February 15, 2016

Cold Hard Facts


Cold Hard Facts

I have just returned from our “distant” village. Its last remaining resident, Lyokha, died (I wrote about him previously). Let me briefly share the news.

Lyokha died from cold; he froze to death. Yenot (a fellow who trades in alcohol, actually diluted mineral spirits) came to visit him, saw that Lyokha was dead, and stole a pair of axes (the only things worth taking).

Lyokha’s mother, Tasya, is lying in Yesinovichy, in a rural hospital, where, in reality, no one gets any treatment. It has a FAP (фельдшерско-акушерский пункт, a feldsher-obstetric station), and a car that is used “on demand” as an ambulance until 4 pm. But the hospital is really just a nursing home – a hospice, actually. But they feed Tasya there, give her liquids, and change her diapers. She doesn’t recognize anyone any more, she is very old and very weak. Soon they will transfer her to the nursing home in Vyshny Volochyok, which has just under 400 residents. Old folks generally die very quickly there. There are about 20 others like Tasya in Yesinovichy hospital.

They are closing the hospital in Yesinovichy because it is not profitable to support rural hospitals.

There is a fire department alongside the hospital. It is being reformulated as a “fire post.” Everything is exactly as before, only they cut everyone’s pay by R1500 a month and one of the three firemen will be let go as of March.

Meanwhile, the firemen and doctors are being forced to write false reports about how everything is fine. If they write that something is bad, then in flies someone from the regional leadership, who must answer to Moscow.

In the village opposite ours, in Kozhina, on January 28 a babushka celebrated her 80th birthday. On the 29th she died of starvation.

In summary: In the twenty-first century, 350 km from Moscow, people are dying from cold and hunger, the hospital and fire department are being shuttered, and Russia is spending $2.5 million every day on the war in Syria.

Russians have never lived so poorly as under Obama.

You Might Also Like

Demographic Woes
  • May 08, 2006

Demographic Woes

Russia's population is in steady decline. So you would think it natural that the country would welcome immigrant workers. You'd think...
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

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.

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. 

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

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.

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