June 16, 2016

Births: Modern Russia, baby LSDUZ, and lots of leopards


Births: Modern Russia, baby LSDUZ, and lots of leopards

A Red Star Is Born

1. Russians across Russia celebrated Russia Day on June 12. The holiday was founded as Independence Day in 1990, but simplified to Russia Day in 2002. Today, the emphasis is less on the fall of the Soviet Union and even patriotism, and more on having a day off in early summer. Still, the greatest patriotic gift of all: the birth of three leopard kittens in the Sochi Zoo.

2. Congratulations are due to Attorney General Yuri Chaika for the birth of two sons, LSDUZ and IFYAU9. Anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny claims that the new names mask the names of Chaika’s adult sons, Artem and Igor, from real-estate records showing them to secretly own luxury properties throughout Russia. The more logical explanation is that those new names just trip off the tongue like poetry.

Caption: “What do you call your son?” “LSDUZ.” ~Somewhere in the depths of the Attorney General's Headquarters. Source: meduza.io

3. The birth of a new Russian-British war – or at least, a particularly angsty soccer game. The Russian Football Union faces suspended disqualification after 35 people were injured in brawls at the Euro 2016 Russia-England match. Should the Russian fans be blamed as football barbarians? Or is this the birth of a brand new breed of hooligans?

In Odder News

  • A guy takes a leopard for walk in a lazy Russian town. Maybe a distant cousin of the Sochi kittens?
  • Soccer’s not the only big-deal sport in Russia: drone racing is now a serious and sometimes lucrative pursuit. Not as touchy with the English, either.
  • Russia has made it to spot #27 in the world’s soft power rankings, based on its international influence other than military power. Must be all the leopards.  

Quote of the Week

“I don’t see anything wrong with the fans fighting. Quite the opposite, well done lads, keep it up!”

—MP and top football Igor Lebedev on the violence between Russian and English fans at the Euro Cup. He toned down after learning that the brawls could lead to Russia’s disqualification from the tournament.

Cover image: ria.ru

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week. 

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

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.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
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.
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.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

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.
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.
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.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
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.

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