February 28, 2019

An ode to men, the opposite of old cat ladies


An ode to men, the opposite of old cat ladies
Happy Defenders of the Fatherland Day! Youtube.

More sex, more people, fewer apartments left to cats?

1. “We must satisfy our women!” said Rustam Minnikhanov, President of Tatarstan. Yes, he means what you think he means. Who needs Putin’s complicated new demographic growth policies, complete with tax breaks and lower mortgage rates for families? Minnikhanov thinks men will be up to the challenge. Starting, perhaps, with Kazan Mayor Ilsor Metshin, whom Minnikhanov singled out for some reason. Because apparently Mr. Metshin’s four children are not enough. 

2. What to get for the man who has everything? Male staff of Gorky Park in Moscow and police in Ulan-Ude, capital of the Republic of Buryatia, both received unusual Defenders of the Fatherland Day presents: strip teases. Authorities did not dance around the issue in either case. The Gorky Park incident is under investigation for what the park’s former art director called a “conscious moral decline.” The female police officer who ordered the strip tease in Buryatia was fired. What exactly is the return policy for strip teases? 

3. It’s not just humans that have been, as the youth say, thirsty. Cats need to drink too. So, when about ten cats were left alone in a St. Petersburg apartment for months following the death of their owner, they figured out how to turn on the faucets. Problem is, the cats “forgot” to turn them off, flooding their neighbors’ homes. The deceased owner reportedly wanted her apartment to be inherited by “some sort of priests,” but in the meantime it was left in the paws of god’s creatures. Now that the cat is out of the bag, the courts will decide the fate of the apartment and the cats will go to a shelter.

In Odder News

From Yekaterinburg to Paris via Berlin./ World Expo 2025 Committee
  • Very well-travelled matryoshka doll sculptures “invaded” Paris in November. 
  • A survivor of the siege of Leningrad turned 850 years old, according to her birthday card from city officials (she’s actually just 80). 
  • “A shrine cannot be used for poisonous substances that destroy the spirit,” said a Krasnoyarsk church representative, objecting to vodka sold in chapel-shaped bottles. We’ll put our spirits in other containers next time.
Suspiciously similar./ Welcomekrsk / Ura.ru

Quote of the Week


“Where will our demographics come from? We need to satisfy our women. I think that our guys won’t refuse.”


Rustam Minnikhanov, President of Tatarstan


Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955