Recently, the world’s attention has been increasingly focused on the situation in Ukraine. On January 21 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met in Geneva to discuss some issues including guarantees that Ukraine would not be admitted to NATO. The situation is reminiscent of the typical “military alarm”: the media increasingly report that Russia is drawing troops to the eastern border of Ukraine, arms supplies are actively being sent to Ukraine, and sanctions would be imposed on Russia if it unleashes war. There are also reports that the United States is beginning to evacuate its diplomats from Kyiv. At the same time, NATO promised to build up a group of its troops in Europe.

Is our gender so important for professional development in the field of nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament and can it become an obstacle in the 21st century? The goal of this research paper is to study the role of Russian women in the field of nonproliferation, disarmament and global security, the specifics of their situation and the main problems they face in their professional path. The author examines in detail the career path of Russian women in these areas, using the results of exclusive interviews and confidential surveys.

The year 2022 has started with a full of events: a diplomatic marathon took place in the framework of Russia-USA and Russia-NATO. Increasingly, there are allegations in Western countries about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. In response to this, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov notes: "The number of scenarios of actions developed by the United States in the event of an alleged possible "invasion" of the Russian Federation into Ukraine raises suggestions that the special services, intelligence and the Foreign Ministry of the States have announced a competition for their creation."

On January 17, 2022, North Korea conducted a new missile test, the fourth since the beginning of the year. Media, citing the Japan Coast Guard, report that the DPRK allegedly launched two short-range ballistic missiles towards the Eastern Sea. According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, the launch took place near Sunan International Airport (Pyongyang).

On Friday, January 14, the delegations of the eighth round of JCPOA negotiations returned to the capitals for official consultations, while expert working groups continue discussing the issue. The American side is concerned that Iran's nuclear progress "will be too difficult to reverse," meaning there are only a few weeks left for negotiations. According to representatives of the United States, Washington is prepared for either outcome.

"And, by the way, the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought us very great disasters - economic, social, and human losses – can be a demonstration on a small scale of what can happen if, God forbid, a nuclear catastrophe happens. Here is what we are now seeing around us in connection with the pandemic – this is a tiny cartoon frame of what one can imagine, in case, God forbid, the worst cannot be avoided! And if this had happened, then all the disasters of the pandemic would have been remembered by all those who survived as some kind of childish prank", - Alexei Arbatov, Head of the Center for International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO).

On January 13, 1993, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction was signed (also known as Chemical Weapons Convention, CWC). According to Art. I, States Parties are obliged not to develop, produce, or use chemical weapons, not to carry out military preparations for their use; to destroy all chemical weapons in their possession or abandoned by them on the territory of another State Party; destroy any facilities producing such weapons, and not use riot control chemicals as a weapon of war.

On December 23, 2021, the expert seminar on the topic “30 Years of Russian Nuclear Succession” was held by PIR Center under the “Nuclear Nonproliferation & Russia” program. Experts from the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the United States, including direct participants in the events, took the floor during the seminar.

Since 2007, Albert Zulkharneev's career was intertwined with PIR Center. Here he went through all the steps of the career ladder – from intern and educational projects coordinator to director in 2015–2019. In 2019, Albert Zulkharneev went to work at the All-Russian Popular Front, where he was engaged in social projects. At the same time, Albert, as a true PIRovets, has not lost his strong connection with our team and, until November 2021, continued to contribute to PIR Center activities as Advisor to Director and PIR Center Advisory Board Member.

On December 20, as part of the Dual Degree M.A. Program Global Security, Nuclear Policy and WMD Nonproliferation (developed by MGIMO University, Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, MIIS, USA, and PIR Center) PIR Center had the honor of having Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, deliver a public lecture. The event was held under the auspices of the PIR Center’s NONPROLIFERATION.WORLD online platform, which is intended to entail a common scientific, educational, and communication portal for current and future generations of international security experts.