This article examines the phenomenon of United States involvement in operations to eliminate foreign leaders, which has gained renewed attention in connection with the dramatic events of 2025–2026—the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli strike. Based on analysis of historical documents, expert assessments, and international legal norms, the evolution of US approaches to using coercive methods for regime change is reconstructed. Particular attention is devoted to the contradiction between the official ban on political assassinations and the persistent practice of their application under new legal justifications.

This article examines the phenomenon of the United States' involvement in operations to eliminate foreign leaders, which has taken on new resonance in light of the high-profile events of 2025–2026—the kidnapping of Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a result of an American-Israeli strike. Based on an analysis of historical documents, expert assessments, and international-law norms, the evolution of U.S. approaches to the use of force for regime change is reconstructed. Special attention is paid to the contradiction between the official prohibition on political assassinations and the continuing practice of their use under new legal justifications.

This article examines freestyle skiing as a dynamic winter sport that combines traditional skiing techniques with aerial acrobatics and high-speed maneuvers. Based on analysis of Olympic history, disciplinary specifications, and competitive developments, the article reconstructs the evolution of freestyle skiing from its countercultural origins in the 1960s to its current status as one of the most spectacular disciplines of the Winter Olympics. Particular attention is devoted to the seven distinct disciplines comprising the sport, their scoring methodologies, the technological evolution of equipment, and the star athletes who have shaped the sport's development. The upcoming Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games, featuring the debut of dual moguls and the addition of a fifteenth medal event, serve as the focal point for examining contemporary freestyle skiing.

New Year and Curious Incidents at the Airport

New Year as a collective Cinderella fairy tale

E.T.A. Hoffmann and his Christmas tales

Winter fairy tales

Gray hair and beauty

Aircraft carriers