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Robert Coalson (RFE/RL) has just published a superb summary of some of the brazen election abuses during last December's Duma elections in Russia. It would be funny if it were not so sad. 

This hilarious YouTube satire video by the Perm KVN group gives a bit of background on the recent Russian election, and how Medevedev was recruited for his role. The dubbing is superbly done. (All in Russian)...

In the 2002 film Oligarch, by Russian director Pavel Lungin, the main character predicts his own downfall, saying, "Russia is a bear. You think you are playing with it and it devours you."

In April 1783, Russia annexed the Crimea. We look back at the Khan who enabled enabled it, and his ignominious fate.

In honor of the rise to power of the bear president (Medvedev), Mikhail Ivanov looks at bearisms in the Russian language.

With great pomp and circumstance, it was announced in January that the Russian military would be getting new dress uniforms, designed by Valentin Yudashkin. We asked a noted military observer to comment.

This revered museum is the world’s largest repository of Russian art. Often overshadowed by the Hermitage, this 110-year-old institution may be one of St. Petersburg’s best kept secrets. But it is not to be missed. In fact, if you visit St. Petersburg and miss the Russian Museum, it is like going to Moscow and skipping Red Square.

A prolific composer and masterful performer, Sergei Rachmaninov bridged musical eras and national cultures. Indeed, his name is synonymous with 20th century classical music in the U.S., Russia and?Europe. Yet the irony is that Rachmaninov might have felt more at home in the 19th century –?as long as there were cars.

A quick review of several worthy books, including a reissue of an Akhmatova classic, a massive tome on childhood under the Soviets, a modern fiction masterpiece, and Laura Williams' new memoir.

Where did this holiday come from? Why does Russia still celebrate it? How did it survive the Soviet collapse?