May 06, 2024

Small Things Can Fix Everything


Small Things Can Fix Everything
A presidential election protest in 2021.  Sergey Korneev, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

After a particularly difficult four years since the start of the pandemic and two years since the start of Russia's full-blown War on Ukraine, many Russians not surprisingly report higher levels of loneliness, isolation, and hopelessness. Takie Dela interviewed Russians who have fought against  despair by becoming active in their communities

Elena, a 30-year-old new to Kirov, joined in the efforts to find Twix the cat, who had been thrown off a train passing through to St. Petersburg. Although Twix unfortunately met his end before rescue squads assembled by the community could find him, Elena felt inspired by their teamwork and dedication to the cause. This experience reminded Elena of her ability to empathize: “There is something humane in us – at least in relation to our smaller brothers [animals], and this is already important."

For Irina, 57, collecting signatures for Boris Nadezhdin to appear on the presidential ballot represented a way to safely oppose the war in Ukraine. Irina, who had rarely voted in the past and had little interest in politics, saw support of Nadezhdin in her town of Tula as a way to build a community of like-minded people, both for political good and to make new friends.

Lev, 34, a Muscovite who emigrated abroad in 2022, also found that supporting Nadezhdin by gathering signatures among Russian emigres gave him a newfound sense of purpose and hope for Russia, even from beyond its borders. 

Others interviewed by Takie Dela mentioned the benefits of environmental and civic volunteering. Anna, 39, is fighting to prevent a landfill from being built near her small town in Arkhangelsk Oblast, while Liza, 30, hopes to stop the destruction of an eighteenth-century house in Yekaterinburg.

As Liza told Takie Dela, "I don't feel powerless anymore."

You Might Also Like

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

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.

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.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

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.

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...

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

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.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

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.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

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