Source: Kolokol XXI (Telegram), 6 October 2024
Distinguished teachers awarded for their many years of work and achievements
On October 5, the country and the Bryansk Region celebrate Teachers’ Day. This is the day when our teachers are thanked and given flowers, and concerts and matinees are organized in their honor.
Celebrations were also held at Prep School No. 27 in the Bryansk Region’s Fokino District. District head Alexander Gavrilov, Department of Education director Alevtina Andreyeva, and others made welcoming speeches.
All of them noted the importance of pedagogical labor, and the huge role which educators and teachers play in the life of every individual. Distinguished teachers were given awards for their many years of work and for their achievements.
A warm atmosphere and positive emotions reigned at the event. The festive mood was supplied by artists from the Railroaders Cultural Center and the village of Belye Berega.
Source: Marina Frolova, “On eve of Teachers’ Day in Bryansk, celebrations held at Prep School No. 27,” Bryansk bez formata, 3 October 2024. Translated by the Russian Reader
On October 3, on the eve of Teachers’ Day, a festive event was held in Bryansk to honor the region’s pedagogical workers — teachers, educators, master trainers, and continuing education instructors. The event was held at the Yuri Gagarin Bryansk Regional Governor’s Palace of Children’s and Youth Creativity. Among the honored guests were Valentin Subbot, chair of the Bryansk Regional Duma, and Alexander Bogomaz, head of the region, as well as representatives of the government, trade unions and educational organizations.
Teachers’ Day is a holiday celebrated in Russia on October 5, coinciding with World Teachers’ Day. The quality of education is annually improved, innovative technologies are introduced, new schools are built, and modern educational centers are opened annually in the Bryansk Region. These achievements have been recognized at the federal level and generate favorable conditions for teachers and students.
In his address to the teachers, Governor Alexander Bogomaz, who himself grew up in a family of teachers, emphasized the importance of their profession. He noted that, thanks to the supreme professionalism and wisdom of teachers, patriots ready to serve their Motherland were being brought up in the Bryansk Region.
The Governor also touched upon the issue of awarding teachers. Seven years ago, the law on awarding the title “Honored Educational Worker of the Bryansk Region” was adopted, but only three such titles are awarded per year. The head of the region proposed increasing this number to ten, taking into account the difficult conditions in which teachers work, especially in border areas. This decision would be a well-deserved recognition of their contribution to the development of education in the region.
Source: Yulia Sumner, “Teachers honored on eve of Teachers Day in Bryansk,” Moi Bryansk, 3 October 2024. Translated by the Russian Reader. The emphasis is mine.
Prices for flowers have skyrocketed in Bryansk in the run-up to Teachers’ Day. This holiday, like March 8, is one of the key days for the flower business. The same picture is observed throughout the country.
According to Izvestia, the average check for a bouquet for Teachers’ Day comes to about three thousand rubles (approx. 28 euros), while the demand for flowers has increased by thirty percent. They note an increase in flower sales on online platforms as well.
The newspaper writes that consumers are increasingly choosing more expensive and complex arrangements, including original bouquets and mono bouquets.
A “teacher’s” bouquet in Bryansk will cost between two and three thousand roubles, on average. Roses, especially bush roses and peonies, as well as chrysanthemums and lilies are traditionally popular on Teachers’ Day.
Earlier, we reported that the Governor of Bryansk Region had proposed amending the regional law on awarding the honorary title “Honored Educational Worker of the Bryansk Region.” The head of the region said that he considers it fair to increase the number of awards to ten per year, as the teachers of the region do a tremendous job.
Source: “Flower prices in Bryansk predictably increase before Teachers’ Day,” Bryanskie novosti, 4 October 2024. Translated by the Russian Reader
The Russian government has submitted a draft federal budget for 2025 and budget projections through 2027 to the State Duma. Although it is called a “draft” budget, no major changes will be made to it, of course. Budget revenues are supposed to increase by 11.6%, while expenditures will rise by only 5.2%. However, before this happens, both revenues and expenditures will grow, especially expenditures: up to 39.4 trillion rubles, against the planned 36.7 trillion.
A year ago, approximately the same people in the government were determined to curb military expenditures in 2025, hoping to end the war in Ukraine. Now it is clear that the war may not end in 2025 either, so the projections for the next two years do not provide for a significant reduction in defense spending. In 2025, 32.4% of Russia’s money will be blown up, buried, shot, crushed, pulverized, etc.: 13.49 trillion rubles! In last year’s forecast, defense spending also took a huge chunk — 29.4% (10.77 trillion rubles) — but it was still not that much.
Economist Igor Lipsits argues that it will be quite difficult for the financial authorities to cope with this task. It’s not that they won’t find the money; it’s that the conditions under which they find the money will hurt the populace. But the populace is no stranger to that!
As they say, to buy something you don’t need, you have to give something up. The list of things that will have to be given up includes support for Russia’s regions, and money for them has in fact been cut. Although they won’t get any money, they will have their budget debts canceled. The Jesuitic twist here is that they probably wouldn’t pay them back anyway. That’s the practice. In other words, that’s how the federal government supports the regions.
Another funny thing is that the funding for civilian drones has been cut. On the one hand, this is understandable: what do they need civilian drones for? They need military drones! On the other hand, this money has been partially used to finance “voluntary” designs, which subsequently, again in a voluntary fashion, make their way to the front and play a quite significant role there.
If we return to the revenue part of the budget, as usual, almost a third of it derives from oil and gas revenues. Oil and gas analyst Mikhail Krutikhin explains that not all is rosy with these revenues; they may even go downhill. The fact that some of the most unprofitable Russian companies are state-owned gives some insight into what the prospects for taxing Russian business might look like. And when analysts speak about dividends from oil companies, they argue that they will decrease. The trend, as described by oil and gas experts, is that prices will decline in 2025.
Prices probably would have continued to fall, but then Israel launched a war against Hezbollah, and oil reacted sensitively, triggering a rise in futures prices.
Source: Moscow Times Russian Service, weekly newsletter, 6 October 2024. Translated by the Russian Reader
