February 24, 2023

Russia's Year of Horror


Russia's Year of Horror
Taras Shevchenko memorial in Borodianko, Ukraine, damaged with a bullet.
Alex Fedorenko (cc)

There is little we can say that we have not already said since the war began one year ago today. Our stance has been clear: Russia’s War on Ukraine was and is an appalling, illegal act. And Russia lost this war on day one.

We can, however, add these summary observations:

  • over the course of the past year, Russian civilian and military leaders, as well as troops on the ground, have clearly been implicated in war crimes;
  • authoritarianism and fascism in Russia have ratcheted up to Soviet-era levels;
  • free speech is now impossible in Russia, both in the media and in private life;
  • hundreds of thousands of the country’s best and brightest young minds have fled the country;
  • the Russian economy is gradually being hobbled by sanctions and a lack of foreign trade and travel;
  • Russia has become a pariah state.

In short, the Russia we knew and loved has been murdered by this horrendous war, and a hideous Soviet vampire replicant has arisen in its place.

Given that, why does a magazine like Russian Life continue? Why not simply wash our hands of it and walk away?

One simple reason: life.

For decades, we published this magazine as a place for Russophiles to share their love of Russian culture, history, and society. With the onset of the war, this was no longer appropriate, because every aspect of Russian life has de facto been implicated in the country’s criminal war.

So we shifted gears. Our job now is to see our magazine’s title as no longer descriptive, but aspirational – to focus on how Russia gets back to life after plunging Europe into a cataclysm of death.

We firmly believe that there are many Russians who abhor the war, who want to make a stand against death and for life, but the costs of resistance are too high. What is more, there are few western media outlets reporting in English about what is really going on inside the country. So we must use our connections, experience, and technology to bring out the stories that need to be told. Thus, our focus both online and in print will be on stories about human rights, democracy, resistance to oppression, and those struggling to preserve what is left of a civil society.

We will be fueled by hope until life returns.

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Some of our Books

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.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

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.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

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.

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.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

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.

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.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

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