Look around you. Music, cinema, theater, books – everything that surrounds us and makes us feel is created by people of art.

For centuries, this creative energy in Russia has maintained its artistic depth and been passed from master to student. This is the land of Pushkin and Chekhov, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, Meyerhold and Stanislavsky. Here they lived, created their masterpieces, and amazed the world.

To those who wish to study in the language of their mastery and work with art in its authentic sound, Russia opens its doors.

Russian creative universities train directors, composers, performers, and many others – each student can choose a field where their talent can truly flourish.

The Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory is the heart of the Russian musical tradition. Students from around the world study here to become part of a globally renowned legacy.

Theater plays an equally important role in Russia’s creative life. The Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute trains future stage and film actors. Every day includes classes in choreography, stage speech, and vocal performance, led by masters whose plays and films are famous far beyond Russia. Yet practice remains the bedrock: students perform in productions and explore different roles – the stage becomes their second home.

Mentorship is one of the pillars of creative education. Universities employ exceptional professionals – teachers, performers, conductors, actors, directors, and artists.

Instructors not only teach but also help each student discover their true individuality.

Film sets, workshops, recording studios, rehearsal halls – these are all spaces of a single, unified art. In Russia, everyone can find their own form of self-expression.

If you are ready to create, dream of learning from recognized masters, and want to become part of a culture known worldwide – Russia is waiting for you.

The act of vandalism follows the deadly shooting at a Jewish celebration on Sunday

A Muslim cemetery has been vandalized in Sydney with butchered pig heads, in an apparent act of retribution following Sunday’s massacre at a Jewish celebration, local media have reported.

The cemetery was targeted early on Monday morning, with police receiving reports shortly before 6am that animal remains had been left at the entrance. Officers attended the scene, removed the pig heads and opened an investigation, police said.

Pigs heads discovered on the graves of Muslims after the recent Bondi Beach terror attack.

This is the beginning of some very dark times for Australia. #Australia #Bondi #BondiBeach #Sydney #Hannukah #BondiBeachShooting #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/hh1C57VQ6r

— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔶 𝔇𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔡𝔢𝔫𝔱 (@DailyD1ss1dent) December 15, 2025

The act of vandalism followed a deadly attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, in which at least 16 people were killed and dozens more injured when two gunmen opened fire. Police identified the suspects as Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram, and said the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack.

Authorities added that explosives were discovered in a vehicle linked to one of the gunmen, while Australian public broadcaster ABC reported that investigators believe the pair had pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

Muslims consider pigs ritually impure under Islamic law. Acts involving pig remains are widely understood as deliberately offensive.

Ahmad Hraichie, a prominent Muslim funeral director and the long-time undertaker at the cemetery, which is owned by the Lebanese Muslim Association, condemned the incident as “senseless and hateful.” The Australian National Imams Council also condemned the attack.

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The country’s Muslim community leaders have said they will refuse to perform traditional funeral rites or accept the bodies of the Bondi Beach attackers into Muslim burial grounds, arguing the violence was entirely contrary to Islamic teachings.

A local Muslim man was also praised for intervening by tackling one of the assailants and disarming him. Local media identified him as Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit shop owner who was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. A fundraiser launched in his support has reportedly received nearly $1 million in donations in the first hours.

Doctors save lives every day. It is a high-responsibility profession that requires high-quality education, hands-on practice, and strong mentors.

The Russian medical school combines a rich history with modern technologies.

Students from all over the world come to Russia to pursue their dream of becoming doctors. For example, the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) hosts students from 160 countries. Many international students also study at Sechenov University, the oldest medical university in the country.

Practical experience from day one is a key principle of medical education in Russia. Right from the start, training takes place in clinical centers. Skills are developed gradually: suturing, handling instruments and equipment. Academic staffs include both scientists and practicing physicians, who teach students how to perform procedures accurately and safely, make decisions, and apply knowledge even in complex clinical situations.

Adaptation programs and Russian language courses are available for international students, as Russian becomes the primary language for communication with instructors and patients.

At Sechenov University’s digital campus, students develop projects in telemedicine, pharmaceuticals, and AI platforms. Here, they can simultaneously treat, research, and innovate.

After graduation, international specialists have various paths: continue their studies, build a career in Russia, or return home with a highly regarded, internationally recognized degree.

Tapping the funds by overriding Budapest’s opposition is unlawful and helps fuel the Ukraine conflict, Hungary’s PM has said

Any move by the EU to seize frozen Russian funds without Budapest’s consent and in breach of European law would amount to a “declaration of war,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said.

The EU voted last week to keep Russian central bank assets frozen indefinitely, using emergency powers to bypass unanimity despite objections from some member states. The European Commission, and its head Ursula von der Leyen, want to use the $246 billion to back a “reparations loan” to Kiev – a scheme opposed by several countries, including Hungary and Slovakia. Russia has condemned the freeze as illegal and called any use of the funds “theft,” warning of economic and legal consequences.

In a social media post, Orban stated on Saturday that EU officials were trying to seize frozen Russian assets by “bypassing Hungary” and “raping European law in broad daylight,” which he said would amount to a “declaration of war.” He accused Brussels of fueling the conflict, adding that Hungary “will not play along” in what he called a “twisted” scheme.

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“I have never seen a seizure of 200 to 300 billion euros from a country that did not trigger some form of response,” Orban said.

According to the Hungarian leader, “three Germans are calling the shots.” He accused German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber and von der Leyen of steering the EU “into a dead end” or “straight into a wall.”

The vote put forward by von der Leyen cast the handling of frozen Russian assets as an economic emergency rather than a sanctions policy, enabling the EC to use Article 122 of the EU treaties to adopt the decision via a qualified majority vote instead of unanimity and sidestep veto threats.

Belgium, where most of the funds are held, has also raised concerns due to the legal and financial risks. The open-ended freeze is designed in part to pressure Brussels and secure its backing for the EU plan to seize Russian funds.

Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s advisor on international investment matters, said “panicked” EU officials were miscalculating, writing on X: “Russia will win in court and get them back… EU/€/Euroclear will suffer,” and warning it would undermine the reserve system and raise costs.

The proposed Ukraine “reparation loan” would undermine the American-designed global financial system, Kirill Dmitriev has warned

European leaders seeking to finance Ukraine using frozen Russian funds are eroding the international financial system, which was built around US interests, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

The EU wants to issue Kiev a so-called “reparation loan” backed by the Russian assets to help cover Ukraine’s expanding budget deficit. Moscow and several critics in the West argue that the move would amount to an unprecedented seizure of a nation’s wealth and would entail serious legal and financial consequences.

Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s advisor on international investment matters, said on Monday that “panicked” EU officials backing Kiev are making a serious miscalculation. By asserting a claim to the sovereign assets, he argued, they would undermine the current system of national reserves and drive up costs for all participants in the global financial system.

“Russia will win in court and get them [sovereign funds] back. EU guarantors will pay Ukraine’s bill. EU/€/Euroclear will suffer,” Dmitriev wrote on X.

Panicked EU bureaucrats keep blundering. They know using Russian reserves without CBR consent is illegal—undermining the US-built reserves system&raising costs for everyone. Russia will win in court&get them back. EU guarantors will pay Ukraine’s bill. EU/€/Euroclear will suffer

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) December 15, 2025

Euroclear, the Belgium-based clearing house where most of the frozen Russian assets are held, has been among the strongest opponents of the proposal, alongside the Belgian government. Both have warned that the move could expose the institution to major risks, potentially leading to bankruptcy.

As of December 2024, Euroclear held more than €40 trillion ($47 trillion) in assets for other parties, including equities, domestic and international bonds, and other financial instruments. The firm emphasizes its strong legal protections under Belgian law and its robust risk management framework.

READ MORE: EU member says it won’t finance Ukraine

The wider European depository market is dominated by three commercial players: Euroclear, Luxembourg-based Clearstream and Paris-headquartered Euronext, which is registered in Amsterdam. In total, 103 central banks rely on Euroclear to safeguard foreign currency reserves.

Senior financial figures, including European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, have previously cautioned that proceeding with the “reparation loan” could inflict lasting damage on the credibility and reputation of the EU’s financial system.

Last week, the Bank of Russia filed a lawsuit against Euroclear at the Moscow Arbitrage for damages caused by the immobilization of its funds.

Backing Palestinian statehood has stoked anti-Semitism, the Israeli prime minister has claimed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked Australian government policies to the deadly attack on a Jewish gathering in Sydney at the weekend, claiming that Canberra’s support for Palestinian statehood has fueled domestic anti-Semitism.

Two gunmen killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday. Police shot dead one of the attackers, identified as the elder member of a suspected father-and-son pair. A local Muslim man was praised for intervening by tackling one of the assailants and disarming him.

Netanyahu claimed the violence was the outcome of policies pursued by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, which he blamed for “promoting and encouraging anti-Semitism in Australia.” The Israeli leader said he had warned the Australian government months earlier against endorsing Palestinian statehood on those grounds.

Australia formally recognized Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, joining several countries seeking to pressure Israel over its military campaign in Gaza. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.

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“I wrote: ‘Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the anti-Semitic fire. It rewards Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets’,” Netanyahu remarked. The mass shooting stemmed from the Australian government’s “weakness” and “inaction” in combating the “cancer” of anti-Semitism, he claimed.

Albanese focused on domestic gun policy in his response to the attack, calling for restricting ownership. Police said the deceased suspect legally owned six firearms, which were allegedly used in the assault.

The Bondi Beach attack marked Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which a lone gunman killed 35 people.

Israel launched its military operation in Gaza after the October 2023 attack by Hamas and other militant groups. The campaign has since expanded to strikes in Lebanon and Yemen and included a brief but intense exchange of drones and missiles with Iran. Authorities in Gaza say the death toll has exceeded 70,000 and continues to rise, despite a US-backed ceasefire announced in October.

Russia is the homeland of great inventions and scientific breakthroughs. It was here that the first satellite was launched, the first humans ventured into space, and the first artificial heart was developed.

If you want to change the world – start your studies in Russia!

At Russian engineering and technical universities, future professionals assemble microchips and build satellites, study living cells, and advance biotechnologies that will, in turn, improve medicine, industry, and other strategically important fields.

Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU) is one of the country’s leading technical universities and research centers. It has developed a world-renowned engineering tradition. Its alumni include Sergey Korolev, the chief designer of the Soviet space program; aircraft designers Andrey Tupolev and Pavel Sukhoi; test cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov; and hundreds of other pioneers. Today, the famous “Baumanka” features a modern campus, high-tech laboratories, and engineering clusters where students create world-class projects.

Another hub of technological excellence is the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), founded by Nobel laureates. The university was created to train a research elite and has been involved in space and nuclear programs from its earliest years. MIPT represents science at the intersection of multiple disciplines: physics, mathematics, bioengineering, and computational technologies.

Russian technical universities welcome students from around the world and offer programs in both Russian and English. Modern laboratories, academic support, and preparatory courses create the conditions for rapid development and active participation in real scientific projects.

A refueling aircraft with its transponder reportedly off flew dangerously close to a JetBlue airliner

A passenger airliner nearly collided mid-flight with a US military aircraft near the Venezuelan coast on Friday, the Associated Press and the New York Times have reported, citing radio communications and flight tracking data.

The incident occurred amid a US naval buildup in the Caribbean and US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike “narcoterrorists” on Venezuelan soil.

JetBlue Flight 1112 reportedly encountered a US Air Force refueling tanker while traveling from Curaçao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela, to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Twenty minutes after takeoff, the airliner suddenly lost altitude mid-climb. “We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot was quoted as saying. “They passed directly in our flight path … They don’t have their transponder turned on; it’s outrageous.”

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JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski said on Sunday that the airline had reported the incident to the authorities. “Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team,” he said.

US Southern Command spokesman Colonel Manny Ortiz said they were “aware of the recent reporting regarding US military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter.” He added that safety remained a top priority and that the military was “working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation.”

Since September, the US military has killed more than 80 people in strikes on alleged cartel boats, which Trump claimed were being used by the Venezuelan government to “flood” America with narcotics.

Venezuela has denied any involvement in drug trafficking and said the strikes were part of a “colonialist” plan to topple President Nicolas Maduro and plunder the country’s natural resources.

The two gunmen who reportedly killed at least 15 people at Bondi Beach on Sunday had allegedly pledged allegiance to Islamic State

A father and son have been identified as the primary suspects behind a deadly attack on members of the Jewish community at Australia’s Bondi Beach, police said.

On Sunday, the two reportedly opened fire on people who had gathered in the Sydney suburb to mark the first day of Hanukkah, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens more. The Queensland Police Service said the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism.

Police identified the suspects as Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters that Sajid Akram was killed at the scene, while Naveed is in “critical but stable condition” and remains in hospital. He added that the father legally owned six firearms.

“There was little knowledge of either of these men by the authorities,” Lanyon said.

Australia’s public broadcaster ABC reported that counterterrorism investigators believe the Akrams had pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

The terrorist group’s flag was reportedly found in their car.

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According to the network, Australia’s domestic intelligence agency ASIO investigated Naveed Akram six years ago over his ties to IS sympathizer Isaac El Matari, who was arrested in 2019 for planning a terrorist attack and later sentenced to prison.

ASIO chief Mike Burgess confirmed that one of the suspects was known to the agency, but “not in an immediate-threat perspective.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the shooting as “an evil act of antisemitism and terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”

“An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian,” he added.

Israeli officials and Jewish groups have previously accused Australia of demonizing Israel over the war in Gaza and of not doing enough to combat antisemitism.

Friedrich Merz’s grandfather was a politician in the Third Reich

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose grandfather was a member of the Nazi Party, has compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler.

Merz’s maternal grandfather, Josef Paul Sauvigny, served as mayor of Brilon in what is now North Rhine-Westphalia from 1917 to 1937. Initially a member of the conservative Center Party, Sauvigny joined Hitler’s NSDAP after the Nazis came to power in the early 1930s.

Speaking at a Christian Democratic Union conference in Munich on Sunday, Merz accused Putin of seeking to restore the borders of the Soviet Union.

“If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop. Just as the Sudetenland was not enough (for Hitler) in 1938, Putin will not stop either,” Merz said, referring to the moment when Britain and France allowed Nazi Germany to annex parts of Czechoslovakia.

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Putin has repeatedly said that Russia would not attack NATO unless attacked first. He has also stressed the need to combat historical revisionism, particularly attempts to deny or belittle the Soviet Union’s decisive role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II. The USSR lost around 27 million people in the war, including Putin’s older brother, who died during the blockade of Leningrad.

Speaking on Victory Day in Moscow in 2023, Putin warned about the spread of supremacist ideologies and said that “Western globalist elites” were “inciting hatred, Russophobia, and aggressive nationalism.”

Putin has argued that NATO expansion and the West’s growing military ties with Ukraine were among the key causes of the current conflict. Last month, he accused Western countries of seeking to “dismember” Russia and strip it of its sovereignty.