Stories about Russian from September, 2009
Russia: Ulitskaya-Khodorkovsky Correspondence
Robert Amsterdam's Blog links to OpenDemocracy.net's translation of correspondence between writer Ludmila Ulitskaya and former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, published (RUS) in Novaya Gazeta earlier this month.
Russia: Valery Shchekoldin Asylum Photos
Russian photographer Oleg Klimov reposts (RUS, ENG) three graphic and disturbing photos of mental asylum patients in Ulyanovsk region, taken by his colleague Valery Shchekoldin in 1998 for Stern.
Ukraine, Russia: “Operation Barbierossa”
Ukrainiana reviews “two fact-meets-fantasy scenarios [of the beginning of a Russo-Ukrainian war] outlined in a Russian television program.”
Kazakhstan: Propaganda Allergies
As megakhuimyak described it, last week in Kazakhstan “the senility grew ever stronger.” The country is astir over the president’s former son-in-law, Rakhat Aliev, now émigré enemy of the state # 1. People’s fear of the once-omnipotent oligarch and secret service official has turned into fear of being associated with...
Georgia: Radisson SAS Iveria Hotel
LJ user cyxymu writes about (RUS) and posts photos of Tbilisi's Iveria Hotel, which was built in the mid-1960s, housed refugees in the 1990s (and was “the symbol of Georgia's shame” then) and has recently re-opened as Radisson SAS Iveria Hotel.
Russia: Lebedyan Subway
On Aug. 11, LJ user victorprofessor posted a photo report (RUS) from a trip to the town of Lebedyan in Lipetsk region, where one man – Leonid Mulyarchik – has been trying to build a mini-subway since 1984, “the most unusual metro in the world.” Four TV stations have done...
Russia: Victor Pylyavsky's Paraglider Photos
Samara photographer Victor Pylyavsky flies a paraglider over the city and the region, taking pictures; his beautiful photos are currently part of an open air exhibit at one of the city's central squares. LJ user drugoi has photographed some of these photos and posted them on his blog (RUS).
EU: Russophone Bloggers React to Dairy Farmers’ Protest
LJ user drugoi hosts a discussion of the Belgian dairy farmers' protest over low milk prices.
Russia: Photos of Borovsk
RussianKafe highlights Flickr user zaykivi‘s photos of Borovsk, a town in Kaluga Region: “Besides its historical value, there is a subtle atmosphere of something close to your heart, where you feel at peace and blessed. Near a monastery, if you sit down on a bench, you don’t want to leave,...
Russia: Scott Anderson's GQ Article
Conde Nast management chose not to run Scott Anderson’s article “Vladimir Putin’s Dark Rise to Power” – which appeared in the Sept. 2009 issue of GQ – in the magazine's Russian edition. Gawker.com posted the original article and a Russian translation – “as a public service.” LJ user vadda has...
Kazakhstan: Lenin. More Alive Than the Living
Two similar messages have entered the Kazakh blogosphere from opposite ends of the country. They both talk about the revival of one symbol of a bygone era: head-and-shoulders statues of Lenin.