Category: Russian Federation

MIL-OSI Russia: Andrey Rudskoy spoke at a meeting of the Council of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The Tauride Palace in St. Petersburg hosted a meeting of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Council. The event was opened by the Chairperson of the CIS IPA Council, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko. Valentina Ivanovna noted the representative composition of the meeting and thanked the heads of delegations for their personal participation in the session.

“This is all the more important since the central place in it is given to events connected with a date sacred to all of us – the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory,” the speaker of the Federation Council emphasized.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the Expert Council on Science and Education at the IPA CIS, Rector of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrei Rudskoy presented information on the work of the council he heads.

Andrey Ivanovich noted that the Expert Council carries out expert and scientific-analytical activities, evaluates and develops draft model laws and recommendations, and discusses issues of international cooperation in science, education and technology, innovation and regulatory integration. Andrey Rudskoy emphasized that the members of the Expert Council are actively involved in organizing the International School Olympiad and the international conference “Russian Language – the Basis of Integration Dialogue in the Commonwealth of Independent States”, and are working on preparing the International Scientific and Educational Congress of the CIS Member States. The heads of the delegations familiarized themselves with the full report on the activities of the Expert Council, presented in the meeting materials, during the report.

Chairperson of the CIS IPA Council Valentina Matvienko thanked Andrey Rudskoy for the work he had done, noting his personal contribution to resolving issues of model lawmaking and interaction with the Commonwealth countries in the field of science and education.

Photo: https: //iakis.ru/

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Memes and conflict: Study shows surge of imagery and fakes can precede international and political violence

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tim Weninger, Collegiate Proessor of Engineering, University of Notre Dame

AI tools reveal how images have been manipulated. William Theisen et al.

Imagine a country with deep political divisions, where different groups don’t trust each other and violence seems likely. Now, imagine a flood of political images, hateful memes and mocking videos from domestic and foreign sources taking over social media. What is likely to happen next?

The widespread use of social media during times of political trouble and violence has made it harder to prevent conflict and build peace. Social media is changing, with new technologies and strategies available to influence what people think during political crises. These include new ways to promote beliefs and goals, gain support, dehumanize opponents, justify violence and create doubt or dismiss inconvenient facts.

At the same time, the technologies themselves are becoming more sophisticated. More and more, social media campaigns use images such as memes, videos and photos – whether edited or not – that have a bigger impact on people than just text.

It’s harder for AI systems to understand images compared with text. For example, it’s easier to track posts that say “Ukrainians are Nazis” than it is to find and understand fake images showing Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi symbols. But these kinds of images are becoming more common. Just as a picture is worth a thousand words, a meme is worth a thousand tweets.

Our team of computer and social scientists has tackled the challenge of interpreting image content by combining artificial intelligence methods with human subject matter experts to study how visual social media posts change in high-risk situations. Our research shows that these changes in social media posts, especially those with images, serve as strong indicators of coming mass violence.

Surge of memes

Our recent analysis found that in the two weeks leading up to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine there was a nearly 9,000% increase in the number of posts and a more than 5,000% increase in manipulated images from Russian milbloggers. Milbloggers are bloggers who focus on current military conflicts.

These huge increases show how intense Russia’s online propaganda campaign was and how it used social media to influence people’s opinions and justify the invasion.

This also shows the need to better monitor and analyze visual content on social media. To conduct our analysis, we collected the entire history of posts and images from the accounts of 989 Russian milbloggers on the messaging app Telegram. This includes nearly 6 million posts and over 3 million images. Each post and image was time-stamped and categorized to facilitate detailed analysis.

Media forensics

We had previously developed a suite of AI tools capable of detecting image alterations and manipulations. For instance, one detected image shows a pro-Russian meme mocking anti-Putin journalist and former Russian soldier Arkady Babchenko, whose death was faked by Ukrainian security services to expose an assassination plot against him.

The meme features the language “gamers don’t die, they respawn,” alluding to video game characters who return to life after dying. This makes light of Babchenko’s predicament and illustrates the use of manipulated images to convey political messages and influence public opinion.

This is just one example out of millions of images that were strategically manipulated to promote various narratives. Our statistical analysis revealed a massive increase in both the number of images and the extent of their manipulations prior to the invasion.

Political context is critical

Although these AI systems are very good at finding fakes, they are incapable of understanding the images’ political contexts. It is therefore critical that AI scientists work closely with social scientists in order to properly interpret these findings.

Our AI systems also categorized images by similarity, which then allowed subject experts to further analyze image clusters based on their narrative content and culturally and politically specific meanings. This is impossible to do at a large scale without AI support.

For example, a fake image of French president Emmanuel Macron with Ukrainian governor Vitalii Kim may be meaningless to an AI scientist. But to political scientists the image appears to laud Ukrainians’ outsize courage in contrast to foreign leaders who have appeared to be afraid of Russian nuclear threats. The goal was to reinforce Ukrainian doubts about their European allies.

This manipulated image combines French president Emmanuel Macron with Ukranian governor Vitalii Kim. It requires the expertise of political scientists to interpret the creator’s pro-Russian meaning.
William Theisen et al.

Meme warfare

The shift to visual media in recent years brings a new type of data that researchers haven’t yet studied much in detail.

Looking at images can help researchers understand how adversaries frame each other and how this can lead to political conflict. By studying visual content, researchers can see how stories and ideas are spread, which helps us understand the psychological and social factors involved.

This is especially important for finding more advanced and subtle ways people are influenced. Projects like this also can contribute to improving early warning efforts and reduce the risks of violence and instability.

Tim Weninger receives funding from the US Department of Defense and the US Agency for International Development.

Ernesto Verdeja does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Memes and conflict: Study shows surge of imagery and fakes can precede international and political violence – https://theconversation.com/memes-and-conflict-study-shows-surge-of-imagery-and-fakes-can-precede-international-and-political-violence-233055

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Tested on the ground: Scientists from the State University of Management conducted research as part of a major scientific project

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

From April 22 to 25, research fellows from the State University of Management Dmitry Rybakov, Ilya Shponarsky and Vladimir Kutkov, together with colleagues from the Omsk Agrarian Scientific Center (OANC), are conducting joint work to create a prototype of a digital service for coordinating modern agricultural production.

As part of the implementation of a major scientific project, a working group on the territory of the scientific and production enterprise “Boyevoe” in the Omsk region conducted design studies to identify the needs for target modules of the developed platform and determine the parameters of integration with the information systems of the OANC.

The major scientific project “Ensuring food security of the country based on the creation of software and hardware systems and intelligent platform digital solutions in the field of development of agro-industrial technologies of the full life cycle” is being implemented within the framework of a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia for conducting major scientific projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development in 2024-2026.

Let us recall that at the meeting of the consortium for the implementation of a major scientific project, areas of cooperation with project co-executors in the field of mechanical engineering technologies, reverse engineering, development and implementation of technological processes for applying wear-resistant coatings, as well as prospects for creating advanced digital services and new types of modern import-substituting products for the agricultural sector were identified.

Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/24/2025

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 25, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: The United States operates the world’s largest nuclear power plant fleet

Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

April 24, 2025

In 2024, U.S. utilities operated 94 nuclear reactors with a total net generating capacity of nearly 97 gigawatts (GW), the largest commercial nuclear power generation fleet in the world. The next three countries with the largest programs were France with 57 units (63.0 GW), China with 57 units (55.3 GW), and Russia with 36 units (28.6 GW). Nuclear power continues to account for 19% of U.S. power sector electricity generation.

America’s nuclear reactor fleet consists of 54 power plants, each of which has one to four operating units. Plant Vogtle in Georgia is the largest nuclear power plant with four reactors and a total generating capacity of around 4.5 GW. The R.E. Ginna plant in New York is the smallest nuclear power plant with its one 0.6-GW reactor.

After Georgia Power added one reactor in 2023 and another in 2024, Plant Vogtle became the largest U.S. nuclear power plant, with Units 3 and 4 each having a generating capacity of 1.1 GW. Before the recent addition of the reactors at Vogtle, the Palo Verde plant (3.9 GW) in Arizona was the largest nuclear facility in the United States. The two reactors at Vogtle and one reactor at Watts Bar in Tennessee are the only new nuclear reactors to come online in the United States since 1996.

Twelve U.S. nuclear power reactors have permanently closed since 2013. However, plant operators have maintained consistently high annual capacity factors, which measure how much time units are operating. U.S. nuclear capacity factors have increased in part because of shorter refueling and maintenance outages and improved operational experience.

Some newer policies aim to support continued operations at nuclear power plants. In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy provided credits to support the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California. In 2024, the electricity produced at Diablo Canyon (2.2 GW) accounted for 9% of California’s total electricity generation. More recently, the U.S. Department of Energy approved a loan to support restarting the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan. If realized, Palisades would become the first previously retired nuclear power plant in the United States to return to operating status.

Our Electric Power Monthly and Electric Power Annual products compile data from multiple electricity surveys of nuclear power and other electricity generation sources in the United States. Our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor provides near real-time information on the operating status of the grid in the Lower 48 states, and our Status of U.S. Nuclear Outages dashboard compiles daily information on nuclear plants’ operating status based on data reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory compiles detailed information on attributes of operating, planned, and retired utility-scale generators.

Principal contributor: Slade Johnson

MIL OSI USA News –

April 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: “Themis of the 21st Century” united students from five universities

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Winners and Prize Winners

On April 21, at the Faculty of Forensic Science and Law in Construction and Transport of the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, another “crime” was solved as part of the “Themis of the 21st Century” Olympiad.

This year, the Olympiad “Themis of the 21st Century” became inter-university for the first time and was held in the format of a quest. Five teams participated in the quest: “Conclusions Don’t Burn” (SPbGASU), “Gatchina Gendarmes” (Gatchina State University), “Sledkom” (St. Petersburg Academy of the Investigative Committee), “Expert Element” (St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia), “Veshdok” (second name – “Expert Five”, St. Petersburg University of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia).

The “Gatchina Gendarmes” were accompanied by fans who actively supported the guys throughout the event.

“Today we are holding a knowledge festival, where you will be able to demonstrate your creative potential, ability to make unconventional decisions, team spirit and all those positive qualities that are not always possible to demonstrate during the educational process. I hope we will see a fair and beautiful game. May the strongest win!” – Dmitry Ivanov, Dean of the FSEiPST, encouraged the participants of the quest.

Having exchanged traditional greetings, the teams began investigating the murder of an antique dealer and the mysterious disappearance of a 13th-century Byzantine icon. The students examined the crime scene, conducted a trace examination, questioned witnesses and built their own version of events. The quest resulted in the announcement of a verdict for the criminal, who fully acknowledged his guilt and repented.

The announcement of the verdict allowed the teams to understand the correctness of the version put forward and, accordingly, the correctness of the completion of the final task.

For each task, the jury awarded points to the teams. The jury included Associate Professor of the Forensic Science Department, Academic Secretary of the Faculty of the Federal Service for Economics and Social Development of the Russian Federation (FSESiPST) of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Elena Kuzbagarova, Associate Professor of the Criminal Law Disciplines Department of Gatchina State University Albina Bachieva, Lecturer of the Forensic Science and Research Department of the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Nadezhda Gorbunova, Senior Lecturer of the Forensic Science and Engineering and Technical Expertise Department of the St. Petersburg University of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia Oleg Abramumov, Associate Professor of the Forensic Science Department of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Alexey Kopanev.

Based on the results of completing the tasks, the gap between the teams was minimal: they were separated by two or three points, which indicates good preparation and the active role of the leaders.

The places were distributed as follows:

fifth place – “Material Evidence”; fourth place – “Gatchina Gendarmes”; third place – “Conclusions Don’t Burn”; second place – “Expert Element”; first place – “Investigative Committee”.

The organizers awarded valuable gifts to the participants of the quest and those who were involved in it as actors – students of the Faculty of Social and Economic Development and Social Sciences of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Ekaterina Ryzhikova, Igor Stepanov, Maxim Semenov and Daria Kulabukhova.

Students shared their opinions on what helped them solve the complex case and what the difficulties were.

“Practical experience helped us. We had already been in practice, and felt more confident during interrogation. Theoretical knowledge, a good atmosphere at the event, and the team also helped – this is also important. We clearly understood who to assign what to, quickly distributed who does what,” said Sledkom team member Yuri Churintsev.

“The main difficulty was that too little time was given to complete the tasks. But we will try to win next time,” promised the captain of the “Conclusions Don’t Burn” team, Ulyana Nasonova.

The team leaders also expressed their gratitude for the invitation to participate in the Olympiad and the good organization. In particular, Albina Bachieva said: “Many thanks to the university for this wonderful day. We really liked the teams, each had its own highlight.”

“We took an honorable fifth place. However, I think that next year we will participate in the Olympiad at the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the same composition and win a prize. Many thanks to the organizers of the quiz: everything went very well, at a high level of organization. You created a holiday for us and our cadets,” Oleg Abramumov noted.

“Interesting format of the event, great teams, good preparation. I hope that in the future you will come to our events and invite us again,” said Nadezhda Gorbunova.

Summing up the results, the jury chair Elena Kuzbagarova said that the Olympiad had become a kind of testing ground, allowing to identify the strengths of the participants and determine the directions for further development of science and practice: “Today’s Olympiad demonstrated the high level of preparedness of our students, demonstrated the best examples of a creative approach to solving complex professional problems. For students, participation in the Olympiad is an opportunity not only to test their knowledge in criminology, forensic examination, traceology, criminal procedure, but also to meet colleagues from other universities, expand their professional horizons, better prepare for future professional activity, increase self-esteem and self-confidence, and establish useful professional connections. I wish the participants success in their studies and future professional activity, new achievements and interesting discoveries. Let the knowledge gained become a solid foundation for your career and a guarantee of a successful future!”

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Competition for filling positions of faculty members

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –

In accordance with Article 332 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and in connection with the availability of vacant positions of professorial and teaching staff for the 2025/2026 academic year from September 1, 2025, the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering announces a competitive selection to fill the following positions:

assistant; senior lecturer; associate professor; professor.

By department:

architectural and urban planning heritage; architectural design; architectural and building structures; water use and ecology; geodesy, land management and cadastres; geotechnics; urban planning; design of the architectural environment; reinforced concrete and stone structures; computer science; information systems and technologies; history and theory of architecture; history and philosophy; landscape architecture; mathematics; intercultural communication; construction management; metal and wooden structures; ground transport and technological machines; descriptive geometry and engineering graphics; construction organization; jurisprudence; legal regulation of urban planning and transport; drawing; structural mechanics; structural physics, electric power engineering and electrical engineering; forensic examinations; heat and gas supply and ventilation; technical operation of vehicles; construction production technology; technology of building materials and metrology; technosphere safety; transport systems and road and bridge construction; economics of construction and housing and communal services; economic security.

The term for which an employment contract will be concluded for each of the above-mentioned positions to be filled, corresponding to the term of election by competition, is three years (until August 31, 2028).

The competition procedure is determined by the order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation dated December 4, 2023 No. 1138 “On approval of the Regulation on the procedure for filling the positions of teaching staff related to the faculty” and “Regulations on the organization and procedure for election by competition to positions of teaching staff at SPbGASU” (approved by the decision of the Academic Council of SPbGASU dated June 27, 2024, protocol No. 6 (as amended on April 24, 2025)).

The qualification requirements are defined:

The Unified Qualification Handbook of Positions of Managers, Specialists, and Employees (approved by the Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated January 11, 2011, No. 1n); the requirements for passing the competitive selection of the teaching staff of SPbGASU (approved by the decision of the Academic Council of SPbGASU dated June 27, 2024, protocol No. 6).

To participate in the competitive selection, it is necessary to submit an application electronically through the personal account portal between April 24 and May 26, 2025 (HTTPS: // Portal.SPBGASU.ru/ – for employees of SPbGASU, HTTPS: //Conquispps.SPBGASU.ru/ – for applicants who are not employees of SPbGASU) the following documents:

an application addressed to the rector of the university; a copy of the higher education document; a copy of the candidate/doctor of science diploma (if any); a copy of the associate professor/professor certificate (if any); documents confirming the length of service in scientific and pedagogical work (a certificate of teaching experience or a copy of the work record book, certified at the place of work) – for applicants who are not full-time employees of SPbGASU; a list of scientific and educational-methodical works for the last three years; consent to the processing of personal data; documents confirming the absence of restrictions on employment in the field of education (certificate of no criminal record).

The procedure and deadlines for making changes to the terms of the competition, as well as its cancellation:

Amendments to the terms of the competition, as well as its cancellation, are formalized by order of the rector until May 26, 2025.

In case of a positive decision of the commission, the originals of the competition documents and educational documents are provided by the competition participant upon conclusion of an employment contract to the Human Resources Department from June 27 to August 31, 2025 at the address: 190005, St. Petersburg, 2-ya Krasnoarmeyskaya St., Bldg. 4, office 125, 126. Tel. 316-42-13.

The competition will be held in person.

Place, date and time of the competition: June 25, 2025 at 10:00, St. Petersburg, 2-ya Krasnoarmeyskaya st., bldg. 4, room 216.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 25, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: OLAF intelligence supports Lithuanian Customs in major sanctions evasion probe

Source: European Anti-Fraud Offfice

Press release no. 8/2025
PDF version

On 10 April, investigators from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) joined officers from the Lithuanian Customs Criminal Service (MKT) in a successful raid on a company suspected of violating EU sanctions.

The investigation targeted a business allegedly involved in the illegal export of sanctioned goods to Russia and Belarus. While the items in question were lawfully manufactured in various EU Member States, it is believed the company rerouted them through Central Asian countries to circumvent EU sanctions.

During the inspection, significant quantities of potentially sanctioned commodities, large sums of money and weapons were seized. Prior to the raid, OLAF provided intelligence and analytical support that proved instrumental in uncovering a suspected scheme to evade EU export restrictions. Preliminary findings also suggest the company may have facilitated similar operations for other firms.

The pre-trial investigation, led by the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office, estimates the value of the seized goods at approximately €1.5 million.

OLAF provided investigative support, advanced analytical tools and relevant data throughout the investigation. As the investigation remains ongoing, OLAF is also liaising with authorities in both EU and non-EU countries to verify the export routes and trace the final destination of the goods. The intelligence gathered will support other EU Member States in discovering potential new illicit trade flows of sanctioned goods.

OLAF Director-General Ville Itälä said: “OLAF remains committed to supporting EU Member States in upholding sanctions and protecting the financial interests of the Union. In this case, OLAF provided investigative intelligence and analysis, while also acting as a bridge between the different national authorities involved. We are glad to have been able to support our Lithuanian colleagues in such a crucial effort as the enforcement of the EU’s export sanctions. Together we help strengthen the security of the EU.”

_{OLAF mission, mandate and competences:}
_{OLAF’s mission is to detect, investigate and stop fraud with EU funds.}

_{OLAF fulfils its mission by:}
_{•    carrying out independent investigations into fraud and corruption involving EU funds, so as to ensure that all EU taxpayers’ money reaches projects that can create jobs and growth in Europe;}
_{•    contributing to strengthening citizens’ trust in the EU Institutions by investigating serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU Institutions;}
_{•    developing a sound EU anti-fraud policy.}

_{In its independent investigative function, OLAF can investigate matters relating to fraud, corruption and other offences affecting the EU financial interests concerning:}
_{•    all EU expenditure: the main spending categories are Structural Funds, agricultural policy and rural development funds, direct expenditure and external aid;}
_{•    some areas of EU revenue, mainly customs duties;}
_{•    suspicions of serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU institutions.}

_{Once OLAF has completed its investigation, it is for the competent EU and national authorities to examine and decide on the follow-up of OLAF’s recommendations. All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a competent national or EU court of law.}

For further details:

Pierluigi CATERINO
Spokesperson
European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
Phone: +32(0)2 29-52335
Email: olaf-media ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (olaf-media[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
https://anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu
LinkedIn: European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
Bluesky: euantifraud.bsky.social

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MIL OSI Europe News –

April 25, 2025

MIL-OSI: West Bancorporation, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2025 Financial Results and Declares Quarterly Dividend

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — West Bancorporation, Inc. (Nasdaq: WTBA; the “Company”), parent company of West Bank, today reported first quarter 2025 net income of $7.8 million, or $0.46 per diluted common share, compared to fourth quarter 2024 net income of $7.1 million, or $0.42 per diluted common share, and first quarter 2024 net income of $5.8 million, or $0.35 per diluted common share. On April 23, 2025, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.25 per common share. The dividend is payable on May 21, 2025, to stockholders of record on May 7, 2025.

David Nelson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented, “In the first quarter of 2025, we have continued to see improvements in net interest margin and efficiency ratio compared to 2024, resulting in a significant improvement in net income compared to the first quarter of 2024. We are pleased with our progress in our balance sheet repricing efforts. Loan growth was modest in the first quarter, as expected with the current economic uncertainty.”

David Nelson added, “One thing that remains the same is our best-in-class credit quality metrics. We had no loans past due greater than 90 days at March 31, 2025, and only one loan past due greater than 30 days with an insignificant balance of $181 thousand. We continue to identify high-quality opportunities for growing our core customer base in all of our markets.”

First Quarter 2025 Financial Highlights

	Quarter Ended March 31, 2025	Quarter Ended December 31, 2024	Quarter Ended March 31, 2024
Net income (in thousands)	$7,842	$7,097	$5,809
Return on average equity	13.84%	12.24%	10.63%
Return on average assets	0.81%	0.68%	0.61%
Efficiency ratio (a non-GAAP measure)	56.37%	60.79%	62.04%
Nonperforming assets to total assets	0.00%	0.00%	0.01%

First Quarter 2025 Compared to Fourth Quarter 2024 Overview

Loans increased $11.6 million in the first quarter of 2025, primarily due to an increase in commercial loans and commercial real estate loans, partially offset by a decline in construction loans.
No credit loss expense on loans was recorded in the first quarter of 2025, compared to credit loss expense on loans of $1.0 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024. The credit loss expense on loans in the fourth quarter of 2024 was due to an adjustment to qualitative factors in the commercial real estate loan segment.
The allowance for credit losses to total loans was 1.01 percent at both March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. Nonaccrual loans at March 31, 2025 consisted of one loan with a balance of $181 thousand, compared to one loan with a balance of $133 thousand at December 31, 2024.
Deposits decreased $33.1 million, or 1.0 percent, in the first quarter of 2025. Brokered deposits totaled $335.5 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $266.4 million at December 31, 2024, an increase of $69.1 million. Excluding brokered deposits, deposits decreased $102.2 million, or 3.3 percent, during the first quarter of 2025. The decline in deposits was due to normal cash flow fluctuations of our core depositors. As of March 31, 2025, estimated uninsured deposits, which exclude deposits in the IntraFi^® reciprocal network, brokered deposits and public funds protected by state programs, accounted for approximately 28.0 percent of total deposits.
Net interest margin, on a fully tax-equivalent basis (a non-GAAP measure), was 2.28 percent for the first quarter of 2025, compared to 1.98 percent for the fourth quarter of 2024. Net interest income for the first quarter of 2025 was $20.9 million, compared to $19.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. The increase in net interest margin and net interest income was primarily due to a decrease in deposit rates, driven by the Federal Reserve’s reductions of the federal funds target rate in the fourth quarter of 2024. The cost of deposits decreased 38 basis points in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024.
The efficiency ratio (a non-GAAP measure) was 56.37 percent for the first quarter of 2025, compared to 60.79 percent for the fourth quarter of 2024. The improvement in the efficiency ratio was primarily due to the increase in net interest income and decrease in noninterest expense, partially offset by a decrease in trust services income.
The tangible common equity ratio was 5.97 percent as of March 31, 2025, compared to 5.68 percent as of December 31, 2024. The increase in the tangible common equity ratio was due to retained net income and the decrease in accumulated other comprehensive loss, which was the result of an increase in the market value of our available for sale securities portfolio.

Income tax expense increased $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. This was primarily due to recording an income tax benefit of $1.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 for an energy related investment tax credit associated with the construction of the Company’s new headquarters building.

First Quarter 2025 Compared to First Quarter 2024 Overview

Loans increased $36.3 million at March 31, 2025, or 1.2 percent, compared to March 31, 2024. The increase is primarily due to the increase in commercial real estate loans, partially offset by decreases in commercial loans and construction loans.
Deposits increased $259.5 million, or 8.5 percent, at March 31, 2025, compared to March 31, 2024. Included in deposits were brokered deposits totaling $335.5 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $396.4 million at March 31, 2024. Excluding brokered deposits, deposits increased $320.4 million, or 12.0 percent, as of March 31, 2025, compared to March 31, 2024. Deposit growth included a mix of public funds and commercial and consumer deposits and was used to reduce wholesale funding, build liquidity and fund loan growth.
Borrowed funds decreased to $391.4 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $639.7 million at March 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease of $198.5 million in federal funds purchased and other short-term borrowings and a decrease of $45.0 million in Federal Home Loan Bank advances. The decrease in borrowed funds balances was due to the increase in deposits since March 31, 2024. The reduction in the Federal Home Loan Bank advances was due to the maturity of two advances with a total balance of $45.0 million. One of these advances, with a balance of $25.0 million, was hedged with a long-term interest rate swap, which matured and was not renewed.
The efficiency ratio (a non-GAAP measure) was 56.37 percent for the first quarter of 2025, compared to 62.04 percent for the first quarter of 2024. The improvement in the efficiency ratio in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024 was primarily due to the increase in net interest income, partially offset by an increase in noninterest expense. Occupancy and equipment expense increased primarily due to the occupancy costs associated with the Company’s newly constructed headquarters.
Net interest margin, on a fully tax-equivalent basis (a non-GAAP measure), was 2.28 percent for the first quarter of 2025, compared to 1.88 percent for the first quarter of 2024. Net interest income for the first quarter of 2025 was $20.9 million, compared to $16.8 million for the first quarter of 2024. The increase in net interest margin and net interest income was primarily due to the decrease in deposit rates. The cost of deposits decreased by 42 basis points in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of 2024. Also contributing to the improvement was an increase in average deposit balances of $335.2 million, in comparing the same time periods, which resulted in the reduction of higher-cost borrowed funds and an increase in interest-bearing deposits with other financial institutions.

The Company filed its report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission today. Please refer to that document for a more in-depth discussion of the Company’s financial results. The Form 10-Q is available on the Investor Relations section of West Bank’s website at www.westbankstrong.com.

The Company will discuss its results in a conference call scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, April 24, 2025. The telephone number for the conference call is 800-715-9871. The conference ID for the conference call is 7846129. A recording of the call will be available until May 8, 2025, by dialing 800-770-2030. The conference ID for the replay call is 7846129, followed by the # key.

About West Bancorporation, Inc. (Nasdaq: WTBA)

West Bancorporation, Inc. is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. Serving customers since 1893, West Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of West Bancorporation, Inc., is a community bank that focuses on lending, deposit services, and trust services for small- to medium-sized businesses and consumers. West Bank has six offices in the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area, one office in Coralville, Iowa, and four offices in Minnesota in the cities of Rochester, Owatonna, Mankato and St. Cloud.

Certain statements in this report, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to the Company’s business plans, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements” within the meanings of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this report. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “future,” “confident,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “strategy,” “plan,” “opportunity,” “will be,” “will likely result,” “will continue” or similar references, or references to estimates, predictions or future events. Such forward-looking statements are based upon certain underlying assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Because of the possibility that the underlying assumptions are incorrect or do not materialize as expected in the future, actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may affect future results include: interest rate risk, including the effects of changes in interest rates; fluctuations in the values of the securities held in our investment portfolio, including as a result of changes in interest rates; competitive pressures, including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions, “fintech” companies and digital asset service providers; pricing pressures on loans and deposits; our ability to successfully manage liquidity risk; changes in credit and other risks posed by the Company’s loan portfolio, including declines in commercial or residential real estate values or changes in the allowance for credit losses dictated by new market conditions, accounting standards or regulatory requirements; the concentration of large deposits from certain clients, including those who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits; the imposition of domestic or foreign tariffs or other governmental policies impacting the global supply chain and the value of products produced by our commercial borrowers; changes in local, national and international economic conditions, including the level and impact of inflation, and future monetary policies of the Federal Reserve in response thereto, and possible recession; the effects of recent developments and events in the financial services industry, including the large-scale deposit withdrawals over a short period of time that resulted in several bank failures; changes in legal and regulatory requirements, limitations and costs; changes in customers’ acceptance of the Company’s products and services; the occurrence of fraudulent activity, breaches or failures of our or our third-party partners’ information security controls or cyber-security related incidents, including as a result of sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence and similar tools; unexpected outcomes of existing or new litigation involving the Company; the monetary, trade and other regulatory policies of the U.S. government; acts of war or terrorism, including the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, widespread disease or pandemics, or other adverse external events; risks related to climate change and the negative impact it may have on our customers and their businesses; changes to U.S. tax laws, regulations and guidance; potential changes in federal policy and at regulatory agencies as a result of the 2024 presidential election; new or revised accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by state and federal regulatory agencies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; talent and labor shortages and employee turnover; and any other risks described in the “Risk Factors” sections of reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update such forward-looking statements to reflect current or future events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Financial Information (unaudited)
(in thousands)
	As of
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024
Assets
Cash and due from banks	$	39,253		$	28,750		$	34,157		$	27,994		$	27,071
Interest-bearing deposits		171,357			214,728			123,646			121,825			120,946
Securities available for sale, at fair value		546,619			544,565			597,745			588,452			605,735
Federal Home Loan Bank stock, at cost		15,216			15,129			17,195			21,065			26,181
Loans		3,016,471			3,004,860			3,021,221			2,998,774			2,980,133
Allowance for credit losses		(30,526	)		(30,432	)		(29,419	)		(28,422	)		(28,373	)
Loans, net		2,985,945			2,974,428			2,991,802			2,970,352			2,951,760
Premises and equipment, net		110,270			109,985			106,771			101,965			95,880
Bank-owned life insurance		45,272			44,990			44,703			44,416			44,138
Other assets		72,737			82,416			72,547			89,046			90,981
Total assets	$	3,986,669		$	4,014,991		$	3,988,566		$	3,965,115		$	3,962,692

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Deposits	$	3,324,518		$	3,357,596		$	3,278,553		$	3,180,922		$	3,065,030
Federal funds purchased and other short-term borrowings		—			—			—			85,500			198,500
Other borrowings		391,445			392,629			438,814			439,998			441,183
Other liabilities		32,833			36,891			35,846			34,812			34,223
Stockholders’ equity		237,873			227,875			235,353			223,883			223,756
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	3,986,669		$	4,014,991		$	3,988,566		$	3,965,115		$	3,962,692

	For the Quarter Ended
AVERAGE BALANCES	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024
Assets	$	3,944,789		$	4,135,049		$	3,973,824		$	3,964,109		$	3,812,199
Loans		3,016,119			3,007,558			2,991,272			2,994,492			2,949,672
Deposits		3,284,394			3,434,234			3,258,669			3,123,282			2,956,635
Stockholders’ equity		229,874			230,720			227,513			219,771			219,835

WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Financial Information (unaudited)
(in thousands)
	As of
LOANS	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024
Commercial	$	531,267		$	514,232		$	512,884		$	526,589		$	544,293
Real estate:
Construction, land and land development		451,230			508,147			520,516			496,864			465,247
1-4 family residential first mortgages		86,292			87,858			89,749			92,230			108,065
Home equity		21,961			19,294			17,140			15,264			14,020
Commercial		1,909,330			1,861,195			1,870,132			1,856,301			1,839,580
Consumer and other		19,323			17,287			14,261			15,234			12,844
		3,019,403			3,008,013			3,024,682			3,002,482			2,984,049
Net unamortized fees and costs		(2,932	)		(3,153	)		(3,461	)		(3,708	)		(3,916	)
Total loans	$	3,016,471		$	3,004,860		$	3,021,221		$	2,998,774		$	2,980,133
Less: allowance for credit losses		(30,526	)		(30,432	)		(29,419	)		(28,422	)		(28,373	)
Net loans	$	2,985,945		$	2,974,428		$	2,991,802		$	2,970,352		$	2,951,760

CREDIT QUALITY
Pass	$	3,011,231		$	2,999,531		$	3,016,493		$	2,994,310		$	2,983,618
Watch		7,991			8,349			7,956			7,651			142
Substandard		181			133			233			521			289
Doubtful		—			—			—			—			—
Total loans	$	3,019,403		$	3,008,013		$	3,024,682		$	3,002,482		$	2,984,049

DEPOSITS
Noninterest-bearing demand	$	519,771		$	541,053		$	525,332		$	530,441		$	521,377
Interest-bearing demand		517,409			543,855			438,402			443,658			449,946
Savings and money market – non-brokered		1,490,189			1,517,510			1,481,840			1,483,264			1,315,698
Money market – brokered		143,423			126,381			123,780			97,259			119,840
Total nonmaturity deposits		2,670,792			2,728,799			2,569,354			2,554,622			2,406,861
Time – non-brokered		461,655			488,760			407,109			353,269			381,646
Time – brokered		192,071			140,037			302,090			273,031			276,523
Total time deposits		653,726			628,797			709,199			626,300			658,169
Total deposits	$	3,324,518		$	3,357,596		$	3,278,553		$	3,180,922		$	3,065,030

BORROWINGS
Federal funds purchased and other short-term borrowings	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	85,500		$	198,500
Subordinated notes, net		79,959			79,893			79,828			79,762			79,697
Federal Home Loan Bank advances		270,000			270,000			315,000			315,000			315,000
Long-term debt		41,486			42,736			43,986			45,236			46,486
Total borrowings	$	391,445		$	392,629		$	438,814		$	525,498		$	639,683

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred stock	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—
Common stock		3,000			3,000			3,000			3,000			3,000
Additional paid-in capital		35,072			35,619			34,960			34,322			33,685
Retained earnings		282,247			278,613			275,724			273,981			272,997
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(82,446	)		(89,357	)		(78,331	)		(87,420	)		(85,926	)
Total stockholders’ equity	$	237,873		$	227,875		$	235,353		$	223,883		$	223,756

WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Financial Information (unaudited)
(in thousands)
	For the Quarter Ended
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME	March 31, 2025		December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024		June 30, 2024		March 31, 2024
Interest income:
Loans, including fees	$	40,988	$	41,822		$	42,504	$	41,700	$	40,196
Securities:
Taxable		2,788		2,959			3,261		3,394		3,416
Tax-exempt		743		795			806		808		810
Interest-bearing deposits		1,617		3,740			2,041		1,666		148
Total interest income		46,136		49,316			48,612		47,568		44,570
Interest expense:
Deposits		21,423		25,706			26,076		23,943		21,559
Federal funds purchased and other short-term borrowings		—		—			115		1,950		2,183
Subordinated notes		1,105		1,106			1,112		1,105		1,108
Federal Home Loan Bank advances		2,235		2,522			2,748		2,718		2,325
Long-term debt		518		560			601		622		645
Total interest expense		25,281		29,894			30,652		30,338		27,820
Net interest income		20,855		19,422			17,960		17,230		16,750
Credit loss expense		—		1,000			—		—		—
Net interest income after credit loss expense		20,855		18,422			17,960		17,230		16,750
Noninterest income:
Service charges on deposit accounts		471		462			459		462		460
Debit card usage fees		446		471			500		490		458
Trust services		777		1,051			828		794		776
Increase in cash value of bank-owned life insurance		282		287			287		278		274
Realized securities losses, net		—		(1,172	)		—		—		—
Other income		267		331			285		322		331
Total noninterest income		2,243		1,430			2,359		2,346		2,299
Noninterest expense:
Salaries and employee benefits		7,004		7,107			6,823		7,169		6,489
Occupancy and equipment		1,963		2,095			1,926		1,852		1,447
Data processing		617		752			771		754		714
Technology and software		786		743			722		731		700
FDIC insurance		587		699			711		631		519
Professional fees		308		301			239		244		257
Director fees		206		170			223		236		199
Other expenses		1,592		1,532			1,477		1,577		1,543
Total noninterest expense		13,063		13,399			12,892		13,194		11,868
Income before income taxes		10,035		6,453			7,427		6,382		7,181
Income taxes		2,193		(644	)		1,475		1,190		1,372
Net income	$	7,842	$	7,097		$	5,952	$	5,192	$	5,809

Basic earnings per common share	$	0.47	$	0.42		$	0.35	$	0.31	$	0.35
Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.46	$	0.42		$	0.35	$	0.31	$	0.35

WEST BANCORPORATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY
Financial Information (unaudited)

	As of and for the Quarter Ended
COMMON SHARE DATA	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024
Earnings per common share (basic)	$	0.47		$	0.42		$	0.35		$	0.31		$	0.35
Earnings per common share (diluted)		0.46			0.42			0.35			0.31			0.35
Dividends per common share		0.25			0.25			0.25			0.25			0.25
Book value per common share⁽¹⁾		14.06			13.54			13.98			13.30			13.31
Closing stock price		19.94			21.65			19.01			17.90			17.83
Market price/book value⁽²⁾		141.82	%		159.90	%		135.98	%		134.59	%		133.96	%
Price earnings ratio⁽³⁾		10.46			12.96			13.65			14.36			12.77
Annualized dividend yield⁽⁴⁾		5.02	%		4.62	%		5.26	%		5.59	%		5.61	%

REGULATORY CAPITAL RATIOS
Consolidated:
Total risk-based capital ratio		12.18	%		12.11	%		11.95	%		11.85	%		11.78	%
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio		9.59			9.51			9.39			9.30			9.23
Tier 1 leverage capital ratio		8.36			7.93			8.15			8.08			8.36
Common equity tier 1 ratio		9.02			8.95			8.83			8.74			8.67
West Bank:
Total risk-based capital ratio		12.90	%		12.86	%		12.73	%		12.66	%		12.63	%
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio		11.99			11.96			11.86			11.79			11.76
Tier 1 leverage capital ratio		10.46			9.97			10.29			10.25			10.65
Common equity tier 1 ratio		11.99			11.96			11.86			11.79			11.76

KEY PERFORMANCE RATIOS AND OTHER METRICS
Return on average assets⁽⁵⁾		0.81	%		0.68	%		0.60	%		0.53	%		0.61	%
Return on average equity⁽⁶⁾		13.84			12.24			10.41			9.50			10.63
Net interest margin^(7)(13)		2.28			1.98			1.91			1.86			1.88
Yield on interest-earning assets^(8)(13)		5.04			5.02			5.16			5.13			4.99
Cost of interest-bearing liabilities		3.25			3.57			3.84			3.83			3.70
Efficiency ratio^(9)(13)		56.37			60.79			63.28			67.14			62.04
Nonperforming assets to total assets⁽¹⁰⁾		0.00			0.00			0.01			0.01			0.01
ACL ratio⁽¹¹⁾		1.01			1.01			0.97			0.95			0.95
Loans/total assets		75.66			74.84			75.75			75.63			75.20
Loans/total deposits		90.73			89.49			92.15			94.27			97.23
Tangible common equity ratio⁽¹²⁾		5.97			5.68			5.90			5.65			5.65

^{(1) Includes accumulated other comprehensive loss.}
^{(2) Closing stock price divided by book value per common share.}
^{(3) Closing stock price divided by annualized earnings per common share (basic).}
^{(4) Annualized dividend divided by period end closing stock price.}
^{(5) Annualized net income divided by average assets.}
^{(6) Annualized net income divided by average stockholders’ equity.}
^{(7) Annualized tax-equivalent net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.}
^{(8) Annualized tax-equivalent interest income on interest-earning assets divided by average interest-earning assets.}
^{(9) Noninterest expense (excluding other real estate owned expense and write-down of premises) divided by noninterest income (excluding net securities gains/losses and gains/losses on disposition of premises and equipment) plus tax-equivalent net interest income.}
^{(10) Total nonperforming assets divided by total assets.}
^{(11) Allowance for credit losses on loans divided by total loans.}
^{(12) Common equity less intangible assets (none held) divided by tangible assets.}
^{(13) A non-GAAP measure.}

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This report contains references to financial measures that are not defined in GAAP. Such non-GAAP financial measures include the Company’s presentation of net interest income and net interest margin on a fully taxable equivalent (FTE) basis and the presentation of the efficiency ratio on an adjusted and FTE basis, excluding certain income and expenses. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to both management and investors to analyze and evaluate the Company’s financial performance. These measures are considered standard measures of comparison within the banking industry. Additionally, management believes providing measures on a FTE basis enhances the comparability of income arising from taxable and nontaxable sources. Limitations associated with non-GAAP financial measures include the risks that persons might disagree as to the appropriateness of items included in these measures and that different companies might calculate these measures differently. These non-GAAP disclosures should not be considered an alternative to the Company’s GAAP results. The following table reconciles the non-GAAP financial measures of net interest income and net interest margin on a fully taxable equivalent basis and efficiency ratio on an adjusted and FTE basis.

(in thousands)	For the Quarter Ended
	March 31, 2025			December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024
Reconciliation of net interest income and net interest margin on a FTE basis to GAAP:
Net interest income (GAAP)	$	20,855		$	19,422		$	17,960		$	17,230		$	16,750
Tax-equivalent adjustment ⁽¹⁾		66			16			29			55			82
Net interest income on a FTE basis (non-GAAP)		20,921			19,438			17,989			17,285			16,832
Average interest-earning assets		3,717,441			3,910,978			3,749,688			3,731,674			3,595,954
Net interest margin on a FTE basis (non-GAAP)		2.28	%		1.98	%		1.91	%		1.86	%		1.88	%

Reconciliation of efficiency ratio on an adjusted and FTE basis to GAAP:
Net interest income on a FTE basis (non-GAAP)	$	20,921		$	19,438		$	17,989		$	17,285		$	16,832
Noninterest income		2,243			1,430			2,359			2,346			2,299
Adjustment for realized securities losses, net		—			1,172			—			—			—
Adjustment for losses on disposal of premises and equipment, net		8			—			26			21			—
Adjusted income		23,172			22,040			20,374			19,652			19,131
Noninterest expense		13,063			13,399			12,892			13,194			11,868
Efficiency ratio on an adjusted and FTE basis (non-GAAP) ⁽²⁾		56.37	%		60.79	%		63.28	%		67.14	%		62.04	%

^{(1) Computed on a tax-equivalent basis using a federal income tax rate of 21 percent, adjusted to reflect the effect of the nondeductible interest expense associated with owning tax-exempt securities and loans. Management believes the presentation of this non-GAAP measure provides supplemental useful information for proper understanding of the financial results, as it enhances the comparability of income arising from taxable and nontaxable sources.}
^{(2) The efficiency ratio expresses noninterest expense as a percent of fully taxable equivalent net interest income and noninterest income, excluding specific noninterest income and expenses. Management believes the presentation of this non-GAAP measure provides supplemental useful information for proper understanding of the Company’s financial performance. It is a standard measure of comparison within the banking industry. A lower ratio is more desirable.}

For more information contact:
Jane Funk, Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (515) 222-5766

The MIL Network –

April 25, 2025

MIL-OSI Economics: Independent Directors of Phillips 66 Issue Letter to Investors and Their Stewardship Teams

Source: Phillips

Encourages Honest, Independent Interrogation of Facts
Raises Key Questions Stewardship Teams and Investors Should Reach Their Own Conclusions On

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) today sent a letter from the Independent Directors of the Board to the Company’s shareholders and to independent proxy advisors, particularly those involved in assessing corporate governance topics.
In conjunction with today’s letter, Phillips 66 published a new video to phillips66delivers.com. The video provides shareholders a unique perspective into how the Board approaches overseeing the Company’s strategy, monitoring progress against that strategy, allocating capital, engaging with shareholders and driving long-term value for Phillips 66 shareholders.
The full text of the Board’s letter to investors and their stewardship teams follows:
Dear Phillips 66 Shareholders,
Due to the unique nature of shareholder engagement in 2025 and our concerns with the agenda Elliott is pushing, this letter is written directly to the stewardship teams, proxy advisers and all shareholders who prioritize strong corporate governance. This letter is intended to highlight critical areas for consideration that uniquely pertain to corporate governance, independence and transparency.
It is our strongly held view that two core tenets of best-in-class corporate governance are transparency and independence. Transparency allows shareholders to make informed decisions with full, complete and straight-forward information. Independence ensures that a Board is impartial, unbiased and objective in its pursuit of protecting the interests of all shareholders.
We have been surprised and concerned by the actions taken by Elliott in pursuit of its campaign to break-up Phillips 66. These actions, in our view, reveal a concerning disregard for good corporate governance, raise important questions of independence and demonstrate an alarming pattern of opaque disclosure.
There are serious questions about Elliott’s expectation of director loyalty.
Elliott is seeking to replace Bob Pease, a Board member it supported only one year ago.
Does this sudden switch in support, and Elliott’s own acknowledgment of its effort to have one-on-one conversations with Bob during the time he has been on our Board, suggest an expectation of loyalty to the activist and its thesis instead of fair evaluation of what is in the best interest of all shareholders?
Elliott, who is compensating its purportedly independent nominees, denied Phillips 66 access to those nominees for interview and evaluation, despite multiple attempts from Phillips 66. In fact, one of Elliott’s nominees told representatives of Phillips 66 that he was instructed not to engage directly and instead referred the Board to Elliott itself.
Does this action further reveal an expectation of loyalty rather than true independence?
Elliott’s competitive interests merit careful attention.
Elliott’s subsidiary, Amber Energy, is in pursuit of a direct Phillips 66 competitor, CITGO. That pursuit has been ongoing for more than a year, and Elliott’s most recent bid for CITGO is valued meaningfully above the amount of Elliott’s investment in Phillips 66.
Elliott’s public solicitation materials do not clearly mention its pursuit of CITGO, or that multiple members of the Amber Energy leadership team have been directly involved in soliciting Phillips 66 shareholders.
On Elliott’s recent podcast episode, John Pike confirmed that the same Elliott professionals on their energy team invest in public equities and private situations. In other words, the same team that is investing in Phillips 66 is also leading the CITGO process.
At what point does pursuit of control of a company while trying influence the strategy of a direct competitor raise conflicts of interest concerns? Has Elliott adequately disclosed this competitive position to Phillips 66 shareholders? Should shareholders have legitimate concerns about how Elliott’s interests may differ from those of other Phillips 66 shareholders?
Elliott and affiliated parties have provided misleading, incomplete disclosure.
The CEO of Elliott’s Amber Energy, Gregory Goff, issued a public letter claiming to be merely an investor in Phillips 66 in support of Elliott’s campaign. The day prior to this letter, Mr. Goff had entered into an agreement with Elliott where Mr. Goff’s solicitation expenses would be paid for by Elliott. Mr. Goff’s letter does not mention Amber Energy or its ongoing pursuit of CITGO, and it does not mention this agreement with Elliott.
Why is Mr. Goff misleadingly soliciting Phillips 66 shareholders in his capacity as “a 40-year energy industry veteran and shareholder of Phillips 66” and not in his capacity as an interested Elliott employee? More importantly, why was that relationship not fully and clearly disclosed to Phillips 66 shareholders in the letter?
A number of Elliott’s nominees have close personal ties to Mr. Goff, including decades of direct work experience. Much like everything related to Elliott’s Amber Energy, these relationships call into question Elliott’s nominees’ independence.
Given Amber Energy’s role in the campaign against Phillips 66 and Mr. Goff’s highly misleading public solicitation, should shareholders have concerns about the honesty of Elliott’s disclosures or the independence of Elliott’s nominees?
Elliott has put forth illegal corporate governance demands, masked by misleading communications.
As you know, we are fully committed to declassifying the Board so that each of our directors is up for election each year. Our last attempt to do so received approval from 73% of outstanding shares. With the attention this annual meeting is receiving, we are hoping that voter turnout will be higher than ever to achieve this important governance milestone.
But unlike Elliott, we want to do so legally, completely and without subjecting the Company to litigation and reputational harm.
Elliott is asking us to devise a slipshod workaround to declassify the Board in a de facto manner, without obtaining the required stockholder vote to do so. Put simply, if implemented, Elliott’s annual resignation proposal would contravene Delaware law, our Company’s charter and by-laws and our Board’s fiduciary duty to shareholders. Some resignation policies are acceptable, but not those with the specific purpose of evading a corporate charter. We will not establish the dangerous precedent of conveniently disregarding and circumventing our fundamental governing documents.
Don’t just take our word for it – a leading academic has said the proposal is “certainly creative; it is also, for three distinct reasons, illegal.”1We also received an advisory letter from a top Delaware law firm stating that, by implementing Elliott’s proposal, the Board would violate Delaware law and be exposed to potential claims for breaches of fiduciary duty. This leading law firm advised the Board not to implement Elliott’s proposal if passed.
Legal experts have also commented that shareholders are not accustomed to seeing proposals that violate state law because the SEC allows companies to exclude shareholder proposals submitted under Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 that would, if implemented, cause the company to violate applicable law. The difference, here, is that Elliott has included its proposal withinits ownproxy solicitation, which bypasses the SEC’s Rule 14a-8 vetting process and allows Elliott to present its proposal and the 2025 Annual Meeting. The Company never had a chance to exclude the proposal, which we believe we would have achieved under Rule 14a-8 based on the legal advice given by a leading Delaware law firm that the Company does not have the power to implement the proposal.
Do not be misled by Elliott’s claims that its mandatory resignation policy is legal because directors are already free to resign at any time, or its statements that its proposal is just voluntary. Any director canchooseto resign at any time, but a company policyrequiringsuch resignations to achieve de facto declassification is plainly illegal under well-settled Delaware law and our charter.Read for yourself – the plain text of Elliott’s proposal is arequirement, and the fact that directors can refuse to comply with it does not make it legitimate:“RESOLVED, that stockholders request that the Board adopt an annual election policy for directors, requiring each incumbent director (including directors with terms not set to expire at the next annual meeting) to deliver to the Board a letter of resignation effective at the next annual meeting of stockholders, each year prior to the nomination of director candidates for election at the annual meeting.”
Why is Elliott distracting from our actual efforts to declassify in a legal manner? Why does Elliott feel that companies should treat their governing documents as optional? Why does Elliott want shareholders to act as lawyers, rather than submitting its proposal in a manner that would have allowed the SEC to review it for illegality? What Pandora’s box would be opened if shareholders approved proposals that companies would have to breach their duties to implement?
Elliott’s lawsuit further exhibits its lack of transparency and preference for theatrics over engagement.
Do not believe Elliott’s misleading claims that this Board ever intended to reduce the size of the class standing for election. Unlike Elliott’s proposal, which treats our charter as an option, we respect our governing documents and their requirement that our classes be as nearly equal as possible.
Had Elliott waited just one more day – until March 26, the date Elliott was entitled to learn about our slate under the universal proxy rules – they would have seen that. Instead, they sought selective disclosure from us about our slate and then filed a lawsuit to compel what we were always planning to do – have four seats up for election this year.
Why did Elliott knowingly file a distracting lawsuit when it knew we would reveal our slate the next day in accordance with the universal proxy rules? Why did Elliott think it was entitled to selective disclosure?
In the spirit of transparency and strong corporate governance, we encourage you to gather all of the facts, assess these questions holistically and independently and reach your own conclusions.
Sincerely,
Independent Directors of the Phillips 66 Board of Directors
About Phillips 66
Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) is a leading integrated downstream energy provider that manufactures, transports and markets products that drive the global economy. The company’s portfolio includes Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, Marketing and Specialties, and Renewable Fuels businesses. Headquartered in Houston, Phillips 66 has employees around the globe who are committed to safely and reliably providing energy and improving lives while pursuing a lower-carbon future. For more information, visit phillips66.com or follow @Phillips66Co on LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws relating to Phillips 66’s operations, strategy and performance. Words such as “anticipated,” “committed,” “estimated,” “expected,” “planned,” “scheduled,” “targeted,” “believe,” “continue,” “intend,” “will,” “would,” “objective,” “goal,” “project,” “efforts,” “strategies” and similar expressions that convey the prospective nature of events or outcomes generally indicate forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements included in this news release are based on management’s expectations, estimates and projections as of the date they are made. These statements are not guarantees of future events or performance, and you should not unduly rely on them as they involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include: changes in governmental policies or laws that relate to our operations, including regulations that seek to limit or restrict refining, marketing and midstream operations or regulate profits, pricing, or taxation of our products or feedstocks, or other regulations that restrict feedstock imports or product exports; our ability to timely obtain or maintain permits necessary for projects; fluctuations in NGL, crude oil, refined petroleum, renewable fuels and natural gas prices, and refining, marketing and petrochemical margins; the effects of any widespread public health crisis and its negative impact on commercial activity and demand for refined petroleum or renewable fuels products; changes to worldwide government policies relating to renewable fuels and greenhouse gas emissions that adversely affect programs including the renewable fuel standards program, low carbon fuel standards and tax credits for renewable fuels; potential liability from pending or future litigation; liability for remedial actions, including removal and reclamation obligations under existing or future environmental regulations; unexpected changes in costs for constructing, modifying or operating our facilities; our ability to successfully complete, or any material delay in the completion of, any asset disposition, acquisition, shutdown or conversion that we have announced or may pursue, including receipt of any necessary regulatory approvals or permits related thereto; unexpected difficulties in manufacturing, refining or transporting our products; the level and success of drilling and production volumes around our midstream assets; risks and uncertainties with respect to the actions of actual or potential competitive suppliers and transporters of refined petroleum products, renewable fuels or specialty products; lack of, or disruptions in, adequate and reliable transportation for our products; failure to complete construction of capital projects on time or within budget; our ability to comply with governmental regulations or make capital expenditures to maintain compliance with laws; limited access to capital or significantly higher cost of capital related to illiquidity or uncertainty in the domestic or international financial markets, which may also impact our ability to repurchase shares and declare and pay dividends; potential disruption of our operations due to accidents, weather events, including as a result of climate change, acts of terrorism or cyberattacks; general domestic and international economic and political developments, including armed hostilities (such as the Russia-Ukraine war), expropriation of assets, and other diplomatic developments; international monetary conditions and exchange controls; changes in estimates or projections used to assess fair value of intangible assets, goodwill and property and equipment and/or strategic decisions with respect to our asset portfolio that cause impairment charges; investments required, or reduced demand for products, as a result of environmental rules and regulations; changes in tax, environmental and other laws and regulations (including alternative energy mandates); political and societal concerns about climate change that could result in changes to our business or increase expenditures, including litigation-related expenses; the operation, financing and distribution decisions of equity affiliates we do not control; and other economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors affecting Phillips 66’s businesses generally as set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Phillips 66 is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Additional Information
On April 8, 2025, Phillips 66 filed a definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A (the “Proxy Statement”) and accompanying WHITE proxy card with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with its 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “2025 Annual Meeting”) and its solicitation of proxies for Phillips 66’s director nominees and for other matters to be voted on. This communication is not a substitute for the Proxy Statement or any other document that Phillips 66 has filed or may file with the SEC in connection with any solicitation by Phillips 66. PHILLIPS 66 SHAREHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (AND ANY AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ACCOMPANYING WHITE PROXY CARD AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT SOLICITATION MATERIALS FILED WITH THE SEC AS THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Shareholders may obtain copies of the Proxy Statement, any amendments or supplements to the Proxy Statement and other documents (including the WHITE proxy card) filed by Phillips 66 with the SEC without charge from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed by Phillips 66 with the SEC also may be obtained free of charge at Phillips 66’s investor relations website at https://investor.phillips66.com or upon written request sent to Phillips 66, 2331 CityWest Boulevard, Houston, TX 77042, Attention: Investor Relations.
Certain Information Regarding Participants
Phillips 66, its directors, its director nominees and certain of its executive officers and employees may be deemed to be participants in connection with the solicitation of proxies from Phillips 66 shareholders in connection with the matters to be considered at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the names of such persons and their respective interests in Phillips 66, by securities holdings or otherwise, is available in the Proxy Statement, which was filed with the SEC on April 8, 2025, including in the sections captioned “Beneficial Ownership of Phillips 66 Securities” and “Appendix C: Supplemental Information Regarding Participants in the Solicitation.” To the extent that Phillips 66’s directors and executive officers who may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation have acquired or disposed of securities holdings since the applicable “as of” date disclosed in the Proxy Statement, such transactions have been or will be reflected on Statements of Changes in Ownership of Securities on Form 4 or Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 3 filed with the SEC. These documents are or will be available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
1 Andrew Verstein, “How Not to De‑Classify a Board,” The CLS Blue Sky Blog, April 22, 2025. https://clsbluesky.law.columbia.edu/2025/04/22/how-not-to-de%E2%80%91classify-a-board/

Source: Phillips 66

MIL OSI Economics –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Marquette National Corporation Declares a Dividend of $0.31 per Share

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHICAGO, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Marquette National Corporation (OTCQX: MNAT) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.31 per share. The dividend will be payable on July 1, 2025 to shareholders of record on June 20, 2025. As of March 31, 2025, Marquette had 4,367,449 shares issued and outstanding.

Marquette National Corporation is a diversified bank holding company with total assets of $2.2 billion. The Company’s banking subsidiary, Marquette Bank, is a full-service, community bank that serves the financial needs of communities in Chicagoland, offering an extensive line of financial solutions, including retail banking, real estate lending, trust, insurance, investments, wealth management and business banking to consumers and commercial customers. Marquette Bank has 20 branches located in: Chicago, Bolingbrook, Bridgeview, Evergreen Park, Hickory Hills, Lemont, New Lenox, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Summit and Tinley Park, Illinois. For more information visit: https://emarquettebank.com

Special Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements.
This document contains, and future oral and written statements of the Company and its management may contain, forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business of the Company. Forward-looking statements, which may be based upon beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the Company’s management and on information currently available to management, are generally identifiable by the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “bode”, “predict,” “suggest,” “project”, “appear,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” ”annualize,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “likely,” “might,” “potential,” “continue,” “annualized,” “target,” “outlook,” as well as the negative forms of those words, or other similar expressions. Additionally, all statements in this document, including forward-looking statements, speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any statement in light of new information or future events.
A number of factors, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to control or predict, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in its forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: (i) the strength of the local, state, national and international economies and financial markets (including effects of inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints); (ii) effects on the U.S. economy resulting from the implementation of policies proposed by the new presidential administration, including tariffs, mass deportations and tax regulations; (iii) the economic impact of any future terrorist threats and attacks, widespread disease or pandemics, acts of war or threats thereof (including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East), or other adverse events that could cause economic deterioration or instability in credit markets, and the response of the local, state and national governments to any such adverse external events; (iv) new or revised accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by state and federal regulatory agencies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; (v) changes in local, state and federal laws, regulations and governmental policies concerning the Company’s general business and any changes in response to the bank failures in 2023; (vi) the imposition of tariffs or other governmental policies impacting the value of products produced by the Company’s commercial borrowers; (vii) increased competition in the financial services sector, including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions and fintech companies, and the inability to attract new customers; (viii) changes in technology and the ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems; (ix) unexpected results of acquisitions which may include failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions and the possibility that transaction costs may be greater than anticipated; (x) the loss of key executives and employees, talent shortages and employee turnover; (xi) changes in consumer spending; (xii) unexpected outcomes and costs of existing or new litigation or other legal proceedings and regulatory actions involving the Company; (xiii) the economic impact on the Company and its customers of climate change, natural disasters and exceptional weather occurrences such as tornadoes, floods and blizzards; (xiv) fluctuations in the value of securities held in our securities portfolio, including as a result of changes in interest rates; (xv) credit risk and risks from concentrations (by type of borrower, geographic area, collateral and industry) within our loan portfolio and large loans to certain borrowers (including CRE loans); (xvi) the overall health of the local and national real estate market; (xvii) the ability to maintain an adequate level of allowance for credit losses on loans; (xviii) the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits and who may withdraw deposits to diversify their exposure; (xix) the ability to successfully manage liquidity risk, which may increase dependence on non-core funding sources such as brokered deposits, and may negatively impact the Company’s cost of funds; (xx) the level of non-performing assets on our balance sheets; (xxi) interruptions involving our information technology and communications systems or third-party servicers; (xxii) the occurrence of fraudulent activity, breaches or failures of our third-party vendors’ information security controls or cybersecurity-related incidents, including as a result of sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence and similar tools or as a result of insider fraud; (xxiii) changes in the interest rates and repayment rates of the Company’s assets; (xxiv) the effectiveness of the Company’s risk management framework, and (xxv) the ability of the Company to manage the risks associated with the foregoing as well as anticipated. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.

For more information:
Patrick Hunt
EVP & CFO
708-364-9019
phunt@emarquettebank.com

This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

The MIL Network –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Demand for urban development services for individual housing construction is growing in Moscow

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

In the first quarter of this year, the demand for approval of urban development plans for land plots (GPZU) for individual housing construction (IHC) increased by 18.5 percent compared to the same period in 2024. More than a thousand documents were issued in three months. This was reported by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction Vladimir Efimov.

The urban development plan of a land plot is one of the fundamental documents required for the construction of objects. It contains detailed information about what can be built on the land plot and the maximum parameters permissible for a particular building.

“We see a steady growth in Muscovites’ interest in individual housing construction. Thus, in the first quarter of this year, 1,012 GPZUs were issued for the construction of private houses. More than 91 percent of them were received by individuals, which means that city residents are actively using the opportunity to build their own home within the city. This is an important indicator: people want to create comfortable conditions for themselves and their children. And the city is doing everything possible to make this process as simple and transparent as possible,” said Vladimir Efimov.

A significant part of the GPZU was issued for individual housing construction in TiNAO. Thus, 483 documents were issued for the Troitsky administrative district, and 365 documents (36 percent of the total) for Novomoskovsky. Today, TiNAO is a promising territory with comfortable living conditions and developed infrastructure.

“The increase in the number of issued GPZUs by 18.5 percent compared to the same period in 2024 is evidence of the demand for individual housing construction among Muscovites. When designing, special attention is paid not only to the allocation of land plots, but also to the integrated development of adjacent territories. Each new plot for individual housing construction is designed taking into account the creation of a comfortable urban environment – this includes landscaping, development of the road network, and construction of social facilities. In 2024, 854 documents were issued for the same period, and current indicators confirm a stable positive trend,” she emphasized.

Juliana Knyazhevskaya, Chairman of the Moscow Committee for Architecture and Urban Development (Moskomarkhitektura).

GPZU are provided through official websiteMoscow Government. The service can be obtained free of charge within 14 working days from the date of application.

Find out the latest news quickly in the official telegram channelthe city of Moscow.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/153065073/

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Future of Energy Security summit: Energy Secretary opening remarks

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Speech

Future of Energy Security summit: Energy Secretary opening remarks

The Energy Secretary delivered opening remarks at the International Energy Agency (IEA) Future of Energy Security summit.

Francine, thank you so much.

And distinguished delegates, on behalf of the UK government and the International Energy Agency, I want to welcome you all to this historic setting of Lancaster House and to London for this first global summit on the Future of Energy Security. 

As Francine has said, there are numerous countries represented here – almost 60 countries represented here today. 

And I want to thank each and every one of you who have made the trip here. We truly appreciate your presence and we really look forward to the discussions over the coming 2 days.

We also have leaders from more than 50 global businesses with us.

And I want to thank all of you for everything you do to help create energy security for our countries and our world. 

And we also have NGOs and civil society groups from around the world who are here with us, who play an important role in ensuring accountability of governments.

I also want to pay a specific thank you to the official partners of the summit: Iberdrola-Scottish Power, National Grid, SSE and Urenco. 

And if I may, I want to also thank the teams at the International Energy Agency and across the UK government who have worked incredibly hard to pull this event together. It is some feat of organisation.

And I want if I may also to pay particular tribute to Fatih Birol. Fatih, your leadership of the IEA for nearly a decade now has been marked by your commitment to rigour, to values and to multilateral cooperation. That is why the IEA is so central to the global discussion on energy, and I want to thank you. Perhaps the audience could show our appreciation for Fatih and the work he does.

You’ve got much more interesting people than me to hear from in these coming sessions, but let me make a few remarks to frame our discussions over the next 2 days. 

First, our starting point for this summit is that in an unstable and uncertain world, there can be no national or international security without energy security.  

And indeed it is now more than 50 years since the IEA was founded in response to the oil crisis of 1973.

Over that time, the challenges we face have changed. 

But I think the principle underpinning the IEA’s work – that countries need to collaborate to secure the uninterrupted supply of energy at an affordable price – remains the same. 

And in the years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine we’ve been reminded in the UK, and indeed across Europe and the world of a simple truth: 

That as long as energy can be weaponised against us, our countries and our citizens are vulnerable and exposed. 

It is for this reason that energy security is also at the heart of economic security – because it is central to living standards, job creation and economic growth. 

And we hope this summit marks an important moment for countries to come together and discuss what the shifting global landscape means for how we deliver energy security in this era.

Second, the act of bringing together, which is an initiative that I’ve taken alongside Fatih and the IEA, I think stems from an underlying belief that can unite us all, which is there is huge benefit for us from cooperating on the basis of our shared interests. 

I think it’s really important to say every country faces its own energy security challenges and its own constraints. 

And each country will pursue its own pathway, following its national interest in securing its energy supplies. 

Different pathways – and I think this is a really important point for this conference – different pathways for different nations should be respected.  

And we will all get a chance to reflect on our different national circumstances in our discussions over the coming days. 

But here is the key thing: whatever our national pathways, I do believe that we share a fundamental belief that shared challenges invite shared solutions. 

Multilateral co-operation can make us stronger not weaker – in our own individual national interest. 

Third point – hopefully this is also a uniting idea – I believe that we gathered here are the optimists about what we can achieve for our society. Business, government, civil society – I believe we are, in this energy sector, the optimists.

Abundant energy can raise living standards, economic growth and deliver for today’s and future generations of citizens.

For the UK, just to talk about us for a moment, there is an exciting vision of energy security and abundance from cheap, homegrown, low carbon power. 

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we saw family finances, business finances and public finances wrecked as fossil fuel prices rocketed on the global markets, and therefore here in Britain. 

Now oil and gas, including from our North Sea, will continue to play an important role in our energy system, and we really value our industry and the jobs it supports. But as with many countries, we are a price taker not a price maker in international fossil fuel markets.  

So our vision of low carbon power goes well beyond the climate imperative — important as that is. Homegrown low carbon power is our nationally chosen route to energy security. 

Solar power, wind power, tidal, geothermal, nuclear power – also an essential part of the low carbon opportunity. 

These are often unlimited, low-cost power supplies which we can exploit for the benefit of our citizens. 

So to be clear about this, ours is a hard-headed approach to the role of low carbon power as the route to energy security. 

And I believe this isn’t just true for the UK – alongside a continuing important role for oil and gas, low carbon energy can play a critical role in delivering energy security for many countries around the world. 

And it presents a solution to the issue of energy security that simply wasn’t true in the same way as a decade and a half ago – and this again is important – and that’s because of what many countries in this room, working with business, public and private sector together, have achieved. 

The cost of solar globally has fallen by 90% since 2010.  

Offshore wind by more than 60%. 

That’s in part why last year, $2 trillion was invested in clean energy with 80% of new electricity generation met by renewables and nuclear. 

Indeed, according to BNEF, for more than two-thirds of the world’s population, new renewables are the cheapest source of bulk power generation. 

In the spirit of multilateralism, the UK is determined to work with others to accelerate this transition, including through our Global Clean Power Alliance, which the Prime Minister launched at the G20 last year. 

Final point, let me finish by saying that at a time when so much of what is happening in the world looks so intractable, I hope we can carry this spirit of optimism into our deliberations. 

And I hope genuinely that everyone here enjoys this event and your time in London.

I want to end with the following message from His Majesty The King that he has asked me to read out to you all because this summit is something that he was very much personally interested in.

And this is the message from King Charles:

As we all navigate the transition to cleaner energy for our planet and energy security for our citizens, summits such as these are of vital importance in facilitating shared learning between nations, particularly those in the global south and across the Commonwealth.

Events over recent years have shown that, when well-managed, the transition to more sustainable energy sources can itself lead to more resilient and secure energy systems.

While each country will follow its individual path, there are many shared challenges and opportunities on which we can work together, as partners.

And he ends by saying:

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for participating in this summit on the future of energy security, and to send my warmest best wishes for productive discussions over the coming days.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for your attendance, and now it’s my huge privilege to introduce the Executive Director of the IEA, Dr Fatih Birol.

Updates to this page

Published 24 April 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University has become a platform for the implementation of the “Vice-Rector” project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, together with Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, launched a new information and educational website video project “Vice-Rector”, which is being implemented in the SPbPU television studio. Its presentation took place on April 23 at the forum-exhibition “GOSZAKAZ” at the stand of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. The event was attended by vice-rectors of leading universities and representatives of student media. The broadcast took place on the information resources of the educational department.

The discussion was moderated by the Head of the SPbPU Public Relations Department Marianna Dyakova. The experts were Maxim Pasholikov, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Communication Technologies at SPbPU, Anna Gureeva, First Vice-Rector of the Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language, Mikhail Filonov, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation at the MISIS University of Science and Technology, and Ruslan Baryshev, Vice-Rector for Research at the Siberian Federal University. The participants discussed the relevance of the project, the most important topics, challenges for the higher education system, and other issues. The presentation sparked a lively discussion and received a wide response. Activists from the student media center invited representatives of youth media to join the project.

The “Vice-Rector” project will unite the vice-rector community to talk about the life of the country’s leading universities, exchange best practices and popularize them, and identify and reward the most effective managers in the field of higher education.

“Teams from leading universities play an important role in improving the national model of higher education and achieving technological leadership. The “Vice-Rector” project will tell about how their work is structured from the inside. It is designed to highlight the most outstanding representatives of the vice-rectors’ corps and popularize the best scientific and educational practices,” said Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Russia Konstantin Mogilevsky.

“I am confident that the information and educational project “Vice-Rector” will become an effective platform for discussing the most pressing issues, exchanging practices and successful examples of implementing state policy in the field of science and higher education. Such a dialogue is very important today, when we are moving along the path of forming technological leadership and updating the national education system. The project is all-Russian, its participants will be experts from among the vice-rectors of all universities in our country. I am glad that we are implementing such an initiative together with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, which, of course, contributes to the actualization of the most necessary topics for focusing. I invite all colleagues to participate in the project,” commented SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy.

As part of the new project, experts from among the vice-rectors of Russian universities will explain innovations and changes in the scientific and educational sphere to a wide audience consisting of employees, teachers, students and applicants. During filming, the speaker can be directly in the SPbPU television studio or connect remotely. Editing and post-production of the project are also carried out at the Polytechnic University.

Each episode will cover different topics such as:

changes in the higher education system; updating the national higher education system; implementation of the technology leadership strategy; implementation of federal programs and projects; youth policy and others.

The premiere of the first issue dedicated to technological leadership has already taken place. Its hero was the Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation of SPbPU Alexey Borovkov.

“The Polytechnic University has a modern television studio and media resources, which allows us to take the initiative and use the available opportunities to popularize and explain new guidelines of state policy in the formation of the domestic system of higher education,” said Marianna Dyakova, Head of the SPbPU Public Relations Department. “It is important that experts from different universities in our country share their understanding of these processes with the general public. At the moment, we have presented a pilot issue on technological leadership. Of course, we will continue to improve our work to bring the project to perfection. In addition, we expect feedback that will help make the necessary changes.”

The project will be released twice a month. They will be available on the official resources of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and on the websites of participating universities.

To join the “Vice-Rector” project, discuss current issues and share successful cases, you must fill out registration form.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The Art of Management: All-Russian Forum Opens at the State University of Management

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

On April 23, the ceremonial opening of the V All-Russian Interuniversity Forum “The Art of Management: Science, Practice, Project Technologies” was held at the Center for Information Technologies of the State University of Management.

The vice-rector of the State University of Management, Artem Terpugov, gave a welcoming speech.

“Today’s forum is a unique opportunity for all participants to exchange best practices, present innovative approaches and discuss current issues of implementing project-based learning at universities, as well as developing students’ project activities. I am confident that the forum’s rich program will allow each participant to find useful contacts, gain new knowledge and inspiration for implementing their own projects,” the vice-rector concluded.

The President of the Project Management Association “SOVNET” Alexander Tovb told the audience about the history of the organization, long-standing cooperation with the State University of Management and the importance of project-based learning.

As part of the practical part, experts shared their experience in implementing joint projects, forming teams and establishing systematic work.

Deputy Head of the Federal State Statistics Service for Moscow and the Moscow Region Natalia Alekseeva spoke about the cooperation between Mosstat and the State University of Management, Director of the Business Incubator Dmitry Rogov spoke in more detail about how interaction within the framework of project-based learning is established at our university, and Director of the Project Mentoring Center Ekaterina Illarionova introduced the principals of the organization of mentoring support at the State University of Management.

Also speaking were the head of the Center for Project Entrepreneurship of IPI LAB LLC Olga Baranenkova, ITMO tracker-adviser Yulia Gaponenko, executive director of the non-profit organization “Mentors for Children” Nina Vorontsova and associate professor of the Department of Information Security of VolSU Yulia Bakhracheva.

The practical part of the session was conducted by the head of the Center for Didactics of Professional Education of Moscow State Pedagogical University, Daria Vyunova, who helped those gathered test their theories and approaches to project-based learning on specific cases.

At the same time, the Interuniversity Hackathon “Urban Development Technologies” has started working in the Scientific Library of the State University of Management, in which student interuniversity teams from different areas of training are participating. For 3 days, the students will work on problem cases of customer partners and develop a draft solution, which they will present to an expert jury consisting of specialists delegated by the customer partner and representatives of the Forum organizer.

Let us recall that the State University of Management is holding the Forum for the fifth time and for the second year it is organizing it in cooperation with the project-methodical association “Association of project-oriented organizations of science and higher education” and the association of specialists and organizations in the field of project management “Association of project management “SOVNET”.

You can read about how the forum was held in 2024 in this article.

Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/24/2025

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Uniting Cities: Interuniversity Hackathon Held at GUU

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

On April 23, 2025, the State University of Management launched a three-day inter-university hackathon “Urban Development Technologies”, which is being held as part of the V All-Russian Inter-University Forum “The Art of Management: Science, Practice, Project Technologies”.

From April 23 to 25, students from 7 universities: GUU, MIREA, RGUTIS, RUT (MIIT), RUDN, SFedU, SPbGASU will work with cases of 9 partners: Federal State Budgetary Institution “Analytical Center under the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation”, Sber, Roskachestvo, Beyond Taylor, Basmanny District Museum – Basmania, Vitra Russia, Moscow Municipal Economy Museum, Vysota Service Group, Scientific Research Center for Municipal Economy (TsNIS), Leisure and Sports Center of TiNAO of the City of Moscow.

This year, the hackathon became not just inter-university, but inter-regional, expanding its borders from Taganrog (SFedU) to St. Petersburg (SPbGASU).

On the first day of acquaintance and team formation, a master class was held by Beyond Taylor representative, head of implementation projects, leader of consulting in the public sector Elena Bryukhova, who introduced the hackathon participants to the principles of clientocracy and focus on the needs and requests of clients. The teams worked all day in the Scientific Library of the State University of Management in different locations.

Before the start of the joint work, Associate Professor of the Department of Human Resources Management of the State University of Management Ekaterina Kashtanova held a master class on team building, as a result of which the teams defined their values and rules of work, came up with a motto corresponding to the image and selected a song.

On the second day, the teams will go on an excursion to the Moscow Museum of Urban Economy, where they will learn about the specifics of how city facilities operate and continue working on projects based on cases proposed by partners.

On the third day, the teams will present their projects to an expert jury, which will select the winners and nominees of the hackathon.

The goal of the hackathon is to develop students’ professional competencies through work on real management tasks in the field of creating a comfortable urban environment, developing urban infrastructure, urban logistics, improving the ecological environment, supporting social entrepreneurship, and involving young people in urban projects.

Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/24/2025

«Искусство управлять: наука,…” data-yashareImage=”https://guu.ru/wp-content/uploads/1745427244767-scaled.jpg” data-yashareLink=”https://guu.ru/%d0%be%d0%b1%d1%8a%d0%b5%d0%b4%d0%b8%d0%bd%d1%8f%d1%8f-%d0%b3%d0%be%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b4%d0%b0-%d0%b2-%d0%b3%d1%83%d1%83-%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%be%d1%88%d0%b5%d0%bb-%d0%bc%d0%b5%d0%b6%d0%b2%d1%83%d0%b7%d0%be/”>

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic and BRU strengthen the technological sovereignty of the Union State

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The visit of the Polytechnic University delegation to the Republic of Belarus continues. At the site of the strategic partner of SPbPU, the Belarusian-Russian University (Mogilev), several events related to the joint activities of our universities are currently taking place. The leaders of the Polytechnic University, which coordinates the activities of Slavic universities within the framework of the national project, were met at BRU with traditional hospitality – a loaf of bread and salt.

BRU Rector Mikhail Lustenkov welcomed his Russian colleagues: “Our cooperation with the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University has long been truly warm and productive. I can say with confidence that we do not have such a multifaceted and strategically important partnership with any other university. Today we have a wonderful opportunity to personally show you what results we have achieved thanks to our joint work. The Comprehensive Program for the Development of Slavic Universities plays a special role in our development, within the framework of which your support is invaluable to us. Polytechnic is not just a partner, but a reliable ally in the pursuit of development and improvement.”

The official meeting of SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Dmitry Arsenyev and Director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport Anatoly Popovich with BRU Rector Mikhail Lustenkov and key vice-rectors was devoted to the prospects for expanding cooperation in the main areas of partnership, including the creation of innovative joint educational programs, the development of research infrastructure and the training of professional personnel for high-tech sectors of the Union State economy.

“We have found the right interaction and the basis for Slavic unity in the field of education. Unique laboratories have been created in Belarus, students study together, and are distributed to enterprises in both countries. This is a very correct and important symbiosis, reflecting the most important role of Slavic universities. Our partnership in welding technologies is of particular importance. You have strong developments, and we have exclusive methods, for example, electron beam and vacuum welding. For Russia, as a powerful shipbuilding center, training welders is an urgent task. We are ready to share high-tech solutions and adopt your practical experience. In addition, we are united by intelligent control systems, digital technologies, supercomputer centers and modeling. Without this, modern science and industry are impossible. I am sure that together we can strengthen both sides,” Andrey Rudskoy emphasized.

A landmark event was the signing of an agreement to launch a unique joint network bachelor’s degree program “Artificial Intelligence in Technical Systems”. This four-year program was developed by joint efforts of specialists from the Higher School of Cyber-Physical Systems Management of SPbPU and the Department of Software of BRU. It should become a flagship project in training new generation specialists. Already at the development stage, the program aroused significant interest not only among Russian and Belarusian applicants, but also among students from China, which indicates its international demand.

“This visit is the next stage of our strategic partnership. Within the walls of the Belarusian-Russian University, we see not only modern laboratories, but also a special atmosphere of joint creativity. We were particularly impressed by the achievements of our Belarusian colleagues in training engineering personnel and organizing the educational process. We see significant potential for expanding joint educational programs and scientific research,” said Dmitry Arsenyev.

This is not the first network program launched by the two universities. Since 2022, SPbPU and BRU have been implementing a network bachelor’s degree program in the field of “Foreign Regional Studies”. From April 21 to 25, five students of the Higher School of International Relations of the Humanitarian Institute of SPbPU are undergoing an internship at BRU. The students were selected based on the results of the essay competition “25 years of the Union State: history, achievements and future goals of Russia and Belarus”. The educational program at BRU includes lectures (“Culture of Belarus: traditions and modernity”, “The main stages of the development of philosophical thought in Belarus”, “Society in Belarus: features and development”, etc.) and a cultural program. In parallel with the student internship, Associate Professor of the Polytechnic University Alexey Vovenda held master classes for BRU students on organizing research activities within the framework of the field of “Foreign Regional Studies”. Since 2022, a total of 19 SPbPU students and 29 BRU students have been trained within the network program.

Getting acquainted with the university infrastructure allowed the SPbPU delegation to evaluate the achievements of the joint laboratory of intelligent robotics and cyber-physical systems. In it, students and teachers of the two universities successfully implement projects in the field of digital twins of industrial facilities and predictive analytics systems. The delegation was especially interested in practical solutions for remote monitoring of critical facilities using artificial intelligence technologies. In the robotics laboratory, guests were shown how to remotely connect to production lines and control robots located at different points.

No less productive was the visit to the Department of Technosphere Safety, where the industrial internship program for master’s students of the “Environmental Safety in Industry” program of SPbPU has been successfully implemented for the third year. A unique methodology for studying the impact of radionuclides on the environment, developed by Belarusian colleagues, complements the educational programs of the St. Petersburg university with an important practical component. The internship has been held since 2022. During this time, 15 Polytechnic students have completed it. And just this week, another internship program for three more students of the Civil Engineering Institute is ending at the experimental sites and in the laboratories of the Department of Technosphere Safety.

At the Department of Welding Equipment and Technologies, guests were presented with advanced developments in the field of additive and welding technologies. In this area, BRU is rightfully considered a unique platform in the Republic of Belarus. The only Certification and Testing Center in the Republic operates on the basis of the university, which carries out certification of welding equipment and materials, testing of welded samples and structures, training, certification and certification of welders, and develops and qualifies welding processes.

Director of IMMiT Anatoly Popovich supported the rector of SPbPU, noting that the key area of cooperation between the universities should be interaction in the field of advanced production technologies, in particular powder metallurgy and welding processes. He emphasized that BRU has unique practical experience in the field of high-tech welding, including automatic, thick-plate and argon-arc welding, and is ready to actively share these developments with colleagues from the Polytechnic University.

The Higher School of Materials Physics and Technology of SPbPU (Professor Sergey Parshin) has been collaborating with this BRU department since 2021. The partners jointly conduct scientific research, supervise postgraduate students and give lectures. The center discussed the possibilities of developing cooperation. In particular, organizing network interaction between the Polytechnic University, BRU, institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences, and creating a Competence Center for Welding Technologies on the basis of BRU.

As part of the activities to coordinate the activities of Slavic universities, this week SPbPU experts are holding a project-analytical session to prepare a development program for the Belarusian-Russian University for 2026-2030. The session focused on developing a common understanding among the BRU team of the university’s target model, strategic development goals, and ways to achieve them.

SPbPU experts — Vice-Rector for Personnel Policy Maria Vrublevskaya, Head of the Project Office “Slavic Universities” Nikita Golovin and expert of the Department of Strategic Planning and Development Tatyana Morina. They shared their experience in implementing the Priority-2030 program, proposing innovative approaches to transforming the university into an educational hub. The main vector of BRU development is maintaining the model of an engineering university with an emphasis on close cooperation with industry. This is necessary for sustainable regional development, as well as in the interests of Belarus, Russia and the Union State as a whole.

Maria Vrublevskaya shared the results of the project-analytical session: “Despite serious restrictions related to state frameworks, as well as difficulties in developing human capital, the university demonstrated impressive results. Investments were implemented effectively: growth points are fully equipped, strong teams were formed, and best practices reached the level of sustainable development. Now the team is at the peak of intellectual potential, and although the strategy for further development until 2030 is yet to be determined, it is already obvious that the invested resources have produced a significant effect.”

The results of the visit confirmed that the cooperation between SPbPU and BRU has reached a qualitatively new level, combining fundamental academic traditions with advanced educational technologies. Joint projects in the field of artificial intelligence, cyber-physical systems and technosphere safety not only strengthen the scientific and technical potential of the two countries, but also create the basis for the formation of a single educational space and increasing the technological sovereignty of the Union State.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Radware Announces Extraordinary General Meeting

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

TEL AVIV, Israel, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radware^® (NASDAQ: RDWR), a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments, today announced that an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (the ”Extraordinary General Meeting” or the “Meeting”) will be held on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. (EST), at the offices of Radware Inc., 575 Corporate Drive, Mahwah, N.J. 07430, U.S.A. The record date for the Meeting is April 25, 2025.

The agenda of the Meeting is: (1) to approve grants of equity-based awards to, and modifications in the structure of the annual bonus of, the president and chief executive officer of the Company; and (2) transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.

Proposal 1, the proposal voted upon, requires the approval of a simple majority of the shares voted on the matter at the Meeting, either in person or by proxy; provided that either (i) the shares voted in favor of the proposal include at least a majority of the shares voted at the Meeting, either in person or by proxy, by shareholders who are not “controlling shareholders” and do not have a “personal interest” (as such terms are defined in the Israeli Companies Law, 5759-1999 (the “Companies Law”)) in such proposal or (ii) the total number of shares voted against such proposal by the disinterested shareholders described in clause (i) does not exceed 2% of the aggregate voting rights in the Company. As of the date hereof, the Company has no controlling shareholder within the meaning of the Companies Law.

In the absence of the requisite quorum of shareholders at the Extraordinary General Meeting, the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place, unless otherwise determined at the Extraordinary General Meeting in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the Extraordinary General Meeting, Radware will make available to its shareholders of record a proxy statement describing the proposal to be voted upon at the Extraordinary General Meeting, along with a proxy card enabling them to indicate their vote on the matter. The Company will also furnish copies of the proxy statement and proxy card to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 6-K, which may be obtained for free from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, the Company’s website at https://www.radware.com/ir/financial-info/ or by directing such request to the Company’s Investor Relations department at ir@radware.com.

About Radware

Radware^® (NASDAQ: RDWR) is a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments. The company’s cloud application, infrastructure, and API security solutions use AI-driven algorithms for precise, hands-free, real-time protection from the most sophisticated web, application, and DDoS attacks, API abuse, and bad bots. Enterprises and carriers worldwide rely on Radware’s solutions to address evolving cybersecurity challenges and protect their brands and business operations while reducing costs. For more information, please visit the Radware website.

Radware encourages you to join our community and follow us on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Radware Blog, X, and YouTube.

©2025 Radware Ltd. All rights reserved. Any Radware products and solutions mentioned in this press release are protected by trademarks, patents, and pending patent applications of Radware in the U.S. and other countries. For more details, please see: https://www.radware.com/LegalNotice/. All other trademarks and names are property of their respective owners.

Radware believes the information in this document is accurate in all material respects as of its publication date. However, the information is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties and is subject to change without notice.

The contents of any website or hyperlinks mentioned in this press release are for informational purposes and the contents thereof are not part of this press release.

Contacts
Investor Relations:
Yisca Erez, +972-72-3917211, ir@radware.com

Media Contacts:
Gerri Dyrek, gerri.dyrek@radware.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about Radware’s plans, outlook, beliefs, or opinions, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may,” and “could.” Because such statements deal with future events, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, could differ materially from Radware’s current forecasts and estimates. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of global economic conditions, including as a result of the state of war declared in Israel in October 2023 and instability in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan, financial and credit market fluctuations (including elevated interest rates), impacts from tariffs or other trade restrictions, inflation, and the potential for regional or global recessions; our dependence on independent distributors to sell our products; our ability to manage our anticipated growth effectively; our business may be affected by sanctions, export controls, and similar measures, targeting Russia and other countries and territories, as well as other responses to Russia’s military conflict in Ukraine, including indefinite suspension of operations in Russia and dealings with Russian entities by many multi-national businesses across a variety of industries; the ability of vendors to provide our hardware platforms and components for the manufacture of our products; our ability to attract, train, and retain highly qualified personnel; intense competition in the market for cybersecurity and application delivery solutions and in our industry in general, and changes in the competitive landscape; our ability to develop new solutions and enhance existing solutions; the impact to our reputation and business in the event of real or perceived shortcomings, defects, or vulnerabilities in our solutions, if our end-users experience security breaches, or if our information technology systems and data, or those of our service providers and other contractors, are compromised by cyber-attackers or other malicious actors or by a critical system failure; our use of AI technologies that present regulatory, litigation, and reputational risks; risks related to the fact that our products must interoperate with operating systems, software applications and hardware that are developed by others; outages, interruptions, or delays in hosting services; the risks associated with our global operations, such as difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations, compliance costs arising from host country laws or regulations, partial or total expropriation, export duties and quotas, local tax exposure, economic or political instability, including as a result of insurrection, war, natural disasters, and major environmental, climate, or public health concerns; our net losses in the past and the possibility that we may incur losses in the future; a slowdown in the growth of the cybersecurity and application delivery solutions market or in the development of the market for our cloud-based solutions; long sales cycles for our solutions; risks and uncertainties relating to acquisitions or other investments; risks associated with doing business in countries with a history of corruption or with foreign governments; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; risks associated with undetected defects or errors in our products; our ability to protect our proprietary technology; intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties; laws, regulations, and industry standards affecting our business; compliance with open source and third-party licenses; complications with the design or implementation of our new enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system; our reliance on information technology systems; our ESG disclosures and initiatives; and other factors and risks over which we may have little or no control. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Radware, refer to Radware’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the other risk factors discussed from time to time by Radware in reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and, except as required by applicable law, Radware undertakes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statement in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made. Radware’s public filings are available from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or may be obtained on Radware’s website at www.radware.com.

The MIL Network –

April 24, 2025

MIL-OSI: WTW Reports First Quarter 2025 Earnings

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Revenue¹decreased 5% over prior year to $2.2 billion for the quarter due to the sale of TRANZACT
Organic Revenue growth of 5% for the quarter
Diluted Earnings per Share was $2.33 for the quarter, up 27% over prior year
Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share was $3.13 for the quarter, comparable to prior year²
Operating Margin was 19.4% for the quarter, up 740 basis points over prior year
Adjusted Operating Margin was 21.6% for the quarter, up 100 basis points from prior year²

LONDON, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WTW (NASDAQ: WTW) (the “Company”), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

“We had a solid start to the year, delivering results in line with our expectations and making strong progress on our strategy to accelerate our performance, enhance our efficiency and optimize our portfolio,” said Carl Hess, WTW’s chief executive officer. “We are well-positioned to help our clients navigate economic uncertainty and highly focused on driving continued growth and margin expansion, and we are confident in our outlook. I’m proud of our team’s dedication and look forward to achieving our strategic and financial goals together.”

Consolidated Results

As reported, USD millions, except %

Key Metrics	Q1-25	Q1-24²	Y/Y Change
Revenue¹	$2,223	$2,341	Reported (5)% \| CC (4)% \| Organic 5%
Income from Operations	$432	$280	54%
Operating Margin %	19.4%	12.0%	740 bps
Adjusted Operating Income	$480	$483	(1)%
Adjusted Operating Margin %	21.6%	20.6%	100 bps
Net Income	$239	$194	23%
Adjusted Net Income	$316	$325	(3)%
Diluted EPS	$2.33	$1.83	27%
Adjusted Diluted EPS	$3.13	$3.13	0%

¹	The revenue amounts included in this release are presented on a U.S. GAAP basis except where stated otherwise. The segment discussion is on an organic basis.
²	Refer to “WTW Non-GAAP Measures” below and the Q1-25 Supplemental Slides for recast of historical Non-GAAP measures.

Revenue was $2.22 billion for the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 5% as compared to $2.34 billion for the same period in the prior year. Excluding the impact of foreign currency, revenue decreased 4%. On an organic basis, revenue increased 5%. See Supplemental Segment Information for additional detail on book-of-business settlements and interest income included in revenue.

Net Income for the first quarter of 2025 was $239 million compared to Net Income of $194 million in the prior-year first quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter was $532 million, or 23.9% of revenue, a decrease of 3%, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $546 million, or 23.3% of revenue, in the prior-year first quarter. The U.S. GAAP tax rate for the first quarter was 21.5%, and the adjusted income tax rate for the first quarter used in calculating adjusted diluted earnings per share was 22.7%.

Cash Flow and Capital Allocation

Cash flows used in operating activities were $35 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to cash flows from operating activities of $24 million for the prior year. Free cash flow for the quarters ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 was $(86) million and $(36) million, respectively, a decrease of $50 million, primarily driven by the absence of cash collections related to TRANZACT, which the Company sold on December 31, 2024, and increased compensation payments in the current-year quarter as compared to the prior-year quarter. During the quarter ended March 31, 2025, the Company repurchased 607,221 of its outstanding shares for $200 million.

First Quarter 2025 Segment Highlights

Health, Wealth & Career (“HWC”)

As reported, USD millions, except %

Health, Wealth & Career	Q1-25	Q1-24	Y/Y Change
Total Revenue	$1,165	$1,336	Reported (13)% \| CC (12)% \| Organic 3%
Operating Income	$311	$336	(7)%
Operating Margin %	26.7%	25.1%	160 bps

The HWC segment had revenue of $1.17 billion in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 13% (12% decrease constant currency and organic growth of 3%) from $1.34 billion in the prior year. Health delivered organic revenue growth in all regions driven by solid client retention, new business and geographic expansion. Wealth generated organic revenue growth from higher levels of Retirement work in Europe and International, alongside growth in our Investments business due to the success of our LifeSight solution and capital market improvements. Career had modest revenue growth as increased advisory work was tempered by some postponements amid economic uncertainty. Benefits Delivery & Outsourcing revenue grew primarily from increased project and core administration work.

Operating margins in the HWC segment increased 160 basis points from the prior-year first quarter to 26.7%, primarily due to the sale of TRANZACT and savings from the Transformation program. Please refer to the Supplemental Slides for TRANZACT’s standalone historical financial results.

Risk & Broking (“R&B”)

As reported, USD millions, except %

Risk & Broking	Q1-25	Q1-24	Y/Y Change
Total Revenue	$1,027	$978	Reported 5% \| CC 7% \| Organic 7%
Operating Income	$226	$203	11%
Operating Margin %	22.0%	20.8%	120 bps

The R&B segment had revenue of $1.03 billion in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 5% (7% increase constant currency and organic) from $978 million in the prior year. Corporate Risk & Broking (CRB) had organic revenue growth driven by higher levels of new business activity and strong client retention globally. Insurance Consulting and Technology (ICT) had organic revenue growth for the quarter driven by the Consulting and Technology practices.

Operating margins in the R&B segment increased 120 basis points from the prior-year first quarter to 22.0%, due primarily to operating leverage driven by strong organic revenue growth and savings from the Transformation program which were partially offset by headwinds from decreased interest income and foreign currency fluctuations.

Select 2025 Financial Considerations

Changes to Non-GAAP financial measures:

All reported non-GAAP metrics will exclude non-cash net periodic pension and postretirement benefits
Free cash flow and free cash flow margin will capture cash outflows for capitalized software costs
Refer to Supplemental Slides for recast of historical Non-GAAP measures

Business mix:

TRANZACT business, which contributed $1.14 to adjusted diluted earnings per share in 2024, is no longer part of the business portfolio following the completion of the TRANZACT sale in the fourth quarter of 2024
Reinsurance joint venture with Bain Capital expected to be a headwind on adjusted diluted earnings per share of approximately $0.25 to $0.35

Free cash flow:

Expect cash outflows in 2025 from the payment of accrued costs related to the Transformation program which concluded in 2024
Cash taxes related to receipt of earnout from reinsurance divestiture will be classified as Cash Flows from Operating Activities on Statement of Cash Flows

Capital allocation:

Expect share repurchases of ~$1.5 billion, subject to market conditions and potential capital allocation to organic and inorganic investment opportunities

Foreign exchange:

Expect a foreign currency impact on adjusted diluted earnings per share to be neutral in 2025 at today’s rates

Adjusted operating margin outlook:

~100 basis points of average annual margin expansion over next 3 years in R&B
Incremental annual margin expansion at HWC and enterprise levels

The 2025 Financial Considerations above include Non-GAAP financial measures. We do not reconcile forward-looking Non-GAAP measures for reasons explained under “WTW Non-GAAP Measures” below.

Conference Call

The Company will host a live webcast and conference call to discuss the financial results for the first quarter 2025. It will be held on Thursday, April 24, 2025, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live broadcast of the conference call will be available on WTW’s website here. The conference call will include a question-and-answer session. To participate in the question-and-answer session, please register here. An online replay will be available at www.wtwco.com shortly after the call concludes.

About WTW

At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce and maximize performance. Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success—and provide perspective that moves you. Learn more at www.wtwco.com.

WTW Non-GAAP Measures

In order to assist readers of our consolidated financial statements in understanding the core operating results that WTW’s management uses to evaluate the business and for financial planning, we present the following non-GAAP measures: (1) Constant Currency Change, (2) Organic Change, (3) Adjusted Operating Income/Margin, (4) Adjusted EBITDA/Margin, (5) Adjusted Net Income, (6) Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share, (7) Adjusted Income Before Taxes, (8) Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate, (9) Free Cash Flow and (10) Free Cash Flow Margin.

We believe that those measures are relevant and provide pertinent information widely used by analysts, investors and other interested parties in our industry to provide a baseline for evaluating and comparing our operating performance, and in the case of free cash flow, our liquidity results.

Within the measures referred to as ‘adjusted’, we adjust for significant items which will not be settled in cash, or which we believe to be items that are not core to our current or future operations. Some of these items may not be applicable for the current quarter, however they may be part of our full-year results. Additionally, we have historically adjusted for certain items which are not described below, but for which we may adjust in a future period when applicable. Items applicable to the quarter or full year results, or the comparable periods, include the following:

Restructuring costs and transaction and transformation – Management believes it is appropriate to adjust for restructuring costs and transaction and transformation when they relate to a specific significant program with a defined set of activities and costs that are not expected to continue beyond a defined period of time, or significant acquisition-related transaction expenses. We believe the adjustment is necessary to present how the Company is performing, both now and in the future when the incurrence of these costs will have concluded.
Gains and losses on disposals of operations – Adjustment to remove the gains or losses resulting from disposed operations that have not been classified as discontinued operations.
Net periodic pension and postretirement benefits – Adjustment to remove the recognition of net periodic pension and postretirement benefits (including pension settlements), other than service costs. We have included this adjustment as applicable in our prior-period disclosures in order to conform to the current-period presentation.

We evaluate our revenue on an as reported (U.S. GAAP), constant currency and organic basis. We believe presenting constant currency and organic information provides valuable supplemental information regarding our comparable results, consistent with how we evaluate our performance internally.

We consider Constant Currency Change, Organic Change, Adjusted Operating Income/Margin, Adjusted EBITDA/Margin, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share, Adjusted Income Before Taxes, Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate and Free Cash Flow to be important financial measures, which are used to internally evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating and liquidity results against our competitors. These non-GAAP measures are important in illustrating what our comparable operating and liquidity results would have been had we not incurred transaction-related and non-recurring items. Reconciliations of these measures are included in the accompanying tables with the following exception: The Company does not reconcile its forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding U.S. GAAP measures, due to variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections and/or certain information not being ascertainable or accessible; and because not all of the information, such as foreign currency impacts necessary for a quantitative reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure, is available to the Company without unreasonable efforts. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. The Company provides non-GAAP financial measures that it believes will be achieved, however it cannot accurately predict all of the components of the adjusted calculations and the U.S. GAAP measures may be materially different than the non-GAAP measures.

Our non-GAAP measures and their accompanying definitions are presented as follows:

Constant Currency Change – Represents the year-over-year change in revenue excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. To calculate this impact, the prior year local currency results are first translated using the current year monthly average exchange rates. The change is calculated by comparing the prior year revenue, translated at the current year monthly average exchange rates, to the current year as reported revenue, for the same period. We believe constant currency measures provide useful information to investors because they provide transparency to performance by excluding the effects that foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations have on period-over-period comparability given volatility in foreign currency exchange markets.

Organic Change – Excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, as described above and the period-over-period impact of acquisitions and divestitures on current-year revenue. We believe that excluding transaction-related items from our U.S. GAAP financial measures provides useful supplemental information to our investors, and it is important in illustrating what our core operating results would have been had we not included these transaction-related items, since the nature, size and number of these transaction-related items can vary from period to period.

Adjusted Operating Income/Margin – Income from operations adjusted for amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted operating income margin is calculated by dividing adjusted operating income by revenue. We consider adjusted operating income/margin to be important financial measures, which are used internally to evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating results against our competitors.

Adjusted EBITDA/Margin – Net Income adjusted for provision for income taxes, interest expense, depreciation and amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation, gains and losses on disposals of operations, net periodic pension and postretirement benefits, and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted EBITDA Margin is calculated by dividing adjusted EBITDA by revenue. We consider adjusted EBITDA/margin to be important financial measures, which are used internally to evaluate and assess our core operations, to benchmark our operating results against our competitors and to evaluate and measure our performance-based compensation plans.

Adjusted Net Income – Net Income Attributable to WTW adjusted for amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation, gains and losses on disposals of operations, net periodic pension and postretirement benefits, and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results and the related tax effect of those adjustments and the tax effects of internal reorganizations. This measure is used solely for the purpose of calculating adjusted diluted earnings per share.

Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share – Adjusted Net Income divided by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares, diluted. Adjusted diluted earnings per share is used to internally evaluate and assess our core operations and to benchmark our operating results against our competitors.

Adjusted Income Before Taxes – Income from operations before income taxes and interest in earnings of associates adjusted for amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation, gains and losses on disposals of operations, net periodic pension and postretirement benefits, and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results. Adjusted income before taxes is used solely for the purpose of calculating the adjusted income tax rate.

Adjusted Income Taxes/Tax Rate – Provision for income taxes adjusted for taxes on certain items of amortization, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation, gains and losses on disposals of operations, net periodic pension and postretirement benefits, the tax effects of significant adjustments and non-recurring items that, in management’s judgment, significantly affect the period-over-period assessment of operating results, divided by adjusted income before taxes. Adjusted income taxes is used solely for the purpose of calculating the adjusted income tax rate. Management believes that the adjusted income tax rate presents a rate that is more closely aligned to the rate that we would incur if not for the reduction of pre-tax income for the adjusted items and the tax effects of internal reorganizations, which are not core to our current and future operations.

Free Cash Flow – Cash flows from operating activities less cash used to purchase fixed assets and software. Free Cash Flow is a liquidity measure and is not meant to represent residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. Management believes that free cash flow presents the core operating performance and cash-generating capabilities of our business operations. As a result of our change in presentation, free cash flow for the prior period has been adjusted to conform to the current period, which includes the deduction of our capitalized software costs.

Free Cash Flow Margin – Free Cash Flow as a percentage of revenue, which represents how much of revenue would be realized on a cash basis. We consider this measure to be a meaningful metric for tracking cash conversion on a year-over-year basis due to the non-cash nature of our pension income, which is included in our GAAP and Non-GAAP earnings metrics presented herein.

These non-GAAP measures are not defined in the same manner by all companies and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, the information contained within our condensed consolidated financial statements.

WTW Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by those laws. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our operations. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future, including such things as: our outlook; the potential impact of natural or man-made disasters like health pandemics and other world health crises; future capital expenditures; ongoing working capital efforts; future share repurchases; financial results (including our revenue, costs or margins) and the impact of changes to tax laws on our financial results; existing and evolving business strategies including those related to acquisition and disposition; demand for our services and competitive strengths; strategic goals; the benefits of new initiatives; growth of our business and operations; the sustained health of our product, service, transaction, client, and talent assessment and management pipelines; our ability to successfully manage ongoing leadership, organizational and technology changes, including investments in improving systems and processes; our ability to implement and realize anticipated benefits of any cost-savings initiatives generated from our now-completed multi-year operational transformation program or other expense savings initiatives; our recognition of future impairment charges; and plans and references to future successes, including our future financial and operating results, short-term and long-term financial goals, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, including with respect to free cash flow generation, adjusted net revenue, adjusted operating margin and adjusted earnings per share, are forward-looking statements. Also, when we use words such as ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘intend’, ‘plan’, ‘continues’, ‘seek’, ‘target’, ‘goal’, ‘focus’, ‘probably’, or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking disclosure is speculative by its nature.

There are important risks, uncertainties, events and factors that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements contained in this document, including the following: our ability to successfully establish, execute and achieve our global business strategy as it evolves; our ability to fully realize the anticipated benefits of our growth strategy, including inorganic growth through acquisitions; our ability to achieve our short-term and long-term financial goals, such as with respect to our cash flow generation, and the timing with respect to such achievement; the risks related to changes in general economic conditions, business and political conditions, changes in the financial markets, inflation, credit availability, increased interest rates, changes in trade policies, increased tariffs and retaliatory actions; the risks to our short-term and long-term financial goals from any of the risks or uncertainties set forth herein; the risks relating to the adverse impacts of macroeconomic trends, including those relating to changes in trade policies and tariffs, as well as political events, war, such as the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars, and other international disputes, terrorism, natural disasters, public health issues and other business interruptions on the global economy and capital markets, such as uncertainty in the global markets, inflation, changes in interest rates and recessionary trends, changes in spending by government agencies and contractors, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and long-term goals; our ability to successfully hedge against fluctuations in foreign currency rates; the risks relating to the adverse impacts of natural or man-made disasters such as health pandemics and other world health crises on the demand for our products and services, our cash flows and our business operations; material interruptions to or loss of our information processing capabilities, or failure to effectively maintain and upgrade our information technology resources and systems and related risks of cybersecurity breaches or incidents; our ability to comply with complex and evolving regulations related to data privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence; the risks relating to the transitional arrangements in effect subsequent to our now-completed sale of TRANZACT; significant competition that we face and the potential for loss of market share and/or profitability; the impact of seasonality and differences in timing of renewals and non-recurring revenue increases from disposals and book-of-business sales; the insufficiency of client data protection, potential breaches of information systems or insufficient safeguards against cybersecurity breaches or incidents; the risk of increased liability or new legal claims arising from our new and existing products and services, and expectations, intentions and outcomes relating to outstanding litigation; the risk of substantial negative outcomes on existing or potential future litigation or investigation matters; changes in the regulatory environment in which we operate, including, among other risks, the impacts of pending competition law and regulatory investigations; various claims, government inquiries or investigations or the potential for regulatory action; our ability to make divestitures or acquisitions, including our ability to integrate or manage acquired businesses or carve-out businesses to be disposed, as well as our ability to identify and successfully execute on opportunities for strategic collaboration; our ability to integrate direct-to-consumer sales and marketing solutions with our existing offerings and solutions; our ability to successfully manage ongoing organizational changes, including as a result of our recently-completed multi-year operational transformation program, investments in improving systems and processes, and in connection with our acquisition and divestiture activities; disasters or business continuity problems; our ability to successfully enhance our billing, collection and other working capital efforts, and thereby increase our free cash flow; our ability to properly identify and manage conflicts of interest; reputational damage, including from association with third parties; reliance on third-party service providers and suppliers; risks relating to changes in our management structures and in senior leadership; the loss of key employees or a large number of employees and rehiring rates; our ability to maintain our corporate culture; doing business internationally, including the impact of global trade policies and retaliatory considerations as well as foreign currency exchange rates; compliance with extensive government regulation; the risk of sanctions imposed by governments, or changes to associated sanction regulations (such as sanctions imposed on Russia) and related counter-sanctions; our ability to effectively apply technology, data and analytics changes for internal operations, maintaining industry standards and meeting client preferences; changes and developments in the insurance industry or the U.S. healthcare system, including those related to Medicare, and any other changes and developments in legal, regulatory, economic, business or operational conditions that could impact our businesses; the inability to protect our intellectual property rights, or the potential infringement upon the intellectual property rights of others; fluctuations in our pension assets and liabilities and related changes in pension income, including as a result of, related to, or derived from movements in the interest rate environment, investment returns, inflation, or changes in other assumptions that are used to estimate our benefit obligations and their effect on adjusted earnings per share; our capital structure, including indebtedness amounts, the limitations imposed by the covenants in the documents governing such indebtedness and the maintenance of the financial and disclosure controls and procedures of each; our ability to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all; adverse changes in our credit ratings; the impact of recent or potential changes to U.S. or foreign laws, and the enactment of additional, or the revision of existing, state, federal, and/or foreign laws and regulations, recent judicial decisions and development of case law, other regulations and any policy changes and legislative actions, including those that may impose additional excise taxes or impact our effective tax rate; U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. persons owning at least 10% of our shares; changes in accounting principles, estimates or assumptions; our recognition of future impairment charges; risks relating to or arising from environmental, social and governance (‘ESG’) practices; fluctuation in revenue against our relatively fixed or higher-than-expected expenses; the risk that investment levels increase; the laws of Ireland being different from the laws of the U.S. and potentially affording less protections to the holders of our securities; and our holding company structure potentially preventing us from being able to receive dividends or other distributions in needed amounts from our subsidiaries.

The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive and new factors may emerge from time to time that could also affect actual performance and results. For more information, please see Part I, Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and our subsequent filings with the SEC. Copies are available online at http://www.sec.gov or www.wtwco.com.

Although we believe that the assumptions underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of these assumptions, and therefore also the forward-looking statements based on these assumptions, could themselves prove to be inaccurate. Given the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this document, our inclusion of this information is not a representation or guarantee by us that our objectives and plans will be achieved.

Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and we will not update these forward-looking statements unless the securities laws require us to do so. With regard to these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this document may not occur, and we caution you against unduly relying on these forward-looking statements.

Contact

INVESTORS
Claudia De La Hoz | Claudia.Delahoz@wtwco.com


	WTW Supplemental Segment Information (In millions of U.S. dollars) (Unaudited)

REVENUE
							Components of Revenue Change⁽ⁱ⁾
							Less:				Less:
	Three Months Ended March 31,				As Reported		Currency		Constant Currency		Acquisitions/		Organic
	2025		2024		% Change		Impact		Change		Divestitures		Change

Health, Wealth & Career
Revenue excluding interest income	$	1,158	$	1,327		(13)%		(1)%		(12)%		(14)%		3%
Interest income		7		9
Total		1,165		1,336		(13)%		(1)%		(12)%		(14)%		3%

Risk & Broking
Revenue excluding interest income	$	1,005	$	950		6%		(2)%		8%		0%		8%
Interest income		22		28
Total		1,027		978		5%		(2)%		7%		0%		7%

Segment Revenue	$	2,192	$	2,314		(5)%		(2)%		(4)%		(8)%		5%
Corporate, reimbursable expenses and other		21		21
Interest income		10		6
Revenue	$	2,223	$	2,341		(5)%		(1)%		(4)%		(8)%	5%⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

⁽ⁱ⁾	Components of revenue change may not add due to rounding.
⁽ⁱⁱ⁾	Interest income did not contribute to organic change for the three months ended March 31, 2025.

BOOK-OF-BUSINESS SETTLEMENTS AND INTEREST INCOME

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	HWC				R&B				Corporate				Total
	2025		2024		2025		2024		2025		2024		2025		2024
Book-of-business settlements	$	2	$	—	$	—	$	2	$	—	$	—	$	2	$	2
Interest income		7		9		22		28		10		6		39		43
Total	$	9	$	9	$	22	$	30	$	10	$	6	$	41	$	45

SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME ⁽ⁱ⁾

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025		2024

Health, Wealth & Career	$	311	$	336
Risk & Broking		226		203
Segment Operating Income	$	537	$	539

⁽ⁱ⁾

Segment operating income excludes certain costs, including amortization of intangibles, restructuring costs, transaction and transformation expenses, certain litigation provisions, and to the extent that the actual expense based upon which allocations are made differs from the forecast/budget amount, a reconciling item will be created between internally-allocated expenses and the actual expenses reported for U.S. GAAP purposes.

SEGMENT OPERATING MARGINS

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025		2024
Health, Wealth & Career		26.7%		25.1%
Risk & Broking		22.0%		20.8%

RECONCILIATION OF SEGMENT OPERATING INCOME TO INCOME FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024

Segment Operating Income	$	537		$	539
Amortization		(48	)		(60	)
Restructuring costs		—			(18	)
Transaction and transformation⁽ⁱ⁾		—			(125	)
Unallocated, net⁽ⁱⁱ⁾		(57	)		(56	)
Income from Operations		432			280
Interest expense		(65	)		(64	)
Other (loss)/income, net		(64	)		26
Income from operations before income taxes and interest in earnings of associates	$	303		$	242

⁽ⁱ⁾	In addition to legal fees and other transaction costs, includes primarily consulting fees and compensation costs related to the Transformation program.
⁽ⁱⁱ⁾	Includes certain costs, primarily related to corporate functions which are not directly related to the segments, and certain differences between budgeted expenses determined at the beginning of the year and actual expenses that we report for U.S. GAAP purposes.

WTW Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures (In millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data) (Unaudited)

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO WTW TO ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024

Net income attributable to WTW	$	235		$	190
Adjusted for certain items:
Amortization		48			60
Restructuring costs		—			18
Transaction and transformation		—			125
Net periodic pension and postretirement benefits		75			(22	)
Gain on disposal of operations		(14	)		—
Tax effect on certain items listed above⁽ⁱ⁾		(28	)		(46	)
Adjusted Net Income	$	316		$	325

Weighted-average ordinary shares, diluted		101			104

Diluted Earnings Per Share	$	2.33		$	1.83
Adjusted for certain items:⁽ⁱⁱ⁾
Amortization		0.48			0.58
Restructuring costs		—			0.17
Transaction and transformation		—			1.21
Net periodic pension and postretirement benefits		0.74			(0.21	)
Gain on disposal of operations		(0.14	)		—
Tax effect on certain items listed above⁽ⁱ⁾		(0.28	)		(0.44	)
Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share⁽ⁱⁱ⁾	$	3.13		$	3.13

⁽ⁱ⁾	The tax effect was calculated using an effective tax rate for each item.
⁽ⁱⁱ⁾	Per share values and totals may differ due to rounding.

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO ADJUSTED EBITDA

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025				2024

Net Income	$	239		10.8%	$	194		8.3%
Provision for income taxes		65				48
Interest expense		65				64
Depreciation		54				59
Amortization		48				60
Restructuring costs		—				18
Transaction and transformation		—				125
Net periodic pension and postretirement benefits		75				(22	)
Gain on disposal of operations		(14	)			—
Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin	$	532		23.9%	$	546		23.3%

RECONCILIATION OF INCOME FROM OPERATIONS TO ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024

Income from operations and Operating margin	$	432	19.4%	$	280	12.0%
Adjusted for certain items:
Amortization		48			60
Restructuring costs		—			18
Transaction and transformation		—			125
Adjusted operating income and Adjusted operating income margin	$	480	21.6%	$	483	20.6%

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP INCOME TAXES/TAX RATE TO ADJUSTED INCOME TAXES/TAX RATE

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024

Income from operations before income taxes and interest in earnings of associates	$	303		$	242

Adjusted for certain items:
Amortization		48			60
Restructuring costs		—			18
Transaction and transformation		—			125
Net periodic pension and postretirement benefits		75			(22	)
Gain on disposal of operations		(14	)		—
Adjusted income before taxes	$	412		$	423

Provision for income taxes	$	65		$	48
Tax effect on certain items listed above⁽ⁱ⁾		28			46
Adjusted income taxes	$	93		$	94

U.S. GAAP tax rate		21.5	%		19.9	%
Adjusted income tax rate		22.7	%		22.3	%

⁽ⁱ⁾	The tax effect was calculated using an effective tax rate for each item.

RECONCILIATION OF CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO FREE CASH FLOW

	Years Ended December 31,
	2025			2024

Cash flows (used in)/from operating activities	$	(35	)	$	24
Less: Additions to fixed assets and software		(51	)		(60	)
Free Cash Flow	$	(86	)	$	(36	)

WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (In millions of U.S. dollars, except per share data) (Unaudited)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
Revenue	$	2,223		$	2,341

Costs of providing services
Salaries and benefits		1,324			1,342
Other operating expenses		365			457
Depreciation		54			59
Amortization		48			60
Restructuring costs		—			18
Transaction and transformation		—			125
Total costs of providing services		1,791			2,061

Income from operations		432			280

Interest expense		(65	)		(64	)
Other (loss)/income, net		(64	)		26

INCOME FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES AND INTEREST IN EARNINGS OF ASSOCIATES		303			242

Provision for income taxes		(65	)		(48	)

INCOME FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INTEREST IN EARNINGS OF ASSOCIATES		238			194

Interest in earnings of associates, net of tax		1			—

NET INCOME		239			194

Income attributable to non-controlling interests		(4	)		(4	)

NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO WTW	$	235		$	190

EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic earnings per share	$	2.34		$	1.84
Diluted earnings per share	$	2.33		$	1.83

Weighted-average ordinary shares, basic		100			103
Weighted-average ordinary shares, diluted		101			104

WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In millions of U.S. dollars, except share data) (Unaudited)

	March 31,			December 31,
	2025			2024
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,507		$	1,890
Fiduciary assets		10,293			9,504
Accounts receivable, net		2,366			2,494
Prepaid and other current assets		1,295			1,217
Total current assets		15,461			15,105
Fixed assets, net		667			661
Goodwill		8,841			8,799
Other intangible assets, net		1,255			1,295
Right-of-use assets		487			485
Pension benefits assets		550			530
Other non-current assets		803			806
Total non-current assets		12,603			12,576
TOTAL ASSETS	$	28,064		$	27,681
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Fiduciary liabilities	$	10,293		$	9,504
Deferred revenue and accrued expenses		1,499			2,211
Current debt		549			—
Current lease liabilities		120			118
Other current liabilities		923			765
Total current liabilities		13,384			12,598
Long-term debt		4,761			5,309
Liability for pension benefits		552			615
Provision for liabilities		359			341
Long-term lease liabilities		498			502
Other non-current liabilities		296			299
Total non-current liabilities		6,466			7,066
TOTAL LIABILITIES		19,850			19,664
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
EQUITY⁽ⁱ⁾
Additional paid-in capital		11,017			10,989
Retained earnings		51			109
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax		(2,935	)		(3,158	)
Total WTW shareholders’ equity		8,133			7,940
Non-controlling interests		81			77
Total Equity		8,214			8,017
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY	$	28,064		$	27,681


⁽ⁱ⁾	Equity includes (a) Ordinary shares $0.000304635 nominal value; Authorized 1,510,003,775; Issued 99,210,847 (2025) and 99,805,780 (2024); Outstanding 99,210,847 (2025) and 99,805,780 (2024) and (b) Preference shares, $0.000115 nominal value; Authorized 1,000,000,000 and Issued none in 2025 and 2024.

WILLIS TOWERS WATSON PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (In millions of U.S. dollars) (Unaudited)

	Years Ended March 31,
	2025			2024
CASH FLOWS (USED IN)/FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
NET INCOME	$	239		$	194
Adjustments to reconcile net income to total net cash from operating activities:
Depreciation		54			59
Amortization		48			60
Non-cash restructuring charges		—			11
Non-cash lease expense		25			27
Net periodic cost/(benefit) of defined benefit pension plans		88			(4	)
Provision for doubtful receivables from clients		5			8
Benefit from deferred income taxes		(23	)		(9	)
Share-based compensation		37			24
Net gain on disposal of operations		(14	)		—
Non-cash foreign exchange loss/(gain)		9			(1	)
Other, net		9			8
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects from purchase of subsidiaries:
Accounts receivable		162			113
Other assets		1			(53	)
Other liabilities		(691	)		(426	)
Provisions		16			13
Net cash (used in)/from operating activities		(35	)		24

CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Additions to fixed assets and software		(51	)		(60	)
Acquisitions of operations, net of cash acquired		(1	)		(15	)
(Purchase)/sale of investments		(32	)		1
Net cash used in investing activities		(84	)		(74	)

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Senior notes issued		—			746
Debt issuance costs		—			(7	)
Repayments of debt		(1	)		(1	)
Repurchase of shares		(200	)		(101	)
Net proceeds from fiduciary funds held for clients		315			1,011
Cash paid for employee taxes on withholding shares		(2	)		(5	)
Dividends paid		(88	)		(86	)
Acquisitions of and dividends paid to non-controlling interests		—			(1	)
Net cash from financing activities		24			1,556

(DECREASE)/INCREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH		(95	)		1,506
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash		80			(47	)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, BEGINNING OF PERIOD ⁽ⁱ⁾		4,998			3,792
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, END OF PERIOD ⁽ⁱ⁾	$	4,983		$	5,251

⁽ⁱ⁾	The amounts of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, their respective classification on the condensed consolidated balance sheets, as well as their respective portions of the increase or decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash for each of the periods presented have been included in the Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information section.

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION

	Years Ended March 31,
	2025			2024

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,507		$	1,893
Fiduciary funds (included in fiduciary assets)		3,476			3,358
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	4,983		$	5,251

(Decrease)/increase in cash, cash equivalents and other restricted cash	$	(411	)	$	487
Increase in fiduciary funds		316			1,019
Total ⁽ⁱ⁾	$	(95	)	$	1,506

⁽ⁱ⁾	Does not include the effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash.

The MIL Network –

April 24, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft organized a motor rally through the cities of Western Siberia in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Employees of Rosneft subsidiaries operating in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Tyumen Oblast organized a motor rally in honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory. Cars decorated with the Victory Banner covered 1,418 km – this distance corresponds to the number of days that the Great Patriotic War lasted.

The patriotic action started in Novy Urengoy (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area), the gas capital of Russia, where one of the key gas assets of the ROSPAN INTERNATIONAL Company is based. At the Memory Square, participants laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and unfurled a huge St. George ribbon. Participants of the Energy of Talents festival and students of Rosneft classes performed the legendary song Katyusha. Then a column of domestic cars headed to the city of Gubkinsky, starting the rally.

In Gubkinsky (YaNAO), RN-Purneftegaz, which built the settlement, and SevKomNeftegaz, carry out their production activities. Together with the participants of the motor rally, employees of these Societies, students of Rosneft-classes, as well as representatives of the Movement of the First and the public organization Veteran walked along the central street to the Eternal Flame, where they honored the memory of the heroes with a minute of silence.

The third city on the rally route was Nefteyugansk (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug), where Rosneft’s largest production asset, RN-Yuganskneftegaz, operates. The rally participants brought the Victory Banner to the Liberator Warrior Monument, one of the oldest memorials in the city, where flowers were laid.

Having overcome the final stage of the route, the motor rally ended in the capital of the Tyumen region. Accompanied by songs of the war years, a motorcade drove through the streets of Tyumen, led by retro cars and motorcycles decorated with symbols of the 80th anniversary of the Victory. The participants of the event were met at the Memory Square by veterans, as well as employees of Tyumenneftegaz, Kharampurneftegaz, RN-Uvatneftegaz and the corporate scientific institute. Those gathered honored the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War with a minute of silence and laid flowers at the Eternal Flame.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft April 24, 2025

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Development of the digital economy and trends in the investment and construction process: the conference “Current problems of economics and management in construction” has ended

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – At the section of young scientists

On April 17–18, the III National (All-Russian) Scientific and Practical Conference “Current Problems of Economics and Management in Construction” was held at SPbGASU, organized by the Faculty of Economics and Management.

In total, 120 reports were heard during the two days of the event. Both representatives of SPbGASU and scientists from other universities, including from the Republic of Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, took an active part in the work of the section.

The first day of the conference was marked by the holding of a section of young scientists “First steps in economic science”, in which students of the St. Petersburg Technical College of Management and Commerce (SPb TKuIC), the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A. I. Herzen (RSPU named after A. I. Herzen), Moscow Automobile and Road State Technical University (MADI), as well as representatives of student science from SPbGASU took part.

At the opening of the young scientists’ section, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management Galina Tokunova noted the importance of participation in scientific events of students of secondary education institutions and called for further cooperation of colleges with SPbGASU in scientific and educational processes. Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management for Research Yuri Tsvetkov gave a report “Involvement of Young Scientists in Scientific Activity”, highlighting the incentives and rewards that await young researchers in the course of active scientific work.

The key topics of the section were the development of the digital economy, as well as modern trends in the functioning of the investment and construction process. Victoria Filippova, a student of St. Petersburg TCUiK, prepared a report “Optimization of supply chain management using digital financial assets: opportunities and prospects”, having examined in detail legislative initiatives in this area, the advantages of using this tool in supply chain management and the stages of implementation in logistics processes.

Daniil Velichko, a student at St. Petersburg TCUiK, presented a report entitled “The Digital Economic Miracle of Russia,” highlighting the advantages of the digital transformation of the economy and assessing the level of digital skills among Russian citizens. In addition, Daniil showed a video about the digital economy prepared by college students.

The section focused on the research conducted by students of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia – representatives of the People’s Republic of China. Bi Yanwen conducted a comparative analysis of investments in infrastructure development in China and Russia, Xu Yijie compared the current state of the real estate market in the two countries, Chang Jiangshuai spoke about the principles of sustainable development in the construction sector, Lu Haoran studied the issues of antitrust regulation in China, Hao Boyuan presented the main challenges and prospects for the rational use of limited resources in the context of China’s rapid economic growth.

The conference traditionally had four main sections: “Language training for future professionals”, “Economics of construction and housing and communal services: trends and prospects”, “Economic security: experience, problems, prospects” and “Current issues of management in construction”.

The conference organizing committee selected the following reports.

Researchers Evgeny Rossokha and Anastasia Frantsuzova from the Republic of Belarus focused on the ESG orientation of the Belarusian housing policy, which includes housing affordability, improvement of the local area and renovation.

Vladislav Buchi, a representative of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, made a presentation on the prospects for the development of multi-story industrial warehouse facilities in an urban format, which is very relevant in the context of the development of urban areas in St. Petersburg due to the acute shortage of warehouse complexes in the region.

The research of the Master’s student of the Department of Construction Economics and Housing and Public Utilities Daria Batyreva was devoted to the current issues of managing the cost of construction projects in the field of construction production and design; the work highlighted particularly important and complex areas that attract the attention of all specialists in the field of project management.

The curator of the section “Economic Security: Experience, Problems, Prospects”, Associate Professor of the Department of Economic Security Vladislav Uskov noted that this section has become a unique platform for exchanging opinions in the field of protecting the economic interests of the state and business, economic security and risk assessment. In particular, fourth-year student Meri Kopaleishvili presented a report on the topic “Digital Transformation of Development: Innovative Technologies and Marketing Strategies as a Factor of Sustainability in Conditions of Economic Instability”, Ksenia Danshina prepared a study “External Debt as a Threat to the Financial Security of the State”. A researcher from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University touched upon the problems and prospects of economic security and artificial intelligence.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Honoring History, Looking to the Future: GUU Strengthens Russian-Chinese Cooperation

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

On April 22, 2025, the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Center for the Study and Research of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in a New Era, with the support of the Chinese Embassy in Russia, held a round table on the topic “Joint Implementation of the Three Global Initiatives to Build a Community of Shared Future for Humanity.” The event was attended by Fanis Sharipov, Director of the Center for Socio-Economic and Political Studies of China at the State University of Management.

The event took place at the Chinese Cultural Center with the participation of Russian and Chinese business circles, orientalists and other distinguished guests.

The first to speak was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Russian Federation Zhang Hanhui. Then, reports were presented by the First Deputy Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council Andrei Denisov, Director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences Kirill Babaev, Chairman of the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia, Deputy Chairman of the Chinese-Russian Friendship Society Zhou Liqun and other representatives of Russian and Chinese business circles, orientalists and honored guests.

The State University of Management was represented by the Director of the Center for Socio-Economic and Political Research of China Fanis Sharipov, who noted in his speech that on December 18, 2024, a seminar on the topic “The Leader of China in My Eyes – Initiative of Global Civilization in the Form of a Presentation of the 4th Volume of Xi Jinping’s Book “On Public Administration” was held within the walls of our university, and on February 28 of this year, the State University of Management and Renmin Huabao held a round table on the topic “High-Quality Development of the Chinese Economy” on the eve of the next congress of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China in the Moscow office of the respected publishing house.

Following the round table, a collection of studies on the implementation of the global development initiative, the global security initiative, and the global civilization initiative will be published.

On April 23, 2025, at the invitation of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society, students and teachers of the Russian-Chinese program “International Manufacturing Business” took part in the opening ceremony of the Chinese-Russian photo exhibition “Nobody is Forgotten, Nothing is Forgotten” dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. The event was organized by the Europe and Asia Broadcasting Center of the People’s Republic of China Foreign Language Literature Publication and Distribution Administration (Renmin Huabao Publishing House) and the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society.

The following speakers spoke at the opening of the exhibition: Feng Litao, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Russian Federation, Director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Moscow; Galina Kulikova, First Deputy Chairperson of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society; Yu Jia, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Center for Broadcasting to Europe and Asia of the PRC Office of Publication and Distribution of Literature in Foreign Languages; Zhou Shenko, Editor-in-Chief of the Shandong Broadcasting Corporation.

Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 04/24/2025

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MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Russia’s missile attacks against Ukrainian civilians over Easter demonstrate its attitude towards peace: UK statement to the OSCE
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Speech

Russia’s missile attacks against Ukrainian civilians over Easter demonstrate its attitude towards peace: UK statement to the OSCE

Ambassador Holland condemns Russia’s missile attacks against civilians in Sumy and Kharkiv over Easter and President Putin’s transparently cynical attempts to portray Russia as the party of peace.
Thank you, Mister Chair. The United Kingdom is grateful to Finland for convening this Special Permanent Council. It was only 16 days ago that you were last compelled to call an extraordinary meeting of the Council after a Russian missile killed 20 people, including nine children, in Kryvyi Rih. It was the largest number of children killed in a single strike since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to the UN.

Last week was one of major religious festivals where communities around the globe came together in the spirit of peace and goodwill. But while Christians around the world were marking the beginning of Holy Week, a Russian ballistic missile struck the centre of Sumy. 34 people were killed, including two children. A further 117 were injured. Some of the victims were heading to church for a Palm Sunday service.

On Good Friday another Russian ballistic missile struck Kharkiv using a cluster munition. One person was killed and at least 60 were injured. On the same day, a drone attack on Sumy killed another civilian and destroyed a bakery preparing traditional Easter ‘paska’ bread.

Mister Chair, our thoughts are with all the victims and their loved ones at this tragic time.

Russia’s response to the widespread condemnation in this Council – and at the UN – following their attack on Sumy was to resort to their familiar playbook of disinformation and distortion in an attempt to justify the unjustifiable. We can expect to see a similar tactic on this occasion.

Through these barbaric attacks, Russia has shown that its cruelty knows no bounds and that it is not serious about peace. President Putin’s so-called “Easter truce” was a stunt, violated repeatedly by his own forces. A day later – Easter Monday – a further five civilians reportedly lost their lives following Russian attacks, laying bare the Kremlin’s transparently cynical attempt to portray themselves as the party of peace. Similar attacks have continued since, including yesterday against Kyiv, in which nine civilians were reportedly killed, and 70 more injured.

If Russia was serious about peace, it would agree to an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire, just as Ukraine did, more than 40 days ago. If it was serious about peace, it would stop these senseless attacks on civilians. If it was serious about peace, it would honour the commitments it has made.

Russia’s continued attacks against Ukraine are another stark reminder that President Putin has not abandoned his goal of subjugating Ukraine. For this reason, the UK, alongside our partners and allies, will continue to provide Ukraine with the military support it needs to defend its citizens. And we stand ready to apply further pressure on Russia to hinder its ability to wage this war of aggression.

Thank you, Mister Chair.

Updates to this page

Published 24 April 2025

Invasion of Ukraine

UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals

Move to the UK if you’re coming from Ukraine

Homes for Ukraine: record your interest

Find out about the UK’s response
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Sobyanin: Almost 500 cultural heritage sites are being restored in Moscow

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Work continues in the capital to restore the historical appearance of buildings. This was reported by Sergei Sobyanin in his telegram channel.

“Currently, specialists are working on almost 500 cultural heritage sites. Among them

Donskoy Monastery— one of the largest projects that we are implementing together with the Ministry of Culture and the Russian Orthodox Church. Three towers and sections of the Eastern and Southern walls of the monastery are currently being restored here,” the Mayor of Moscow noted.

Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s Telegram channel @mos_sobyanin

Work continues inChurch of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in Alekseevsky and the extension to the northern gate. Specialists put the white stone details and plaster finish in order. The tiled stoves in the extension were restored.

They put things in order andthe main house of the Okhotnikovs’ city estate on Prechistenka is a striking example of a Moscow mansion in the Empire style. In 1868, it housed the famous Lev Polivanov Gymnasium, where many famous people of that time studied. Specialists are currently working on the interiors, including restoring the walls, vaults, drawn cornices, and cleaning the stucco decor.

House with mezzanines on Staraya Basmannaya Street has been known since the 18th century. Here, the historic lamps on the facades and the stucco will be restored, the base will be cleaned and the cracks will be eliminated.

City estate of Ya.A. Polyakov XIX – early XX century in Bolshoy Nikolopeskovsky Lane was built in the neo-Greek style. It was erected according to the design of the famous architect Illarion Ivanov-Shits. Currently, facade and roofing works are being carried out in the mansion, and the windows are also being repaired.

Another object is the main house of the city estate of the 18th-19th centuries on Novinsky Boulevard. Fyodor Chaliapin Memorial MuseumHere, the restoration of the stucco decoration of the facades and the veranda on the courtyard side is being completed.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

https: //vv.mos.ru/mayor/tkhemes/12652050/

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Applications are now being accepted for the II Competition for Young Scientists

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

The Sistema Charitable Foundation and the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) launched the 2nd Competition for Young Scientists, implemented within the framework of the Decade of Science and Technology with the support of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) and a number of leading Russian technology companies.

The competition is aimed at supporting applied innovative scientific developments and the latest research in priority sectors of the economy. Its goal is to promote the popularization of Russian science and education, and to create conditions for the development of students and young scientists in science-intensive areas.

Citizens of the Russian Federation can take part in the Competition – one young scientist or a team of students and young scientists up to three people, presenting their scientific developments and research results in one of ten nominations:

“Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technologies”; “Hydrogen as the Basis of Green Energy”; “Digital Energy and Intelligent Systems”; “Genomic Technologies and Medicine of the Future”; “Bioinnovations: Technologies for Life”; “Space Exploration and Unmanned Systems: A Look into the Future”; “Microelectronics: From Chips to Smart Devices”; “The East is a Delicate Matter: Technological Breakthroughs in Asia”; “New Horizons in the Construction Industry”; “Chemical Technologies, Innovative Materials and Processes”.

Applications for the Competition will be accepted on the Lift to the Future platform and will last until July 20, 2025. The names of the winners, selected based on the results of a two-stage examination, will be announced by November 1, 2025. The authors of the best innovative solutions and research results, in addition to funds, will receive information and expert support. The winners of the Competition in the “space” nomination will receive a special prize – their name will be sent into space on one of the satellites launched by the partner of the direction – Sputnix Group of Companies.

Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 04/24/2025

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK and Ukraine deepen community ties as part of 100 Year Partnership
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

UK and Ukraine deepen community ties as part of 100 Year Partnership

Thousands of school children across the UK and Ukraine have applied to take part in a landmark 100 Year Partnership programme between the two countries.
UK and Ukrainian schools flood applications for 100 Year Partnership programme as Prime Minister invites children to No10 to celebrate close links

Prime Minister says “partnership will deliver brighter futures for children in both countries”

Schools from Wales and Warwickshire to visit Downing Street tomorrow (Friday 25 April) to write to partnered schools in Ukraine

Comes as Ukraine launches a new stamp to mark special friendship between the two countries

Thousands of school children across the UK and Ukraine have applied to take part in a landmark 100 Year Partnership programme between the two countries, further cementing the unbreakable ties between the two countries.

Following the launch of the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership in January, more than 750 schools from across the UK and Ukraine applied to take part in the programme, fostering classroom friendships, cultural understanding and inspiring future generations of world leaders, diplomats and business leaders.

Thirty schools, including Number 219 School in Kyiv and All Saints Catholic Primary School in Anfield, who the Prime Minister joined a lesson between during his visit to Ukraine in January, have piloted the hugely successful programme.

A further 70 are being paired in the coming days, while the remainder will be supported through the British Council’s UK-Ukraine School Partnerships programme until further spots become available.

Children from several schools participating in the 100 Year Partnership school twinning programme will visit Downing Street tomorrow (Friday 25 April). The children, from YGG Pontybrenin, St Marie’s Catholic Primary School & Nursery and English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, will write letters to exchange with partnered schools in Ukraine, many of whom have spent hours attending school in bunkers during Russian drone and missile attacks.

The children will also mark the launch of a new commemorative stamp, designed by both the UK and Ukrainian governments, which will be entered into circulation by the Ukrainian postal service Ukrposhta from the end of this month.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

The unbreakable bond between the UK and Ukraine is often best reflected in the friendships formed among our children. These young minds are the architects of our future and security, fostering connections that transcend borders and cultures, and this partnership will deliver brighter futures for children in both countries.

Our support is not only about providing military assistance, which remains crucial in ensuring Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, but also about standing by Ukraine for generations to come, as it seeks a just and lasting peace.

That’s why our support matters not only now, but for our future, as all ages stand up for the values we hold dear, which are fundamental to our national security and Plan for Change.

This unique initiative supports schools to build lasting international partnerships, and explore reading as a tool to expand horizons, build confidence, and boost mental wellbeing.

In Kyiv, the British Embassy’s Chargée d’affaires, Charlotte Surun, attended the official launch ceremony of the new limited-edition stamp at the headquarters of the Ukrainian Post Office.

The launch was attended by children from Kyiv School Number 219 which the Prime Minister visited in January. The children wrote messages on postcards to the students at their twinned school, Liverpool All Saints, as well as messages to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary.

Head of UK Schools at the British Council Shannon West said:

Creating opportunities for young people has been at the heart of the work of the British Council for the last 90 years.

We are delighted to be working with so many schools on this programme, which will give young people the international outlook and skills to thrive in our global society and strengthen ties between the UK and Ukraine.

The unbreakable bonds between the UK and Ukraine have been formalised through the landmark new 100 Year Partnership between the two countries, broadening and deepening the relationship across defence and non-military areas and enabling closer community links, such as this initiative.

Supporting Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s barbaric invasion and rebuild a prosperous, sovereign future, is vital to this government’s foundation of security and our Plan for Change.

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Updates to this page

Published 24 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 24, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan: Sally Axworthy

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan: Sally Axworthy

Mrs Sally Axworthy MBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Mrs Sally Axworthy

Mrs Sally Axworthy MBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan in succession to Ms Kathy Leach who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mrs Axworthy will take up her appointment during August 2025.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Sally Jane Axworthy

Year	Role
2024 to present	Full-time Kazakh language training
2021 to 2024	FCDO, Head, Negotiations and Peace Processes Department, Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation
2016 to 2021	Holy See, HM Ambassador
2013 to 2015	FCO, Joint Head, North Africa Department
2011 to 2013	FCO, Head, Somalia Unit
2011	FCO, Head, Great Lakes, East Africa and Somalia Department
2009 to 2011	India, Director, Corporate Services
2007 to 2008	FCO, Head of Financial Skills
2006	FCO, Senior Flexible Working Project, Human Resources Directorate
2004 to 2005	Government Office South West, Vulnerable Adults Project Leader
2001 to 2003	Government Office South West, Assistant Director, Devon and Cornwall
1998 to 2000	FCO, Head, Turkey, Cyprus & Malta Section, European Union Department
1996 to 1998	Bonn, First Secretary (European Union)
1994 to 1996	Secondment to the German Foreign Ministry
1993 to 1994	FCO, Head, Political Section, United Nations Department
1991 to 1992	Kyiv, Second Secretary Economic
1989 to 1991	Moscow, Third Secretary Commercial
1988 to 1989	Full time language training (Russian)
1987 to 1988	FCO, Desk Officer, Hungary and Czechoslovakia

Published 24 April 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 24, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: The KVN season finale thundered at the Polytechnic

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The finalists of the KVN season at SPbPU for the 2024-2025 season met in a decisive humorous battle on the stage of the White Hall. This annual event once again confirmed how many cheerful and charismatic students study at the Polytechnic University.

A total of nine teams participated in the season, of which six reached the finals: Cherchez la femme, Kurazh, Touche, Apteit, Bez Negativa, and Shatout. Among them were both newcomers who had already made it to the Malaya Neva Open KVN League, and experienced teams that played in various leagues, including Fontanka and the Youth of Moscow KVN League.

The judges were famous people from the world of humor. Evgeny Nikitin is the author of the famous “Poetsesses” and editor of the official league “Saint Petersburg”, Artem Klokov is an actor from “Interns” and a director, Dmitry Ulyanov is the director of the league “Malaya Neva”, a two-time finalist of the Povolzhye league and a three-time vice-champion of the interfaculty of the Polytechnic University.

In the contests “Greeting”, “Triathlon” and “Final Freestyle” the participants demonstrated their resourcefulness, ability to get out of awkward situations and improvise. The creativity of the teams was at its best: props, dozens of images, musical numbers – all this was on stage.

The title of the season champion was won by the team “Bez Negativa”, which as a bonus to its victory received a ticket to the second round of “Malaya Neva”. The cup for second place was received by the team “Touche”, and the bronze was taken by the girls from “Cherche la femme”.

“This final was difficult for us, but still enjoyable. We tried very hard for this game. We made large-scale props, asked other teams for help and, of course, wrote jokes. We have grown noticeably thanks to KVN SPbPU. It was very nice to receive support from the audience, other teams and jury members. Winning the final means a lot to us. It shows that these three years of our efforts were not in vain!” – shared her impressions third-year student of the State Institute of Humanities and member of the “Without Negativity” team Arina Kuzema.

“The final of the inter-faculty games of KVN SPbPU gave a sea of laughter and great emotions! The organization was at its best, and the teams showed bright, witty and truly talented performances. I was especially pleased with the friendly atmosphere and support of the audience. It felt like KVN unites!” – said first-year student of IKNK and member of the team “Courage” Alexander Vitkovsky.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: “The fundamental principle of scientific knowledge is honesty.”

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

Daria Mazur wanted to study science since she was 13, when she realized in seventh grade that she was good at physics. In an interview with the Young Scientists of the Higher School of Economics project, she talked about theoretical research on the double electric layer, speed reading, and the MGMT song “Little Dark Age.”

Why I started doing science

I was a very unpopular child at school, no one really made friends with me, I existed on my own. And so, when physics started in the seventh grade and I started doing well, I found an outlet in it. Since the seventh grade, that is, since I was 13, I wanted to do science, and only science. I have never doubted it and since then I have been following my own path.

For a long time I didn’t understand what scientific direction to choose. I knew it would be technical sciences, but I didn’t understand which ones. That’s why I enrolled in applied mathematics. There’s a lot of freedom there: you can do development, or fundamental research.

In my third year, I met my academic supervisor. Yuri Alekseevich Budkov, and since then I have been engaged in science continuously, already in a specific direction – physical chemistry. This is a science in which chemical phenomena are explained with the help of physics. That is, it is physics and chemistry in one bottle.

What am I studying?

Double electric layer. This is a structure that forms at the metal-electrolyte boundary. It consists of a dense layer and a diffuse layer of ions. In a first approximation, the double layer can be represented as a flat capacitor with a capacitance C, which can store energy by accumulating a charge. Double electric layer is the main technology used in supercapacitors. These are new modern energy storage devices. Existing classical double layer models do not take into account many physical factors that prevent the application of these models to real physical and chemical systems, so there is a need to create new theoretical models that would allow for the correct assessment of, for example, the capacity of the double layer, since it is quite difficult to measure it experimentally.

My first scientific work…

…happened in the third year. During industrial practice, and then in my bachelor’s thesis, we studied a porous carbon material of the CMK-3 type: we estimated its differential electrical capacity and elastic deformation, then we compared our developed model with the experiment, and obtained good agreement.

In the next work, already a master’s thesis, we came up with another model of the double electric layer. If earlier we did not take into account the influence of the solvent, that is, our permittivity was constant, then the next time we used an explicit polar solvent – water. This means that an equation was solved for the permittivity, and it changed with the distance from the electrode.

We approximated the experimental data on differential electric capacity using our model. In it, we took into account all modern aspects of the theory of the double electric layer. For example, the hydrate radius, specific interactions, dielectric decrement, the effect of excluded volume. And based on the obtained parameters, we predicted the differential electric capacity for other concentrations.

We also found out the influence of specific interactions on the differential electric capacity. Specific interactions are either repulsion or attraction of the hydrated ion and water. We found out that when the specific interactions change from repulsion to attraction, the peak of differential electric capacity decreases. This result was obtained for the first time.

What I am proud of

My bachelor’s and master’s degrees, because they resulted in publications in scientific journals – Europhysics Letters and ChemPhysChem respectively. In the second publication, devoted to the modeling of the double electric layer within the framework of the self-consistent field theory at the metal-electrolyte interface, I am listed as the first author for the first time in my scientific career.

I am very proud of myself – that despite all the trials and difficulties that I had to overcome, I still retained the desire to do science and achieved results that are significant for me. I am very persistent.

I have been living on my own since I was 18, and I had to work a lot during my entire bachelor’s degree. The first two years were especially hard because I had to combine studying with a hard, low-paying job. It got easier in my third year because Covid started. Everything was closed, there was no work, but I was paid a small salary. In addition, in my third year, I received my first money for science. This raised my morale. And I didn’t have to study in person: until the end of my fourth year, I studied completely online.

I am currently studying on a single track “Master’s degree – postgraduate study”, and I am paid a stipend. In addition, I work as a research intern at the Laboratory of Computational Physics of MIEM HSE and teach physics in the educational programs “Applied Mathematics” and “Informatics and Computer Engineering”.

What I dream about

I don’t really believe in dreams. For me, it’s something unrealistic and unrealistic – like riding a unicorn. I believe in setting goals and achieving them. Actually, that’s how it works out for me in life. But if you really need a dream, then have a funny one. I want no scientist to have to write reports according to GOST.

What is my goal?

Defend a PhD dissertation.

I would like to defend my thesis in physical chemistry, not applied mathematics. I am still working on it, because studying chemistry is very difficult. There is a lot of new knowledge, especially in quantum chemistry and physical chemistry. But I try to constantly learn something new. For example, I recently went to Veliky Novgorod for a workshop on quantum chemistry, where I built my first molecules.

Science is a system of values that can help you live a good life.

I believe that the fundamental principle of scientific knowledge is honesty.

Few people can live without love. It doesn’t matter what kind – romantic, friendly, family. For me, science is love. Every person lives for happiness. Jung, I think, also wrote that happiness is the highest value. And in order for me to be happy, I need to study science.

If I hadn’t become a scientist

It’s hard for me to imagine myself as anything other than a scientist. But if I had to choose, I’d probably become a doctor. I really like helping people, and I also like chemistry. Or I could become a chemical engineer, for example, in pharmaceuticals.

Who would I like to meet?

With Marie Skłodowska-Curie. She is the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. And the first person in history to receive two Nobel Prizes – in physics and chemistry. I would like to know the secrets of her ability to work. She had a rather difficult life, especially at the beginning of her career. I would like to know how it affected her, what her strength is. She impresses me so much that I visited her grave in Paris, and I always have a book with her biography at home.

How my typical day is structured

I wake up not very early, walk the dog. And then I go to work. My working day usually lasts at least 10 hours. In particular, I devote a lot of time to preparing for seminar classes. We need to publish a scientific article soon, and the calculations for it take a lot of time. They have to be done 10-15 times, double-checking every letter in the code, because if you make a mistake somewhere, the results will be non-physical or illogical.

Do I get burnout?

Yes, and often, but I don’t fight it. I have too many obligations. It’s gotten a little easier lately because I turned to my supervisor for help: he gives me the opportunity to rest. Although I don’t really believe in rest. I believe that you need to work constantly and that work is the meaning of life.

What conferences have I attended?

Recently I went to the Chinese city of Qingdao. I wanted to limit myself to a poster, but I was invited to give an oral report. For the first time I did it in English. It was so scary that the paper in my hands was visibly shaking. But everything went well. After the presentation, Chinese colleagues came up to me and asked questions.

I was also in Portugal, in Costa da Caparica, at a small conference of a small scientific community. It was very warm. I have amazing memories of it. On the last evening, the organizers brought a big cauldron, poured moonshine into it, set it on fire, stirred it and read a spell in Gallic. It was against witches, evil spirits and simply for happiness. You drink a glass and become a happy person for a year.

What else am I passionate about?

Now I spend a lot of time studying theoretical chemistry. I also take speed reading courses. I read with a metronome and have already become faster – two touches of the line with my gaze are enough for me.

I’m also studying French. So far, quite unsuccessfully – I speak with an accent and forget that I can’t pronounce the endings. Again, this is connected with my dream of living and studying in Paris.

What was the last thing I read?

“It’s Me, Eddie” by Eduard Limonov. I really like Limonov – his ambiguity. I accidentally bought his book “Taming the Tiger in Paris”. I periodically buy a huge number of books and do not read them, because there is no time. But Limonov immediately captivated me. It is very difficult for me to read a lot, because my attention floats, and I swallowed “Taming the Tiger” in two days. I liked the style so much that now I am reading a book on theoretical chemistry, which is written in a style similar to Limonov’s. The author of this book is Denis Tikhonov, a fairly well-known scientist, the founder of the public “Theoretical Chemistry” on VKontakte. There is also a chat for chemists, mainly quantum chemists. I am a member of it, read articles that colleagues send there, reasoning. I do not understand anything, but I hope that one day I will.

Advice to a young scientist

You need to find yourself not just a scientific supervisor, but a teacher who will pass on to you not only his scientific knowledge, but also the values that he shares, knowledge about life and will be able to support you morally. Everything depends on the scientific supervisor: where you publish, what and how you do, what conferences you attend. Of course, you also have to be persistent. For example, all the foreign conferences that I attended, I found myself, applied for them and paid for them.

Also, don’t be afraid to promote yourself wherever you can. Don’t be afraid to seek out scholarships, opportunities, conferences – anything that will help you in your scientific career.

Favorite place in Moscow

The “World of Vinyl” store in Kitay-gorod. I love vinyl, I have a very large collection of records. It is very diverse – from Vivaldi to “Ranetki”. I love going to this store and usually do not leave without buying anything. Everything I buy, I then regularly listen to, except for the special edition of Radiohead’s “OK Computer”, which I feel sorry to unpack.

Lately I’ve been listening to Ariana Grande’s album “Eternal Sunshine” and the band MGMT. They have a song called “Little Dark Age”. It’s a little mainstream, but I still like it.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Internship of KRSU teachers at the Polytechnic

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

As part of cooperation between the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, an educational internship was held for the heads of KRSU educational programs. The main goal was to study modern approaches to designing educational programs, implementing innovative teaching methods and developing partnerships with industrial enterprises.

The internship participants held a series of working meetings with the staff of the Directorate of Basic Educational Programs of SPbPU, where they discussed current trends in higher education, the specifics of developing new educational standards, and the model of multi-track engineering training. Of particular interest were issues of network interaction in the implementation of educational programs and the organization of students’ project activities.

A significant part of the program was devoted to familiarization with the advanced infrastructure of SPbPU. KRSU teachers visited the laboratories of the Physics and Mathematics Institute, where Acting Director Nikolay Ivanov demonstrated them unique equipment: wind tunnels, installations for studying hydrodynamic processes and modern research stands. At the Civil Engineering Institute, the participants got acquainted with the laboratories of additive technologies in construction and road construction materials, as well as the innovative educational space “MetaCampus Polytech”.

An important component of the internship was participation in the Youth Career Forum, where KRSU teachers were able to study effective mechanisms of interaction between the university and potential employers. The participants immersed themselves in the working atmosphere and improved their cross-professional competencies. This experience is especially valuable for the development of the graduate employment system in Kyrgyzstan.

The final stage was the final certification, at which colleagues from KRSU presented the developed educational programs, highlighting their competitive advantages, listing the industrial partners involved and describing the employment prospects of graduates. The defense took place in the presence of the assistant of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation Vadim Smirnov, acting rector of KRSU Sergey Volkov, representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, vice-rector for educational activities of SPbPU Lyudmila Pankova and vice-rector for international activities Dmitry Arsenyev.

Lyudmila Pankova noted: “The implemented approach to the public presentation of the educational program allows us to look at it more comprehensively, evaluate the competitive advantages of the program in the context of the challenges of the modern labor market, and analyze the resource capabilities of the university for training in-demand specialists.”

The internship significantly deepened Russian-Kyrgyz cooperation in the field of engineering education, providing KRSU teachers with valuable experience that will contribute to the modernization of educational programs and the introduction of advanced practices into the university’s educational process. The knowledge and contacts gained open up new prospects for the development of academic mobility and joint educational projects between the two universities.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The number of capital enterprises in the creative industries has reached 113 thousand

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Over four years, the number of Moscow companies and individual entrepreneurs in the creative industries has increased by 12 percent to 113 thousand. The products of the capital’s creative business attract audiences throughout Russia and abroad. This was reported by Natalia Sergunina, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.

“In 2024 alone, more than seven thousand new creative enterprises appeared in the capital. The most popular areas are information technology and video games, fashion, cinema and animation,” said Natalia Sergunina.

The development of the sector is facilitated by comprehensive support from the city — from the construction of modern infrastructure to the launch of accelerators and professional competitions. Projects such as “Design Workshop”, “Art. Workshop” and “Video Game Factory” give industry representatives the opportunity to make a name for themselves, work with renowned experts and find major customers. The “Creative Market” program helps increase sales and tell more potential buyers about the brand.

Large-scale production sites, in particular the Moscow Film Cluster, provide residents with work spaces, necessary equipment and useful services.

Export of creative projects

Moscow pays special attention to promoting creative business products abroad.

“Last year, with the support of the city, entrepreneurs concluded about 100 international contracts and agreements in the creative industries. The total amount of export contracts exceeded one billion rubles,” Natalya Sergunina specified.

Many of them were signed within the framework of the BRICS Fashion Summit, Moscow Fashion Week, Moscow International Film Week and other major industry events.

Continuing work in this direction, in 2025 the city will organize the participation of capital companies in foreign exhibitions, including in Belarus, Indonesia and Egypt.

For example, a trip to the computer games and e-sports festival in Istanbul is planned for September, and to the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair in November. Entrepreneurs will be able to present their products and take part in negotiations with potential partners.

Quickly find out the main news of the capital in the official telegram channelthe city of Moscow.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/153066073/

MIL OSI Russia News –

April 24, 2025

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Curriculum vitae

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Why I started doing science

What am I studying?

My first scientific work…

What I am proud of

What I dream about

What is my goal?

If I hadn’t become a scientist

Who would I like to meet?

How my typical day is structured

Do I get burnout?

What conferences have I attended?

What else am I passionate about?

What was the last thing I read?

Advice to a young scientist

Favorite place in Moscow

Export of creative projects