16.04.25: PRESIDENT Yuri Medvacov of Russia was re-elected yesterday with an increased majority, capping five years of
economic progress and fuelling speculation that Russia might join the EU.
The transformation of Russia began 12 years ago following the 2013 treaty with China and Japan which opened southern Siberia to
foreign investment.
At the time, economic chaos and the after-effects of the nuclear civil war had reduced Russia to Third World status. But by 2017,
the country had divested itself of excess military spending and was importing huge amounts of East Asian capital while providing
skilled labour for European companies establishing themselves along the Moscow-St Petersburg 'Golden Highway'.
The key to the country's success has been the development of agricultural systems designed to respond to climatic change. While
much of the world has been affected by droughts, the effects of global warming on Russia have been exploited to promote new
forms of crop production. Above all, the Russians have used their genetic engineering abilities to produce crop varieties specially
adapted to the new conditions in Siberia. PR
