October 07, 2022

Beginning of the End?


Beginning of the End?
President Vladimir Putin in Serbia, 2019.
 Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
 
Not!
 
Today is the 70th birthday of Russia's authoritarian-in-chief, President Vladimir Putin. Appropriately so, it was announced that the Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to the Memorial Human Rights organization (liquidated by the Russian Supreme Court in a political hit job), Belarussian rights activist Ales Belyatsky, and Ukraine's Center for Civil Rights.
 
Also today, Meduza published an account (machine-translated by Google at the link below), based on revealing information from Kremlin insiders. Putin's world of shadows and mirrors, terror and misinformation, is unraveling.
 
Read the article in Russian / in English.
 
The article paints a picture of Putin making countless decisions without consulting advisors or ministers, of massive fear and uncertainty in the ranks of the elite, of endless promises and money running out.
 
Meanwhile, Putin's war-crime aggression against Ukraine is also falling apart. Troops are dispirited and under-prepared, turning on their heels and fleeing in the face of Ukrainian attacks. The mass mobilization has led hundreds of thousands of Russians to flee the country.  And a circular firing squad is ensuing as the president and his allies are being attacked by the "party of war."
 
In short, time is running out for the Putin regime. The fear, of course, is that a cornered Putin will lash out, that an even more dictatorial faction will move to seize power, in order to prosecute the war even more ruthlessly, or, worst of all, that things will spiral into nuclear confrontation.
 
Things are clearly at a turning point and one can only hope that sane members of the elite will step in and put a stop to the madness, that Russians will be moved to act like they did in 1991 and make a stand for their freedom and their future.
 
That, in any event, is our birthday wish.
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.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

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...

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

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.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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