January 10, 2019

Crooks and Crazies this Russian Christmas


Crooks and Crazies this Russian Christmas
The coldest race in the world. Gavril Sobakin

Baby it’s (Very) Cold Outside

1. Does the thought of running a marathon send a chill down your spine? Does the mention of temperatures below -45º Celsius make your toes curl? Well, imagine doing both at once. This week, runners in Sakha completed the “coldest race in the world,” racing distances of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 42 kilometers while in Oymyakon, which holds the world record for the coldest temperature recorded at an inhabited settlement. At the beginning of the race, temperatures were at -52° Celsius, and as one runner crossed the 39 kilometer mark, they had risen to a positively balmy -48° Celsius. Don’t feel too bad, though, participants were superheroes of all stripes: two world marathon champions, one veteran, and one mother of eight.

Coldest Race in the World
The coldest race in the world. / Gavril Sobakin

2. From crooks to crones: money seized in Russian corruption cases will now go into Russia’s pension fund. The move comes on the heels of a contentious rise in the retirement age, which had the elderly (and the soon-to-be elderly) up on their feet. It’s unclear whether or not this extra padding will make everything right, though: while the estimated gain from this measure is expected to be R1.2 billion by 2024, it takes a whopping R20 billion per day to fund the national pension fund. But hey, a kopek saved is a kopek earned.

3. Season’s greetings, from above! At least two aerial holiday stunts were spotted this holiday season, both meriting a second glance into the Moscow sky. Santa and one of his elves tightroped across a street in Moscow, shouting out holiday greetings and doing the chicken dance. Additionally, Santa-suited skydivers rained down upon the city, passing on their own New Year’s wishes to crowds people. Maybe this means that things will start looking up in 2019.

In Odder News:
Quote of the Week:

“This is a nightmare… I’ll tell the internet about this”

— One babushka speaks disdainfully of the Liberal Democratic Party’s New Year giveaway

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

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

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.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

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