Olga Brusnikina, athlete Ten years ago, when journalists asked a Russian synchronous swimmer whether the Russians could ever beat North Americans or the Japanese in this discipline, she quipped: “Only if they all drown.” That was before Olga Brusnikina came on the scene. 100 Young Russians
Olga Budina, actor Olga Budina went down many blind alleys before joining the ranks of Russian cinema stars: she sang in a choir, worked as a school teacher, she sang in a pop group, and even won her city district’s accordion contest (she can interpret Bach on the squeeze box). In fact, the frail Budina still bears a light impression in her skin from the belt of her heavy accordion. 100 Young Russians
Groundhog Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: The perils of teaching Russian literature in today's Russia How the New Authoritarianism is impacting literature and education.
Olga Dergunova, businessperson It cannot be a bad feeling to have the President of Russia tell you “I think you are right” on national television. This was in fact Vladimir Putin’s reply when Olga Dergunova said in a recent televised roundtable that state functionaries’ computer literacy leaves much to be desired. 100 Young Russians
Tatyana Kalinina, architect At 14, Tatyana Kalinina, the daughter of two architects, wrote a letter swearing she would never follow in the footsteps of her parents. Thankfully, she did not follow through on her oath. 100 Young Russians
