June 11, 2022

An Attack on Sea Life


An Attack on Sea Life
Even a marine life favorite isn't immune from the effects of the war in Ukraine. Pexels, Joe Boyne.

Hundreds of dolphins have recently washed up on the shore of the Black Sea bordering the coast of Russia and Ukraine. Sochi’s Delfa Dolphin Rescue Center has found some 400 deceased dolphins along the coast in recent months, and another 282 dolphins have been found by the Sevastopol Serene Sea Dolphin Rehabilitation Center since the beginning of the year.

Many experts are stunned by this massive loss of life. And its cause is unclear.

The most common explanations are fishing, viral infection, or, most controversially, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ivan Rusev, an environmentalist in Odessa, said that Russian naval activity is the likely cause behind the mammals' deaths, because naval sonar systems interfere with their hunting patterns. Meanwhile, Atanas Rusev, a Bulgarian scientist, said the wounds on certain dolphins leads him to conclude that both weapons and sonar from the war that are the culprits. In addition, the Turkish Marine Research Foundation has theorized that a combination of noise, pollution, and explosives from the conflict are seriously damaging the ecosystem.

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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.
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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.
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Jews in Service to the Tsar

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The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

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