February 07, 2019

A Whole New World (of Nuclear Weapons)


A Whole New World (of Nuclear Weapons)
Gas masks are the hottest new children's accessory. Сибай - Подслушано №1.

The “FIN” of INF

1. When we take on headline news, you know it must be serious, seriously misunderstood, or both. So, what’s the deal (or no deal) with this INF business, anyway? After months and years of the blame game, both the United States and Russia have announced their withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which in 1987 eliminated American and Russian land-based nuclear missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Both nations have announced their intention to begin developing new weapons, though both have also cautioned that a new arms race need not begin. On the plus side, there’s nothing like a treaty breakdown to give you a fresh wave of Cold War nostalgia. With that out of the way, we now return to our regularly scheduled programming…

2. Too much smog? Just blow it all off, or at least away, just like you do with all your other problems. The Ural town of Sibay, Russia has installed massive fans to deal with toxic air that has been emitting from nearby abandoned mines. In addition, the town has begun handing out medical masks to mitigate possible health effects. One concerned parent took things a step further and, only somewhat jokingly, filmed children playing while wearing gas masks. Authorities rejected the notion that the masks were anything but a joke, so you could say… wait for it… they weren’t big fans.

3. A magic carpet ride, Nizhny-style. Two residents of Nizhny Novgorod took a spin through the city on a carpet attached to a car, apparently having a blast all the while. This despite the fact that both were in decidedly summer attire and that the carpet ride couldn’t have been too magically comfortable, either. Nizhny Novgorod police weren’t too impressed and fined the driver a whopping R1000 (about $15) for violating transportation laws. Too bad this Aladdin wannabes don’t have their own personal genie.

In Odder News

The Motherland Calls
The Motherland Calls./ ФСИН России
  • The Motherland Calls” is hands down the best ice sculpture you’ve ever seen (and oh, by the way, it was made by Russian prisoners)
  • Google Translate’s self-congratulatory Superbowl ad doesn’t get one thing right: the Russian words that it shows being translated! (skip to second 14 for the mistranslation of vareniki as pelmeni - the horror!
  • The ghost of soccer games past… one Russian man is apparently being haunted by Andrei Arshavin, one of the greats of Russian soccer

Quote of the Week

"In a rating of the most stupid crimes of the 21st century, he has grounds to deserve an honorable mention”

— Culture Ministry official Vladislav Kononov is not impressed by last week’s art thief

 

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

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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.
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. 
The Latchkey Murders

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...
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.
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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
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.
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.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

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