April 02, 2021

Seeking a Sniper


Seeking a Sniper
Ah, another day at the office: Moscow police HQ. Andres rus, Wikimedia Commons

Dust off your resume, update your LinkedIn, and find some nice, empty platitudes for your cover letter: the Moscow Police are hiring, online.

Media noted a surreal posting for a police sniper on the popular and fittingly-named jobseeking website HeadHunter.ru. The Moscow City Police Department is seeking a new employee to help keep the peace at sporting events, investigations, and large gatherings. The position is full-time and pays between 55,000 and 70,000 rubles each month (between $730 and $930 a month, or between $8760 and $11,600 a year).

Benefits include between 40 and 57 days of vacation a year, free use of public transit, and, of course, lavish public-servant health and pension benefits.

Think you've got what it takes? According to the posting, the ideal candidate should be healthy and have at least a secondary education. Military service is required, but previous experience isn't.

Just think of all the exciting cases this lucky employee would get to work! We've got a couple in mind.

You Might Also Like

Taxis, Guns, and Scams
  • December 31, 2020

Taxis, Guns, and Scams

This week, we mark the end of 2020 with transportation stats, social media monitoring, and preparations for wild celebrations.
Odder News for Radical Dudes
  • September 17, 2020

Odder News for Radical Dudes

This week, we're abandoning all pretense of mature adulthood. We've got cool shotguns, exploding caves, and a teacher who just couldn't wait. Gosh, mom, get out of my room!
Bring Out the Big Guns
  • September 18, 2020

Bring Out the Big Guns

A Russian arms company is working towards a sniper rifle with a range of nearly five miles.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
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.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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 Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
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. 
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 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.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

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