April 22, 2022

Spot the Difference


Spot the Difference
Mightier than the sword? Pexels, Daian Gan

Ukrainian-Israeli artist Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi spent her childhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, until the age of 14. In 1991, she and her family moved to Israel. Shortly after making visits to Ukraine in 2014, Zoya began creating pieces of art within a project she calls her "Soviet Childhood."

Zoya most recently visited Ukraine four months before Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. After bombs began to fall and the war had officially begun, Zoya and her family made their way to Israel. Now out of Ukraine, Zoya is using her previous pieces of art from "Soviet Childhood" to convey what is happening  in Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid. 

Drawing from previous pieces, Zoya is now creating a new project titled "Before and After." Pieces within this project are replicas of her previous works in "Soviet Childhood," only now they reflect the current state of Ukraine. For example, her piece "On the Balcony" features a mother and son standing on a balcony observing the beautiful city. The 2022 "After" version of this piece features the same mother and son on the balcony cowering from falling bombs and a red sky. Essentially, a juxtaposition of happy childhood memories and horrid times of suffering for the country. 

Zoya is creating meaningful pieces of art that have touched the hearts of many across the globe and helped to bring awareness to the reality in Ukraine. She is also selling the works to provide monetary aid to Ukraine. The pieces of "Before and After" can be seen here.

You Might Also Like

Refugees Aboard the Volendam
  • April 16, 2022

Refugees Aboard the Volendam

A well-known cruise line has offered one of its ships to aid the humanitarian effort for Ukraine. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

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. 

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...

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

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.

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.

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.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

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