May 28, 2021

Congrats to Mikhail Kubar!


Congrats to Mikhail Kubar!
We'll gladly sit through a graduation if there's only one name to read. Yngaa_school, Instagram.

Living in a small town has its perks. For one, you get to be de facto valedictorian.

The village of Ynga in Yakutia graduated only one high-school senior, but simultaneously had a 100% graduation rate. Mikhail Kubar, the sole senior class member at the village school, was honored at a ceremony last week.

During the event, Kubar's first-grade teacher noted that he was also the only first-grader in her class. While at one time he had as many as four or five classmates, Kubar finished solo. Other school administrators noted with pride and humor that the entire eleventh grade had 100% attendance, 100% academic performance, and 100% participation in activities, which we certainly can't claim.

The ceremony was proudly posted to Instagram and has since made the rounds on some Russian media channels.

Mikhail, if you're reading this, a big поздравляем from all of us at Russian Life!

You Might Also Like

Ninety-Four Years Young
  • May 11, 2021

Ninety-Four Years Young

Daily stretching and exercise are the secrets to a long and healthy life—and lots of gold badges. 
Schoolboy Spat
  • March 24, 2021

Schoolboy Spat

“During childhood, when we argued with each other in the yard, we’d say: It takes one to know one!” – Vladimir Putin comments on Joe Biden’s belief that the President of the Russian Federation is a “killer.”
Students to Sue
  • November 30, 2020

Students to Sue

A group of students from Moscow State University is working on suing the university for a partial refund.
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. 
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.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
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.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
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.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

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.
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 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.

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