July 08, 2020

Putin's Victorious Summer


Putin's Victorious Summer
"Spared no expense." Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons

Despite health concerns over coronavirus (and Moscow's pavement), this year's Victory Parade on Red Square went off without a hitch. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out here. It's an incredible display of patriotism, complete with the leaders of several nations, participants from 14 countries, and some 20,000 total troops.

President Putin himself, sporting the St. George Ribbon, could be seen greeting veterans, and it seemed like Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus' somewhat eccentric president, shared a laugh with his Serbian counterpart (at about the 1 hour-18 minutes mark). As weird as it is to see these East European leaders act like human beings, it seems like a good time was had by all.

So what was the deal this year? Why all the pomp?

2020, of course, was always destined to be extra extravagant: this May marks the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Jubilee celebrations of various kinds have already been underway all year, some goofier than others.

Even though the parade had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, this ended up adding some extra flair to the celebration. The new date chosen for the extravaganza— June 24— happened to be the anniversary of the 1945 victory parade in Moscow, wherein Nazi banners were laid at the foot of Lenin's Mausoleum by freshly war-weary troops.

Men in WW2 uniforms at the 2020 Victory Day Parade.
Timeless and classic outfits; a nice throwback. | Russian Ministry of Defense, Wikimedia Commons

To further tout Russia's anti-fascist legacy, an op-ed (ostensibly) written by Putin himself appeared in US journal The National Interest. The article, which can be read here, is a wide-ranging pastiche of old Soviet narratives, Russian absolution, and Poland-blaming. The overarching story is that Soviet Russia took down the Nazis almost single-handedly, while the other Allies looked on or, at times, enabled Hitler. While a fascinating read, few historians in the U.S. or abroad take it seriously.

But that didn't stop the Russian Embassy in Berlin from sending it to several German history professors, urging them to use it as classroom reading. Ironically, many of them should, and will, as an example of the fascinating real-world relationship between ideology, history, and policy.

The new date was also convenient for another reason: it was close to the week of voting for a constitutional referendum that carried sweeping reforms, including the maintenance of conservative social policies and, most surprisingly, the ability for Putin to remain president until 2036.

The voting process was far from tranquil: memes lampooning Putin's age (he would be 83 in 2036), ubiquitous government-funded urgings to vote, and some strange, ultra-conservative historical-revisionist themes appeared online. Some even used toys or fruit to stage mini-protests, creating an absurd scene when authorities removed and investigated incidents involving oranges and Barbie dolls. 

A protest featuring an orange pepper with a sign reading "No!"
This orange pepper votes "No." | Instagram user @miniprotest

Despite the backlash (and grammatical mistakes on the ballots), the amendments passed. Voter turnout was reportedly almost 68%, with 77.6% of voters supporting the changes. The only federal subject in which the vote failed was in Arctic Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where only 43.8% voted for the changes. It's hard to imagine that the sweeping wave of nationalism following the parade did not conveniently affect citizens' votes.

In a sense, the vote wasn't just about the constitution, but also a referendum on Putin and his party's rule as a whole. Impelled with Russians' seal of approval— or at least the illusion of it, given accusations of voter fraud— Putin has been re-legitimized by both the past and present and is set to keep on keeping on.

You Might Also Like

The Body Politic
  • May 01, 1997

The Body Politic

A revealing retrospective on Russian leaders' health, from Lenin to Yeltsin -- what they have sought to cover up, and why.
The Oligarchs and the President
  • March 01, 2004

The Oligarchs and the President

The vital subtext for March’s election is the battle between the Kremlin and the oligarchs. We walk back through recent history and provide up-to-date profiles of Russia’s weakened robber-barons.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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. 
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.
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.
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.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
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.
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.
The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

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.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

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. 

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

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.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

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.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

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.

Frogs Who Begged...
November 01, 2010

Frogs Who Begged...

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

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