February 26, 2022

Fighting for Truth


Fighting for Truth

State censor Roskomnadzor has notified 10 Russia mass media outlets that they must restrict access to "inaccurate information." The outlets are Ekho Moskvy, InoSMI, Mediazona, The New Times, Dozhd, Svobodnaya Pressa, Krym.Realii, " Novaya Gazeta, Journalist, and Lenizdat.

Roskomnadzor said the publications have published “inaccurate, socially significant information that does not correspond to reality” about the shelling of Ukrainian cities by Russian troops and the death of civilians in Ukraine, as well as “materials in which the ongoing operation is called an attack, an invasion, or a declaration of war.”

If the publications are not removed, Roskomnadzor may block the publications and/or fine them up to five million rubles. According to Roskomnadzor, only “Russian official information sources” disseminate reliable information about the war with Ukraine.

Roskomnadzor objects to the Russian "special military action" being called an attack, an invasion, or a declaration of war, all three of which are the most accurate descriptions of the reality we see unfolding.


Ukrainian flag in windowMeanwhile, Arzamas editor Dmitry Golubovsky has been detained for refusing to remove a poster from his apartment window – a blue and yellow flag of Ukraine that said simply, "No to War."


On February 25, the day after the start of the war, Russian teachers published a petition in which they openly supported the anti-war protests and demanded a ceasefire. At the time of this posts' publication, it had been signed by more than 1,300 teachers from 65 regions of Russia, as well as from other countries.

Said one teacher, in an interview with Meduza, "Of course, I'm afraid to express my protest. But considering the hell is going on in Kyiv right now - literally a day's drive away - it's just shameful to complain about one's own fear."


More than two thousand artists, art historians, architects, producers, curators, musicians, and other cultural figures have signed an open letter against the war with Ukraine. Hundreds of doctors have signed their own letter.


A petition to stop the war has been created on change.org and as of the time of this post it had 700,000 signatures.


The UN General Secretary estimates that over 100,000 Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes because of the Russian invasion.

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

Some of Our Books

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.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
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.
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.
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.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

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.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

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