November/December 2018

What is most important is to keep telling the individual stories, making human connections, sharing the important ideas that we meet.

Ukraine will soon have its own independent Orthodox church, fueled by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

A round-up of some of the latest news from Russia.

Quotes, quips and asides spoken by those in the know (and not).

What's news on the travel front.

Bloggers and twitterers this fall, in the lead-up to the mayoral elections, were effusive in their praise of Moscow living conditions. Was it real or staged?

A look back at year end stock-taking, at changes that have been promised in years past, and promises that have been un-kept.

To thank (blagodarit) is one of the Russian language's most beautiful words. We go in for a deep dive.

The writer Eduard Uspensky passed away recently. In this language section, we look back at one of his contributions to Russian literature and folklore.

Thousands of war refugees are flooding Europe from the East. No, this is not a story of today, but of the world a century ago.

President Vladimir Putin has elevated the philosopher Ivan Ilyin by referring to his ideas in speeches and even making works by Ilyin required reading. We delve into his murky past.

In which the Rural Council takes up the case of “The Conduct of Nikolayev, N. N.”

An American writer consumed by Anna Karenina goes in search of the great writer’s little-known refuge beyond the Volga, near Samara.

An assemblage of crafters, knitters and felters talk about what it means to be a small producer in Russia.

We consider some of the best holiday treats, which are of course cookies, and then serve of a simple and delicious recipe.

In which we review The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessions from Russian Literature, by Viv Groskop, and Restless Empire, by Ian Barnes.

A longtime businessman with deep ties to Russia considers the passing of a true friend, in the context of deteriorating US-Russian relatins.