March 01, 2008

Medvedev Emerges from His Den


This commentary aired on Vermont Public Radio on February 29. To listen to the podcast, go here.

(HOST) Russian Life magazine has been published from Vermont since 1995 by commentator Paul Richardson, who says that, when Russians go to the polls on this Sunday, they will be thinking about bears...

(RICHARDSON) In the 2002 film Oligarch, by Russian director Pavel Lungin, the main character predicts his own downfall, saying, "Russia is a bear. You think you are playing with it and it devours you."

The bear has long been associated with Russia. For over a century, it has been a mainly derogatory image in Western political cartoons. Yet to Slavs, the bear has had positive connotations for thousands of years. Today, it appears on countless Russian town shields; lovable bear characters abound in cartoons; and the bear Misha was especially beloved as the 1980 Summer Olympics mascot.

Bears also figure richly in the Russian language. In such cases, the bear is often seen as clumsy. In Russian, when you do someone a "bear's favor" your clumsy assistance hurts them more than helps them; when someone has no ear for music, a common idiom has it that a bear stepped on his ear.

Pre-Christian Slavs believed the bear to be their common ancestor. Indeed, the animal was such a powerful symbol of strength and fertility that Russians dared not mention its real name. So they gave it a substitute designation "medved," which was derived from its favorite food. Medved literally means "honey-seeker," or, "the one who knows where the honey is."

Some of the bear's power derived from its annual ritual of entering Mother Earth in the fall, only to emerge in the spring, reborn. Until 150 years ago, Russians celebrated a "bear holiday" near the spring solstice, timed to coincide with the bears' supposed emergence from their dens.

Bear imagery has become particularly strong in Russian politics of late. Last year the bear was adopted as the ubiquitous symbol for United Russia, the Kremlin-sponsored party created to devour all political opposition. And bear symbology reached its peak in December, when President Vladimir Putin annointed Dmitry Medvedev his heir apparent. In Russian, Medvedev literally means, "of the bears."


Western media have been full of speculations about Medvedev's political leanings. Some are at pains to paint him as "softer" or more liberal than Putin, pointing to Medvedev's education as a lawyer and his love for Heavy Metal Rock. It reminds me how, in 1982, when former KGB chief Yuri Andropov became Soviet leader, some speculated that his love of scotch and jazz augured a warming in East-West relations. In fact, the opposite happened.

So, what should we expect from a Medvedev presidency?

Most likely, more of the same.

Medvedev is Putin 2.0. Shorter, less polished, and still ironing out some bugs, Medvedev has been Putin's go-to guy for 17 years. He has bailed Putin out of political scrapes, was a key player in the takedown of the oligarchs, and has been chairman of the board for Russia's richest company, Gazprom.

Powerful and awesome, bears can be clumsy and unpredictable, particularly when first emerging from their dens. But we should keep in mind that this bear, though young, is an old hand. And clearly he knows where the honey is.

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

Some of Our Books

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
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. 
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. 
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.
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.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
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.
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.
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.

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