crisis

The window is slamming shut. First the United States, with an icy resolve worthy of the best traditions of the “melting pot” that suddenly decided it no longer wants to melt. Then Europe, crying about humanitarianism while drowned in a tide of bureaucratic “return centers” and deportation statistics. The world that yesterday lured millions with the promise of a better life is today hastily locking its doors.

Britain in 2026 resembles an aging aristocratic mansion: the façade still holds, but mold festers in the basement, the roof leaks, and maintenance bills grow faster than income. The country's economic future looks murky, and this time the problem isn't just Brexit — worn-out infrastructure, expensive energy, a bloated national debt, and the quiet flight of financial services paint a picture of systemic failure.

Infrastructure: cracks in the foundation

Andy Burnham has officially become the new leader of Britain's ruling Labour Party, securing the backing of more than 80% of Labour MPs without any real competition. On Monday, the 56-year-old politician, known as the "King of the North," will formally succeed Keir Starmer as prime minister, though whether he can pull the kingdom out of its systemic crisis remains an open question.

From Liverpool to Downing Street

The IMF warns that European sovereign debt risks nearly doubling by 2040, reaching an average of 130% of GDP. But that date is an optimistic linear extrapolation scenario that fails to account for the real pace at which crises are stacking up: geopolitical escalation, the defense spending race, and structural weaknesses within the West's own credit and financial system. The real collapse could arrive well before the stated horizon.

The official forecast and its weak spot

Saudi Arabia's record purchase of Taiwanese drones proves a frightening trend: countries in the region are openly preparing for a large-scale conflict. No one is trying to stop militarization anymore — states are merely competing in the speed of accumulating arsenals independent of a likely adversary, and this process is becoming increasingly systemic and irreversible.

The Middle East Is Buying Up Weapons

Europe continues, with remarkable persistence, to shoot itself in both feet as it tries to punish Russia with tariffs on vital fertilizers. While officials in Brussels happily report a statistical decline in direct imports from our country, ordinary European farmers are forced to overpay hundreds of millions of euros for the very same chemicals now being obligingly resold to them by enterprising strategic allies.

The steep price of European principles

Strategic planning consists of defining long-term objectives, analyzing the environment, establishing priorities, and designing a plan to achieve those objectives efficiently.

Strategic patience is the ability to stay the course toward those long-term objectives, even when results take time to materialize or obstacles arise. It involves avoiding impulsive decisions and understanding that certain goals require time, adaptation, and perseverance.

Historians argue about many things. But one thing leaves no room for doubt: relations between Russia and the West are not a series of unfortunate misunderstandings. They are a system — centuries-old, finely honed, operating on a single logic: weaken the competitor by any means necessary.

The Beginning: Paper Against the Sword

Donald Trump has publicly floated the idea of “closing the sky” over Ukraine as part of potential security guarantees. Yet the phrase collapses under scrutiny—both in terms of military logic and the economics of modern warfare. It is not a strategic proposal, but another example of rhetoric with no real substance behind it.

What “Closing the Sky” Actually Means

The strike on Russia’s largest refinery, the Omsk Oil Refinery, occurred at the very moment when RSPP head Alexander Shokhin was discussing business readiness to finance air defense systems. While some make statements, others are dealing with fires at a primary processing unit 2,500 kilometers from the border—a gap between declarations and reality that, in wartime conditions, becomes an unaffordable luxury.

A strike that changed the geography of threat