February 02, 2021 The Zoo Animals Who Outlasted the Hermitage Cats The Leningrad Zoo kept its animals alive during the siege – the 77th anniversary of which was commemorated this week. Animals History St. Petersburg War Russia File
January 20, 2021 Opposition, not Operation Barbarossa “Don’t feel sorry for us, we’re simply working. We adequately “met” the airplanes from Germany in 1941, and we will meet all aircraft in the year 2021. This year we will be 80 and we have already seen and survived a lot.” – The Twitter account of Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, on the controversy surrounding the detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny upon his arrival, drawing parallels to the Second World War. History Moscow Politics Transportation Quote
January 17, 2021 From the Urals to San Francisco Olga was born one year after the collapse of the USSR, but she witnessed both scarcity and communal living. Optimism and creativity have served her well. Food & Drink History St. Petersburg Food Stories Russia File
January 10, 2021 The Best (and Worst) Facial Hair in Russian History Which Russian tsars, stars, and commissars sported the most macho mustaches, grimy goatees, and bombastic beards? Let's make a listicle! Biographies History Humor Men Russia File
January 01, 2021 "Не живёте, потому что нельзя это жизнью назвать." Тридцать лет назад, незадолго до своей смерти, Игорь Тальков (1956-1991) написал песню-крик души о своей многострадальной родине — СССР. Эта песня, к сожалению, до сих пор очень актуальна в России и не только... Government History Music
January 01, 2021 In Memoriam In a year filled with death and mourning, we remember an individual who was, for this magazine, profoundly influential and truly remarkable. History
January 01, 2021 600 This issue of Russian Life is issue number 600. Given this milestone, I would like to give a shout out to some of our unsung heroes. History
January 01, 2021 Searching for St. Nicholas A town on the Turkish coast preserves the memory of one of Russia’s most venerated saints. Culture History Religion
January 01, 2021 Mikhail Romm Mikhail Romm is remembered by everyone who ever worked with him with tenderness and affection. Yet it is hard not to wonder how differently his life and work might have turned out had it not been for the exigencies of Russian and Soviet history. Film & TV History
January 01, 2021 A Double Life On the life and mysteries of one of history's most famous sleeper spies, Konon Molody. Espionage History Russians Abroad
January 01, 2021 Movies, Modernism, and Moscow Archaeology News items on an Oscar contender, a respected doctor, renovation of Tula, and a Kremlin dig. Architecture Film & TV History Travel
January 01, 2021 Shoeing a Flea Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov holds a somewhat odd place in Russian literature. He is at once a famous writer, a recognized classic, yet he has not won the same honors granted to the “first tier” writers. History Literature