March 23, 2017

Grab a Guinness for Orthodoxy


Grab a Guinness for Orthodoxy

Reindeers, retweets, and rocketmen

1. It’s not every guardian of a holy lake that has to battle with oil excavators. But Sergei Kechimov, a Khanty reindeer herder and shaman entrusted with protecting Lake Imlor, has spoken out against extraction companies that he says are damaging the ecosystem and his community’s indigenous way of life. The United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is paying a visit to Imlor to assess the situation, but the oil companies – already having attempted to discredit Kechimov – will fight any attempt to staunch the flow of black gold.

theguardian.com

2. The Russian Embassy in the United Kingdom is encouraging its followers to gain and share knowledge about the Russian Embassy – or in other words, become Twitter bots. By joining Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko’s Russian diplomatic online club, members’ accounts will automatically retweet one of Yakovenko’s tweets each week. The “Tweetsquad” has under 500 members, with fully automated bots outnumbering the semi-automated retweeters who have joined the squad.

3. There’s no harsher contrast to a life dreaming of the stars than a tragic demise in a prison cell bathroom. This was the fate of Vladimir Yevdokimov, former executive director of the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, who was being held in pre-trial detention after being arrested on charges of embezzlement in December. A murder investigation has begun, with some suspecting a contract killing ordered by other space industry officials implicated in corruption charges, who feared Yevdokimov might be used as a witness against them.  

In Odder News

  • St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated in Russia on March 30, rather than March 17. But don’t look for leprechauns: Russian Orthodoxy is making it a festival all their own.
rbth.com
  • Bad news for shoes: with economic woes continuing, annual Russian shoe purchases are at 2.5 pairs per person. Perhaps a St. Patty’s Guinness is in higher demand.
  • In a bid to evaluate airline quality, Aeroflot plans to hire “secret passengers.” Presumably, it’s the evaluations that will be secret, unless the passengers are planning on stowing away.

Quote of the Week

"A pint of Guinness has only 198 kilocalories, which is less than orange juice or skim milk. You will understand why I am saying this and how this is related to the decision the Holy Synod made today after a short break.”
—Alexander Volkov, Patriarch Kirill's press secretary Alexander Volkov, in a Facebook post raffling off a cartload of Guinness in preparation for Russia’s St. Patrick’s Day.

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

22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

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.
Survival Russian

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.
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.
Moscow and Muscovites

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. 
Steppe / Степь

Steppe / Степь

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.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

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.

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