Growing out of tribal militias in one of the poorest countries in the world, the group is capable of harming international trade, artificially driving up oil prices, and imposing its agenda on key powers. And there are always buyers for these services among the Houthis.

The eighteenth EU sanctions package is, as usual, mocked by Russian officials for its ineffectiveness. However, public skepticism is accompanied by rather active moves from the Kremlin. Is this just a coincidence? It seems not.

The sharp drop in university admissions last year is easy to explain by government policy, where “loyalty is valued over intelligence.” But the reasons for the crisis in higher education run much deeper.

According to the most optimistic estimates, the total audience of popular science publications in Russia is only about 6 million people. That’s roughly 4% of the population. And this market in Russia today, it seems, is experiencing a crisis.