The most significant events of 2023
Contents:
• 2022 was so “simple” and “easy” that even a meme appeared in Runet: “What do you expect from the New Year? Have mercy! The Bestbewertet.top editors wish all readers that 2023 will be better, calmer and more peaceful than the outgoing year, give you a lot of positive emotions, pleasant meetings and interesting articles (we will provide the latter)!
• On the eve of the chiming clock and the splash of champagne, let's remember the most important events of 2023 by months.
January – a successful mission of the CSTO forces
• The highlight of the first month of 2023 was the first-ever operation using the forces of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization). It was held by Russia in Kazakhstan, at the request of the current President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Mass protests in Almaty escalated into armed clashes between protesters and government forces.
• The basis of the CSTO forces became the units and military units of the Russian Airborne Forces, they were joined by the Belarusian, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Armenian military.
• The peacekeeping mission made it possible to thwart plans to seize the presidential residence in Nur-Sultan and stabilize the situation in the country. The operation began on January 7, and on January 11 it was announced that its main part had been successfully completed.
February – the beginning of a special operation in Ukraine
• On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. And on February 24, he announced the start of a special military operation, the purpose of which, quote: "the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, and the protection of Donbass."
• Russian troops were sent to Ukraine, at first only those who served under the contract. However, later, on September 21, partial mobilization was announced to hold the front with a length of more than 2000 kilometers.
• SVO can be called the main event in 2022, since the special operation continues to this day, and it is not known when it will end.
March – the beginning of the mass exodus of foreign companies from the Russian market, the departure of Chubais
• Perhaps the most painful for ordinary Russians was the decision of Visa and MasterCard to suspend all operations in our country. This was announced on March 5th. The MIR payment system has become an alternative, but only within the country, outside of Russia, it is no longer possible to make purchases using MIR cards (with rare exceptions), as well as using Visa and Mastercard cards issued.
Also, such giants as Microsoft, Apple, Dell, Siemens, AMD, Intel, OBI, Adidas, ASOS, McDonald's and others left the country. List of companies that left Russia.
• Another important event in March was the departure of Anatoly Chubais from the country. It is unlikely that the Russian Themis will now be able to ask many interesting questions to the ex-head of Rosnano, who was seen in the Promised Land.
April – Vladimir Zhirinovsky died
• The permanent leader of the Liberal Democratic Party died on April 6, from the effects of the coronavirus strain "omicron" and diabetes. Both lungs failed the politician, and extensive sepsis began.
• It is curious that Zhirinovsky was buried during his lifetime, a message about his death appeared in a number of media on March 25, citing Senator Alexander Pronyushkin.
• You can treat Vladimir Volfovich in different ways, but one thing cannot be denied: he made amazingly accurate predictions. Back in 2012, he predicted the Maidan in Ukraine, predicted military operations in Syria, and in 2021 he named the date of the special operation, having made a couple of days mistake.
«Then we can accept another program. And what, you will feel at 4 o'clock in the morning on February 22. I would like 2022 to be a year of peace, but I love the truth, I have been telling the truth for 75 years. This will not be a peaceful year. This will be the year when Russia will finally become a great country again", – said Zhirinovsky.
May – Russia does not participate in the World Economic Forum, changes in sports, the Azov Battalion surrendered
• For the first time in 35 years, our delegation did not come to Davos to participate in this event. And in May, the eSports discipline "Tactical XNUMXD Combat" was added to the All-Russian List of Sports, which combines shooter games and various XNUMXD action games.
• Thanks to this, games such as Counter-Strike, World of Tanks and Overwatch are now considered sports and can be used as official competitions.
• Finally, on May 20, a special operation was completed at Azovstal, and the militants of the Ukrainian terrorist battalion Azov, who had been hiding there, surrendered.
June – closed skies, non-execution of ECtHR decisions, problems with the transit of goods to Kaliningrad
• On June 6, three countries at once – Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro – closed their airspace for Sergey Lavrov's plane. The Russian foreign minister was about to visit Serbia, but due to the closure of the airspace, he was forced to postpone the visit.
• The next day, June 7, Russia adopted a package of laws on non-enforcement of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights adopted after March 15, 2023.
• On June 18, Lithuania stopped the rail transit of a number of goods to the Kaliningrad region of Russia. Under the ban, in particular, were building materials, metals, cement, alcohol and wood. The transport blockade was lifted only at the end of July.
July – first case of monkeypox
As soon as the Russians more or less breathed freely after the coronavirus epidemic, a new misfortune came to replace it – monkeypox., the first case of the disease was recorded on July 12.
• Fortunately, due to the specific mode of transmission of the disease, monkeypox "did not take root".
August – Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, forest fires, death of Mikhail Gorbachev
• Although the visit of the speaker of the US House of Representatives to Taiwan does not directly concern Russia, it was perhaps the most heatedly discussed eventn forums. Will the Chinese authorities shoot down her plane or not? They didn’t shoot down, someone considered it China’s weakness, and someone considered it wisdom.
• Meanwhile, forest fires were raging, due to which 53 people were injured in the Rostov region alone, and 139 were evacuated. The total area of fires was 122,5 thousand hectares. Worst of all was Yakutia, where 74 hectares were destroyed by fire.
• On August 30, the first and only president of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, died. He was 91 years old. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery, next to his wife Raisa.
September – partial mobilization, death of Elizabeth II
• Partial mobilization was announced on September 21, due to the loss of personnel and the need to control the greatly expanded front. The official figure was 300 mobilized, and drafting activities were completed at the end of October.
• Partial mobilization caused a strong outflow of young people from Russia. The most popular countries for relocation, temporary or permanent, were Armenia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkey and Israel.
• On September 8, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain died at the age of 96. The new British monarch was her 73-year-old son Charles – the oldest king of Britain at the time of the beginning of the reign. Although this event did not take place, it caused a lively response in the hearts of Russians, since Elizabeth II is a significant figure, she ruled for the longest time in the history of England.
October – explosion on the Crimean bridge
• One of the most significant events at the end of 2023 took place on October 8. It became known that saboteurs blew up a truck, which killed 4 people and set fire to 7 fuel tanks of a freight train passing nearby. A powerful explosion led to a partial collapse of about 250 meters of the highway leading from Krasnodar to Kerch.
• According to the FSB, the Ukrainian special services were involved in blowing up the Kerch bridge, and Kirill Budanov, the head of the main intelligence department of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, gave them instructions.
November – LGBT propaganda banned
• On November 24, the State Duma adopted this law unanimously. Now in advertising, books, films and the media, the distribution of content that promotes same-sex relationships is prohibited, not only among minors, as before, but also among citizens of any age. The law came into force on December 5.
• Responsibility for such propaganda is administrative, not criminal. The fine ranges from 50 to 000 rubles for individuals, for businesses everything is much tougher – 200-000 million rubles, or, alternatively, suspension of work for up to 800 months. Also in the law there is a mention of public actions, but what applies to them is still unknown.
December – Viktor Bout traded for Britney Griner
• On December 8, the exchange of the Russian “weapons lord” Viktor Bout took place for the American basketball player Britney Griner. The latter was convicted for smuggling illegal substances.
• Bout was suspected of collaborating with the Russian special services, perhaps because of this, the Americans hunted him so much in his time.
• Many Americans (including Donald Trump) were unhappy with this exchange. The fact is that Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage, is, a former marine who photographed various objects in our country. The American side insisted on his exchange for Bout, but was refused.
