BRICS Podcast (EN)

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Founder of International Ice Swimming Association, Ram Barkai: "Swimming in ice is physical, but 80% of success is mental" Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

According to industry estimates, about 2 million people worldwide now practise winter or ice swimming. Enthusiasts say this extreme sport helps strengthen the immune system and has a positive effect on virtually all bodily systems. Since the late 2000s, winter swimming has been actively promoted by Ram Barkai, a seventy-year-old athlete who has taken part in multi-hour swims in South Africa, Russia and China.

What attracts athletes to this sport? What initiatives could improve the safety of such competitions?

Ram Barkai, Founder of the International Ice Swimming Association, told about this in a BRICSterview.

TV BRICS reporter: Tatyana Likhachyova

Associate at Climate Finance Group of Latin America and Caribbean, Gissele Cristina Flores Suarez: "We have to learn from Brazil, Russia, and China in clean energy development" Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Latin America already has one of the "cleanest" energy mixes in the world today. Experts believe that by 2050, 76 per cent of all electricity in the region will come from renewable sources. Ecuador, in particular, is actively expanding its use of renewables.

Is cooperation with Russia on peaceful nuclear technologies in demand in Ecuador? What measures would allow the country to scale up its green generation capacity?

Gissele Cristina Flores Suarez, Associate at the Climate Finance Group of Latin America and the Caribbean, shared her insights on this topic in BRICSterview.

TV BRICS reporter: Leonid Samuna

Chairperson of National Council of Provinces of South Africa, Refilwe Maria Mtsweni-Tsipane: "Women must take centre stage in sustainable development programmes of countries" Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

In August, the Republic of South Africa celebrates Women’s Month. This is not only a tribute to previous generations who contributed to the advancement of women’s rights and the development of society but also an important time to focus on issues related to gender equality.

What is the source of women’s strength, and what is their role in South African politics? How is gender equality being promoted in the BRICS countries?

Refilwe Maria Mtsweni-Tsipane, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of the Republic of South Africa shared her insights on this topic in our BRICSterview.

TV BRICS reporter: Ekaterina Fomina

Associate Professor at University of Sao Paulo, Feliciano de Sa Guimaraes: "We seek for order in which our voices are better heard, more heard than before" Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

BRICS' share of global gross domestic product at purchasing power parity has reached 40 per cent. Experts say this figure reflects fundamental shifts in the structure of the world economy, with developing countries becoming the main drivers of production, trade and investment.

What steps should member states of the group take to further boost these indicators? How does cooperation within the group affect bilateral ties between Russia and Brazil?

Feliciano de Sa Guimaraes, Associate Professor at the Institute of International Relations of the University of Sao Paulo, shared his insights on this topic in our BRICSterview.

TV BRICS reporter: Leonid Samuna

Executive Secretary of UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Yasmine Fouad: "Use of AI represents game-changer in digital transformation for dealing with land" Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

The United Nations declared 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. To draw public attention to the growing risks facing steppe, desert and dryland ecosystems and to the role of pastoral communities in protecting them, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification launched the international initiative "Silk Road Caravan" – an expedition across Eurasian rangelands with participants from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan.

TV BRICS reporter: Ekaterina Fomina

Deputy Chairperson of Gauteng Provincial Legislature of South Africa, Thulani Kunene: "We want to learn from Moscow's experience in organising public transportation system" Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

Gauteng currently accounts for around a third of the Republic of South Africa’s GDP. The province is a major transport, logistics and manufacturing hub for the country. The development of these sectors is also supported by partner experience – regional officials frequently travel abroad to study best practices. In the first five months of 2026 alone, a delegation visited Russian cities twice.

TV BRICS reporter: Leonid Samuna

Director, Producer, documentary filmmaker, Johan Badenhorst: "BRICS countries offer massive opportunity for tourism" Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Johan Badenhorst spent about seven years preparing for his journey across Russia. In May 2026, the expedition set out from Murmansk – the largest city in the world north of the Arctic Circle. Over 2.5 months on the truck, the South African traveller and his team plan to cover roughly 20,000 km and visit 30 regions of Russia. The footage from the trip will form the basis of a multi-part documentary film.

TV BRICS reporter: Leonid Samuna

Director General of Independent Evaluation Office of New Development Bank, Ashwani Muthoo: "Harmonisation of methodologies in evaluation for projects is critical" Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Over the years, the New Development Bank has approved approximately 120 projects worldwide, totalling more than US$39 billion. Many of these projects are well known, including Line 6 of the Qingdao Metro in China; the large-scale Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut project in India; and, in early 2026, financing was also approved for the construction of Brazil’s largest power transmission line, the Graca Aranha – Silvania line. To ensure that every initiative supported by the international financial institution contributes to sustainable progress, an Independent Evaluation Office was established.

Do the assessment criteria vary depending on the specific characteristics of each country? In which BRICS countries will a country portfolio analysis be conducted in the near future? How is collaboration with multilateral development banks structured to harmonise assessment requirements?

Ashwani Muthoo, Director General of the Independent Evaluation Office of the New Development Bank, shared his insights on this topic in our BRICSterview.

TV BRICS reporter: Ekaterina Fomina

Consultant in Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister of India, Apurv Kumar Mishra: "There is strategic logic to economic partnership between Russia and India" May 28, 2026

Show notes

India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The key goal set by the government is to achieve a GDP of US$5 trillion. BRICS partners are helping to unlock the potential. Mutual trade turnover with Russia exceeded US$60 billion in 2025, and the two countries intend to increase it to US$100 billion by 2030.

What will help achieve this goal? How is India's partnership with other BRICS countries developing? What role do humanitarian projects play in shaping the BRICS expert community?

Apurv Kumar Mishra, Consultant in the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, shared his insights on this topic in our BRICSterview.

TV BRICS reporter: Ekaterina Fomina

Spouse of Ambassador of Indonesia to Russia, Fitria Wibowo Tavares: “BRICS membership helps us so much in terms of addressing issues of common concern” Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

At the end of 2025, Indonesia signed a Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. The new trade regime between the two parties provides preferential access to 90 per cent of goods from the Indonesian side. The EAEU covers 90.5 per cent of the product range for the new partner. Meanwhile, Moscow and Jakarta continue to strengthen their strategic partnership. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited the Russian capital twice in 2025.

What benefits does the Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union bring to Jakarta? What unites Russian and Indonesian art?

Fitria Wibowo Tavares, diplomat, spouse of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Indonesia to Russia, answered these and other questions in the BRICSterview.

TV BRICS reporter: Leonid Samuna

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