May 11, 2017

Victory Day and cheeky chess pieces


Victory Day and cheeky chess pieces

Soldiers, Chessmen, Doctors, Geese

1. May 9th is Russia’s grandest national holiday: the celebration of the Nazi surrender to Soviet forces and the end of World War II, or as Russians call it, the Great Patriotic War. Victory Day is observed with massive military parades on land and in the air – though this year, Moscow’s air show was canceled due to weather. President Vladimir Putin spoke about the importance of unity in defeating the Nazis and the need to expand Russia’s military. The message highlighted Russia’s strength, but some say it could signal further distance between Russia and its neighbors.

2. Finally: a day for archaeology buffs, chess buffs, and numismatics alike to come together in celebration. A chess piece dated to Ivan the Terrible’s reign has been unearthed in Moscow, and it contains a stash of sixteenth-century silver coins. They add up to just a few pennies, but according to experts, that could have bought at least ten geese back in the sixteenth century. Discovered by road workers on Prechistenka Street, the chess piece is a second archaeological find in two months, with the discovery of a sixteenth-century “spy room” in late March.

3. The Russian military may be boosting its presence in the Arctic, what with new, shamrock-shaped military bases and the impressive display of Arctic missiles in this week’s Victory Day parade. But for many people who live in Russia’s Far North year-round, day-to-day concerns are often of higher importance than the shape of the country’s newest and northernmost military base. Here’s the story of the only doctor within many miles, who travels on a homemade vehicle to care for patients across the Arctic.

In Odder News

  • Salt might have different health impacts than previously believed, based on a study of Russian cosmonauts. And they’re the salt of the Earth.
  • The Simpsons have a tricky relationship with Russia: most recently, with the refusal to broadcast an episode featuring Homer playing Pokemon Go in a church. Too close to home.
  • Victory Day is one of Russia’s biggest celebrations. Here are the numbers behind the military transports, decorations, and of course, rain prevention.

Quote of the Week

"The Russian Federation's armed forces are able to stand against any challenge — but to fight terrorism, the consolidation of the entire international community is needed."
—President Vladimir Putin in his Victory Day speech.

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

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.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

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. 
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.
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.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Marooned in Moscow

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.
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.
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.
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.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
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.

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