July 29, 2024

Paddleboarding Down to Russia


Paddleboarding Down to Russia
Zilupe (Sinyaya) River, Latvia. J.Sedols, Wikimedia Commons.

Latvian pro-Kremlin activist Stanislav Bukains and his five-year-old daughter illegally crossed the border with Russia on a paddleboard, traveling down the Zilupe River (Sinyaya in Russian). Shortly before this escapade, Bukains had been released on bail after being accused of leading a criminal enterprise that collected information on Latvian politicians who opposed Russia.

Bukains was suspected of leading the "Baltic Anti-Fascists," a Telegram channel that shared sensitive data on anti-Kremlin Latvian politicians to Russian intelligence. Latvian authorities found that three Latvian citizens located in Russia were behind the site. In response, they opened a criminal investigation for treason.

Bukains was arrested in March 2023 in connection with the "Baltic Anti-Fascists" case. However, he was released after paying a bail of €40,000 ($43,486). On July 21, Bukains did not return his daughter, Monika Bukaine, to her residence in Latvia.  Shortly after, both were found on a paddleboard in Pskov, Russia.

Bukains asked Russian authorities for political asylum, claiming he was being accused of being a spy because he had previously traveled to Russia. The pro-Kremlin activist claimed he was on "special lists" of citizens accused of recruiting fighters for Russia's war on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Latvian police opened a criminal case against Bukains for the abduction of a minor.

Bukains is the seventh pro-Kremlin Latvian to flee to Russia or Belarus after being released from prison. In July, the governor of the Pskov Oblast, Mikhail Vedernikov, announced that "centers of temporary residence" would be opened for residents of Latvia expelled for failing the Latvian language state exam. Vedernikov said: "Come back home; we are waiting for you."

You Might Also Like

Small-Town Russia and the War
  • July 02, 2024

Small-Town Russia and the War

Sociologists spent a month living in small-town Russia to understand how Russians feel about the war in Ukraine.
Ten Years of Russian Crimea
  • June 16, 2024

Ten Years of Russian Crimea

Russian state media outlet Izvestia is celebrating ten years since the Crimean annexation with a special feature that's pure propaganda.
The Post that Angered a City
  • June 04, 2024

The Post that Angered a City

The wife of a Novosibirsk legislator mocked the city on Instagram, leading to questions about her lifestyle.
'Sup?
  • August 12, 2020

'Sup?

St. Petersburg saw over 2,000 attendees at its stand-up-paddleboard (SUP) festival this year, many in costume and with pets in tow.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.  
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.
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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
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.
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.

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