Drugs, Pirates, and Apple Pay

This week, we've got piracy, side gigs, and more COVID stuff. A good smattering, really.

• Times are tough in the COVID era. That's why, according to a new study, about 1/5 of Russians have turned their hobby into their main job while quarantined, most commonly writing, photography, or video editing. Which maybe means we'll see more of those weird Russian wedding photos?
• Customs officers in Chelyabinsk recently came across a trove of drugs disguised as candy being sent in the mail by a resident of the southern Ural city of Miass. So it looks like your mom was right when she said to look out for nasty stuff in your Halloween candy.
• Recent research shows that Russia has the world's second-highest number of Apple Pay users, which is an interesting statistic that we're not quite sure what to do with. America came first, and Russia was trailed by the UK.
• Bummed by COVID restrictions, and dying for a mask-less breath of air while at 30,000 feet? Not to worry: Russian airline Aeroflot will soon be offering maskless sections of their flight, so if you want to sit among dozens of fellow vectors of disease, go for it.
• The European Commission has named popular Russian social media sites Telegram and VKontakte as critical spreaders of pirated material. So if you're looking to plunder the high seas for some free, grainy movies, Russian social media has you covered.