June 25, 2023

A Day To Remember in Rostov-on-Don


A Day To Remember in Rostov-on-Don
A graduation on Rostov-on-Don with Wagner Group soldiers in the background. War Monitor, Twitter.

On June 23, Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin released a video on Telegram that unleashed the greatest threat President Vladimir Putin has faced in his multi-decade presidency: the next day, Rostov-on-Don awoke to Wagner mercenaries and tanks patrolling its streets.

How did Rostovans live through that moment?

The governor of Rostov Oblast, Vasily Golubev, issued stay-at-home orders three times, but Rostovans ignored him. DOXA collected testimonies of witnesses, who reported seeing some residents taking selfies with military equipment and wearing Wagner merch. Pavel, an anonymous Rostovan, said people approached the tanks as if there were "a second May 9 [Victory Day] parade." 

Most essential services such as hospitals, markets, and public transportation – excluding trolleybuses – continued operating. City properties, including the Don Public Library and Loga Park, were closed. The "Tom Sawyer Fest," a festival that gathers volunteers to restore monuments of historical relevance, suspended its activities, along with other weekend festivals. Students were told to stay in their dorms and take exams online. The UK and Italian visa application centers announced they would be closed for several days. But the city's zoo remained open.

Meanwhile, transport agencies reported a spike in demand for train tickets out of the city. No bus tickets were sold to cities where the highways were blocked. The governor of the oblast also reported residents had rushed to gas stations.

Late in the evening, Rostovan gathered to watch tanks retreat from the city after Prigozhin agreed to retreat and leave for Belarus.

You Might Also Like

Prigozhin's Uprising
  • June 24, 2023

Prigozhin's Uprising

Russia's home-grown mercenaries have taken over Rostov-on-Don and threaten to march on the capital.
  • June 14, 2023

"Go Defend Your Homeland"

In Chechnya, law enforcement uses threats and blackmail to send LGBT persons, drug users, and "disloyal" citizens to war.
The Wizard and His Little Wagners
  • March 09, 2023

The Wizard and His Little Wagners

The Wagner Group's new youth club sponsors pro-militaristic activities and suggests it undertakes recruitment by hypnosis.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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. 

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

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.

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