November 10, 2025

Tolstoy Discovered in an Unlikely Place


Tolstoy Discovered in an Unlikely Place
Easier reading than "War and Peace": "Moscow Kremlin" by Oleg Tolstoy. Russian Federal Customs Service, Telegram.

On November 6, customs officials in the Far Eastern port of Vladivostok confiscated an unusually high-culture piece of contraband: A painting by a descendant of famed Russian author Lev Tolstoy.

Authorities found the painting while searching a ship inbound to Russia from Toyama, Japan. According to an official statement, the painting was found in a crew cabin. The crew member said he'd been given it by a stranger, with instructions to pass it along to another person the crew member didn't know upon his arrival in Vladivostok.

Following confiscation, customs agents sent the painting for analysis by experts. They determined that the work was a lithograph of "Moscow Kremlin," painted in 1960 by Oleg Tolstoy, great-grandson of the famous author.

The painting is now in the possession of the state, which views it as an object of high cultural value. Whether it will be displayed for public viewing has not been announced.

 

You Might Also Like

A Modern Fairy Tale
  • September 20, 2025

A Modern Fairy Tale

The Ukrainian journalist Anastasiia Marsiz’s first novel, set in modern Italy, reads in the literary tradition of skazki, Eugene Onegin and Tolstoy’s folk tales.
Bad Actors vs. Actor
  • December 29, 2024

Bad Actors vs. Actor

An elderly Russian film star was scammed out of two million rubles.
Small Things Can Fix Everything
  • May 06, 2024

Small Things Can Fix Everything

From looking for a lost cat to gathering signatures for Boris Nadezhdin, Russians find hope in their communities. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

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.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

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.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

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.

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.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

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.

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.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955