, VTsIOM noted that 39% of Russians believe main reason the unfolding economic crisis in the country, subsidence in oil prices.
Of course, the reasons for the economic crisis in Russia are more diverse and deeper than just the dynamics of oil prices, but the reasons for the depreciation of the Russian currency definitely lie in the oil plane, which can be especially clearly seen from a comparison of the two graphs above. The lower the Brent quotes, the higher the dollar (and, accordingly, the lower the ruble) - the dependence of federal budget revenues on oil and gas exports is reflected.
However, a more representative graph reflecting the importance of oil prices for Russia and its budget is the following:
The Russian budget's spending obligations are denominated in rubles, which means that what is important to it is not the dollar price of oil (and the price of gas tied to it), but the ruble price. The ruble, which is weakening after oil, actually compensates for the fall in the dollar value of oil, because now you can get more rubles for fewer dollars.
The federal budget, adjusted in the spring, provided for an average annual oil price of 50 dollars per barrel (Urals) and an average dollar exchange rate of 61 rubles. Thus, the average budgeted cost of a barrel of oil was 3,050 rubles.
The graph above shows fluctuations in the cost of oil not of the Russian Urals grade, but of the North Sea Brent. However, if we consider that the price of Russian oil is calculated on the basis of Brent, taking into account the discount of $0.84 this year, then the average cost of a barrel of Urals in 2015 was approximately 3,217 rubles. That is Russian Federation quite fit into the budget, despite negative price records for its main export product.
As in 2014, the Russian authorities were forced to raise the inflation forecast several times during 2015, eventually settling on 12.2-12.8% expected by the end of the year.
The increase in food prices at the end of November 2015 reached 16.3% per annum. Some food products have risen in price even more: for example, sunflower oil became more expensive over the year by 44.6%, granulated sugar by 30.2%, fruits and vegetables by an average of 24.3%.
However, the situation has not returned to the state of the late 1990s, when the inflation curve was significantly higher. In particular, in 1999 the consumer price index grew by 36.6%, and a year earlier - by 84.5%.
Real disposable income is the most important indicator indicating the standard of living in a country. This is the income of citizens, from which mandatory payments and inflation are subtracted.
In the past year, this figure in Russia showed negative dynamics, consolidating the trend of last year. Before this, never during the entire reign of Vladimir Putin did real disposable cash income at the end of the year decrease.
The graph constructed above is just that: a graph growth income, not theirs absolute value . Therefore, when the curve goes negative, it does not mean that the incomes of Russians in 2015 were negative, but that their growth was negative, that is, they decreased. As of the end of October, the decrease was 5.6% compared to October last year (the figures in the figure are also given in annual terms).
Pensions in Russia were growing in nominal terms (if in January the average assigned pension was 10,919 rubles, then in October it was already 12,098 rubles), but in real terms they were falling for the first time in a long time. The reason is inflation, which erodes the income of the population.
As can be seen in the graph, in 2010 the welfare of Russian pensioners increased by almost a quarter compared to the previous year (the y-axis is therefore measured at 124.9% - this is exactly the income pensioners received in 2010 compared to 2009, if we take the last one for 100%).
Then the growth of pensions slowed down and in 2015 dropped to 96%. In other words, pensions decreased by 4% in real terms(data given for January-October 2015).
This is the most important indicator and condition economic development countries. Investments in fixed assets mean investments in buildings, machines, equipment and other means of production with a long service life.
Close to zero or negative growth values of this indicator indicate that entrepreneurs in general are not increasing production volumes, and therefore, there is practically no real economic development.
The specificity of investments in fixed capital is that throughout the year, from month to month, they fluctuate quite strongly in absolute terms. Therefore, the graph above shows their growth in percentage and annual terms. October was arbitrarily chosen as the marker month.
It can be seen that for the second year in a row investment in fixed assets in Russia is falling. This time the fall is softer than in 2009, but then there was a rapid rebound that is not observed now.
In terms of industrial production, Russia, having completed 2014 in a slight positive (3.9% per annum), dived below zero in February and remained there throughout the year. The greatest decline was observed in May, when in annual terms - that is, in relation to the previous May - the industry sank to -5.5%.
Compared to previous industrial recessions modern history Russia (1997-1998 and 2008-2009) is currently characterized by a more gradual rate of decline. At the same time, if in 2008 the decline reached 12.8% per annum, but then almost immediately turned into growth, this time trend reversal is not visible.
Despite the gloomy forecasts of some economists, who are confident that the country’s gold and foreign exchange reserves will soon be completely washed away, during 2015 they remained stable.
Firstly, the Bank of Russia did not have to sell currency with the same intensity to support the ruble - the corresponding policy remained in 2014, giving way to a new one, which can be characterized as “a freely floating ruble, but floating under supervision.”
That is, the Central Bank in most cases does not spend reserves to support the ruble, much less establish corridors, when approaching the boundaries of which it would influence the exchange rate (as was the case before). However, in the event of sharp fluctuations in the foreign exchange market, the regulator reserves the right to intervene.
Secondly, in the spring and summer the Central Bank managed to take advantage of the temporary strengthening of the ruble and replenish reserves.
Neither the opening of new stores nor sales saved the seller of household appliances M.Video from a fall in ruble revenue for the first time in its public history - since 2007. Failure in sales threatens all non-food retailers
Falls better than the market
The revenue of the largest non-food retailer M.Video, specializing in sales of household appliances and electronics (H&E), in 2015 compared to 2014 decreased by 5.5%, to 162.6 billion rubles. (excluding VAT), the company reported its unaudited results in a report on Monday. M.Video is the largest Russian non-food retailer, and since 2007, when the company became public, it has never shown a year-on-year decline in sales. Even in 2009, the retailer showed a small 1.4% increase in revenue.
The retailer in a press release explained the low results of 2015 and its fourth quarter - with a decline in sales by 23.1%, to 51.9 billion rubles - primarily due to high sales in the fourth quarter of 2014. Then the abnormally high consumer demand for household appliances and electronics was explained by the fall of the ruble - consumers decided to spend their savings before they depreciated further. Sales in the fourth quarter of 2014 for M.Video were indeed a record: the company’s revenue then grew by 52%, to 83 billion rubles. “At the same time, for almost the entire 2015 (with the exception of December), the company’s sales maintained a positive trend against the backdrop of a decline in the market for household appliances and electronics in Russia,” the company said in a statement. However, such explanations for the poor performance of the entire 2015, apparently, did not fully convince investors: M.Video shares on the Moscow Exchange on Monday fell by 0.36% compared to the previous close, capitalization amounted to 45.1 billion rubles.
Deloitte on Monday updated its annual Global Retail Sector report, summarizing the performance of the world's 250 largest companies during the reporting year. financial year(June 2014 - July 2015). According to the report, the world's largest retailer is still the American Walmart. All six Russian public players: Magnit, X5 Retail Group, Dixy, Lenta, M.Video and O'Key - retained their positions in the list of largest retailers. Some even improved their positions: for example, the largest Russian retailer Magnit took 51st place with revenue of $19.9 billion versus 55th place a year earlier. “M.Video” dropped to 199th place in the ranking, “OK” - to 229th place from 206th.
“The decrease in the turnover of the entire market and the revenue of M.Video was expected, at least due to the effect of a high comparison base,” admits Natalya Kolupaeva, senior analyst at Raiffeisenbank. “In fact, in December 2014, in the wake of a sharp depreciation of the ruble, consumers rushed to satisfy a large share of their needs for purchases of electronics and household appliances planned for the coming year, while price inflation during 2015 further reduced the availability of goods in this segment for the buyer.” “For us, it’s more important than the dollar exchange rate,” said Euroset President Alexander Malis in an interview with RBC in mid-January. — When a person pays for food, kindergarten, apartment, will he have something left in his wallet or not? Today we see that the average person has less and less and less. We always make plans out of the worst. It will be good - and thank God, but when we plan, we proceed from the most negative scenario.".
Previously, GfK analysts predicted that sales of household appliances and electronics in Russia in 2015 would decline by 12.3%, to 1.159 trillion rubles, and in 2016 the market would shrink further to 1.136 trillion rubles. According to the GfK forecast, at the level of 2014 - 1.302 trillion rubles. — sales will return only in 2019.
GfK's forecast corresponds to a drop in comparable sales (in stores that have been open for at least a year) of M.Video. They sank by 12.7% in 2015. The retailer showed a smaller drop in overall sales thanks to the work of new stores: for example, last year M.Video continued its expansion and opened 20 new hypermarkets. At the end of December, the network united 378 hypermarkets in 161 cities in Russia, and in 2016, the retailer plans to open up to 20 new hypermarkets.
M.Video showed positive sales results in the Internet segment: online -retailer sales in 2015 year-on-year increased by 12.5%, to 17.3 billion rubles. As a result, the share of online sales in the company’s turnover for the year amounted to 11%. The company is striving for a share of 25-30% of turnover, the president and main owner of M.Video Alexander said earlier Tynkovan . “The team remains focused on increasing our market share in the current conditions and showing results that exceed the dynamics of the industry as a whole, both in traditional retail and on the Internet,” quoted Tynkovan in a company message.
M.Video is the only public player in the Russian market of household appliances and electronics. Other major players - Eldorado, Tekhnosila, Svyaznoy promise to disclose their financial results later.
They eat, but less
M.Video became the second of the public retailers to report on the results of 2015. The first, Magnit, showed sales growth of 24.3%, to 947.8 billion rubles. However, for the fast-growing Magnit, this indicator of revenue growth turned out to be the most disastrous in the last ten years: even in 2009, the growth was greater and. In 2015 and Due to the fall in real disposable income of the population and the subsequent reduction in consumption in physical volumes, the company’s results did not even reach the lower limit of its own forecast - the company’s top management expected revenue growth of 26-28%. According to VTB Capital forecasts, second in revenue retailer Russia's X5 Retail Group (Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, Karusel) should show a 28% increase in revenue, "O" kay "- by 5%. As we ourselves expected companies, revenue of Dixie Group "in 2015 should have grown by 16-20%, at Lenta - by 29-33%.
Although the largest grocery retailers are likely to show revenue growth, Russians have become much more economical in spending on food. The share of Russian consumers who switched to inexpensive goods reached a record level of 70% in the fourth quarter of 2015, the survey showed. Consumer Index Ivanova" "Sberbank CIB". And almost every fourth respondent—23%—has “reduced food consumption” overall.
In the latest monitoring available in November 2015, the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) reported that the dynamics of the decline in retail trade turnover in Russia reached record values over the past 20 years. The total turnover of retail enterprises fell by 11.7% year-on-year. Over the ten months of last year, the figure decreased by 8.8%, and at the end of the year, the Ministry of Economic Development predicted a drop in retail in the country by 8.5%. In 2014, retail trade turnover in comparable prices amounted to 26.12 trillion rubles.
Results of 2015 for retailers in numbers
On 5,5% , to 162.641 billion rubles, M.Video’s revenue decreased in 2015 compared to 2014
On 25% Sales of household appliances and electronics decreased in 9 months of 2015 in absolute terms, according to GfK. In monetary terms, the market decreased by 6%
On average per 21% The revenue of the ten largest grocery chains may increase in 2015, according to the forecast of INFOLine-Analysts
19% , according to GfK, was the average increase in prices for electronics and household appliances for 9 months of 2015
On 4,5% , according to Watcom, attendance has decreased shopping centers on average in Russia for the year from the end of December 2014 to the end of December 2015
On 2,1% , up to 644 thousand sq. m, the total retail space of M.Video stores increased in 2015
378 hypermarkets in 161 Russian cities were part of the M.Video network as of the end of December 2015
On 2% , up to 251 rub. per share, M.Video quotes decreased on the Moscow Exchange on January 18, the day the annual report was published
20 M.Video opened new hypermarkets, including 13 in the last three months of the year, in 2015. Ten stores were closed
11% the share of online sales in M.Video’s turnover in 2015 was