August 11, 2016

Olympians, Titans, and cats dressed up as sailors


Olympians, Titans, and cats dressed up as sailors

Olympian Update
A special section during the Rio Olympics

tass.ru

The Games are on! Russians in Rio have already snagged 15 medals (and counting), including in judofencingarchery, and shooting. A violent set of sports, perhaps, but there’s also cycling and gymnastics, with silver for both the men’s andwomen’s teams.

Unfortunately, Russia’s entire paralympic team has been banned on doping allegations. Is Russia at fault for putting “medals over morals,” or is excluding Russia a “grave human rights abuse” – and a sign of Russophobia? 

Phobias and their friends

1. Russophobia is a problem, and it’s going to take at least 2 million rubles to fix it. Russia’s Ministry of Culture is investing in research on de-Russification and Russophobia – in other words, prejudice against Russia in the West and elsewhere. This flawed perception of Russia, say those researching it, stems from Russia’s resurgence on the global stage. But whether the country is summed up as a threat or a haven for bears and vodka, there’s much more to Russia than that.

2. Russia and Turkey are back to being best buds. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a visit to “his dear friend Vladimir” with an eye to mending bonds between their countries. After a shot-down Russian plane on Turkish soil spurred tensions (and tourism dips) between the countries, and in the aftermath of the attempted coup in Turkey and heightened conflict in Syria, it’s a good time to look for a friend. Still, the internet responded stingingly.

3. Lake Baikal not only looks beautiful: now it will sound inspiring, too, with Leonardo diCaprio and President Putin potentially teaming up to be the voices behind the lake. Putin has yet to confirm whether he’ll pledge his vocal cords to the 3D documentary, to be titled Lake Baikal: The Heart of the World, but DiCaprio has already climbed aboard. Will the Titanic fare better voyaging across the world’s largest lake?

Contested Quotes of the Week

“I understand the people who didn’t congratulate me because the media was full of fake stories about me. […] All athletes should be above politics, but they just watch TV and believe everything they read. I always thought the cold war was long in the past. Why start it again, by using sport?”

—Russian silver-medalist swimmer Yulia Efimova on other athletes’ reactions to her participation in the Olympics, after previously being banned for doping – allegations many Russians see as a Russiaphobic conspiracy.

vs.

“You’re shaking your finger ‘No. 1’ and you’ve been caught for drug cheating. I’m not a fan.”

—American gold-medalist swimmer Lilly King on her perception of Efimova.

In Catter News

These cats are part of the crew on a Russian cruise ship. That’s all.

rbth.com

What better way to celebrateInternational Cat Day than an opera medley dedicated to meowsical – er, musical – kitties?

meduza.io

This cat has been a loyal member of this Russian family for 23 years. Except that’s not a cat: it’s a bear. (Or possibly a hoax.)

boredpanda.com

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

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.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

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.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

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.

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. 

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.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

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.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

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.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his 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