Ded Moroz and kindergarten parents conceive of the Christmas spirit very differently. Also, Russians may have domesticated the first dog.

Pie not in the sky, vampires against anti-vaxxers, cooks for cats… not to mention self-improvement in advance of the New Year

A cold flag, a resolved cold case, and the not-cold-at-all hearts of Russian children

Brezhnev’s traffic ticket goes on sale, Crimea shows up in Astrakhan, and a man gives an all for his cat.

Fish aren’t food, ice cream is medicine, ferns are pickles

Psychic cats and patented tools are priceless. Hot dogs cost 39 rubles.

In which we visit the weird world of the homegrown Russian Buzzfeed.

Russians send the Night’s Watch to New Jersey and bottles to Brazil; they welcome a Swedish girl to speak and immigrants to share their imya (name). 
 

Can samogon predict recessions? Can a balloon seduce Elon Musk? And can Putin grow babies in labs? Find out this and more in this week’s TWERF.

Defense against  walruses, shamans and climate change

While city vehicles go for a stroll, death comes knocking — twice.

Russian women: give birth in Syrian prisons, drive metro trains, make news (and borsch), and welcome children home from the dead.