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The outgoing year thundered with elections to the State Duma and ends with the appearance of the first candidates for the presidency. Voting for the new parliament was not only remembered by Russians most of all, but also directly or indirectly led to a number of changes in the country's domestic political life. Lenta.ru talked to experts and remembered which events in 2016 were the most significant and why.
CEC update: Pamfilova's method
In the spring, the Central Election Commission was left without the "wizard" Vladimir Churov, who had headed it since 2007. Ella Pamfilova, a former Commissioner for Human Rights, became the CEC chairman. The experienced human rights activist was expected to change the perception of the electoral system as a whole, experts noted.
On the very day of the elections, the voting results were canceled in nine polling stations. Subsequently, several ordinary employees of the commissions and even their heads (for example, the election commission of the Voronezh region) lost their jobs in the regions. Pamfilova sent a "serious landing" to St. Petersburg, and threatened to go to Russia to investigate violations in Dagestan. North Caucasus herself. The head of the CEC reported to Putin that not all regional leaders heard his call "for openness, honesty and competitiveness of elections."
Elections to the State Duma: the majority and its Constitution
Having received the chair of the head of the CEC, Pamfilova became one of the key actors in the Duma elections - the main event of the year, according to both political scientists and ordinary Russians. The scale and duration of the campaign for elections to the State Duma have increased due to the United Russia primaries. The party held an open preliminary vote, during which it identified its candidates for participation in the parliamentary elections. The primaries were held "with elite tension, with a lot of propaganda and agitation," notes the deputy director National Institute development modern ideology Gleb Kuznetsov.
The candidates chosen at the preliminary voting helped United Russia to get 343 out of 450 seats in the new Duma on September 18. The achievement of a constitutional majority came as a surprise to the party, Evgeny Minchenko, vice-president of the Russian Association for Public Relations, is sure.
But the ability to change the basic law is unlikely to come in handy in the foreseeable future. The head of state urged to be more careful with this - the Russian Constitution "should not be eroded," he recently said at a meeting with Russian judges. “In the early 2000s, we made very big attempts, serious attempts, maybe not even very visible from the outside, but it was a lot of work to uniformly understand and apply the norms of the Constitution throughout Russia,” Putin recalled.
And yet, the elections have already managed to significantly affect the domestic political situation. After the vote, as a result of which the State Duma was updated by about half, not only personnel, but also functional reshuffles followed, emphasizes Alexander Pozhalov, Deputy Director of ISEPI for Research.
Reshuffles in the AP: young technocrats
Personnel changes were going on this year at the highest level. In the summer, the head of the Kremlin administration was replaced: Sergei Ivanov was transferred to the post of special presidential envoy for environmental protection, ecology and transport, his place was taken by Anton Vaino, who launched a chain of promotions in the presidential administration.
Photo: Alexey Nikolsky / RIA Novosti
The second wave of reshuffles followed the September elections, when it became known about the transition to the State Duma of the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Vyacheslav Volodin. An unexpected replacement was chosen for him - now the former general director of the Rosatom corporation, Sergei Kiriyenko, is responsible for domestic policy in the administration. Experts characterized him as a tough and successful negotiator, a lobbyist with business experience and a liberal background.
Sources in the administration said that now the department of domestic policy, overseen by Kiriyenko, is analyzing the effectiveness of the governors. Based on the situation in the regions, it is planned to prepare three lists. The first will include subjects where a change of governor is necessary, the second will include prosperous regions in which “there is definitely no need to change” the head. In the third group there will be territories where it is necessary to additionally assess the situation.
Thus, reshuffles in the Administration are highly likely to lead to personnel decisions in the regions. Although, according to the same source, they will not take place immediately after the appearance of the lists, but closer to the next single day of voting. Moreover, elections of heads of 15 subjects are expected next September.
Appointments in the regions: federal eye
A dozen regions changed their leaders in 2016 - some quietly, others not so much. During the first half of the year, the governors of the Tula, Tver regions and Trans-Baikal Territory. Their successors, appointed by the president, dropped the prefix interim after a single day of voting in September.
But the strongest personnel shake-up was expected in the regions in July: then Putin shuffled the heads of regions, his plenipotentiaries and representatives of federal departments. The place of the Yaroslavl governor Sergei Yastrebov, who resigned "according to own will", took the former deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Dmitry Mironov. After the scandal with the detention of Nikita Belykh, the head of Rosreestr, Igor Vasiliev, became the head of the Kirov region. And the place of the governor of the Kaliningrad region, Nikolai Tsukanov, who moved to the post of plenipotentiary, went to a native of the FSB, Nikolai Zinichev. True, after two months of work as interim governor, he returned to Federal Service security, but already to a much higher position - deputy director of the department.
The July reshuffles affected Crimea across the entire vertical. It ceased to be an independent federal district, becoming part of the Southern. And along the way I got a new envoy - former minister Justice and Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov.
The leader in Sevastopol has changed: Sergei Menyailo was sent to work as presidential envoy in Siberia, and his chair was given to Dmitry Ovsyannikov, Deputy Minister of Industry. Whether he will sit in it will be shown by the direct election of the governor, which the Sevastopol legislature finally managed to achieve.
Federal posts: the beautiful half
The president has a female period in personnel policy, noted CEO Center for Political Information Alexei Mukhin after Anna Kuznetsova replaced Pavel Astakhov as children's ombudsman in September. The new Commissioner for Children's Rights is a mother of many children, she previously headed the regional executive committee of the All-Russian Popular Front and the Penza Charitable Foundation Pokrov.
Olga Vasilyeva is also known for her closeness to Orthodox and family values, two weeks before the appointment of a new ombudsman, she became the Minister of Education and Science. Some conservatism, as it turned out, would not hurt: in the course of his message to the Federal Assembly, Putin gave the department a clear signal - "be careful with experiments at school." Experts saw in this a hint of a turnaround from the education reform of ex-Minister Andrei Fursenko.
Compared to Kuznetsova and Vasilyeva, Tatyana Moskalkova, who was appointed commissioner for human rights in April, began to look much tougher. Moskalkova has an experience of working in the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which somewhat confused a number of human rights activists and experts. On the other hand, she was to replace Ella Pamfilova, known for her directness and integrity, as federal ombudsman. Yes, and violators of human rights often require a firm hand, the supporters of the appointment explained. While Pamfilova fought for the purity of the elections, Moskalkova, in particular, took up the fate of Russians serving sentences in Ukraine and the conditions of detention of opposition leader Ildar Dadin in the pre-trial detention center.
Minister under arrest: no one will survive
In November, for the first time in Russian history, a federal minister was detained in a corruption case. The former head of the ministry became the pioneer economic development Alexey Ulyukaev. The investigation suspects that he demanded a two million dollar bribe from a Rosneft representative for the legal issuance of a positive conclusion regarding the deal to acquire the state-owned stake in Bashneft.
The president dismissed the minister on the day of his arrest, unlike the former governor of the Kirov region, Nikita Belykh. He was fired due to a loss of confidence only a month after getting into the criminal chronicles: on July 24, the head of the region, a former ally of oppositionist Alexei Navalny, was caught red-handed while receiving a bribe of 400 thousand euros in a capital restaurant.
However, intriguing chronicles with the detention of high-ranking officials may disappear from the screens and front pages of newspapers for some time. The president, still in the same message to the federal assembly, called on the security forces not to turn the fight against corruption into a show.
Sports Deputy Prime Minister: from the heart
In October, the head of state proposed to redistribute the areas of responsibility between the deputy prime ministers, giving sports, youth policy and tourism into one hand. We did not have to wait long - a week later, the then Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko turned out to be the new Deputy Prime Minister, under whose management tourism, youth policy and sports were transferred. The spheres entrusted to him were previously supervised by Deputy Prime Ministers Olga Golodets and Arkady Dvorkovich. But, as political scientists explained, these deputy prime ministers already sponsor many “heavy” industries, and major sporting events are coming in Russia, primarily the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
After the appointment of Mutko as a “sports” deputy prime minister, he was immediately remembered for the doping scandal, and problems with preparing for the World Cup, and, of course, the manner of practicing English. But it was a certain comedy and ability to endure numerous "bumps" that made him a suitable candidate, experts said. His image of a “funny uncle” helps to reduce the degree of claims, political scientist Alexei Chadayev.
The ability to soften the blow seems to be very handy. The head of the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Richard McLaren, said in December that Mutko and his deputy, Yuri Nagornykh, were leading the process of manipulating the doping samples of Russian athletes. A few days later, Russia was deprived of the right to host the World Championship in bobsleigh and skeleton.
Presidential race: the cat and Navalny participate
At the end of the year, when the results of the parliamentary elections had finally died down, the talk more and more often began to turn to presidential elections. At least two candidates have already rushed to join the race, which has not yet formally begun - the founder of the Anti-Corruption Fund, Alexei Navalny, and the cat Barsik, whose political career already has a victory in the online election of the mayor of Barnaul. Navalny was wished success by the head of the Yabloko federal political committee Grigory Yavlinsky - Yabloko promises to make him a candidate from the party.
Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina / RIA Novosti
It is possible that businessman Sergei Polonsky, who is on trial for major fraud, will become another candidate. The entrepreneur’s defense says that “he is serious,” but has not yet given instructions to collect documents.
Oppositionist Sergei Udaltsov almost joined the fight. His wife Anastasia announced on Twitter that her husband would go to the polls, like Navalny. Then a series of tweets appeared in the account, from which it followed that Anastasia was joking, and in general, everything should not be taken so seriously.
The question of whether Vladimir Putin is going to participate in the presidential race will most likely be asked at a big press conference scheduled for December 22. But the elections are still far away - they are scheduled only for March 2018 - and it is possible that the current head of state will once again evade a direct answer.
2016 was the year of the "black swans" - there were events that seemed incredible. Some of them will influence the global economy, and hence the Russian economy for many years to come. Lenta.ru, with the help of experts, names the five main events and phenomena of the outgoing year.
Out of nominations
25 experts took part in the preparation of the material. "Lenta.ru" conducted an open survey of specialists, they were asked to name the three main events of the outgoing year. In total, 75 votes were received for certain events. Based on these votes, the top 5 was compiled.
Experts present following companies and organizations:
Russian Academy of Sciences, VTB 24, Alfa-Bank, Promsvyazbank, Nordea Bank, Otkritie, RusEnergy, Amarkets, Veles Capital, Solid Management, NEO Center, BCS Ultima.
Less than half of the votes (47 percent) were given by experts for a number of events that did not make it into our top 5 - each of them was mentioned by analysts once or twice. But it is important to list them in order to form a complete economic picture of 2016.
This list includes the privatization of Bashneft, the adoption of the Russian federal budget for, the arrest of the now former head of the Ministry of Economic Development Alexei, as well as the return of Alexei - the ex-head of the Ministry of Finance is writing a program for the country's economic development commissioned by the president.
Added to this are the actions of two regulators: the Bank of Russia, which decided not to change the key rate in 2016 (it remained at ), and the US Federal Reserve, which raised the base rate to .
Fifth place: alarming strengthening of the ruble
The Russian currency received 6 percent of analysts' votes. On January 1, 2016, the dollar cost 72.93 rubles (the official exchange rate of the Central Bank). In the first month of the year, it jumped in price to a historic high of 81 rubles. According to information as of December 26, 60.85 rubles are given for the American currency. Since the January bottom, the ruble has risen by almost 25 percent.
For such a somersault, Bloomberg awarded the Russian currency the title of the best in emerging markets, calling the rise in the rate a radical strengthening. Citigroup Corporation, in turn, recognized the ruble as an instrument.
This is what causes analysts' concern. When they say that it is profitable to invest in the ruble, no one has in mind ordinary Russians. We are talking about speculators engaged in carry trading, who earn on the strengthening of the national currency. In a nutshell, the players use the difference in interest rates in certain countries: in the US they are low, in Russia they are high. You can borrow dollars cheaply at low interest rates and convert them into rubles. The Russian economy lives in conditions of a high key rate of the Central Bank (10 percent). The reverse conversion of rubles into dollars allows speculators to capitalize on the difference in rates. And everything is fine until the players began to massively withdraw from the Russian currency.
According to the head of the department of international capital markets of the Institute of World Economy and international relations(IMEMO) RAS Yakov Markin, this situation creates the prerequisites for an explosive devaluation.
"Stabilizing the ruble, moving it towards overvaluation based on carry trading and preparing for a future explosive devaluation of the ruble - this is exactly the mechanism that in the past was one of the key facts of the financial crisis in Russia," he comments.
The expert believes that the current situation is extremely risky: at the first sign of problems, players will withdraw money from the country, and the ruble will collapse. Lowering the key rate will help reduce the risk, the economist believes. Monetary easing will make carry trading less profitable.
Fourth place: price growth in Russia is at a historic low
And again an internal phenomenon. 8% of the votes were cast for him. Inflation in Russia reached its minimum value in 2011 - 6.1 percent. If nothing extraordinary happens in the next five days, this record will be broken. Since the beginning of 2016, the consumer price index has grown by 5.3 percent.
The Central Bank expects inflation to drop to 4 percent in 2017. To achieve this goal, the Bank of Russia keeps the key rate at a high level.
“If the Central Bank manages to reduce inflation to 4 percent by the end of next year and keep it close to this mark over the next years, this will have significant consequences for the economy. The regulator will set lower rates, which will be the foundation for healthy economic growth,” said Olga Lapshina, chief analyst at Nordea Bank.
Third place: Brexit
In June, British citizens from the European Union. Brexit was supported by 51.9 percent of the referendum participants. 11 percent of expert votes were also given for this event. The UK has a new prime minister, prepares to leave the EU, but Brexit has a huge impact on world economy.
“The shocking decision of the British people led to increased volatility in world markets in the summer, but most importantly, it forced the reassessment of the positions of European currencies and markedly strengthened eurosceptics. Elections will be held next year in a number of countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands) that can bring new surprises, ”says Evgeny Loktyukhov, head of industry and capital markets analysis at Promsvyazbank.
Sergey Khestanov, macroeconomic adviser to the CEO of the Otkritie brokerage house, in turn, notes that the possible triumph of Eurosceptics for the global economy means an increase in customs barriers, a reduction international trade and worsening GDP dynamics in China, which supplies a lot of goods to the EU. The situation in China, suffering from the lowest growth rates in the last quarter of a century, the expert considers the main threat to the global economy. Brexit made it even more dangerous.
Runner-up: Trump is the new President of the United States
Billionaire Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States, receives 13 percent of the analyst vote. Make America Great Again is the slogan of Reagan and Trump, which for the most part refers specifically to the United States economy. The US GDP growth rate is too low (2.4 percent in 2015) given the depth of the crisis into which the country collapsed at the end of the 2000s. At the same time, the real median income of the American household has not recovered to the level of 2006. There has not been such a weak ten-year dynamics since the Great Depression.
The economic program of the rich Republican promises a radical demolition of the established system. Taxes are proposed to be reduced for all social strata. Companies registered abroad - return to their homeland. In addition, Trump can be called an isolationist - in this sense, he is very close to the Eurosceptics. The President-elect strongly condemns the Trans-Pacific and Transatlantic Trade Agreements. He also doesn't like NAFTA - the North American Free Trade Area between Canada, the US and Mexico. According to Trump, all these agreements only reduce the number of jobs in the United States, dooming millions of Americans to poverty. It remains to be seen how Trump will implement these ideas.
“If Trump's rhetoric doesn't get out of hand, we will see a rollback in the process of globalization. This carries risks to world trade, and therefore to developing countries, ”comments Evgeny Loktyukhov from Promsvyazbank.
On the other hand, the analyst continues, the implementation of the Republican program can have a positive impact on the global economy. According to his calculations, it is quite capable of keeping the US economy from slowing down and supporting demand for raw materials next year. In addition, Trump's victory, if not removed, then at least weakened the prospects for tightening anti-Russian sanctions, Loktyukhov argues.
Trump also has special plans for American black gold. He intends to impose a profit tax on oil importers, lift the embargo on licensing sites located in federal territories, open licensing on the outer continental shelf and encourage the construction of new pipelines, recalls Mikhail Krutikhin, a partner at the consulting company RusEnergy.
“This is a whole big program. On the one hand, this is self-isolation, on the other hand, access to world markets with its own liquefied gas and oil,” the expert argues.
Event of the Year: Taming Oil
“The most important thing is the agreement with OPEC. True, I do not believe that it will work, but the very fact of its conclusion has significantly pushed up oil prices,” says economist Sergey Khestanov. His position was supported by 15 percent of expert votes.
At the end of November, the OPEC countries finally (they went to this for almost the whole year) agreed to limit production. The allowable production threshold for the entire cartel is 32.5 million barrels per day. Against the backdrop of positive news, Brent oil jumped in price to $51 per barrel.
Nevertheless, the main event of the year, according to experts, is not a real event. Yes, it had a real impact on the market - prices went up. But this deal raises too many questions. The main one is how OPEC and other countries will control each other? There are no penalties for breach of contract. He rests on a good word. All analysts who put the OPEC agreement on taming oil prices in the first place are skeptical.
The cartel often violates its own quotas, and its members in the past sought to sell as much raw materials as possible even at the expense of prices, experts explain. At the same time, the implementation of the positive scenario (OPEC and other parties to the agreement carefully adhere to the provisions of the agreement) will support oil quotes at the level of $55-60 per barrel. Otherwise, every news about violation of quotas will reduce the cost of a barrel.
The editors of mger2020.ru sum up the results of 2016: we will be reminded of it by the first launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, the launch of an energy bridge to the Crimea, the restoration of relations with Turkey, the victory in the competition for the right to host the World Festival of Youth and Students in 2017.
Unfortunately, speaking of the outgoing year, one cannot help but recall the terrible plane crashes, terrorist attacks and other tragedies in Russia, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States, in which hundreds of innocent adults and children died.
We present a selection of key events that influenced both the domestic policy of Russia and changed the situation in the world.
Russia strengthens its positions in international ratings
In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin topped the ranking of the most influential people in the world according to Forbes magazine. The head of state is the leader of this list for the fourth year in a row. “Both in their homeland, and in Syria, and in the presidential elections in the United States Russian leader continues to achieve everything he wants, ”Forbes notes.
Meanwhile, in Russia, the activities of the President are approved by 86.8% of citizens - this is the annual maximum recorded by sociologists of VTsIOM in December. “I think that people see that I work hard, openly, honestly and sincerely strive to achieve the results that the country needs. I believe that they also see that not everything can be done - we have smart, observant people. But I believe that the main thing is a sincere desire for the maximum result, for the country to feel more secure, and people to live better,” Vladimir Putin said, commenting on high level trust.
The removal of Russia did not go unnoticed at the Paralympics itself. At the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Andrei Fomochkin, a member of the delegation of the Belarusian national team, carried the flag of Russia as a sign of solidarity with Russian athletes. The leadership of Belarus supported the position of the Paralympic delegation of the country.
Preliminary voting of "United Russia"
This year, on the eve of the State Duma elections, United Russia became the only party to hold a preliminary vote. In total, 2781 people became participants in the primaries, of which 43% are non-partisans. 1,171 people were nominated on party lists, and 2,107 people were nominated in single-mandate constituencies. The final turnout for electoral participants on April 22, the day of preliminary voting, exceeded the mark of 10 million people.
On November 14, a telephone conversation took place between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American leader Donald Trump. The head of state wished him success in the implementation of the election program and noted the readiness to build a partnership dialogue with the new administration on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
Migration pain in Europe and the fall of Merkel's rating
For the second year, Europe has been gripped by a migration crisis. Almost every month, the countries of the "Old World" come up with new methods to deal with the consequences of the endless flow of refugees from the Middle East: they close the borders of their states, spend billions of dollars on the return of constant control of border zones, and contribute fabulous money to the fund for refugees.
For a year, every European has formed his own opinion about the causes of the second largest migration crisis after the Second World War. The vast majority of Europeans believe that migrants seek asylum because of threats from terrorist groups, including ISIS (banned in Russia), because of government military action and poor social conditions in the refugee homeland. Another widespread opinion about the causes of the migration crisis is the US and EU military intervention in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.
A poll conducted by the German television and radio company ARD showed that if the elections to the Bundestag were held on April 24, then only 33% of voters would vote for the bloc of conservative parties in the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, and 21% of voters would vote for the Social Democratic Party, which is a partner of the ruling coalition.
Nevertheless, German Chancellor Angela Merkel remains confident in the correctness of migration policy and refuses to tighten or partially change relevant legislation in order to increase the safety of Germans from a massive influx of migrants.
By the way, in June, the people of Great Britain made a resonant decision at a referendum on the country's exit from the European Union. According to official figures, about 52% of the population voted for Brexit. According to British political scientists, the outcome of the referendum indicates a major split in British society. Prime Minister David Cameron, who opposed Brexit, was forced to resign immediately after the announcement of the results of the referendum. The referendum on UK membership in the EU was the first sign of the collapse of the European Union: for example, after Brexit, other European states thought about leaving the EU.
Europe is against sanctions and for constructive relations with Russia
This year in European countries continue to talk about the abolition economic sanctions in relation to Russia.
At a meeting with the President of Russia, Fischer said that "those who are interested in relations with Russia are not happy about the existence of sanctions."
The French research center, specializing in the field of international economics, estimated the losses of Western countries from the imposition of sanctions against Russia, and most of losses is a consequence of the actions of the West, and not the response of the Russian side. AT economic study it says that between 2014 and July 2015, the loss is estimated at $60.2 billion.
Serbia, Italy, Cyprus, and the Netherlands oppose the sanctions. In addition, representatives of Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic spoke in one form or another for the lifting or easing of sanctions.
tragedy
In the outgoing year, we had to endure many tragedies that claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
On March 19, a Boeing 737-800 passenger airliner crashed in Rostov-on-Don. The plane crash of flight 981 Dubai - Rostov-on-Don occurred presumably at 3.40 Moscow time at the airport of Rostov-on-Don during a re-landing approach in difficult weather conditions. There were 62 people on board, all of them died.
On December 19, in Ankara, in the Gallery of Modern Art at the exhibition "Russia through the eyes of the Turks", Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was wounded. The diplomat died from his wounds. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the family of Andrei Karlov and instructed to present the diplomat for a state award. The head of state said that Moscow should know exactly who is behind the murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey.
On the morning of December 25, a Tu-154 plane crashed over the Black Sea in Sochi. There were 92 people on board, among them were the artists of the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble. Alexandrova, journalists of the Zvezda TV channel and Channel One, NTV, as well as the head charitable foundation"Fair Help" Elizaveta Glinka, known as Dr. Lisa. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree declaring December 26 a day of mourning. As a sign of solidarity with Russia, Belarus has declared a Day of Mourning in connection with the plane crash. Citizens of the Republic bring flowers and candles to the building of the Russian embassy in Minsk, leave notes in the book of condolences. On behalf of President Alexander Lukashenko, the air was lowered over the buildings of state institutions throughout the country state flags, canceled entertainment programs on radio and television.
A series of terrorist attacks that took place in Belgium on March 22 stirred up the entire international community, forcing everyone to think about the need to unite to fight the main world threat - terrorism. According to the latest data, during the monstrous explosions, 34 people died and 135 were injured.
On the evening of July 14, a truck drove at full speed into the crowd on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, where at that moment there were thousands of people dispersing after the celebration of Bastille Day. According to the latest data, 84 people died as a result of the attack. More than a hundred people were injured.
Vladimir Putin emphasized that “the recent terrorist attacks committed in various regions of the world once again show that terrorism can only be countered jointly, relying on the norms and principles of international law with the coordinating role of the United Nations”. “There shouldn't be double standards here, you can't divide terrorists into 'good' and 'bad'. And, of course, it is unacceptable and extremely dangerous to try to use terrorist and radical, extremist groups for political or geopolitical interests,” the President believes. Russian Federation.
Russian military power in Syria
A year ago, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a military operation to combat terrorists in Syria. As a result of intensive operations by military aviation, it was possible to seriously undermine the positions of ISIS and other groups, destroy the infrastructure of terrorists and prevent the collapse of the Syrian Republic.
Russia announced the organization of a humanitarian pause in Aleppo from September 18 so that everyone could leave the city and receive needed help, however, the militants prevent the exit of civilians.
On December 22, the command of the Syrian army announced that Aleppo was completely liberated from terrorists and came under the control of the country's government forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin the day before, on December 29, announced that an agreement had been reached on a ceasefire in Syria and that he was ready to start peace talks. Three documents were signed: the first is between the Syrian government and the armed opposition on a ceasefire in Syria, the second is a set of measures to control the ceasefire, and the third is a statement of readiness to start peace talks on a Syrian settlement.
The speech sparked a heated discussion in the creative community. Art director of the Provincial Theater S. Bezrukov: “In art there should be only internal censorship of the artist and no other. The eternal Russian “whatever happens”, unfortunately, sometimes progresses and takes on monstrous forms. The system of prohibitions sometimes destroys everything in its path. Artistic director of the Gogol Center K. Serebryannikov: “No official has the right to decide what kind of art should be - pleasing or not pleasing, protest or safe. Everything is decided by the viewer. Society. It just doesn't buy tickets for bad performances, doesn't go to bad theatres, doesn't accept bad work." Director General of the Hermitage M. Piotrovsky: “Censorship is always dictate. The dictate of power or the dictate of the crowd. In our country, everything is now moving towards the dictatorship of the crowd, that even the government is beginning to be built. The crowd begins to say: we want this and that. If it was possible to deal with the obkom censors, come and explain. Not always, but the intelligentsia knew how to get around these things. And the dictatorship of the crowd is terrible. I wouldn't say that we have censorship, it is just emerging. We haven't reached the old days yet." Press Secretary of the President D. Peskov: “Censorship is unacceptable. But at the same time, it is necessary to clearly differentiate between productions and works that are staged or filmed with state money or with the involvement of some other sources of funding.”
The outgoing 2015 year was marked by high-profile events of various sizes, it promises to be no less eventful.
The main events of 2016 in politics, sports, economics and military affairs are in the editorial material.
Political events of 2016
The political events of 2016 open elections of deputies State Duma Federal Assembly Russian Federation, which will be held on September 18, 2016. The voting date was the first bone of contention between the ruling parties and opposition politicians.
The planned nationwide expression of will for December 4 in the spring of 2015 was decided to be postponed to more early term. The opposition immediately accused the authorities of trying to influence the results: summer period election campaigning is ineffective (most Russians are on vacation), and in the autumn elections the population will vote for already known parties without getting acquainted with the programs of the opposition.
The initiators of the postponement of the elections reject such accusations. According to the chairman of the general council of the United Russia party, Sergei Neverov, the date of the elections has been postponed so that the 2017 budget will be adopted by the new parliament, which will have to implement it.
The second important political event of the coming year will be US presidential election scheduled for November 8, 2016. The presidential election campaign in the United States started in the spring of 2015, when the intention to run was announced
More than two dozen participants already appear in the US presidential race. The main favorite from the Democratic Party is the former secretary of state and wife former president. According to the forecasts of political scientists, Clinton has practically no rivals within the party, the only possible opponent, Joe Biden, has abandoned the election race.
The Republican Party will also nominate "heavy artillery" in the 2016 presidential election this year. Among the Republican primary favorites are billionaire Bush family member Jeb Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Also, a high-profile political event in 2016 will be change of UN Secretary General. The current leader's term expires at the end of 2016. Until that time, a new head of the organization will be chosen.
According to the established tradition of regional rotation, a possible new UN Secretary General will be from the countries of Eastern Europe, and for the first time a woman can be elected to the main position of the organization. Among the contenders for the post of UN Secretary General, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and member of the European Commission Kristalina Georgieva are singled out.
Secretary General for behind closed doors selects the UN Security Council, in which the permanent members can veto any candidate.
Sports events in 2016
Sports event season 2016 will open Ice Hockey World Championship which will take place in Russia. The main hockey tournament will last from May 6 to 22 in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
This is the third time in modern history Russian hockey tournament will be held in our country. The first Ice Hockey World Championship in Russia took place in 2000, seven years later the best teams in the world came to Moscow in 2007.
Recall that Soviet Union hosted the Ice Hockey World Championship four times.
After the hockey competition, the attention of sports fans will be riveted to the main football event of the season. From June 10 to July 10, France will host European Football Championship.
For the first time in the history of the European Championship, 24 teams will play in the final. The winner of the tournament will become a participant in the eighth competition of the 2017 Confederations Cup, which will be held in Russia and is regarded as a rehearsal for the 2018 World Cup.
The final and largest sporting event of 2016 will be summer Olympic Games . The main sporting event of the year will be held in Brazil from 5 to 21 August. Summer Olympics will be held in South America for the first time.
Rio de Janeiro was chosen as the center of the main sporting event of 2016 in 2007. A few years later, the IOC was worried about the pace of construction of Olympic facilities in Brazil, and the question was raised to another country. However, Rio de Janeiro has caught up with the deadlines and is preparing to host the best athletes in the world this coming summer.
Events in the field of economy
In addition to oil supplies, Tehran announced its readiness to increase gas supplies to Europe and Asia. The lifting of sanctions against Iran will allow building up partnership with Russia in the banking sector and expanding military contacts.
Army and defense industry
The main event of 2016 in military sphere RF will be the serial launch and delivery of fighter jets fifth generation PAK FA. The new fighter made its first flight back in January 2010, but the fifth-generation aircraft will be put into service with the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2016.
Soviet engineers began to work on the creation of the project back in the 1980s, but after the collapse of the USSR, it was closed. Only in 2002, the developers returned to the frozen project, and 14 years later, they begin deliveries to the Russian armed forces.
Military transformation next year will also affect neighboring Georgia. By the end of 2016, the Georgian army will completely switch to a professional basis.
According to the Minister of Defense of Georgia, Irakli Alasania, even now the Georgian army consists of 75% of contract soldiers. The number of conscripts will be gradually reduced by the end of next year. It is also expected to reduce the service life from 15 to 12 months.
The next military event in 2016 promised to be the loudest and most long-awaited. By the end of 2016, the United States planned to fully withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, however, in October 2015, he announced the cancellation of his plans, citing the previous unstable situation in the country.
