June 16, 2022

A Soccer Star Speaks Out


A Soccer Star Speaks Out
Karpova plays for the Russian national team in 2017. Facebook, Nadya Karpova

On June 7, 2022, soccer player Nadya Karpova became the first professional Russian athlete to come out as a lesbian woman. Karpova had already made a name for herself as the only professional Russian athlete to openly and consistently condemn Putin's invasion of Ukraine

Karpova tried to conceal her sexuality as a young player. When she was readying to sign her first professional contract at 18, the owner of the WFC Rossiyanka Russian women's soccer club told Karpova's father that he would protect his "lesbian daughter." She did take the deal. In 2017, Nadya was questioned about her sexuality by Russian media, but told the interviewer that she was not a lesbian.

In 2017, after playing in 24 matches for the Russian national women's soccer team, Karpova moved to Spain to play for Valencia CF. She is currently a forward for RCD Espanyol in Barcelona.

Since moving to Spain, Karpova said she has stopped being afraid to speak openly. She told her mother last year that she was lesbian, but only recently decided to publically discuss her sexuality.

Karpova is also speaking out openly about the Ukraine War. While other Russian athletes remain silent or show support for the Kremlin, Karpova participates in opposition rallies and regularly posts anti-war messages on social media. She has been doing so since the war began.

You Might Also Like

Russia Forever?
  • May 31, 2022

Russia Forever?

A Russian rock musician was filmed helping Russian soldiers replace a Ukrainian road sign with one reading "Russia Forever."
Alphabet Bans
  • May 23, 2022

Alphabet Bans

The Ukrainian government is banning two Latin letters used by Russian invasion forces.
Detained on Victory Day
  • May 17, 2022

Detained on Victory Day

Over 125 citizens were detained during Immortal Regiment processions across Russia.
The
  • March 10, 2022

The "Z" Symbol

Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak faces punishment for flaunting the new "Z" symbol in support of the Russian invasion on Ukraine. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

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.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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