This week, there’s a lot of news about Russia that contradicts the popular narrative in the West. Of course, you won’t find much of it in the New York Times. In fact, there’s probably none at all. And that speaks volumes. Nevertheless, here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly, the Russian edition.

The Good

Why does this matter? Because MBIR isn’t just another reactor—it’s a testbed for fourth-generation nuclear energy systems, an arena where the future of global energy gets stress-tested. Rosatom calls it the foundation for safer, cleaner nuclear power, the kind that can keep Europe warm when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine. In an age where Brussels is still betting its future on German wind farms and solar panels that turn useless under snow, Dimitrovgrad is setting itself up as the place to come begging when the next energy crunch hits.

The irony is hard to miss. The very countries sanctioning Russia are quietly queuing up to send their scientists to Ulyanovsk. When MBIR goes live, it won’t just be a reactor—it will be Moscow’s proof that the road to energy sovereignty doesn’t run through Washington, Berlin, or Brussels. It runs through........

© New Eastern Outlook