January 02, 2023 War or Celebration? Ukraine, parts of Russia, and cities in Latvia banned fireworks for New Year's celebrations over concerns about the war. Cities & Towns Holidays Int'l Relations Regions War Russia File
January 01, 2023 A Different Kind of UFO The Russian Air Defense system shot down an "unidentified object," likely from Ukraine, in Engels, far from the border. Int'l Relations Military Politics Regions War Russia File
January 01, 2023 Why No 2023 Calendar? Customers keep asking if we are publishing a Russian Life calendar for 2023. We are not. This is why. Dissent Journalism Opinion War Russia File
December 31, 2022 A Year of Decline Russia’s War on Ukraine is exacting deep and enduring economic and social costs on the country. Economy Internet Military War Russia File
December 30, 2022 Let it Go, Let it Go Russian men mobilized to fight in Russia's War on Ukraine will be able to freeze and store their sperm for free. Health Men Science Social Issues War Russia File
December 29, 2022 Fields of Poison Thousands of endangered birds and other animals have been poisoned with an illegal pesticide in Stavropol Krai. Agriculture Animals Environment Rural Life Russia File
December 28, 2022 The Threat from Abroad Putin has issued a call to hunt down spies and saboteurs. The State Duma has prepared new “anti-sabotage” laws. Espionage Law War Russia File
December 27, 2022 A Word is Not a Sparrow Russian graffiti artist Ffchw uses stenciled words to make his point. "No one has a right to be silent now," he says. Art Dissent Politics War Russia File
December 26, 2022 Mark My Words A St. Petersburg legislator initiated legal action against Putin for calling the war in Ukraine "war," violating his own laws. Dissent Government Law Military Politics Russia File
December 24, 2022 Support Ukrainian Charities Some useful resources where you can easily, and safely, help those suffering from Russia's War on Ukraine. Children Economy Reference Social Issues War Women Russia File
December 23, 2022 Dangerous Dreams Russians are being fined for their dreams, "likes," and "silent support." Dissent Government Law Politics Russia File
December 23, 2022 Russia in 2022 In which we look back at Russia's performance in 2022. Children Dissent Economy Government Int'l Relations War Russia File
February 28, 2022 to February 23, 2032 Free Russian Language Guided Tours Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York, NY Russian-speaking guides conduct tours of the museum's highlights every Monday at 11 am. Art Exhibit
February 22, 2022 to February 22, 2032 Russian-Language Gallery Tour Brooklyn Museum | Brooklyn, NY Russian-language tour exploring our collection in depth, second Sunday of each month at 1 pm. Free, reservations required Art Exhibit
Murder and the Muse KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
22 Russian Crosswords Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
Resilience ~ The Russian Version (Переживем) Call it resilience, grit, or just perseverance – it takes a special sort of person to have survived the last 100 years of Russian and Soviet history.
Fearful Majesty This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
The Moscow Eccentric Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Survival Russian Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Russia Rules From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
East of the Sun: The Epic Conquest and Tragic History of Siberia The very word Siberia evokes a history and reputation as awesome as it is enthralling. In this acclaimed book on Russia’s conquest of its eastern realms, Benson Bobrick offers a story that is both rich and subtle, broad and deep.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
301 Things Everyone Should Know About Russia How do you begin to get a handle on the world's largest country? This colorful, illustrated guide will get you started...
Bears in the Caviar Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
September 07, 2021 Using Laughter to Cope These eight outstanding Soviet comedies show some of what has made Russians laugh over the past century. Most are still watched today. (First in our new series on learning about Russia through its films.) Culture Through Film Russia File
January 10, 2014 Why Don't Russians Smile? It is a common trope that Russians never smile. Which of course is interpreted to mean they are unfriendly, gloomy, sullen – positively Dostoyevskian. This, of course, is a complete misreading of body language and cultural norms. Culture Humor Language Russia File
May 09, 2020 Russian/Soviet War Movies You Can Stream Some of the best Russian and Soviet films about World War II that you can stream online. Film & TV Reference War Culture Through Film CVSG Russia File
November 18, 2016 Famous Americans with Russian Roots America is a land built by immigrants. We researched famous Americans with Russian roots and offer this compilation. History Reference Russians Abroad Russia File
August 22, 2016 Magical Kefir Kefir is the most popular fermented milk in Russia. But it did not get there overnight. Kefir and Russia have a long history... Food & Drink History Russia File
September 14, 2019 Eight Russian Desserts To Make Your Mouth Water Forget vodka – dessert is the best part of Russian meals. Culture Food & Drink Russia File