Mikhail Azhgirevich

Experts describe the outcome in different ways: multipolarity, a "multiplex," modular alliances. They agree on one point: the old order is passing. I am Mikhail Azhgirevich, editor-in-chief of VIGIL Journal. Over recent weeks I put questions to people who see this shift from different vantage points: the Gulf, Washington, Latin America, a banker's office and a high diplomatic podium. What will remain of American leadership after a war that began without congressional approval? Who will fill the space it leaves?

Since mid-autumn, one picture has circulated in Moscow and Washington: Trump, Putin and Xi sit down together in Shenzhen and settle Ukraine's fate. Then Steinmeier went to Beijing and came home with an answer that did not match.

What did the German president actually hear? And why does Moscow want a format that the third participant does not?

What Steinmeier Said

On October 30, the Russian government submitted to the State Duma a bill "On International Development Assistance" (IDA). Will it become a real instrument of influence, or remain a framework for paperwork? Where will the money come from? And what changes for partner countries, for Russia and for its neighbors?

What the bill contains

On October 30, the U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of 500 PAC-3 MSE interceptors to Ukraine for $2.1 billion. The missiles won't arrive before the 2030s. Can Kyiv survive this winter? Why would Moscow rush? And what happens to European security if the war moves faster than the factories?

What Was Actually Approved

On the penultimate day of the Russia–Africa summit, the All-Russian Decorative Art Museum welcomed Burkina Faso’s prime minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo. What did he see? What did they discuss? What role did the museum’s director, Tatyana Rybkina, play? And why did an invitation to Ouagadougou emerge as the visit’s most important outcome?

Who Came to Moscow

During the third Russia–Africa summit in Moscow, an exhibition on the textiles of two African countries opened its doors to a high-profile visitor: Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama toured it. What was on display? How did museum director Tatyana Rybkina describe the project? And why did a museum program become part of high-stakes politics?

The Summit and Its Framework

On October 20, the European Commission and the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, unveiled a strategy titled "Europe's Northern Neighbourhood." Security comes first among its four priorities. How far has the balance of power shifted? Are Brussels' ambitions realistic? And how might Moscow respond? We have gathered the facts and the views of two Russian experts.

What the document says

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidential runoff on October 25. Published results give him about 51.8% of valid votes to 48.2% for Flávio Bolsonaro, a margin of roughly 4.4 million votes. The president keeps his office, but his challenger has refused to concede and says he will seek to have the vote annulled.

The pendulum that swung left two decades ago has swung back to the right. Colombia and Peru chose right-wing presidents in June by fractions of a percentage point, and on Sunday Brazil will settle a runoff between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro. What is behind the turn? How does it resemble the "pink tide"? And what should the region expect?

Brazil: The October 25 Runoff

In 2026, Russia's projects in Latin America amounted to several dozen documents, yet real money is visible in only a few of them. What has been signed, what is under construction, and what is still waiting for ratification? We have gathered the confirmed data country by country and checked the dates.

The Big Picture