January 28, 2021

Whatever Floats Russia's Boats


Whatever Floats Russia's Boats
Getting ready to break the ice. Kremlin.ru (CC Fair Use)

Russia has seen a year of staggering accomplishments. As the first country to approve and release a Covid vaccination (with a namesake, no less, derived from the first satellite to achieve Earth orbit); the sequel to an internationally acclaimed assassination attempt; and the reveal of a massive palace on the Black Sea that, according to Russian Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, “probably” exists “but what has the president got to do with it?” – you might be asking, “What else can go right for the Russian Federation?

It turns out that, with the abject failure of the Paris Agreement to slow climate change in the short-term, Russia might also be celebrating an economic boon.

The Russian ice-breaking tanker Cristophe de Margerie has managed to cross the Northern Sea Route, which is normally impassable at this time of year.

Transport Minister Vitaliy Savelyev has praised the feat, citing “a historical day for the development of the Northern Sea Route and national shipping” and “a step toward year-round commercial shipments on the route.”

If the Arctic ice keeps shrinking, Russia may well meet its goal of nearly doubling the tonnage of products shipped across the Northern Sea Route – from 80 to 130 million – by 2035.

Press Secretary Peskov is rumored to have commented that environmental degradation “probably” exists, “but what has Russia got to do with it?”

 

You Might Also Like

Arctic Wake-Up Call
  • July 01, 2020

Arctic Wake-Up Call

When environmentalists sounded the alarm this time about a spill of diesel fuel from a power station reserve tank near Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant, the government response was uncharacteristically serious.
Arctic Atlantis
  • June 21, 2019

Arctic Atlantis

On June 21, 1900, an intrepid explorer set off to find a mysterious Arctic island. He was never to be seen again.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
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...
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

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.
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.
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.
At the Circus

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.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Murder at the Dacha

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.
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.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

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.

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