July 14, 2016

Ballooning of strict laws, and ballooning of a hot air balloon


Ballooning of strict laws, and ballooning of a hot air balloon

Here, there, and to the courthouse

1. The Kremlin has given the Federal Security Service (the FSB) two weeks to decrypt the entire internet. In other words, they’re demanding encryption keys for all internet data as mandated under the newly adopted “anti-terrorist” laws. The laws limit information on the web, and they’re making the internet a much smaller place, what with political sites blocked for anti-Kremlin messages and a tech company withdrawing from Russia – likely just the first of many.

2. Russian tourists flock to Turkey, to be greeted by champagne and expectations of a big boost for Turkey’s tourist-starved economy. The influx of sightseeing Russians signals improved relations between Russia and Turkey, and comes on the heels of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s apology for the shooting down of a Russian warplane in November. With Presidents Putin and Erdogan planning to meet, it looks like they’ll let bygones be bygones.

3. In an endeavor not impacted by the new laws (at least, not yet), adventurer Fyodor Koniukhov has launched on a solo hot air balloon trip around the globe. His goal: to break the world record of circumnavigating Earth in 13 days. His balloon: reflective silver and emblazoned “Moscow” in bright red. It’s also the world’s largest, requiring a full night for 60 meters to fill up with helium. Either he makes it in 12 days, or he’s full of hot air.

kp.ru

Quote of the Week

“He’s an incredible adventurer. He’s what I call a responsible risk taker.”

—Dick Smith, fellow adventurer of Fyodor Koniukhov, on Koniukhov’s trip around the globe in history’s largest hot air balloon.

In Odder News

    • In case you didn’t get enough of St. Pete, here are nine of the city’s best beards. That’s right, beards. 
    themoscowtimes.com
    • Another group impacted by the strict new laws: Mormons
    • In honor of Fevronia’s Day, a region in north-western Russia refused to accept any divorce applications. What’s Fevronia’s Day, you ask? 

    RosKultLit
    Russian Cultural Literacy

        Fevronia’s Day is a little bit like Russian Valentine’s Day. You’ve got a celebration of romance and fidelity, a legend involving a talking snake, and corpses jumping between coffins. Come to think of it, there’s way more to it than Valentine’s Day. Find out what here.

        Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

         

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

        Some of Our Books

        Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

        Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

        This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
        Fish: A History of One Migration

        Fish: A History of One Migration

        This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
        Okudzhava Bilingual

        Okudzhava Bilingual

        Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
        Woe From Wit (bilingual)

        Woe From Wit (bilingual)

        One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
        The Moscow Eccentric

        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.
        White Magic

        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.
        Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

        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.
        Driving Down Russia's Spine

        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. 
        Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

        Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

        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.
        A Taste of Chekhov

        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.
        Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

        Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

        This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

        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