· August, 2007

Stories about Russia from August, 2007

Ukraine: Crimea

On the last day of summer, here's a translation of LJ user drugoi's photo report on his trip to Crimea, one of the favorite summer tourism destinations in the Soviet times, now facing fierce competition from resorts in Turkey and Egypt.

Russia: Sakhalin Travel

  30 August 2007

White Sun of the Desert writes about his recent Sakhalin travel: “The journey back entailed me having to do one of those things I’d always hoped I’d never have to do: enter a 4-berth Russian railway carriage which has 3 people sleeping in it already, and the spare bed is...

Russia: “Anti-Akhmatova”

  30 August 2007

Languor Management writes about Tamara Katayeva's “600-page assault on the literary legacy Anna Akhmatova”: “This reminds me of Emma Gerstein's Moscow Memoirs, which was supposed to have debunked Nadehzda and Osip Mandelshtam's literary legacy, and really just portrayed them as particularly difficult people going through particularly hard times.”

Russia: “Word of Badmouth”

  30 August 2007

Copydude writes about various ways of mistreating foreigners in Russia – and about “word of badmouth,” which certain Russian restaurant owners don't seem to know anything about: “According to customer service research, a dissatisfied customer complains to an average of eight other people about a bad experience. In the blogging...

Ukraine: Ethnic Russians

  29 August 2007

Window on Eurasia writes about another way of looking at Ukraine's ethnic Russians and their political preferences.

Russia: Mistreatment of Foreigners

  29 August 2007

Window on Eurasia reports: “Foreigners working in the Russian Federation are far from likely to be mistreated by government officials and employers than they are to be attacked by skinheads and other Russian nationalist groups, according to a poll of Tajiks now living in Tajikistan with direct experience in the...

Russia: Geopolitical Dreams

  29 August 2007

Window on Eurasia writes that while some Russians are dreaming of a “Russian Texas,” others offer a scenario of the disintegration of the United States.

Russia: The Strugatsky Brothers

  28 August 2007

De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about the famous Soviet science fiction writers, the Strugatsky brothers: “For some reason, I was sure until recently that these books are so good that they will remain to be the favourite books of the new generations of geeks for a long time. Strangely,...

Russia: Novaya Gazeta in English

  28 August 2007

Robert Amsterdam and Sean's Russia Blog link to Novaya Gazeta's recently launched English-language site featuring translations of some of their investigative stories. Sean wrote in a reply to a reader: “The more Russian media accessible to English readers the better.”

Russia, Ukraine: Crimea Brawl

  28 August 2007

Foreign Notes writes about the recent diplomatic scandal caused by remarks on the Crimea by an adviser of the Russian embassy in Ukraine.

Russia: Arrests in Politkovskaya's Murder Case

  27 August 2007

Ten unnamed people have been arrested in connection with last year's slaying of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Sean's Russia Blog writes that she “as ‘political football’ has been dusted off and re-inflated just in time for a new season.” Robert Amsterdam doesn't think Russian prosecutors are capable of getting their jobs...

Russia: An “Oasis of Nonchalance”

  24 August 2007

August 19 marked sixteen years since the beginning of the Soviet Union's collapse. On this day, LJ user galerist (Marat Guelman, gallery owner from Moscow) happened to post a sketch on his visit to a rich client's estate - a sketch that, in a way, highlighted some of the changes that have - and have not - occurred since 1991.