The Good Fight

For 18 days in February, the world’s attention will be focused on a sleepy Russian seaside city that Soviet-style largesse and oil-fueled oligarch wealth has transformed into an Olympic-opolis. Athletes and citizens from some 80 countries will be strolling Sochi streets, riding sleek new trains up into the mountains, watching skaters, curlers, snowboarders and lugers do amazing things on ice and snow.

Demonstrators will be exercising their rights and voices in special protest zones; beefy security forces, decked out in Star Wars worthy gear, will be making their presence felt; international media will be focusing on rainbow-colored fingernails and overpriced lattes, offering colorful feature stories on the “real Russia”; some unlikely young athlete will be transformed into a media darling, while another’s unexpected upset will be replayed over and over, with knowing commentators shaking their disbelieving, $200 haircuts.

The Olympics are far more than just a sporting event, so we have turned nearly this entire issue over to the games. Yet rest assured this is not an issue all about sport; the stories in this issue tell us much about Russia, its people, politicians, geography and history. And, yes, its athletes...

We all hope for a peaceful, prosperous, exciting Olympic Games, and that at least some of the media will put aside their penchant for sensationalism and give the world a sense of the richness that is Russian culture, history and life.

Actually, the turning of the year and President Putin’s sudden dissolution of RIA Novosti (a government funded news organization that got a bit too independent minded) had me thinking about the role of media and how one tells stories about Russia. So it’s a good time to restate the simple, three-fold purpose of Russian Life: to inform, excite and inspire.

We never seek out stories because they are sensational or controversial, because they will sell thousands of copies on newsstands, or because they will entice some advertiser. Instead, we usually ask just one question: “Is it interesting?” If it is interesting to us as editors, we tend to find that readers think so too.

It is hard, being human and all, but we also always try to proceed from a place of humility: neither we nor anyone else can claim to have the Truth about Russia (or any other country). Our goal is to bring an experienced, fair, curious eye to the stories we cover, to shine lights in unexpected places, to ask unusual questions, to share amazing photographs. We have no political or ideological agenda.

Yet we do want to make Russian Life provocative. But by this I mean we hope to provoke reader interest in things not previously known, to get people interested in learning more about some person or event they read about in the magazine. If readers buy books or search the internet to find out more about something because we have covered it, we are doing our job.

Of course, I do hope that our magazine causes more people to visit Russia, but not because we work on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism (we don’t). Rather, my hope stems from a belief that travel expands the mind and broadens awareness, that a better knowledge of other people’s lives lessens, in some tiny measure, chances of conflict while increasing opportunities for understanding.

Plus, of course, I selfishly hope readers will become infected with Russophilia and stay with Russian Life for many years to come, so that we can keep doing what we love, sharing stories and exploring this fascinating country.

Happy New Year, and enjoy the issue.