Event monitoring expert from May 25 to May 29, 2026, by the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "Minin Center"

      Experts from the "Minin Center" analyze the events of the past week that influence the socio-political situation in the world, Russia, and the Nizhny Novgorod region, where long-term trends are manifesting.

      The topics of the week are "The Citadel of Slavic Culture," "The Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region presented a report on the results of the regional government's activities for 2025," and "The districts of the Nizhny Novgorod region: the poor and the rich."

      Federal topic - The Citadel of Slavic Culture

      Expert from the "Minin Center," Russian poet, publicist, secretary of the Union of Writers of Russia, permanent member of the Izborsk Club, PhD in Philology Mikhail Kildyashov:

      "Thanks to the early Easter (and thus, the early Trinity), this year has created a sequence of holidays: the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture - Trinity - the Day of the Russian Language. Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius - the venerable Andrei Rublev - Pushkin embody these holidays. The high peaks, the supporting pillars of our culture. An unprecedented acceleration has been granted to Russian existence through them. 'In years, deeds of centuries are done' - this is also about them.

      Writing, which other peoples spent centuries creating, appeared in a few decades through the labors of the Thessalonian brothers. The Slavic alphabet arose, as a poem, a fresco, or a temple arises, when the image leads the artist, when the creative spirit perceives the original integrity and it is to be embodied with diligent effort.

      Rublev's "Trinity" is a contemplation of the eternal council about the creation of the world, the fall of man, Christ's sacrifice, and the salvation of existence. In this angelic feast, there is inexhaustible inspiration. In it are hidden all ideas. In it are poetry, music, plasticity, colors and shades, time and space, plots and heroes. In it is the inseparable connection of the earthly, the heavenly, and the artistic.

      Pushkin's linguistic creativity. We are still Pushkin-speaking. Our descendants will remain so. Pushkin's 'cherished lyre' is not only a language for the sake of literature but also literature for the sake of language. Pushkin is remarkable precision and subtlety in the choice of words, in their combination, in the conjunction of linguistic elements. Words from the temple, the noble salon, the peasant hut met in Pushkin's language and cohabited with each other, achieving unity. Weight and lightness, density and transparency, rustle and thunder, whisper and call - everything found its measure, its task.

      These three cultural leaps still define our movement. But if there were no Cyril and Methodius, there would be no blessed ladder from earth to heaven in our culture, and thus, there would be neither Rublev nor Pushkin.

      And how did we honor the brothers-illuminators this year? From what high platforms did high words resound on the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture? Did the mundane 'information space' flood with deep reflections on the connection of times, historical memory, the existential significance of our word? Are we lazy? Uncurious? Tepid? Or deliberately silent?

      The holiday, which originally sounded out loud in the world, which brought many laypeople to the church, which summoned our brothers 'from all corners of Slavic lands,' is now remembered only in church sermons and in the quiet province, where on modest stages, in libraries and schools, it has not been forgotten. It is good that it is so: through the church and the province, we have always been saved. But how important it is today to understand, 'where should we sail?' And without a clear course of the flagship, without a horizon to which the helmsman's gaze is directed, this movement cannot be realized.

      What is that force that again 'does not forgive us our Slavicness'? Why does it 'bless in the world'? Or without the Akhmatovas, Tyutchevs, N. I. Tolstoys, Klykovs, does this force have no one to resist it? Yes, Slavicness has now been betrayed and sold by many of our blood brothers. The European Union has become dearer to many than the Slavic Union. But we, Russians, must remain faithful to it. We are the citadel of Slavicness. Russia is the icon-ark, on which Cyril and Methodius are depicted together with Princess Olga, Prince Vladimir, and Sergius of Radonezh.

      After all, we have the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. A worthy word for everyone! We do not unfasten our hands in the round dance of friendship of all languages of our Fatherland! But we do not forget our Russianness. Russians are not 'one of' and not imperial cement. This is the core, from the gravitational force of which the orbit of the Russian world depends. If Russianness is strong, the orbit will expand 'to the walls of immovable China.' If Russianness is strong, everything worthy in world culture will cling to us: 'both sharp Gallic sense and gloomy German genius.'

      The main thing is not to lose that creative acceleration we received from Cyril and Methodius, Andrei Rublev, and Pushkin."

      Regional topic - The Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region presented a report on the results of the regional government's activities for 2025

      Expert from the "Minin Center," professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Doctor of Philosophy Andrei Dakhin:

      "On May 28, 2026, Governor Gleb Sergeyevich Nikitin presented a report in the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region on the results of the regional government's activities for 2025. As usual, it was a comprehensive overview of the main results in the areas of economy, infrastructure and transport, demographics, healthcare, support for participants of the Special Military Operation, education, tourism, and others.

      The overall impression is set by data indicating that the region has maintained a positive dynamics of economic activity and is implementing project tasks that meet the priorities of state programs supported by federal government funding. The gross regional product has been growing for the past three years (the growth was 17%), although the growth dynamics is decreasing, and in 2025 the GRP grew only by 1.1%.

      The governor explained that the decline occurred in the automotive industry, metallurgy, chemical and forestry industries. The reasons for this were both regional factors (decreased demand) and factors of a nationwide format (logistical difficulties and high key rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation). Nevertheless, the region has remained in the positive zone of economic activity largely due to investments, the volume of which reached 743 billion rubles in 2025.

      A physical manifestation of maintaining positive dynamics of economic activity is, in particular, that the region fully provides itself with grain, potatoes, and eggs.

      In 2025, the priority in the Nizhny Novgorod region became the 'Basis' program aimed at improving the demographic situation in the region. According to the governor, after the introduction of new measures, the total birth rate coefficient increased by almost 6%, and for the third and subsequent children - by more than 10%.

      Behind this are long-term plans to create all the necessary infrastructure to retain the growing population based on the principle of 'where you were born, there you are needed.' Once, in the 15th-16th centuries, to preserve the population in the territories, 'serfdom' was established. Now, times are different; people can freely move from one region to another. Therefore, to 'retain' new generations of Nizhny Novgorod residents who have reached working age in their small homeland, it is necessary to find solutions to housing issues, quality and accessibility of education and healthcare, improvement of residential areas and public spaces, comfort of public transport, and quality of the road network.

      In 2025, there are specific data on all these areas regarding the growth in the number of constructed and renovated facilities, etc. There is less specificity regarding the extent to which progress is being made towards the indicators that need to be achieved in 15 years, when the increase in birth rates will reach a new level, and the 'additionally' born during the 'Basis' program, having passed through the prepared places in kindergartens, schools, and creative centers, will reach working age and find pre-prepared jobs for them.

      The report, based on a comparison of the reporting year's data with data from previous years (the report 'from what has been achieved'), would benefit from being supplemented with data on the pace of progress towards final goals, on how much the 'distance' to reach a new level is being reduced. Such accounting of the 'target reason' is especially significant in matters related to the fulfillment of state obligations towards veterans of the Special Military Operation, which were reflected in the report on the principle of 'from what has been achieved.'

      The situation in this segment of regional policy is supplemented by information from the annual report of the human rights commissioner in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The report for 2025 states that out of a total of 5781 appeals, 2044 were addressed to the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Participants of the Special Military Operation and their families. This accounted for 35% of the total number of appeals, indicating the demand for the body