July 10, 2024

Baikal, not Bali


Baikal, not Bali
Final sitting of spring session, Seventh Convocation of State Duma. duma.gov.ru, Wikimedia Commons.

The State Duma of the Russian Federation has banned deputies and senators from traveling abroad without permission, adopting a law that allows for the early termination of their powers if they do so. The law was passed "in the first reading and in general," according to the Russian parliament's website.

The law takes effect upon publication and requires senators and deputies to obtain approval from an internal authority before traveling outside Russia. This rule does not apply to business trips.

"We will have to justify where the person is going, but if he goes to Baikal, we will all support him; to the Volga, we will be happy. But if the islands are the Maldives or Bali, colleagues, nothing personal," said State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin. Volodin also directed the Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption to consider extending the travel ban for deputies and senators for several years after their terms end.

Vasily Piskarev, head of the Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption and a co-author of the law, said the measure was motivated by security concerns for both the state and those traveling abroad, likely in the wake of Russia's War on Ukraine.

Before the law's adoption, the Federation Council's Committee issued a warning in September 2023 to Senator Lyudmila Narusova against unauthorized trips to NATO countries. Vyacheslav Timchenko, head of the Upper House's Rules Committee, noted that Narusova traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, and Nice, France, in July 2023.

Additionally, in January 2023, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that regional authorities had recommended officials and deputies avoid foreign travel. For instance, Oleg Kuvshinnikov, governor of the Vologda Oblast, said, "In such a difficult time for the country, spending vacations at luxury resorts and publicly posting provocative photographs on social networks is unacceptable for officials." On January 11, Ulyanovsk Oblast Governor Alexey Russkikh signed a decree advising regional and municipal officials to refrain from traveling abroad during holidays amid the war in Ukraine. This came after several scandals involving regional politicians posting vacation photos from Mexico and Dubai on social media.

You Might Also Like

Small-Town Russia and the War
  • July 02, 2024

Small-Town Russia and the War

Sociologists spent a month living in small-town Russia to understand how Russians feel about the war in Ukraine.
Russia Readies for More War
  • July 07, 2024

Russia Readies for More War

Russian president Vladimir Putin says that the armed forces need to shore up in case of some explosive international developments.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
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.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
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 Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

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.
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.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

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