February 02, 2022

Sniper Cover to Honor the Fallen


Sniper Cover to Honor the Fallen
Keep those pesky citizens out! Aleksandr Demyanchuk / TASS

On January 27th, Vladimir Putin visited the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in honor of the 78th anniversary of the Siege of Leningrad. But there was a big problem: other people wanted to pay their respects, too. Fortunately for Putin, he was able to simply close the cemetery for all other visitors and set up snipers to protect him from the imminent threat posed by the elderly.

Among the visitors who were not allowed to enter the cemetery was an 89-year-old local woman who survived the blockade.

During his stroll, Putin placed a wreath at the feet of the "Mother Russia" statue and left flowers at the grave of his older brother, who died during the siege.

As calming as ever, Putin's PR manager Dmitry Peskov said that the memorial was closed for a mere 10 minutes while Putin did his business. However, the memorial was unofficially closed for several hours.

It just goes to show that Putin is not much of a people-person. (We guess he would rather spend time with his dogs!)

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Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

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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.

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