Stories about Russia from May, 2006
Russia: “Russophiles and Reality”
Megan Case muses on what it's like to be a female Russophile living in Russia.
Russia: Zhirinovsky Tea
Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog post a photo of a curious item he stumbled on recently: Zhirinovsky Tea – named after and made for one of the most notorious Russian politicians, Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
Muscovites in Kyiv: Pizza Delivery Fiasco
On weekends, Kyiv teems with tourists from Moscow. Train tickets for overnight Friday and Sunday rides between the two capitals have to be ordered well in advance. The number of Muscovites settling in Kyiv permanently to do business is growing, too. To make the new migrants’ lives easier, a special...
Lithuania: Eurovision Mania
Andy H of Csikszereda Musings writes about the Eurovision Song Contest, which he watched in Lithuania this year: “Lithuania got maximum points from Ireland, in what I thought was testament to the Irish love of a good joke, but was told today that it’s because there are loads of Lithuanians...
Ukraine: Books on Crimean Tatars
Otto Pohl posts a list of English-language publications on Crimean Tatars.
Russia: Law on National Flag
Oleksa writes about a strange law regulating the way Russia's national flag can be displayed: “t’s illegal in Russia to have the national tricolor displayed permanently unless it’s a government institution. Apparently, one can do it freely only during national holidays. Or, translated from the bureaucratic lingo, the national flag...
Russia: Blogger Dies on Mount Elbrus
Aleksandr Antonov (aka LJ user caesar_rb) 1979-2006 Aleksandr Antonov's last LJ post was a very happy one: he was going on a two-week vacation to conquer Mount Elbrus. Here's what he wrote on April 30 (RUS), as LJ user caesar_rb: I'm going to Elbrus! So, my dear comrades, I'm leaving...
Europe: Eurovision Song Contest
Rachel of Pustolovina: Adventure in Serbian shares her impressions on this year's Eurovision Song Contest, the first one she's watched.
Poland, Russia: Sciagawki/Shpargalki
Edward Lucas, Central and East European correspondent of the Economist, writes about sciagawki: cheat sheets used by Polish students to survive exams, which are “largely a memory test.” Tom Adshead of The Future of Russia points out in the comments section that sciagawki is shpargalki in Russian – and that...
Russia: No-Hot-Water Season Begins
Owen of Lex Libertas writes about a very common occurence in Russia: as it gets warmer, it becomes more and more difficult to take a shower – because of the lack of hot water. It's been four days without it for Owen now and there are more days ahead: “I...
Russia: Site Devoted to Victims of Racism
Daut of Ufa Blog is starting a memorial site devoted to the victims of racism in Russia. Some help is needed: “I have an incomplete list and very few photos. I have written various organizations and embassies, but so far haven’t received any replies. If anyone can help, particularly with...
Russia: Orthodox Baptism Ceremony
Browler attends a Russian Orthodox baptism ceremony of a friends’ baby and shares his impressions: “All the children being baptised (there were about seven of them) got quite wet. The priest was sufficiently liberal with his splashing of the holy water. They also had a small bit of hair cut....
Belarus: Political Refugees; Disinformation on Asylum Seekers
Leo Finkel of Maidan International writes about a press conference given by Belarusian political refugees in Kyiv; according to him, the number of Belarusian political asylum seekers will grow in the coming months. TOL's Belarus Blog reports on the false information spread by certain Russian news agencies: according to them,...
Russia: Relations With Europe
Tobias Ljungvall writes about Europe's relations with Russia: “At a time when Russia is reviving the Cold War the EU pretends to be seeing positive signs, as if there is no conflict neither in interests nor in values.”
Russia: (Fighting) Fascism
Daut at Ufa Blog posts two banners of the Russian Movement Against Illegal Immigration and writes: “Fascists claiming the legacy of the defenders of Leningrad. Child killers declaring themselves protectors of children. These people live in opposite land.” Megan Case writes about swastika graffiti in St. Petersburg and her own...
Russia: Tamara Ivanovna From Apt. 14
Brigid of Laughter in the Dark posts a wonderful vignette about Tamara Ivanovna, an elderly Russian woman she met at a cafe in Krasnodar: “‘Tell me,’ she inquired, ‘how much did you just pay for that teensy little salad?’ ‘100 rubles.’ ‘And your coffee?’ ‘Eighty.’ ‘My, my, my! I can...
Russia: Public Transportation and the Roma
Brigid of Laughter in the Dark describes a ride in a Krasnodar tram – “a fast-moving game of Twister inside a sardine can”- and an encounter with two Roma women and their children: “Half-way home, I suddenly hear a young woman whispering in my ear, ‘Young lady, be careful! You...
Russia: Siberian Adventure, Part 3 & 4
Jane Keeler of From Russia With Blog posts the third and fourth installments of her Siberian travelogue: “Adventures on Olkhon Island” and “Olkhon to Irkutsk to Moscow.”
Russia: Eggs Ads
Russian Marketing Blog and Snowsquare.com both write about eggs: the former posts a picture of a box of quail eggs, a “masterpiece of DIY advertising and design;” the latter writes about the secret of “mysterious” ads featuring eggs recently revealed.
Russia: Putin's Speech
Laurence Jarvik discusses a few points in Vladimir Putin's May 10 speech that have been overlooked by the media. He also comments on the mysterious mention of “Comrade Wolf” and links to Konstantin's explanation on Russian Blog. TaliaXianne of Something In The Way She Moves notes three different translations of...
Helping the Homeless in Moscow
LJ user beth4ever accidentally discovered (online) a group of volunteers feeding the homeless in the Moscow subway and at train stations, and decided to join them. Here's her account (RUS), also posted in the ru_homeless LJ community: On the homeless. I found this link and took part in an event...
