August 24, 2022 Foundations of Suspicion “What reason is there for us to do this?” – A Ukrainian official speaking on the murder of Darya Dugina Espionage Int'l Relations Moscow News War Women Quote
August 22, 2022 Turkey Takes a Side The possibility of another Chernobyl incident brings Turkey to Ukraine's side. Government Int'l Relations Military War Russia File
August 21, 2022 Tanks but No Tanks The Estonian city of Narva, on the Russian border, quietly dismantled a Soviet memorial featuring a T-34 tank. History Int'l Relations Social Issues War Russia File
August 15, 2022 A Terrorist State? Latvia's legislature has ruled Russia a "terrorism-supporting state" for its attacks on civilians in Ukraine. Int'l Relations Social Issues War Russia File
August 12, 2022 Azov, a New Terror? While resisting Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine, the Azov Regiment has been declared a terrorist organization by the Russian Supreme Court. Cities & Towns Government Int'l Relations Law Military War Russia File
August 11, 2022 One Mistake Away from Annihilation As Russia increases tensions in Ukraine, Putin warns against the dangers of a nuclear war. Int'l Relations Military War Russia File
August 08, 2022 Give me Your Data... or Your Rubles Three American tech leaders, Tinder, Whatsapp, and Snapchat, are being sued in a Russian court. Int'l Relations Internet Law Pop Culture Russia File
August 07, 2022 Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys Performers from both the United States and Ukraine are invited to participate in a circus festival in St. Petersburg this fall. Art Culture Dissent Int'l Relations Social Issues Russia File
August 06, 2022 Sanctioning Romance Alina Kabaeva, Vladimir Putin's alleged romantic partner, has been sanctioned by the US Treasury. Government Int'l Relations Moscow Politics War Russia File
August 05, 2022 Most Unstudious Sanctions Estonia has placed limitations on Russians seeking residency permits for education. Government Int'l Relations Law Russians Abroad Travel Russia File
August 03, 2022 Confusion Amidst the Fog “It’s unclear what happened, but you can’t bring people back to life.” – Alina Nesterenko, whose husband was a prisoner in Russian-occupied Donetsk. Government Int'l Relations Military News War Quote
August 02, 2022 Russia Needs Space... From the ISS Yury Borisov, chief of Roskosmos, announced Russia's plan to abandon the International Space Station in 2024. Int'l Relations Science Space War Russia File
November 11, 2023 to September 15, 2024 Visions of Transcendence: Creating Space in East and West Wende Museum | Culver City, CA This exhibit highlights the resilience and creative power of people deprived of their freedom or their own place to live. Art Exhibit
February 28, 2022 to December 31, 2024 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
The Samovar Murders The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Little Golden Calf Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
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.
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.
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.
Driving Down Russia's Spine The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia.
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.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
A Taste of Chekhov This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Latchkey Murders Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
August 22, 2020 Sad Smiles and Kremlin Corruption Recounting a 2008 meeting with activist Alexei Navalny, before he rose to prominence. Government Politics Russia File
April 23, 2014 Peace, Land, Bread Peace! Land! Bread! This was the battle cry of the 1917 October Revolution (old calendar) that changed the history of Russia and indeed the entire world. Since the time of Ivan the Terrible, the tsars concentrated on centralization of their power and control. The most common way of doing this was to take power away from the nobility, appeasing them by giving them dominion over their land and workers. This soon developed into the oppressive, slave-style condition known as serfdom. History Russia File
March 15, 2017 Who Invented the Ancient Slavic Gods, and Why? How it was that in the eighteenth century Russian mythology was trumped-up in the Western manner? Who wanted it? And where did we get Lel, Yarilo and Zimtserla? We explain everything you'd want to know about Russian fakelore. Culture History Literature Religion Russia File
October 31, 2016 Why Stalin's Corpse Was Exhumed on Halloween The body of Joseph Stalin was removed from the mausoleum on Red Square on October 31, 1961. It may not be as spooky as Halloween, but the former leader still haunts Russia today. History Politics Social Issues Russia File
May 31, 2020 Inside Brighton Beach's Babushka Beauty Pageant A lovely short film on Brighton Beach's Your Highness Babushka Beauty Contest. Culture Pop Culture Russians Abroad Women Video of the Week Russia File
April 06, 2020 A Russian Gift A look at how the Jesuits, Pope Francis, and Georgetown University all share an interesting connection to Russia. History Int'l Relations Religion Russia File