Cover: Andrei Gusachenko
1: Kin-Dza-Dza!
Note Book
7: Coming Clean
Russians may finally be taking heed of copyright laws, both with regard to software and movies.
Note Book
19: Barclay de Tolly
A profile of the unrecognized hero of the war of 1812. It was he, not Kutuzov, who was the architect of Russia's retreat and victory. So whyhas Kutuzov gotten all the glory?
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar
21: The Seven Years War
This long European war was not Russia's fight. But of course it did not sit on the sidelines, despite much turmoil at court during these turning point years in Russian history.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar
23: Pushkin's Other Square
A look at the other Pushkin statue: the one in his hometown, which was erected on the 250th anniversary (celebrated 4 years late) of St. Petersburg's birth.
:: Translation by Nora Favorov
Russian Calendar
26: Something About Nothing
A consideration of the number 0 in Russian and how to make something from nil.
:: Illustrations/Images by Victor Bogorad
Survival Russian
28: A Lucky Man
Maximilian Voloshin was a poet and painter, a critic and translator. His home in the Crimea was a refuge for most of the Silver Age's brightest literary and artistic talents. And yet, he is little known.
Features
38: An Icon's Journey Through History
Discovered in a Russian forest 700 years ago, the Kursk Root Icon has a storied past - recently as a touchstone for the Russian Orthodox Church in exile. But the Church is reunifying. What of the icon?
Features
40: The Railroad Less Traveled
The Baikal-Amur Mainline is the other Trans-Siberian. More northerly, it runs through a range of Eastern Siberia largely untouched by human habitation.
Features
52: Sleeping on Graveyards
The Khakass are one of Russia's most ethnically complex nationalities. Their numbers are dwindling in the distant province that surrounds the headwaters of the mighty Yenisey river.
Features
60: A Pie Filled With Nostalgia
A look at chebureki - Tatar meat pies that are so beloved that poems have been written about them!
Cuisine
61: Spies, Rebels, Ilf & Petrov and a Slynx
A incredible new reference work on spies, an account of the Potemkin mutiny, a 1930s travelogue of the US by two of the greatest Soviet writers, and a novel by Tatyana Tolstaya are the books reviewed this issue. Oh, and several new travel guides as well.
Under Review
64: Looking for Connections
A consideration of some seemingly disparate, yet intrinsically linked events and facts.
Post Script