July 19, 2018

The Plagues of Russia: the Risen Dead, Bees, and Floods


The Plagues of Russia: the Risen Dead, Bees, and Floods

This week President Trump and President Putin met in Helsinki. If you’ve missed the hype, or rather, missed the news for the hype, check out this summary on what was actually accomplished.

Romanovs for Real

1. The story of the Romanovs, from the glamour to the execution, to the mystery of the missing children, has captivated the world for a century. This week, Russian investigators confirmed the authenticity of the remains of Tsar Nicholas II and his family members, a day before the 100th anniversary of their murder in July 1918. Although the deaths of all family members were well-proven by 2007, suspicion lived on when the Russian Orthodox Church continued to question the authenticity of the remains. While this final proof may put some ghosts to rest, it’s hard to imagine that the Romanovs, and their story, won’t always be with Russia in spirit.

Public Domain

2. This week a few Russian policemen were angrily told to buzz off. By a swarm of bees, appropriately enough. A truck carrying several beehives collided with another vehicle in the Krasnodar region, releasing a very angry (and dangerous) cloud of stinging bees. Police were unable to approach the accident scene for an hour due to the angry horde (of bees). Although they did this in order to avoid the painful suicide blow of the bees, waiting must have stung, too.

@krddtp

3. The heavens opened in Volgograd… and so did the stadium. Volgograd was hit with heavy rains this weekend as the World Cup finished up in Moscow. These storms brought a deluge of water and dirt through the Volgograd Arena, Volgograd’s World Cup stadium, causing significant damage. Volgograd Arena, which was finished in 2018, cost R16.3 billion to build. This event makes the phrase “cry me a river” take on a whole new meaning…

In Odder News:
  • You can’t stand under my umbrella, ella, ella: Putin got the only umbrella while Macron and Grabar-Kitarović, president of Croatia, got soaked during the World Cup trophy presentation

  • New (old) heights of fashion: the Russian kokoshnik, a traditional headdress, is back in style

  • Culture war and peace: after a more harmonious World Cup than expected, Russians reflect on the surprising changes it may have wrought on their society

Quote of the Week:

“In Mother Russia, only Putin gets an umbrella”

— Katy Tur of NBC muses about Putin’s umbrella (and Macron and Grabar-Kitarović’s lack of one)

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.

You Might Also Like

Death of a Dynasty
  • July 17, 2018

Death of a Dynasty

Who really killed the Romanovs? Read about the survivors of the royal household.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Murder at the Dacha

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.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Samovar Murders

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.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

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.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

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