December 14, 2022

Latvia Opens Its Umbrella


Latvia Opens Its Umbrella
TV Rain announces the development. Youtube, TV Rain.

On December 6, Latvia annulled the broadcasting license of the controversial independent Russian television network Dozhd (aka TV Rain), due to multiple instances of Dozhd makine pro-Russian government statements. The ban took effect on December 8.

Dozhd found shelter in Latvia after it was banned in Russia – a few days after the February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine. While Dozhd is an independent outlet, their loyalties were later questioned by Latvian media regulators. For instance, Dozhd aired a map showing Crimea as part of Russia, for which they were fined 10,000 Euros ($10,526). Dozhd also referred to the Russian army as "our army" on Latvian cable. On top of that, their anchor, Alexei Korostelev, said that the station was able to help the Russian military.

The head of the Latvian National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP), Ivars Abolinsh, announced the decision, citing violations of Latvian law and concerns of "danger to national security and public order." The council was not able to ban the station on YouTube, so Dozhd announced on Twitter that their content would still be available there for Latvian audiences. 

The head of Dozhd, Tikhon Dzyadko, compared Latvia's decision to the censorship the company faced in Russia. At a press conference held in Riga on December 9, Dzyadko called the map incident "a mistake" and referred to the "our army" statement as a reflection of their majority-Russian audience. Regarding Korostelev, Dzyadko did not offer any explanations for his statement but focused instead on not being heard by the NEPLP.

Korolostev has since been banned from entering Latvia.

You Might Also Like

Piercing Russian Propaganda
  • May 12, 2022

Piercing Russian Propaganda

Russia's independent media has been destroyed in the wake of the Ukraine war. Which fearless outlets continue to report and need your help?
What Is Born from Fire
  • December 12, 2022

What Is Born from Fire

Russian singer Monetochka released a music video on YouTube criticizing pro-government propaganda on television.
War Support Falling
  • December 04, 2022

War Support Falling

According to an internal, Kremlin poll, 55% of Russians favor negotiations with Ukraine, and only 25% are in favor of continuing the war.
The Wrong Kind of Patriotism
  • November 30, 2022

The Wrong Kind of Patriotism

A student in Karelia was reportedly disciplined for wearing a sweatshirt with an American flag on it.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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 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.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
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.
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.
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. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
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.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
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.
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