July 01, 2015 Trotsky's End Seventy-five years ago this August, Leon Trotsky was brutally murdered while living in exile in Mexico. Levi Bridges visited the scene of the crime, now a veritable shrine to the Bolshevik leader. History
July 01, 2015 Yaroslav the Wise The rise of Yaroslav the Wise as ruler of Kiev. It may not be all we think it was. History
July 01, 2015 Between Two Worlds During the tsarist era, Russians’ perceptions of themselves were powerfully shaped by travelogues about the world that lay beyond the empire’s borders. History
July 01, 2015 Bitter Annexations How a Russian deals with the hostility from Baltic residents about the events of 1940, even when one does not agree with or condone them. History
June 23, 2015 Faberge Documentary is a Jewel It is nice to come across a documentary about Russia that is not all Sturm and Drang, Stalin and Purges, mafia and Putin. The story of Peter Carl Fabergé and the jewelry empire he built is a truly remarkable story, and it is the focus of this new documentary from Arts Alliance. Art History Russia File
May 08, 2015 70 Years After Victory, the Battle for Stalingrad Rages On The Battle for Stalingrad turned the tide of WWII in the Allies’ favor. Marked by the loss of nearly 2 million lives, it is one of the most devastating battles of human history. Yet it also continues to be embroiled in controversy, given the complex relationship Russians have toward Josef Stalin. History Int'l Relations Russia File
May 07, 2015 The Controversial Composer The personal and professional have become increasingly intertwined in considerations of the life and work of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Music historian Richard Taruskin shows that this is nothing new – it all began shortly after the master composer's death. Culture History Russia File
March 28, 2015 Smoktunovsky: Portrait of an Actor A generation of Soviets grew up seeing the face of actor Innokenty Smoktunovsky in his varied roles, both on screen and on stage. But what was his actual life like? In this snippet, he gives a taste of the trials he underwent as a soldier fighting the Nazis. History Russia File
March 02, 2015 Dizzy with "Success": The Horrors of Collectivization Collectivization in the Soviet Union was a time of hunger, suffering, and massive death tolls – even as the papers proclaimed phenomenal success. One former peasant's memoirs give us a window on that terrible time. History Russia File
March 01, 2015 Peter's Reform On April 26, 1715, Peter I published his Military Statute, which remained in effect until the mid-nineteenth century. History
March 01, 2015 Reform Begins Today it is hard to imagine the revolutionary atmosphere that pervaded the Soviet Union in March and April of 1985. History
March 01, 2015 Captain of Teriberka There is another Teriberka story that predates the current Leviathan dust-up. It involves a willful captain, fishing rights and, oh yes, the Norwegian navy. History
