February 21, 2007

What exactly is going in on Russia? [WIGOR?]



Is a new Evil Empire brewing?
Are we on the verge of a New Cold War?
Who is pulling the levers of power in Russia?
What is the Kremlin engineering for a post-Putin Russia?


There are plenty of questions circulating in the media about Russia these days. But often too little of what is published takes a long-term, balanced and critical view.

Time for a reality check.


  1. Russia is not perched on the abyss of Totalitarianism

  2. The US and Russia are not about to start slinging ICBMs at one another

  3. Vladimir Putin is not the Wizard of Oz, pulling levers from behind a Kremlin curtain

  4. Russia does not seek to hold Europe hostage to gas or oil supplies



But none of this is to say that everything is fine and dandy in Rossiya-Matushka. Far from it.

Any country - particularly one the size and age of Russia - is a very complex place. It would be as unfair as it would be ridiculous to say that Russia is red or brown, good or bad, free or enslaved. It would also be cliche and relativistic to say "there are no easy answers," so I won't say that. Instead, I will say that there are no final answers, just some very interesting questions.

I will also say that Russia is not an incomprehensible Churchillian riddle. It is a country with a history, a people, a geography and a way of life. And, just like anything else, if you study it and if you pay attention, you can eventually understand it. Maybe not perfectly, but pretty damn well.

I have been studying and paying attention to Russia for over 25 years. I don't claim a line on the truth, just a general distaste for a lot of the Russia-bashing and Monday Morning Quarterbacking I have been reading over the past few weeks. Therefore, over the next few weeks, I will post a series of short essays about what I feel is going on in and with Russia. With luck, some people will find them interesting and even slightly useful.

I will start at the beginning. [PR]
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

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.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

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 Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

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.

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.

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.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

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