September 01, 2005 Millennial Kazan Few Russian cities are as old as Kazan, the ancient trading center on the Volga river. We explore the history and social fabric of the Tatar capital.
September 01, 2005 Spirit Wrestlers of Southern Russia Not many hints remain of Doukhobor culture in Southern Russia. Persecuted in the past for their pacifist beliefs, modern Doukhobors search for an identity in the modern world.
September 01, 2005 Tiksi or Bust! Each year, just a handful of foreigners sail up the beautiful, broad Lena River. Joshua Hartshorne made the trip and he has sent us this diary of his travels and travails.
September 01, 2005 Security vs. Democracy Will President Putin introduce direct federal control over the Northern Caucasus? If so, it will be a great loss for Russian democracy.
September 01, 2005 Vladimir Gilyarovsky He was the first true Russian journalist, and a fantastic storyteller. He brought to light some of society's ills, but also showed what was good in his fellow human.
September 01, 2005 Three Books and a DVD In this issue's review section, we look at Ludmila Ulitskaya's new novel, "Lyudi Nashevo Tsarya," plus two works of non-fiction: "Moura" and "In the Wake of the Jomon." We also note the release of four works on DVD by Otar Iosseliani, whom we profiled in our Jan/Feb 2004 issue.
September 01, 2005 To Bathe or Not to Bathe Our neighbor Kalkan has probably been clean and sober only a dozen times in his life. The last time he bathed in a barrel of water warmed in a wood stove he came down with a bad cold and vowed never to do it again.
July 01, 2005 When P.R. Sounds Like Samovar Many English words and phrases have wedged their way into the Russian vernacular, and not all with benign effect. Witness the effect of P.R...
July 01, 2005 The Defense of Sevastopol Russian soldiers held off the French at Malakhov Kurgan for 349 days, before it fell, 150 years ago this month. The end of this battle brought an end to the Crimean War.
