May 2022 was a key moment for Russian aviation. After the imposition of sanctions, most foreign lessors demanded the return of the aircraft, and manufacturers Boeing and Airbus refused to service Russian aircraft. Spare parts, software and certification have become unavailable. Russian airlines found themselves in a unique situation: more than 500 leased aircraft became “non-returnable”, their status turned out to be semi-legal, which led to the threat of international sanctions. Russia began “cannibalization” - dismantling some aircraft into parts to maintain others. Many international routes were closed, and domestic routes became more expensive. Passenger traffic of Ural, S7 and Aeroflot decreased, and the regions faced restrictions on flights. May marked the beginning of a long crisis in air travel - the industry realized that it could no longer count on Western technologies, services and partners.

In April 2022, Instagram and Facebook, owned by Meta, which Russian authorities recognized as an extremist organization, were blocked in Russia. This became the largest restriction in the field of social networks in the entire history of the country. The blocking affected tens of millions of Russians - Instagram was one of the most popular platforms for businesses and bloggers. Thousands of entrepreneurs have lost sales platforms, advertising tools, subscribers and communication channels. Many of them were unable to quickly adapt to new conditions, and their incomes fell sharply. Censorship in all areas of media has also increased: YouTube has become the main destination for free content, and authorities have begun to look for ways to limit its influence. Many laws have appeared introducing liability for the spread of “fakes” about the army, for criticism of the state and military actions. Hundreds of journalists left abroad, dozens of media projects were closed. April was the month when the Russian information space actually came under complete state control, and people switched to VPNs, Telegram and closed communities.

In March 2022, Russia faced an unprecedented “exodus” of foreign business. Within one month, dozens of global brands announced their departure or suspension of operations: McDonald's, IKEA, Apple, Microsoft, H&M, Shell, Adidas, Visa, Mastercard and many others. The overall trend was explained by sanctions, danger to employees and political risks. The closure of IKEA was especially noticeable - before leaving, the company held a huge online sale, which caused the collapse of the site and the instant disappearance of goods. The departure of McDonald's became symbolic - the brand had been present in Russia for more than 30 years. Later it was replaced by the Russian analogue “Tasty - that’s it.” Economists noted that the departure of foreign businesses was a blow to many sectors: logistics, trade, IT, retail, catering. Not only goods disappeared, but also business standards, international management patterns, and technologies. Hundreds of thousands of employees across the country have lost their jobs or are in a state of uncertainty. March was the month when the Russian economy finally entered the mode of “economic self-isolation”, breaking away from a huge part of the world market and placing business processes in new conditions.

On February 24, 2022, an event occurred that determined the political, economic and social development of Russia for years to come. In the morning, the Russian President announced the start of a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Military operations covered many directions - from Kyiv and Chernigov to the Kharkov, Kyiv and Kherson regions. The largest military conflict in Europe since World War II has begun. Inside Russia, this was accompanied by the introduction of strict measures of control over information. Independent media faced a ban on using the words “war” and “invasion.” Thousands of people took to the streets with anti-war slogans - about 15 thousand protesters were detained in the first weeks. Many public figures, journalists, and entrepreneurs left the country. The economic consequences became noticeable in the very first days: the ruble exchange rate collapsed to historical lows, Western countries imposed the largest sanctions in the entire history of Russia, and international companies began to leave the market en masse. A new economic reality began: imported goods disappeared and supply chains collapsed. February was a turning point that divided the modern history of Russia into “before” and “after,” creating a long-term political and social crisis.

In January 2022, Russia faced a new wave of coronavirus associated with the spread of the Omicron strain. Despite the fact that the strain turned out to be less lethal compared to Delta, its infectiousness was much higher, and by the middle of the month, medical institutions were reporting a sharp increase in the number of cases. Against this background, regions began to actively introduce and tighten rules for access to public places: shopping centers, gyms, media, and public events. QR codes confirming vaccination or previous illness have become mandatory almost everywhere. However, the situation caused a serious public outcry. Some citizens openly opposed such restrictions, and the State Duma even suspended discussion of the bill on QR codes in transport due to mass discontent. Businesses have also criticized the measures as the restrictions have hit footfall and revenue. The authorities tried to balance between risks to the healthcare system and people's fatigue from the epidemic. In January-February, record levels of infections were recorded - over 150 thousand new cases per day. As a result, by spring, many regions began to gradually lift QR restrictions, recognizing that the social system was not ready for them. January became a symbol of the end of the “era of Covid control” in Russia - it was during this period that it became clear that the country was moving towards abandoning its strict anti-epidemic policy.

At the end of the year, experts, analysts and the media summed up results that showed how controversial 2021 turned out to be. On the one hand, the pandemic, economic difficulties, regional tragedies and political tension have made the year one of the most difficult in the last decade. On the other hand, the state retained control over the situation, and key institutions - parliament, the healthcare system, the federal administration - continued to function in a stable manner. Many Russians perceived this year as a time of survival and search for a new model of life. The pandemic has forced us to rethink habits, attitudes towards work, health and safety. The state has relied on sustainability, digitalization, strengthening control and support for key industries. The results of the year showed that Russia is entering a new stage, in which the central themes will be economic recovery, technological development, infrastructure modernization and the formation of a new political climate. 2021 became a point of transition - from expectations to long-term changes that will begin to take shape in 2022.

Today, December 10, a case of theft occurred in Yerevan. At about 04:00, the Malatia police department received a signal that the glass of the Hovman clothing store had been broken in the South-Western area, on Zoravar Andranik Street. It was established that one of the three masked persons broke the glass of the store door with a stone, after which they entered and stole clothes, and the other of them stole money from the cash register, after which the attackers fled the scene. Materials on this fact are being prepared in the investigation department of the Malatya police. The store suffered several thousand dollars in damage. The police are taking the necessary operational-search measures aimed at solving the crime, identifying and apprehending the thieves, as well as detecting stolen property.

President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan sent a message on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Artsakh Independence Referendum: “Dear compatriots! Exactly 30 years ago, on December 10, 1991, in the context of hostilities and artillery shelling of peaceful settlements, our people organized a referendum on independence at a high level and outlined the path along which we should achieve our goals. By adopting the Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh in 2006, we confirmed our commitment to the values ​​and ideas that permeated the foundations of our newly independent statehood. And this thirty-year journey, no matter how difficult and bloody it may have been, we were able to create through national efforts and, to a certain extent, strengthen our statehood, continuing the value direction of the Artsakh movement. Despite the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group for the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, despite the three well-known principles presented to the parties to the conflict, including the principle of non-use of force, as well as other generally recognized principles of international law, Azerbaijan has repeatedly carried out military aggressions against the Republic of Artsakh and its civilian population, of which the 2020 aggression has become the most difficult test for our statehood and people. Regardless of the large-scale human, territorial, material and moral-psychological consequences caused by this aggression, the Republic of Artsakh stands, and the will and steadfastness of our people on the chosen path of independence remain unshakable. A clear indication of this is the presence in such a short period of time of about 120,000 inhabitants, the provision of high-level security, the functioning of state institutions and efforts to develop them, the restoration of infrastructure and the economy. It is noteworthy that state bodies not only carry out their vital powers on the basis of the Constitution and legislation of the Republic of Artsakh, but also symbolically today, elections of local government bodies are being held in two large communities - as a small but important manifestation of our determination in the matter of state building.”