There's plenty of talk about how Russia is dark and dismal, its writers pathologically depressed, and the general mood among the populace about as cheery as a Siberian winter. These stereotypes give short shrift to Russian humor...

The things people say these days when they don't say anything can be rather illuminating.

Whether you are a budding translator of Russian-English texts, are reading Russian literature in the original, or just want to improve your Russian, there are countless resources waiting for you on the internet. Here's our list of the best...

It is a common trope that Russians never smile. Which of course is interpreted to mean they are unfriendly, gloomy, sullen – positively Dostoyevskian. This, of course, is a complete misreading of body language and cultural norms.

A look at a four verbs that have had their meanings warped in recent years. Useful stuff to know so that you don't inadvertently order a hit when at the restaurant...

Soviet sources praise the Bolsheviks for simplifying Russian spelling in 1918. Who was the real author of the spelling reform, and what was the Bolsheviks' actual role in making it work?

In honor of International Translation Day (September 30), we demonstrate rather graphically the value of having a good, human translator.

A consideration of the language of enemies and whether Russia is, as Mitt Romney has averred, the US's chief geopolitical foe.

A recent trip to Greece got columnist Mikhail Ivanov thinking about that country's language and its incursions into Russia's mother tongue.

A consideration of less than politesse descriptions of the other sex - what men say about women and what women say about men, when they are each speaking to those of their own gender...

This issue's Uchites language learning section focuses on writer Sergei Dovlatov, who would have been 70 this month.