In this article, the question is examined regarding the causes of Jeffrey Epstein's long-standing impunity, the American financier accused of organizing a network of sexual exploitation of minors. Based on analysis of the chronology of investigations, court documents, and expert opinions, the mechanism by which the offender was able to avoid real punishment for more than a decade and a half is reconstructed. Particular attention is given to the factors that ensured his impunity: privileged social status, connections with elites, corrupt bargains with prosecutors, and systemic shortcomings of the American justice system.

In this article, the mountainous system of Kyrgyzstan is considered as a unique geographical object that determines the hydrographic, climatic, and cultural landscape of the region. Based on the analysis of orographic data, glaciological research, and historical evidence, the complex structure of the Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay is reconstructed, forming more than ninety percent of the republic's territory. Special attention is paid to the highest peaks—Pobeda Peak and Khan-Tengri—glacial complexes, as well as the processes linking the cryosphere with the water security of the entire Central Asian region.