World oil prices are plummeting, the ruble is in free fall, the Russian economy is on the brink of a recession, inflation is climbing, and the Russian Central Bank’s benchmark interest rate has jumped to 17 percent. Meanwhile, President Putin still has popularity ratings in the 80 percent range and there is, seemingly, no panic in the streets of Moscow. What is going on? What is Putin’s game? 

Today I stumbled across an interesting article online. At first I thought it should be filed in the "someone is trying to stir the Cold War pot again" but then I read on...

A look at the fall and rise of the ruble from April to June 1995.

The opening of Patio Pizza in Moscow.

Bits of data that offer insights into trends and events in Russia.

Foreign workers, vodka decline, what Russians think of perestroika, and, of course, a Last Word.

The string of islands that is the Kurils – perched between Sakhalin and Japan – had a not insignificant role in the history of the past century. Long closed to outsiders, its future in this century may depend on tourism.

Last Word, teachers' salaries, discrimination, recording Russian casualties, and Sosnowsky’s hogweed. 

All sorts of recruiters, from “local authorities” to women on maternity leave – not all of them in Russia – are convincing people to sign contracts to fight in Russia’s War on Ukraine. Russians are making money by sending other Russians off to war.

Russia versus India