Hello and welcome to Regions Calling by The Moscow Times, a newsletter spotlighting Russia’s regions and ethnic republics. The days between Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7 and Epiphany on Jan. 19 mark the height of Russia’s 12 Days of Christmas celebrations, known in Russian as sviatki. In Slavic tradition, sviatki are associated with folk rituals and fortune-telling as people seek glimpses of what the year ahead may hold. In the spirit of the season, we are also dedicating our first newsletter of 2026 to looking ahead. We asked five experts to share which developments in Russia’s regions and ethnic republics they will be watching this year and whether they foresee any shifts away from the wartime status quo. Here is what they said. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
Andras Toth-Czifra, expert on Russia's domestic p
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