April 13, 2020

Meet Russia's Newest Meme: Pechenegs


Meet Russia's Newest Meme: Pechenegs
If Russia can overcome these guys, it can overcome coronavirus. Skyllitzes Matritensis, fol. 173r, detail. Public domain.

Like many world leaders, Putin has gone on TV to provide some comfort to his citizens in this crazy time of global pandemic. What he couldn't have anticipated, however, was an uproarious internet response.

In the address last week, Putin said

“Everything passes and this too will pass. Our country has been through serious tests more than once: when tormented by the Pechenegs and the Cumans, Russia coped with everything."

The choice of the relatively obscure Pechenegs and Cumans (the latter being "Polovtsy" for all you non-medievalists out there), both semi-nomadic Turkic peoples who entered what is now southern Russia and Ukraine in the early medieval period, drew some bewilderment. After all, Russia suffered, similar, more recent, and, arguably, greater trials against Vikings, Mongols, Teutons, the French, Turks, Japanese, Poles, Cossacks, Swedes, Finns, and, of course, Germany.

In response, the Russian corners of the internet have exploded with some delightful memes. And, it seems, a sense of relief that Putin isn't comparing coronavirus to the Great Patriotic War.

 "Natasha, are you asleep?"
"The Polovtsy have tormented us."
"And the Pechenegs have tormented us, Natash."
"And, frankly speaking, the coronavirus infection, Natash."

 

You Might Also Like

Knights of the Don
  • July 01, 2006

Knights of the Don

For centuries, the Don Cossacks guarded Russia’s borders, fought its enemies, explored its nether reaches. Fiercely independent and the source of much historical controversy, these warriors are an inalienable part of Rus.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
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.
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 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.
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. 
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.
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.
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.

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