The Two Towers

Price Tag of Grozny’s Akhmat Tower Rises to One Billion Dollars
Anton Pogorelsky
RBC
October 21, 2016

The cost of building Chechyna’s tallest tower has doubled

The final cost of building the Akhmat Tower, the tallest building in Grozny, will be one billion US dollars or 66 billion rubles, reports Rambler News Service, quoting Muslim Khuchiyev, the city’s mayor. This is twice the earlier announced amount of five hundred million US dollars. The reason for the increase in the skyscraper’s price was not specified.

“This is nothing other than [private] investments. Not a kopeck of the budget [will be spent],” Rambler News Service quoted Khuchiyev as saying.

The 102-storey Akhmat Tower will be 435 meters high, 35 meters more than was planned initially. According to Khuchiyev, after construction of the Akhmat Tower has been completed, it will be the tallest building in Europe. At the moment, the title belongs to the 374-meter-high Federation Tower in Moscow. However, the title of the tallest building on the continent should pass to the Lakhta Center in Petersburg. It will be 462 meters tall, 27 meters more than the Chechen tower.

Translated by the Russian Reader

Vadim F. Lurie, Lahta Center (under construction) seen through the Western High-Speed Diameter (ZSD) highway, Petersburg, September 30, 2016. Photo courtesy of the photographer — Lakhta Center (under construction), as seen over the Western High-Speed Diameter (ZSD) highway, Petersburg, September 30, 2016. Photo by Vadim F. Lurie. Reprinted with his kind permission

Hoe Your Own Row

Nearly Half of All Russians Have Switched to Subsistence Farming
Natalya Novopashina
RBC
October 21, 2016

The percentage of Russians who grow food in their gardens has increased to 46%. At the same, food sales in stores have decreased, according to GfK Russia.

In two years, the percentage of Russians growing vegetables and fruits in their own gardens has increased from 39% to 46%. Moreover, production of their own vegetables is the main source of nutrition for the 15% of “active” gardeners, GfK Russia CEO Alexander Demidov told RBC.

“We have noticed a fairly big burst. People have been switching to growing their own produce. It is definitely a crisis,” he said, adding that the percentage of Russians engaged in subsistence farm not as a hobby, but to feed themselves, will only grow.

Irina Koziy, general director of industry news website FruitNews, confirms the trend, noting that it is most visible in medium-sized towns for now.

“Besides, there are a number of programs in the regions under which needy and large families are supplied with seed potatoes for planting in the spring. Such programs operate in Buryatia, Kuzbass, and a number of other regions,” said Koziy.

“The consumer moods of Russians have improved slightly, but they still remain in the negative zone,” notes GfK Russia’s report “The Russian Consumer 2016: Adapting to the Crisis.”

In April 2016, 53% of respondents reported the crisis had had a direct impact on their lives. In July 2016, this figure was 46%.

And yet, in reality, the actual financial circumstances of Russians have not improved. They have simply adapted to the crisis and regard the current economic reality more calmly.

“The effect of adjusting to the situation has kicked in, because people don’t believe the crisis will be resolved soon,” said Demidov. “So crisis consumerist strategies are still in effect.”

According to GfK, the vast majority of respondents (75%) said they were willing to give up purchasing certain goods. In particular, according to the company, the greatness number of Russians (17% of respondents) have been saving money by cutting out trips to beauty salons. Other expenditures that had been cut included purchases of household appliances (16%) and cosmetics (15%).

The sales of most foods have also decreased. According to GfK, during the year beginning July 2015 and ending July 2016, sales of dairy products and meat decreased in physical terms by 0.5% and 0.8%, respectively. Most of all, consumers scrimped on sweets and snacks (a 3% decrease), bread products (a 7% decrease), and fish and seafood (a 7.4% decrease). A slight increase occurred in sales of frozen products (1.1%), eggs (1.4%), fresh fruits and vegetables (1.5%), and baby food (2.2%).

During the same period, the volume in terms of price of goods purchased through promotions grew by 45%. And the share of promotions throughout the fast-moving consumer goods sector increased from 12.2% to 14.1%, according to GfK’s calculations.

Translated by the Russian Reader. Photo courtesy of russiannotes.com

In Absentia

Ilya Shepelin
Facebook
October 21, 2016

My morning has begun with a call from Ksenia Babich. At dawn, a band of investigators from the Investigative Committee forced their way into her flat.

They are searching the flat in connection with a case against Artyom Skoropadsky, press secretary of the Right Sector, an organization banned in Russia. Mr. Skoropadsky studied at Moscow State University’s journalism department, but now he is unlikely to return to Russia. Nevertheless, the Investigative Committee is putting together another trial where the accused will be tried in absentia. (Such trials, in which there no defendant in the courtroom, but he or she is meted out a harsh sentence, are no longer uncommon in Russia.) So they need evidence, and have now found their way to Ksenia, who was in the same year at the journalism department as Skoropadsky. So a dozen investigators, putting aside all their other work, pounded on her door at six in the morning.

For Ksenia, these events are sad, above all, because her computer, telephone, and any other electronic devices found in the flat will be confiscated as evidence. And of course, as particularly valuable physical evidence, they are unlikely to be returned.

There’s another cute particular. Ksenia managed to write a post about [the search] on Facebook, but, hot on her heels, a particularly resourceful officer confiscated her phone and deleted the post : – )

Olya Osipova and I are now headed to Ksenia’s place. Friends and acquaintances are invited to join us.

Since the prudent investigators deleted Ksenia’s post about the search, please press “Like” and “Share.” We need to give those geezers a little something to smile about.

Ilya Shepelin is a reporter at Takie Dela, an online magazine and charitable foundation. Ksenia Babich is press officer at the Russian Justice Initiative. Translated by the Russian Reader. Thanks to Comrade AK for the heads-up