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A mix of the Covid travel freeze and Western sanctions forcing Russians to repatriate cash has sent the average price of a new one-room apartment in Moscow soaring 86% in just five years.

Russia’s third largest political party, the far-right LDPR, marked May Day with rallies mixing balloons, pensioner gifts—and hardline anti-migrant slogans. Leader Leonid Slutsky vowed to tighten migration rules and push employers to hire “Russians, not migrants.”

Yeah, because Russians love when the 27 million Soviet dead are airbrushed out and Victory Day uses the British 8th of May, rather than their 9th of May. This is what you post when you’ve spent 20 years commentating on Russia without ever understanding a thing about it.

It's 1984 in Berlin,

EU states are increasingly using legal tools to stifle political opposition, shrinking debate, and turning elections into filtered rituals. This is exactly the road Russia started down in the 2000s. Back then they called it “authoritarianism.” Now it’s “defending democracy.”

Russia’s mortgage market is at its lowest point since 2018: just 142,700 loans issued in Q1 despite record-high property prices. Why? Borrowers are facing punishing 21% interest rates—making home ownership all but unreachable for the vast majority of wannabe buyers.

When Germany could ban the largest opposition party: “this is democracy.” When Thailand does it: “it's a severe setback for democracy.” Must be a cultural thing.

A growing trend in Russia: police raids on clubs and concerts. It started mainly with LGBT venues, but is now expanding—this weekend saw events in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg shut down, with cops reportedly checking IDs, phone messages & quizzing people on their politics.

Another small sign of thaw: the Russian “Immortal Regiment” march—where people carry photos of relatives who fought in WWII—returned to Washington for the first time in 6 years. Previously blocked over Covid and political tensions.

Interestingly, Russia (the USSR still didn't exist) recognized Latvia’s independence on 11 August 1920—before Britain (26 January 1921) and the US (28 July 1922) did. One of those strange twists of history.

Russia now supplies nearly 100% of China’s anthracite imports, hitting a record 1.9 million tons in March. Beijing is cutting back purchases from the US & Australia, while Russian coal reroutes east. Anthracite is Moscow's most profitable coal export––and volumes are climbing.

Moscow now has 13.3 million residents within the city limits—and 22 million including the eponymous suburban region (another 8.7 million By far Europe’s biggest city… and still growing.

Romania’s election is a warning shot for Brussels. Simion’s surge shows Eurosceptic forces aren’t just protesting—they’re positioning as real alternatives. A new transatlantic alliance is forming: Trump's Republicans + Europe’s nationalists. The old EU order is on shaky ground.

Meanwhile, at the Russian Junior Table Tennis Championships: an incredible rally.

Military jets over Moscow this morning, preparing for Friday's parade to mark 80 years since the WW2 victory over Nazi Germany. Many people complained that their mobile internet stopped working during the rehearsal.

Another Stalin statue goes up—this time in Russia's Kaduy, Vologda Oblast. 500km north of Moscow. Local officials gave glowing speeches, and yes, that’s two new monuments to the Georgian-born Soviet dictator in the region in just over a year.