October 07, 2022

Beginning of the End?


Beginning of the End?
President Vladimir Putin in Serbia, 2019.
 Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
 
Not!
 
Today is the 70th birthday of Russia's authoritarian-in-chief, President Vladimir Putin. Appropriately so, it was announced that the Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to the Memorial Human Rights organization (liquidated by the Russian Supreme Court in a political hit job), Belarussian rights activist Ales Belyatsky, and Ukraine's Center for Civil Rights.
 
Also today, Meduza published an account (machine-translated by Google at the link below), based on revealing information from Kremlin insiders. Putin's world of shadows and mirrors, terror and misinformation, is unraveling.
 
Read the article in Russian / in English.
 
The article paints a picture of Putin making countless decisions without consulting advisors or ministers, of massive fear and uncertainty in the ranks of the elite, of endless promises and money running out.
 
Meanwhile, Putin's war-crime aggression against Ukraine is also falling apart. Troops are dispirited and under-prepared, turning on their heels and fleeing in the face of Ukrainian attacks. The mass mobilization has led hundreds of thousands of Russians to flee the country.  And a circular firing squad is ensuing as the president and his allies are being attacked by the "party of war."
 
In short, time is running out for the Putin regime. The fear, of course, is that a cornered Putin will lash out, that an even more dictatorial faction will move to seize power, in order to prosecute the war even more ruthlessly, or, worst of all, that things will spiral into nuclear confrontation.
 
Things are clearly at a turning point and one can only hope that sane members of the elite will step in and put a stop to the madness, that Russians will be moved to act like they did in 1991 and make a stand for their freedom and their future.
 
That, in any event, is our birthday wish.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
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.
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.
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.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
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. 
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. 
Russian Rules

Russian 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.

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