April 15, 2026

Tolstoy Would Be Proud


Tolstoy Would Be Proud
Ivan Tolstoy. Svklimkin, Wikimedia Commons.

On April 10, academic and journalist Ivan Tolstoy, grandson of the Soviet writer Alexei Tolstoy and a distant relative of the author (and noted anti-war pacifist) Lev Tolstoy, became the latest addition to Russia's foreign agents list, along with four other individuals and a Tatar rights advocacy group. The Ministry of Justice cited the historian's opposition to Russia's war on Ukraine as the reason for his new legal status.

Ivan Tolstoy is a prominent academic, specializing in the history and literature of Russian emigres and the Cold War. The heir to the Tolstoy lineage has taught at St. Petersburg State University and Charles University in the Czech Republic. He is also known for his work as a journalist at Radio Liberty, where he began contributing in the late 1980s from Prague. Soon after the start of its War on Ukraine, the Russian government designated the broadcaster as an "undesirable organization."

The Ministry of Justice said that "Tolstoy disseminated unreliable information regarding decisions made by the public authorities of the Russian Federation and the policies pursued by them and opposed [the war] in Ukraine. He participated in the creation and dissemination to an unrestricted audience of messages and materials produced by 'foreign agents.'" Tolstoy does not live in Russia.

Tolstoy was not the only one to be named a "foreign agent" that day. Tatar Shurasy, an international council that advocates for the rights and sovereignty of the Tatar people and Tatarstan, was also on the list. Voters' rights advocate Vladimir Udot,  founder of "Asians of Russia" Vasily Matenov, activist Rizvan Kubakaev, and anti-war feminist Lilya Vezhevatova were all also labeled as foreign agents.

You Might Also Like

A Rough Patch for Putin?
  • April 12, 2026

A Rough Patch for Putin?

The Russian president is seeing some of his lowest approval ratings in decades, and that's according to state media.
I Won't Grow Up!
  • April 14, 2026

I Won't Grow Up!

A review of A Hundred Years of Childhood: An Anthology of Russian Writing for Children, 1917-2017,  by Olga Bukhina & Kelly Herold & Andrea Lanoux
An Oasis for Russian Jokes
  • April 06, 2026

An Oasis for Russian Jokes

There's a surprising space where Russians find safe space for topical humor and how they comment on what's happening in the country. 
Now Queen is LGBT Propaganda
  • February 04, 2026

Now Queen is LGBT Propaganda

A Moscow man was fined for "LGBT propaganda" after posting pictures from Queen's 1984 music video, "I Want to Break Free."
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

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.

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.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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