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

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.
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.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.
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.
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.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

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

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