October 20, 2023

How a Village Dies


How a Village Dies
The village of Lokh, Saratov Oblast.
Svetlana Evgrafova

Vladislav Davankov, vice-speaker of the State Duma and a member of the party “New People,” and Anton Tkachev, a deputy from the same party, introduced a bill prohibiting the use of settlement names that are “offensive” and “degrading to the dignity of residents.”

The document proposes allowing representative bodies of municipalities to act unilaterally and rename settlements, without coordination with other executive authorities.

“We recently received a letter from the village of Shalava [“slut”],” Davankov said. “There is one in the Yaroslavl region. People complained that they cannot change the name of the locality. Residents of neighboring towns laugh at them. Young people are leaving, trying to change their registration as quickly as possible. Nobody wants their children to have an offensive word on their passport. Thousands of people live in such settlements.”

The explanatory note attached to the bill states that children born in such settlements are subject to bullying and insults. As examples of “offensive” names, deputies cite the villages of Lokh (“sucker, naïve person” Saratov region), Antilokhovo (Ivanovo region), Shalava (Yaroslavl region), Musorka (“trash can,” Samara region), Pukovo (“fart,” Tver region), Popki (“little butts,” Pskov region) and Bukhalovo (“drunkenness,” multiple regions).

In the settlements themselves, residents did not agree with the deputies’ ideas. Head of Administration of the Velikoselsky settlement, Yaroslavl region (where Shalava is located), Vitaly Vodopyanov, told Gazeta.ru that he “had not heard” any complaints about the name from village residents, nor did he notice “any grins from neighboring villages.” He confirmed that the population of Shalava is indeed decreasing each year, but the reason for this is not the village’s “offensive” name, but the lack of infrastructure.

Deputies need to get their heads out of the clouds. I haven't heard anything like that. But one of the reasons why people do not choose to live in such settlements is because of the lack of infrastructure, roads, clinics, and pharmacies. It is primarily about comfort. I would advise any deputies of any factions and associations to pay attention to the quality of life in such settlements, to their financing, because our problems are mainly due to annual underfunding, and not because of their names.

Head of the Popkovsky settlement in Pskov region, Alexey Ivakhnov, told News.ru that its residents also “don’t see anything wrong with the name,” that they only “sometimes joke about it.”

“We are not shy,” he said.

Alexey Vorobyov, head of the Novoburassky district, Saratov region, in which the village of Lokh is located, also said the State Duma should take up more important issues and emphasized that the residents of Lokh are “proud of their name.”

“Some people simply have nothing to do there. You know very well what is needed. There is something far more useful to be doing,” Vorobiev said.

Translated from Meduza.

You Might Also Like

The Coldest Village on Earth
  • March 01, 2004

The Coldest Village on Earth

So you think it has been cold in the US this winter? Well, you don't know from cold. You want cold, you go to Siberia. And when Siberians want cold, they go to Oymyakon. So that's where Nick Allen went. You get to tag along.
Village Injustice
  • July 01, 2006

Village Injustice

This modern tale of two hapless village drunks and their run-in with the Russian justice system could be taken out of Chekhov. But, sadly, it is non-fiction.
A People on the Brink
  • March 01, 2021

A People on the Brink

Just outside St. Petersburg, a small, ancient ethnos comes to terms with its history, its language, and with its inevitable end.
Documentarian of the North
  • January 01, 2020

Documentarian of the North

He was a talented artist but an even more gifted itinerate photographer. What he captured 120 years ago is remarkable.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Marooned in Moscow

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.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
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.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
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.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

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.
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.
Moscow and Muscovites

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 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