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

Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Murder and the Muse

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.
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.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
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.
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.
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.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

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.
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. 

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