November 03, 2006 The Russians are Not Coming In re the theme of our post, Tiger by the Tail, Russia's rightist parties may be playing into present Powers That Be designs, seeking a showdown with local and federal authorities and giving them a pre-electoral rallying cry. This from RFE/RL report (citing Nezavisimaya Gazeta) of November 3, about a planned nationwide "Russia March" for November 4 ("People's Unity Day," the holiday which replaced November 7, th Russia File
October 25, 2006 Notes from Underground [Editor's Letter for the Nov/Dec 2006 issue. By Paul E. Richardson]The day after Russian reporter Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated (see page 9), I was editing this issueâ??s story on Dostoyevsky (page 50) and happened to read Vissarion Belinskyâ??s infamous 1847 letter to Nikolai Gogol. The public reading of this letter (to a handful of friends) was a main reason for Dostoyevskyâ??s conviction for subversion. This famous excerpt attracted my attention: Russia File
October 25, 2006 Tiger by the tail In the November/December 2006 issue of Russian Life, we have an interesting article about recent events in Kondopoga, by Russian security expert Marina Latysheva. In the article, Latysheva asserts that certain persons of influence may have sought to exploit the events in Kondopoga. The conflict was not an ethnic backlash at all, Latysheva said, but all about local residents' battling against a t Russia File
October 17, 2006 Matryoshka - Soul of Russia The history and traditions surrounding matryoshka; Russian nesting dolls; Russia's most sought after folkart souvenir. Russia File
August 17, 2006 St. Basil the Blessed St. Basil the Blessed is both a well known Moscow landmark and cherished saint. Learn about the ten pillars of the cathedral and what it means to be a 'fool for Christ.' Religion Russia File
May 15, 2006 Sex and the Future of Russian Society Abortion, HIV/AIDS and Russia's infant mortality rates are on the increase. At the same time, the nation's birthrate and population growth are dramatically decreasing with many children being adopted abroad. Health Russia File
May 08, 2006 Demographic Woes Russia's population is in steady decline. So you would think it natural that the country would welcome immigrant workers. You'd think... Politics Russia File
May 05, 2006 Russian Spas Russia's history of taking to the spas, in the shadow of military conflict. Culture Health Russia File
April 28, 2006 The Saami's Story The Saami people (Russian population: 1,800) struggle to survive as a small national group in Russia. Culture Russia File
April 21, 2006 Easter Reborn Easter survived by stealth and cunning through the Soviet era. Now it is making a triumphant comeback in Russia as the country grasps religion anew. Religion Russia File
April 13, 2006 Space Race II? On the 45th anniversary of the first manned space flight, Russia lays out an ambitious space plan. Int'l Relations Science Russia File
April 07, 2006 Wine Embargo Russia puts a cork in wine imports from Georgia and Moldova. Are the reasons political or otherwise? Food & Drink Int'l Relations Russia File