October 25, 2018

Lawmakers versus Troublemakers


Lawmakers versus Troublemakers
Them’s fightin’ words!

1. Challenge accepted! Prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny accepted head of the Russian National Guard Viktor Zolotov’s challenge to a duel. However, he did so on his own terms. Zolotov had initially suggested that he and Navalny engage in a duel after an unflattering investigation by Navalny into the National Guard. Navalny has now accepted the duel (while reiterating and repeating his claims of corruption and nepotism; link shows video with subtitles), though he stipulated that he is entitled to choose the weapon and the location. What weapon and location did he choose? A debate on a federal television channel. Zolotov’s reaction? Well, apparently he had “something else” in mind.

2. You’re never safe from the narcs, not even on the *high* seas. This week police raided a floating marijuana farm in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia, confiscating 230 cannabis plants and other products used to grow marijuana. A video of the raid shows Russian police officers raiding the vessel and finding both the plants and the people growing them. Let’s be *blunt* though, maybe floating your weed farm on a boat is not the best idea.

The High Seas

Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia

3. Is throwing money out the window of a Bentley making a political statement or just being obnoxious? Whatever the right answer, these rich Russian kids are doing it. Literally, the “Rich Russian Kids” instagram account posted a video of a man in a gem-encrusted balaclava stating that working all one’s life for money is pointless, then making it rain cash as he drives around in his Bentley (the account has since been set to “Private”). Although this isn’t technically illegal, two businessmen have been fined in relation to the episode for traffic violations. Apparently, wealthy people telling regular people they shouldn’t work for money is a poor joke.

In Odder News:

 

  • Ok, ok, we know this hilarious dub of the Russian national anthem didn’t come out this week. But let’s just pretend it did, just so that we can all get in a good laugh.

  • Congratulations! You just won a… parcel of land in the Far East? That you could have gotten for free? [Special thanks to reader David Edwards]

  • Steven Seagal was whipped to become an honorary Russian Cossack

Quote of the Week:

“Since there’s no law banning the throwing of money, you can always look into traffic violations.”

— An unnamed Russian law enforcement officer, ruminating on how to trip up self-satisfied rich kids

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

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

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...

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

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.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

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.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

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.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

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.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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