March 01, 2008

Medvedev Emerges from His Den


This commentary aired on Vermont Public Radio on February 29. To listen to the podcast, go here.

(HOST) Russian Life magazine has been published from Vermont since 1995 by commentator Paul Richardson, who says that, when Russians go to the polls on this Sunday, they will be thinking about bears...

(RICHARDSON) In the 2002 film Oligarch, by Russian director Pavel Lungin, the main character predicts his own downfall, saying, "Russia is a bear. You think you are playing with it and it devours you."

The bear has long been associated with Russia. For over a century, it has been a mainly derogatory image in Western political cartoons. Yet to Slavs, the bear has had positive connotations for thousands of years. Today, it appears on countless Russian town shields; lovable bear characters abound in cartoons; and the bear Misha was especially beloved as the 1980 Summer Olympics mascot.

Bears also figure richly in the Russian language. In such cases, the bear is often seen as clumsy. In Russian, when you do someone a "bear's favor" your clumsy assistance hurts them more than helps them; when someone has no ear for music, a common idiom has it that a bear stepped on his ear.

Pre-Christian Slavs believed the bear to be their common ancestor. Indeed, the animal was such a powerful symbol of strength and fertility that Russians dared not mention its real name. So they gave it a substitute designation "medved," which was derived from its favorite food. Medved literally means "honey-seeker," or, "the one who knows where the honey is."

Some of the bear's power derived from its annual ritual of entering Mother Earth in the fall, only to emerge in the spring, reborn. Until 150 years ago, Russians celebrated a "bear holiday" near the spring solstice, timed to coincide with the bears' supposed emergence from their dens.

Bear imagery has become particularly strong in Russian politics of late. Last year the bear was adopted as the ubiquitous symbol for United Russia, the Kremlin-sponsored party created to devour all political opposition. And bear symbology reached its peak in December, when President Vladimir Putin annointed Dmitry Medvedev his heir apparent. In Russian, Medvedev literally means, "of the bears."


Western media have been full of speculations about Medvedev's political leanings. Some are at pains to paint him as "softer" or more liberal than Putin, pointing to Medvedev's education as a lawyer and his love for Heavy Metal Rock. It reminds me how, in 1982, when former KGB chief Yuri Andropov became Soviet leader, some speculated that his love of scotch and jazz augured a warming in East-West relations. In fact, the opposite happened.

So, what should we expect from a Medvedev presidency?

Most likely, more of the same.

Medvedev is Putin 2.0. Shorter, less polished, and still ironing out some bugs, Medvedev has been Putin's go-to guy for 17 years. He has bailed Putin out of political scrapes, was a key player in the takedown of the oligarchs, and has been chairman of the board for Russia's richest company, Gazprom.

Powerful and awesome, bears can be clumsy and unpredictable, particularly when first emerging from their dens. But we should keep in mind that this bear, though young, is an old hand. And clearly he knows where the honey is.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

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.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

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.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian 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.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

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.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

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.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955