January 29, 2022

Deadly Farmer Dispute in Siberia


Deadly Farmer Dispute in Siberia
A pegasus? A unicorn? Nope, it's a horse.  https://www.pexels.com/@cottonbro

A video posted on Twitter has shocked and disgusted viewers, as it shows the corpses of several horses lying in the snow. The video was posted from  Altai region, after Nikolai Drokov lost an entire herd of horses to a violent attack. 

The herd consisted of primarily foals and mares, and 53 horses were slaughtered in the attack. According to Drokov, each horse was shot twice, once in the heart, and once in the shoulder. It was clearly a premediated, articulate, and violent attack.

But who would commit such an act, and why? There are currently no suspects, and no concrete motive. The murder of the horses was estimated to have taken place between January 1 and 8. Local police are examining bullet casings and data from nearby cell towers.

Sergei Serov, deputy of the Altai regional assembly, said he believes revenge by a rival farmer is the cause. Yet Drokov said he doesn't feel it was another horse breeder, since there are only three or four in the area, and they never bother one another. 

Drokov didn't only lose his horses. It also cost him financially: R5 million ($67,000). He lost seven other horses in a separate incident in 2021. The perpetrator was never found. Although in this case, lawmakers hope to find justice at the federal level. 

You Might Also Like

Spirit of Altai
  • December 19, 2021

Spirit of Altai

This is our Video of the Week. Gorgeous drone footage from across Altai.
Just a Little Horse Play
  • November 10, 2021

Just a Little Horse Play

Three young men from St. Petersburg have been detained by police for trying to ensure that the city’s stone horses aren’t left out in the cold.
Ferreting Into Adventure
  • June 01, 2021

Ferreting Into Adventure

The world's luckiest ferret is set to go on the vacation of a lifetime in the Altai mountains. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
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.
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.  
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Moscow Eccentric

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.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
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. 
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

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