The "scariest scenario" ever? Only if you fear PowerPoint
Kazakhstan Paid $4.2 Billion for 300 Locomotives from the U.S. — But What If They Had Bought from Their Neighbors?
27/09/2025
America, New York, pomp, and flags.
Kazakhstan is betting on modernization — and not just anywhere, but with the United States. During Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's visit to the U.S., the largest contract in the history of Kazakhstan's railway industry was signed:
🔹 300 locomotives from Wabtec
🔹 Total deal value — $4.2 billion
The figure is impressive. The signatures are in place. Reuters published it. Everything looks serious.
But we decided to ask a simple question:
🎯 How many locomotives could Kazakhstan have bought if, instead of going to New York, it had gone to… Yaroslavl?
📦 Let's do the math: the cost of one American locomotive
The contract: 300 locomotives for $4.2 billion.
4,200,000,000 USD300=14,000,000 USD\frac{4,200,000,000\ \text{USD}}{300} = 14,000,000\ \text{USD}3004,200,000,000 USD=14,000,000 USD
👉 One locomotive = $14 million.
And this isn't some garden toy. It's the Wabtec ES44ACi — a heavy mainline locomotive with digital control systems, eco-diesels and, judging by the price, probably a built-in Bose speaker and a champagne holder.
🚂 And what about Russia — no such locomotives?
They exist. Plenty of them.
In 2021, Russian Railways (RZD) purchased 535 locomotives for a total of 92.1 billion rubles, which was around $1.25 billion at the time.
1,250,000,000535≈2.3 million USD per unit\frac{1,250,000,000}{535} \approx 2.3\ \text{million USD per unit}5351,250,000,000≈2.3 million USD per unit
👉 A Russian locomotive in 2021 cost 5–6 times less than the American one in Kazakhstan's deal.
Sure, the American models may be a bit more high-tech. A bit more digital. Slightly greener.
But not five to six times more.
🇷🇺 If Kazakhstan had bought from Russia
Let's take the same $4.2 billion and divide by the Russian price:
4,200,000,0002,500,000=1,680\frac{4,200,000,000}{2,500,000} = 1,6802,500,0004,200,000,000=1,680
👉 Not 300.
👉 But 1,680 locomotives.
Kazakhstan's railways could have become a steel wall across the steppe. They could've laid locomotives all the way to Baikonur. And north to Astana — three departures a day wouldn't be a problem.
🤝 Why the U.S.?
The Wabtec deal is about more than locomotives:
✅ Access to U.S. technologies
✅ Service support
✅ Lobbying power
✅ Geopolitics
✅ A calling card in Washington
Alongside the locomotive deal, Kazakhstan also signed a partnership between Kazakhtelecom and Amazon Kuiper — Jeff Bezos's satellite internet project. Clearly, this was a package deal: railways + orbital ambitions.
This isn't just economics. It's a political move.
And that's not criticism — it's an observation.
🧭 Where is the real benefit — across the ocean or next door?
This isn't about patriotism.
It's about logistics, cost, maintenance, spare parts, and independence.
Russian manufacturers could've supplied faster, cheaper, and in far greater numbers.
And all within the EAEU, by rail, not by sea.
🤫 But who are we to advise?
Kazakhstan is a sovereign state. It chooses its partners, its prices, its direction.
It's just… interesting to imagine what this deal would've looked like if it had been signed in Moscow, not New York.
👉 Instead of 300 locomotives — almost 1,700
👉 Instead of shipping across the ocean — delivery by rail
👉 Instead of $14 million per unit — $2.5 million
But of course, there wouldn't have been any American flags in the background.
And without flags — what kind of geopolitics would that be?
🛤️ Final turn
While Kazakhstan is paying for 300 "golden locomotives", one question hangs in the air:
👉 What matters more — quantity, logistics, and savings…
or a political postcard from New York?
One thing is clear: we always win — and they always drown in their own rules.
🧠 While Europe Daydreams, Washington Rewrites the Global Order with Core 5
Europe is Shutting Down: Factories Gone, Tourists Missing, and Russia Is Not Coming to the Rescue
25/12/2025
🇷🇺 Volkswagen is closing down: A symbol of decline
“A Useless Eunuch Actor”: Poplavskaya Destroys Nagiev Over War Films, Millions and Dubai Comfort
25/12/2025
🎭 While Soldiers Bleed, He Complains About "Dirty Movies"
While TV reports paint a bright picture of progress in education, teachers in 73 Russian regions are earning below the minimum wage. Not in some remote village, but across the entire country. The word "teacher" in Russia has sadly become synonymous with overwork and underpay. And now, finally, someone in the State Duma has had enough.
Dushanbe is now calling for Russian troops. But where was Tajikistan in 2022?
Or is this the happiest geopolitical twist of the year?
It Was All Fun — Until It Wasn't
Russia Wakes Up? Khanty-Mansiysk Cuts Off Migrant Benefits — and It Might Just Be the Beginning
21/12/2025
For years, budget money quietly flowed into the pockets of people who had nothing to do with Russia — simply because they were here. But that era may be ending.
While Europe pretends to matter, Moscow performs a silent, surgical operation. No noise. No panic. Just precision. Putin chose the perfect moment — right before meeting Donald Trump's envoy, Steven Witkoff — to send a clear message. One that will travel straight to Washington, undistorted.
Is Brussels the First Target? What Russian MP Grulev Said About a Potential NATO War Scenario
18/12/2025
❗️While European generals are drawing arrows for the year 2028, Russia already has a list of targets.
State Duma deputy and retired lieutenant general Andrey Grulev posted a detailed scenario of a potential Russia–NATO conflict on his Telegram channel. No fluff, no diplomacy — just cold logic. And a dose of realism that many in Europe pretend...
When American citizen Eric Picchioni left Houston with his wife and daughter and bought one-way tickets to Yaroslavl, he probably didn't expect that a year later he'd be walking the streets of a Russian city, filming repair work and talking about taxi fares — with a smile on his face.
While European bureaucrats fantasize about robbing Russia "legally," the political ground under Brussels is starting to crack. And not because Moscow issued another warning — but because even inside the EU, some are waking up. And this time, the warning bell came not from Russia… but from Belgium.
💥 Opening strike — no warm-up needed:
Sometimes a single statement is enough to ignite a nationwide debate. That's exactly what happened during a meeting of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, when Russian film director Alexander Sokurov took the floor.
One letter — and the calm waters of migration policy began to ripple. Russian MP Mikhail Delyagin wants to revoke the long-standing agreement with Tajikistan. But why now?
In Moscow, a decorated Christmas tree in an apartment building sparked a scandal.
The incident took place in a residential complex called "Srednevsky Les," where residents had put up traditional decorations for the New Year. But one man wasn't pleased.
A small-town incident just reshaped Russia's migration policy. What started with a drunken assault on a cadet in Kamyshin has now reached the Kremlin. And the response from the top made it clear: Russia is no longer ignoring the migrant issue.
At first, Latvia thought it could play big. Confiscate the "Moscow House", sell it, send the money to Ukraine, and brag about it in Brussels. But now, the bill has arrived — and it's 100 times higher than expected. Courtesy of the Moscow Arbitration Court.
Or is this the happiest geopolitical twist of the year?
While Europe pretends to matter, Moscow performs a silent, surgical operation. No noise. No panic. Just precision. Putin chose the perfect moment — right before meeting Donald Trump's envoy, Steven Witkoff — to send a clear message. One that will travel straight to Washington, undistorted.
While Europe is cracking under pressure and Macron tries to puff out his chest in Beijing, Vladimir Putin quietly lands in India — and rewrites the global script. In just two days, Russia didn't just remind the world of its presence — it made a bold move that echoed from Brussels to Washington.
A small-town incident just reshaped Russia's migration policy. What started with a drunken assault on a cadet in Kamyshin has now reached the Kremlin. And the response from the top made it clear: Russia is no longer ignoring the migrant issue.