October 30, 2020

Don't Drive Tanked


Don't Drive Tanked
Vroom, vroom. Vitaly V. Kuzmin, Wikimedia Commons

A pair of Russian soldiers were detained in Volgograd following an incident that, as is wont to happen these days, has made them internet celebrities overnight.

A 29-year-old corporal, operating a BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle, lost control at 55 mph and plowed into a perimeter wall at Volgograd's international airport. Operations at the airport reportedly continued unaffected, and the vehicle itself, which weighs over twenty heavily-armored tons, sustained little damage.

Those at the scene, as well as a growing internet audience, were quick to pin the accident on prodigious consumption of alcohol. Video of the incident is, if nothing else, impressive, as the vehicle plows through a concrete barrier with ease.

Russia's defense ministry has not confirmed local (and internet) rumors that the driver was intoxicated, but that's never stopped the internet before, has it?

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Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
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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.
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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. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

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.  
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A Taste of Chekhov

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Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

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The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

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