February 03, 2022

Slip-ups, Icicles, and (Not So) Sneaky Thieves


Slip-ups, Icicles, and (Not So) Sneaky Thieves
In Odder News

In this week's Odder News: the war on icicles, unsuccessful heists, and awkward political appeal.

  • If you saw a pile of tiles near the entrance of your apartment building, what would you do? If the first answer that comes to mind is "steal it", then you're not alone. Two Russian women did just that, hoping to use the tile to renovate their balcony. Unfortunately for them, the crime was caught on camera and they returned the loot later that day. In their defense, they thought the tiles were trash left by a construction company.
  • Speaking of thieves, a man was caught after stealing hundreds of dollars worth of TVs from an apartment building in Khabarovsk. His plan was (hardly) flawless: rent an apartment in the building for a day, make copies of the keys, and come back later dressed as a woman to swipe the goods. The thief was caught on camera and is now facing a fine of over R100,000 ($1300). The TVs have been returned to their owners.
  • In a botched propaganda stunt, Russia's largest news source Russia 1 released a clip of a meeting between Putin and the president of Iran. The clip was edited to look like an intro to a rap video, and if that isn't cringy enough, the editor confused Iran with Iraq. Around the middle of the clip, Russia's double-headed eagle turns into the Eagle of Saladin, found on the emblem of Iraq. Russia 1 later removed the mistake from their YouTube account.
  • Icicles pose a serious threat to walking Russians, and there are all sorts of creative ways to break them before they fall on someone passing by. In Nizhny Novgorod, police are inspecting a video of a man shooting at icicles from a rifle - while people were still inside the building. Maybe a shotgun would work better?
  • As we rush into the future, it seems that robots are being made for every little thing imaginable. The Astrakhan State Technical University has presented the first robotic fishing vessel, "Bersh". The robot is able to make underwater maps, dispense bait and pinpoint groups of fish using echolocation. Able to work in high winds, waves, and among thick aquatic vegetation, the robots are expected to be useful for commercial and private fishers alike.

You Might Also Like

A Mayo Mystery
  • January 03, 2022

A Mayo Mystery

Russians put mayonnaise on everything. Even robberies, apparently.
A Premature Celebration
  • December 06, 2021

A Premature Celebration

A Krasnodar man, sentenced to serve time for theft, marked his release by doing what he does best.
Who Fishes for Fishers?
  • August 20, 2021

Who Fishes for Fishers?

A court has found two men guilty of poaching—men whose job it is to prevent the poaching of fish.
Running Away with the Story
  • April 05, 2021

Running Away with the Story

In Moscow, a Golden Retriever stole the show during a news broadcast — by stealing the microphone. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Russia Rules

Russia 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.
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.
The Samovar Murders

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.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
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.
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.
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.
The Latchkey Murders

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 Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
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.

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