The thematic arc that unites our features in this issue is that of creativity in the face of neglect, persistence in the face of oppression, resilience in the face of difficulty.

In this week's Odder News, one of Russia's most unconventional actors and an ice dancer get married (again), polar bears take over Russian trucks, and the Hermitage is faking it.

Hooligans struck a collection of over 200 snowmen in the town of Kaluga, an act of gruesome vandalism.

The Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany, is turning a negative into a positive: breaking art world taboos by launching a major new exhibition on Russian art fakes it has unearthed within its own walls.

Slavic folklore sports a spooky old crone that just might give you a costume idea this Halloween.

Viewers can take a virtual tour of several Russian museums via TikTok.

When you can't go to the museum, the museum comes to you!

A Lenin statue in Russia's Far East temporarily sported a new 'do.

A famous Chinese artist was so inspired by his visit to the Hermitage, that he created a whole exhibit.

Moscow is seeing religious symbolism crop up in unexpected places. It’s not the first time, but there is something different about what is going on now.

The cover of this issue of the magazine is the final of a series of four seasonal images we commissioned from Asya Lisina. We asked her to explain how she went about crafting this image.

Dancing noses, we have dancing noses, people! This week's video of the week is courtesy of Gogol, Shostakovich, and The Royal Opera.