At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026), Tsargrad media group founder and Orthodox oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev presented scenarios for Russia’s future through 2050, in which the use of nuclear weapons is described as “the best option.”

According to Russian propaganda outlets, the report was prepared by a group of experts that included Malofeyev himself and Eurasianist ideologue Aleksandr Dugin.

They outlined three possible scenarios for future developments: inertial, negative, and positive, reports ZN.ua.

According to the authors, under the inertial scenario, the conflict in Ukraine drags on, the risk of nuclear weapons use increases, and by 2050 the world remains dominated by the United States and China.

The “positive scenario” envisions the incorporation of Kyiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv, Russia’s emergence as an undisputed global leader, and the collapse of the European Union. Under this scenario, a controlled buffer state is established on the territory of Ukraine or the country is fully absorbed by 2036. It also foresees Russia becoming the leading guarantor of “global security and justice” by 2050.

Under the “negative scenario,” Russia would face defeat in the war against Ukraine by 2036, Ukraine would join NATO, Moscow would lose influence across the post-Soviet space, and new armed conflicts would emerge. By 2050, the scenario predicts the colonization of Russia.

Malofeyev nevertheless considers the use of nuclear weapons to be the best option.

Earlier, we reported that, according to Regina Elsner, Doctor of Theology and researcher of Eastern Christianity and ecumenism at the University of Münster, the Russian Orthodox Church has become one of the key institutions of mobilization and propaganda.

Read more about the lack of religious freedom and the instrumentalization of religion in totalitarian regimes, as well as about those who left Russia to escape repression, in LF’s feature article.