Journalist shares top 2025 stories on crime, education, and grief

We continue to summarize the past year 2025. In this section, 29.RU journalists recall their best materials. This time, correspondent Anton Danilov shares his personal ranking. He managed to talk to a millionaire who served 10 years and killed in the SMO (special military operation), see how people live in a «dead zone» without mobile internet, and find out who set up an unauthorized dump on the banks of the Northern Dvina.

Criminal, veteran, millionaire: interview with a pardoned SMO participant

The life of my interlocutor Valery Tretyakov cannot be called a fairy tale. At 14, he got hooked on drugs. At 16, he ended up in a colony, where he learned about the suicide of his girlfriend, who had given birth to his son. He served almost 10 years and went to the front. He killed, was seriously wounded himself, received a pardon and started from scratch: got married, opened a beauty salon, a hotel and a lounge bar.

This story is part of our new reality, in which convicts can «atone» for their guilt, and then live without the supervision of psychologists and law enforcement agencies. Part of a reality that Valery himself cautiously criticizes, recalling repeat offenders who, after returning to freedom, committed crimes again.

«Many of my acquaintances who returned to freedom went into drugs, crimes and robbery. Some have already gone to the front for the second and third time. I really don»t like this...« admits the northerner.

Mother demands trial for her son«s killer

Another event that vividly reflects the realities of the 2020s is the murder of Severodvinsk resident Emil Movsesyan. He was shot by Evgeny Berg. The guy hid from the police for four months, and when caught, confessed to the crime.

However, the case did not reach a verdict. Berg signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and went to the SMO. There, he started his own blog, communicating with subscribers through it. The guy gained some popularity and, it seems, did not repent at all for what he did.

I managed to talk with the mother of the killed Emil, Elena Movsesyan. She believes that there were violations in the judicial process.

Journey through the «dead zone» of Arkhangelsk

This year, mobile internet began to be actively blocked in the Arkhangelsk region. Part of our daily life has become temporary shutdowns lasting from several hours to several days.

Some northerners had to give up the familiar technology altogether: part of Arkhangelsk fell into a multi-kilometer area where mobile internet does not work permanently.

Thousands of people live in this zone. There, they build their lives and businesses. Some were able to quickly adapt to the changes, while others suffer losses and inconveniences.

When we arrived at the location, the navigator went crazy, ATMs in stores did not work, and the only way to contact someone was by phone or through VKontakte.

It«s hard to call this an iron curtain yet: there is Wi-Fi, cellular connection too... But I agree with the opinion of one local resident.

Unauthorized dump by the Northern Dvina

In April 2025, residents of Arkhangelsk discovered mountains of garbage on the left bank of the Northern Dvina. The coastal area was littered with waste, among which was a part marked «Caution! Radioactivity!». People began to sound the alarm on social networks.

Ivan Mityushov and I took a dosimeter and went to the site. We walked around the dump and took measurements. We did not find radiation, but we understood that the dump was unauthorized.

I managed to find out that the dump was set up by one of the contractors of «Aquilon». The company confirmed this information and after several months removed the garbage.

It«s hard to judge what role our material played in making such a decision, but the radiation background measurements allowed city residents to look at the problem objectively, without unnecessary panic.

Interview with the director of a huge school

I managed to talk with Ilya Ivankin, director of the largest school in the Arkhangelsk region. In my opinion, the interview turned out to be useful. The director did not evade problematic topics, did not smooth over the edges — he spoke sincerely and honestly about salaries, about the Unified State Exam, about collecting money from parents and about the huge shortage of teachers.

It was interesting to talk about raising problematic students. It turned out that educational institutions are practically powerless against destructively minded children. Teachers and school management simply have no legal leverage to pressure them.

From our dialogue, I especially remembered a phrase about the priorities of our time.

You can also highlight the best, but among businesses: 29.RU is holding the People«s Prize, where city residents decide what makes Arkhangelsk cozier and more convenient. Suggest a business that you consider worthy.

Also read about the high-profile materials written in 2025 by 29.RU journalists Yuri Skorodumov, Valeria Bogatyreva and Maria Vershinina.