Notebook

Diana Returns

On October 14, visitors to St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum were able to see Rembrandt’s Diana for the first time since 1985. In June of 1985 a museum visitor – enraged at the sinfulness of the painting (considered one of the most erotic images in the history of art) – poured sulfuric acid over it and struck it twice with a knife. Nonetheless, art experts are saying that the painting’s restorers worked a miracle and even managed to restore Diana’s former beauty. From now on, Diana will be guarded from further vandalism by an automatic alarm system.

Romanovs to Rest

The battle over the bones of Nicholas II and family (discovered in July 1991, in a pit outside Yekaterinburg) may be drawing to a close. Despite positive identifications by Western and Russian forensic experts, it was only this November that forensic specialists at Russia’s Health Ministry voiced a concurrent opinion that the bones are indeed legitimate. This now opens the way for President Yeltsin to announce where the bones will be interred. This announcement is expected early in 1998.

Fabergé Lands in Moscow

At a meeting with Tatyana Faberge, an heiress to the jewelry concern of miniature egg fame, Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov gave a thumbs-up to the opening of a new jewelry store and workshop in the trendy Kuznetsky Most shopping district. Currently, the heirs’ workshop produces $2.5 mn worth of goods a year. The shop will be located in a building that formerly belonged to the original Faberge, whose safes can be seen in the basement to this day.

Bread for Land

Legislators in the Saratov region have all but unanimously approved a draft law which would allow the sale of farm land in the region. This law – the first of its kind in Russia – could allow regional authorities to raise millions of dollars on international money markets. The land in the region is reportedly worth about $10 bn.

Trolleybus Break Out 

By the year 2005, Moscow residents and visitors alike should have more opportunities to visit outlying areas – by trolleybus. City authorities plan to construct 233 km of trolleybus lines, extending these lines outside Moscow’s outer ring road and linking the trolleybus lines of Moscow and Khimki, a town which already has a 15 kilometer line. The new routes will include the Volokolamsky, Novoryazansky and Mozhaisky highways, Vologogradsky Prospect and the Ukhtomskaya railway platform.

Moscow’s New “Golden Ring”

Meanwhile, Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov plans to allocate funds from the city budget to create a new tourist route to sites in the capital – the so-called “Golden Ring of Moscow.” The “Ring” will include, but not be limited to, Red, Manezh and Borovitsky squares, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Tretyakov gallery and the Kremlin’s Pokrovsky Cathedral. The first step in the project will be to reconstruct the Manezh’s central exhibition hall and create parking space. The project also foresees the construction of a bridge over the Moscow river near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, as well as two bridges over the Obvodny Canal, and a miniature train to connect the sites.

A Welcome Change

In a recent move, Russian Customs has made currency declarations – instituted to prevent hard currency from leaving Russia – optional for people carrying less than $500. Formerly, all travellers had to declare how much hard currency they were bringing into Russia and were banned from taking more money out of the country than they came in with. The problem, according to the English-language daily The Moscow Times, is that this “experiment” is so poorly advertised that most travellers are probably unaware of it. Currently, the new rule is announced only on a small piece of paper stuck to a pillar in the departures area. But Customs promises that better signs are on the way. Which should make Sheremetevo airport a more pleasant place.

No Way to Get Votes

A political fight in Vladivostok turned ugly in November at the dedication of a new building for the Interior Ministry. The protagonists – regional Governor Yevgeny Nazdratenko and Vladivostok Mayor Viktor Cherepkov – have been battling over electrical power supplies and budgetary funds for months, so Cherepkov did not invite Governor Nazdratenko to the ribbon cutting. But Nazdratenko showed up anyway and started to give a speech taking credit for the building. Cherepkov struck back by ordering all refreshments removed and the ceremony stopped. Nazdratenko, in turn, tried to order a stop to the clearing of tables. When one elderly war veteran did not comply, Nazdratenko punched him in the head. 

Money Controls

There will be one more call to make before buying that Jeep in Moscow ... The Duma has approved a draft law establishing new controls over “significant expenditures.” The bill, if signed into law, will require consumers to notify the government of purchases of real estate, automobiles, stocks and bonds and works of art in excess of 83.5 mn rubles (about $14,000). As such, the buyer would be required to show the income source for the purchase.

Luzhkov Sees Stars

After a visit to the Molodyozhnaya (youth) hotel, where he commented on the “grey floor” and “old stone,” Mayor Luzhkov announced a check-up on all the city’s three-star hotels to verify their technical condition and level of service. According to today’s standards, a three-star hotel must have a guarded car park, a bar and restaurant or cafe, and a television in every room. Russia’s capital currently contains about 30 such hotels, the majority of which were built 18 to 20 years ago for the Moscow Olympic Games and – judging by the mayor’s comments at least – leave much to be desired. As a result of the checks, some hotels may have a star removed, and some city-owned hotels will be reconstructed (most likely with city funds), thus gaining a star.

Lenin’s Stash?

One recent result of the highly-publicized search of unclaimed Swiss bank accounts was the discovery of  a bank account in Zurich belonging to one Vladimir Ulyanov. Lenin lived in Zurich just prior to his return to Russia from exile in April 1917, but it is not known whether this was his account or that of someone with the same name. The account contains less than 100 Swiss Francs today – hardly much to fall back on, had the revolution not come off ...

Kremlin Scandals Topple

First Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais and the other members of what the press has sarcastically dubbed the “Writers’ Union,” have had their reputations as “young reformers” seriously shaken. In mopping up the scandal, Chubais and four of his associates have conceded they were wrong to accept a $450,000 advance for an as-yet unpublished text on Russian privatization. 

Unanimous in their assessment of the book deal’s negative impact on the course of reforms, observers are split in assessing Yeltsin’s subsequent move to jettison Chubais’ allies (privatization head Maxim Boiko, bankruptcy commission head Mostovoy and senior presidential aid Kazakov), but to keep Chubais on as first deputy prime minister after stripping him of his post as finance minister. Some criticize Yeltsin for such a quick and wishy-washy response, whereas others point out that Yeltsin has time and again shown a flair for playing his advisors off against each other to preserve a power balance in the Kremlin.

In any event, henceforth, deputy prime ministers are no longer allowed to combine ministerial posts, meaning that another young reformer, Boris Nemtsov, will keep his post as first deputy prime minister. but has lost his position as fuel and energy minister (interestingly enough, Boris Nemtsov was himself in a quandary earlier this year after Novaya Gazeta published a taped phone conversation between him and Russian advertising tycoon Sergei Lisovsky, in which Nemtsov pressed Lisovsky to quickly wire him the $100,000 honorarium for his book Provincial, so that Nemtsov could quickly include this in his annual income declaration, so as not to draw Yeltsin’s ire).

Yeltsin has nonetheless gone out of his way to stand by Chubais, saying that, despite “ethical problems” with the deal, the young prime minister is smart and the world knows him. Chubais will remain in the presidential cabinet, but will be replaced as finance minister by the less influential politician, 34-year-old Mikhail Zadornov, said to be on good terms with technocrat Prime Minister Chernomyrdin. Zadornov has an impressive reformist pedigree as a long-time ally of Grigory Yavlinsky, having worked on the famous 500-Days plan and on the path-breaking reforms in Nizhny Novgorod (indeed, Nemtsov is said to have suggested Zadornov for the job).

Meanwhile, a small group of independent observers, disgusted (but not surprised) by the scheme, are questioning why the deal leaked at this particular time. Speculation is pointing toward Chubais’ arch-rival, Boris Berezovsky, who was fired from his post as deputy national security adviser a couple of weeks before the scandal broke. According to the influential Moscow Times, Minkin, the reporter who disclosed information about Chubais’ and Nemtsov’s book deals “was helped by the best spies within the Kremlin ... and Berezovsky is the obvious candidate.” As for Russian intellectuals, they are expressing dismay over how the words “young reformer” – just as the word “democratic” – has come to be associated with corruption and bribe-taking.

Interestingly, the Chubays scandal follows in the wake of the recent investigation of former St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, whose relatives improved their housing conditions under rather questionable circumstances. (Sobchak is now seeking a seat in the Duma, which many see as an attempt to avoid prosecution). Add to this scandalous list Moscow’s former deputy mayor and devout democrat Sergei Stankevich, also recently accused of bribe-taking, and the list of democrats with a tarnished reputation is all but complete. By the way, Yeltsin himself reportedly received $250,000 for his own book entitled Confessions on a Special Topic.

Facts

So far this year, just 5 mn tourists have visited Russia, whereas 10 mn Russians have traveled abroad.

Russia had a record grain harvest in 1997 (94 mn tons), a 26.3% increase from 1996 — bad news for ideologues of the Russian left and foreign farmers.

Of the 90 nuclear submarines Russia has dry-docked in the far north, 75% are judged to be dangerous, threatening leaks and disasters comparable in scale to Chernobyl for the countries in the region.

The draft budget for 1998 allocates just 2.7% of Russia’s GNP to defense, the lowest military budget in Russia’s history.

Amount budgeted this year to modernize Russia’s nuclear reactors: 10 tn rubles. Amount actually allocated this year: 1 tn.

In the first nine months of this year, 314 Russian servicemen have committed suicide (there were 500 such suicides last year), a reflection of the brutal hazing practices and difficult financial situation in the armed services. During this same period, another 1,037 servicemen were killed and 2,106 injured. 

There are now 6,232 registered cases of AIDS in Russia, 3,600 of which were first reported this year. 90% of the cases are said to be related to drug use. The Duma is calling for urgent measures...

BIZARRE ANALOGY OF THE MONTH

“I am the Russian Clinton.”

– Vladimir Zhirinovsky leader of the extremist LDPR party, in a Russian television interview.

DID SOMEONE FORGET TO TELL THEM?

“Under the leadership of the Communist Party, Marxism-Leninism will go on towards the victory of Communism.”

– Banner carried by communist sympathizers in a rally in Stalin’s Georgian hometown of Gori, on the occation of the 80th anniversary of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.

THIS MONTH’S FOOT IN MOUTH AWARD GOES TO...

“The Belarussian people will live badly, but not long.”

– Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko

THE CHANGING WORLD OF RUSSIAN PUBLISHING

“Korzhakov was axed and wrote a book, but Chubais wrote a book and was axed...”

– Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Spartak Wins “Battle of Stalingrad”

Russia’s most popular soccer club, Spartak Moscow, has won its fifth national championship after a decisive victory (2:0) against its main rival, the second-place Rotor (Volgograd). Spartak retained its title in a dramatic final game held at the site of the Battle of Stalingrad. Since the disintegration of the USSR, the 12-time Soviet champions have conceded only one Russian title – to Alania (Vladikavkaz), in 1995. For the second consecutive year, Spartak proved a superb finisher (last year, the club won the title by defeating its nemesis Alania in a rematch on neutral turf in St. Petersburg). Moreover, Spartak’s midfielder, Dmitry Alenichev, was named the best player of the 1997 championship.

In spite of its successes at home, however, the red-and-white uniformed Spartak cannot yet match the glory of its former Soviet arch-rival – Dinamo Kiev – which made the front page of sports magazines in November after beating Spain’s famous Barcelona in the Champion League tournament (3:0 at home and 4:0 away). Yet, Russian soccer fans are probably relieved to be represented in Europe next season by Spartak rather than by Rotor, which was tossed out of the UEFA Cup 3:0 by Lazio in early November.

Our Rodnina

After seven years of coaching in America, Russia’s most famous figure skater, three time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina, will return to her homeland to carry out an ambitious project to create a figure skating center in Moscow. The center will unite under one roof world-class coaches, who will train both leading athletes, and simple mortals. It will be called the Irina Rodnina Ice House. Sports observers say the project is regarded as a symbol of the resurrection of sports in Russia. Rodnina received unconditional support from Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who has already earmarked a site for the center. The center should be ready in time for the World Youth Olympics, to be held in Russia’s capital next summer.

Hockey on the Neva 

According to an agreement signed by Russian government officials and the International Ice Hockey Federation, St. Petersburg will host the world ice hockey championships in the year 2000. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Sysoyev and Federation President Rene Fasel participated in the signing ceremony. “Hockey has always been a traditional sport in Russia,” Sysoyev said. “That is why our country is extremely interested in holding the championship, which will become another step in the development of sports in Russia.” The matches will be played in three arenas, including one currently under construction that will have a seating capacity of 15,000. The former Soviet Union hosted the ice hockey world championships twice – in 1973 and 1979 (both times held in Moscow).

Tops on Ice

The tournament of the World Grand Prix Series, which ended in St. Petersburg’s Ice Palace in late November, was dominated by Russian skaters, who won all four programs. Alexei Yagudin from St. Petersburg’s Figure Skating School showed impeccable technique and won the men’s singles, thus guaranteeing himself a place on the Russian national team at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Ditto for Irina Slutskaya in women’s singles. In doubles, the victory went to Marina Yeltsova and Andrei Buzhkov, and in ice dancing, to Anzhelica Krylova and Oleg Ovsyanikov, with their brilliant interpretation of Carmen. Yeltsova and Buzhkov, Krylova and Ovsyanikov, and Yagudin have all booked a berth to Nagano, where the Russian figure skating team is expected to confirm its world reputation.