May 27, 2023

Weekend Warrior


Weekend Warrior
Office work. Unsplash, Alex Kotliarskyi.

According to a report by Izvestia, the Association of Entrepreneurs for the Development of Business Patriotism (AVANTI) has approached Anton Kotyakov, the head of the Ministry of Labor, with a proposition to implement a six-day workweek in Russia.

According to proponents of the initiative, prior to the imposition of the first wave of international sanctions in 2014, the Russian economy had maintained a consistent pattern of robust growth and had secured its position as one of the world's top five economies. However, the increase in restrictive measures (aka sanctions), has amplified burdens on the economic sector.

“Thanks to the clear actions of the government and the Central Bank," AVANTI said in its appeal, "the economy and the national currency of Russia not only withstood the blow, but also demonstrated resistance to stress. Nevertheless, at present, the need for additional investments in our financial and economic system remains.”

Thus, they go on to argue that an extension of the workweek would bolster the resilience of the Russian economy, facilitating a technological and industrial leap forward, while fortifying economic autonomy.

The association highlighted that Soviets worked six or seven days a week during WWII. After the war, the workday gradually decreased to seven hours with a six-day week, and in 1967, a five-day week with an eight-hour workday was implemented. In various Asian and European nations, such as Nepal and Iran, ther is a six-day workweek, and Belgium and Turkey both allow up to 48 hours in a work week.

On the other hand, at the end of March 2023, the State Duma proposed amending the Labor Code and introduced a shortened working week. Alexander Shershukov, deputy head of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR), suggested that a shorter workweek could  safeguard employment opportunities

You Might Also Like

No Money, Only War
  • March 29, 2023

No Money, Only War

Russian authorities blame the "special military operation" for the disruption of infrastructural and social projects.
A Year of Decline
  • December 31, 2022

A Year of Decline

Russia’s War on Ukraine is exacting deep and enduring economic and social costs on the country.
While Supplies Last
  • December 20, 2022

While Supplies Last

Prices for Moscow real estate, usually a hot market, are down a record 35 percent.
The New Military Economy
  • October 23, 2022

The New Military Economy

Two days after declaring martial law in four Ukrainian regions, Vladimir Putin quietly put the Russian economy on a military footing.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

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.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
The Moscow Eccentric

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.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

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.
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.

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