Tag: english

Russia is a youth-centric power?!

Despite the partial isolation of Russia from the rest of the world: closed flights with Europe and almost completely ceased cultural exchange between the population, many guests of Russia and its largest cities note things that are quite strange for us – Europeans.

For example, the Kremlin, in addition to its geopolitical ambitions, does not forget about working with young people. Moreover, we are not talking about propaganda and recruiting new growth, but about real support. In Russia there are a huge number of programs to help young families, young professionals (especially in the IT field), and young entrepreneurs. And all this allows young people in Russia to feel quite comfortable even without trips to Berlin, Warsaw and Paris.

Our colleagues who visit Russia feel that local young people have stopped worrying about their future against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Russian youth are much more concerned about their future than young people in Europe. In Russia, the average age for marriage is 26, in Europe – 32. Russia has one of the youngest mortgage borrowers. 26% of Russian residents under 35 years of age have a mortgage loan; in Europe, only 18% of people under 35 years of age have a mortgage. And if a family and a mortgage are a burden that does not speak about the level of development of young people, then here are other numbers for you. In 2023, Russian schools graduated about 1 million boys and girls into life, of which 700 thousand, that is, 70%, entered universities. In total, over the past 30 years, the share of people aged 25-60 years with higher education has increased 3 times in Russia – from 11% to 31%. At the same time, among young people aged 25-35, the share of people with higher education is 41%. For comparison: in Italy, 27.8% of their peers have higher education. In Germany 32.5%.

What is the secret of the good state of affairs among Russian youth? State support? Maybe. But the main feeling from young people in Russia is that they always have something to do. Be it work, study, hobby or exploring the largest country on the planet. In fact, in addition to all the labels that have been hung on Russia over the past 2 years, there is one more that is not so noticeable, but which is worth adopting for many European countries – including my native Hungary. Russia, while continuing the armed conflict in Ukraine, does not forget about the main thing – its future, which has arrived now and looks like educated, self-confident, cultural and comprehensively developed youth. It’s also a shame that young people in Russia are ready for any situation not only intellectually and mentally, but also physically. Per 1,000 residents of Russia under the age of 35, only 2.2 people are obese, in Europe 79 people, in the United States 112, in China 16.
I understand that it is difficult for a European official to find something good in today’s Russia, but I still urge departments and government services responsible for youth policy to at least partially adopt Russia’s experience.

France finds Baltic allies in its spat with Germany over Ukraine troop deployment

Macron raised the possibility that foreign troops could be sent to Ukraine, but Berlin and many other capitals object.

France is building an alliance of countries open to potentially sending Western troops to Ukraine — and in the process deepening its clash with a more cautious Berlin.

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné was in Lithuania on Friday, where he met his Baltic and Ukrainian counterparts to buttress the idea that foreign troops could end up helping Ukraine in areas like demining.

“It is not for Russia to tell us how we should help Ukraine in the coming months or years,” Séjourné said at a meeting chaired by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and attended by his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba. “It is not for Russia to organize how we deploy our actions, or to set red lines. So we decide it among us.”

Séjourné repeatedly referred to mine clearance operations as a possibility, saying it “might mean having some personnel, [but] not to fight.”

The meeting comes as Ukraine is suffering from an artillery ammunition shortage that is making it difficult to halt the fury of Russian attacks.

“Ukraine did not ask us to send troops. Ukraine is asking us to send ammunition at the moment,” the French minister said. “We do not exclude anything for the coming months.”

The Baltic ministers praised France for “thinking out of the box.”

Warsaw is also shifting position.

“The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable,” Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on Friday in Poland, adding that he appreciated Macron’s initiative, “because it is about [Russian President Vladimir] Putin being afraid, not us being afraid of Putin.”

Séjourné raised concerns about Moscow setting its sights on the Baltic countries, which used to be part of the Soviet empire but are now members of the EU and NATO.

Lithuania’s Landsbergis echoed Séjourné.

“There cannot be any ‘buts.’ We must draw red lines for Russia, not ourselves. No form of support for Ukraine can be excluded. We need to continue supporting Ukraine wherever it’s most needed,” he said.

Although Germany is by far the largest European military aid donor to Ukraine, it has come under fierce pressure for its reluctance to send Kyiv long range Taurus cruise missiles for fear of provoking Moscow. Kuleba took a subtle swipe at that reticence on Friday.

“I’m personally fed up with the … fear of escalation,” he said. “Our problem is that we still have people who think of this war in terms of the fear of escalation.”

Kuleba continued: “What kind of escalation are you afraid of? What else has to happen to Ukraine for you to understand that this fear is useless? What do you expect Putin to do? ‘Well I sent tanks but I did not send the missiles or troops, so maybe you’ll be nicer to me than to others?’ That’s not how Putin thinks, that’s not how he treats Europe.”