End of One Era, Start of Another

You hold in your hands the final print issue of Russian Life magazine. 

This was a very difficult decision. I love print. I grew up in a family printing business, my youth infused with the scents of ink, blanket wash, and paper. 

But so much has changed since we took on this magazine back in 1995. Americans read for pleasure 40 percent less than they did 20 years ago; magazine subscriptions have fallen by 56 percent in the US since 2019; at least 3,000 magazines have shuttered their print editions over the past two decades (and many have closed entirely). 

We have bucked this trend, so loving print media that we have subsidized the magazine running deeply in the red for many years. 

But the economic situation is not going to change, and now it is time to let go, to pivot, to explore – with your help – what our future can look like. 

We are not going away. We are refocusing: 

• We will amp up our online work and publish 50 percent more stories per year. 
• We will work to make the online presentation of our stories engaging and beautiful. 
• We will make significant investments in reaching new, younger audiences online. 

What this means for you, as a reader of Russian Life: 

• LESS WAITING You will no longer need to wait three months to appreciate the work of our journalists in print. We will publish multiple long-read articles every month, alongside shorter, more time-sensitive reads. 
• MORE DEPTH The entire 30+ years of our archive (9000+ articles) can be searched from any mobile or desktop device. 
• MORE BREADTH We will offer a richer reading experience, because online articles allow us to link to videos, source documents, and information to help you dig deeper on a topic. 
• LESS COST Online will cost you less than print. If you had time remaining on your print subscription, that time has been credited to your digital subscription. 

So, while I am sure many of you, as I, mourn the passing of our print publication, I hope you will take time to acquaint yourself with Russian Life Online, to read and react to our stories there, and to continue this journey with us, but in a new way. 

I remain convinced that the stories we are telling about Russia and Russians are hugely important, not just because they are not being told anywhere else, but because they are powerful stories about the human condition. 

Thank you for your support. I look forward to exploring this magazine’s future with you. 

Paul Richardson