Sébastien Julian

It is one of those paradoxes that only History can produce. Since 2022, Russia has been the most heavily sanctioned country in the world, ahead of Iran and North Korea. Some 25,000 restrictive measures target Russian individuals or entities. Enough, in principle, to stifle any economy. And yet, in the heart of the country—and even beyond its borders—a fortress resists, expands, absorbs, and shines. Its name? Rosatom.

He was impossible to miss. The only blond in a group of thirty gathered around a long table, a silver medallion prominently displayed around his neck – the object contains instructions for cryopreserving his brain in the event of sudden death – Anders Sandberg, 54, born in Solna, Sweden, has the look of a man in his forties, untouched by the passage of time.

With each heatwave episode, the same ritual repeats itself. Unable to find enough air-conditioned shelters, tourists passing through Paris end up half-dressed in the pools and fountains of the capital. Behind these picturesque scenes lies a far less amusing reality: France, and Europe as a whole, lag considerably behind the United States and Asia when it comes to air conditioning. The word "failure" is not too strong.