March 09, 2017

Say no to discrimination, ducks, and hugs


Say no to discrimination, ducks, and hugs

Marching for women, quacking against corruption

1. On Wednesday, Russians marked International Women’s Day in a few distinct ways. On one end of the gender equality spectrum, feminist activists marched on the Kremlin, some getting arrested for their call for women’s rights. At the more traditional end, not only did millions of women get flowers as gifts; some even rented their own bouquets of 101 roses for Instagram-worthy snaps. Meanwhile, the Kremlin urged officials to “get creative,” spurring poetry, flash mobs, and virtual reality photo shoots.

2. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has declared that Russian-Chinese relations are at a “historic maximum.” But that doesn’t mean the nations are about to get cuddly with each other. Case in point: even with Chinese tourism to Russia booming, the Chinese Embassy in Moscow has released a video series informing tourists about Russian customs and behavior. It comes with warnings: don’t climb on monuments, don’t be noisy on the Metro, and for Pete’s sake, don’t hug children that don’t belong to you.

3. Of all the empowering protest slogans, “Quack, quack,” has not gone down in the history books. At least, not until now. With a new investigative report claiming that former President Dmitry Medvedev has enriched himself through corruption, protesters have taken to the streets in St. Petersburg. Based on the report that Medvedev’s luxury mansion is home to a duck pond, among other luxuries, demonstrators adopted the chant “Quack, quack! We’re against this tsar!” (In Russian, it rhymes.)

In Odder News

  • No, a statue of the Tsar Nicholas II didn’t weep on the centennial of his abdication. Or did it?
  • Fairy tales are no longer for kids: Beauty and the Beast will be released in Russia with an adults-only rating because it includes a gay character.
  • What does Russian jazz sound like? Read about the history, and take a listen for yourself.

Quote of the Week

"A woman for president"

"Our national idea: feminism"

"All power to the women"

"200 years of men in power. Out with them!"
—Just a few of the slogans on signs brandished by feminist activists who demonstrated at the Kremlin with calls for gender equality in government and beyond.

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

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

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