February 27, 2022

Our Top Sources for Ukraine News


Our Top Sources for Ukraine News
It's a confusing world out there. The Russian Life files

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine this past week, we've been trying to keep tabs on the situation. After all, many of us have friends and family on either side, and we're hungry for information and updates. However, there's a lot of rumors and misinformation out there, and good sources are hard to find.

Here are our go-to spots.

Russian sources: Generally, we'd encourage our readers not to trust much of the Russian-language media. Journalistic censorship has seen a massive spike in the last few days, and anything not Putin-friendly simply will not appear. This applies especially to the major news organizations that are typically reliable: Izvestia is calling the military operation the "defense of Donbass," and Vesti.ru dubbed Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky the "President of War" and Biden's February 24 response "anti-Russian hysteria." Add to this the fact that many Russian government websites are down, and you'll be hard-pressed to find reliable info, especially stuff that isn't unbiased.

That said, we've been pleased with UkrainianWall.com, which provides Russian-language reports on what's happening.

Ukrainian sources: These are much more reliable than Russian sources, but should still be taken with a grain of salt. These are much more on-the-ground, since they're providing up-to-date news for Ukrainians.

Facty.ua ("Facts")

Vesti.ua ("Guide")

Ukrainskaya Pravda ("Ukrainian Truth")

English-language sources: We're assuming that you have some level of understanding of general Russian geopolitics, as we've found many Western sources to be too general. The below websites are both reliable and detailed.

CNN's live updates usually focus on international political and economic concerns, but are useful regardless, condensed into a scrollable feed.

Radio Free Europe is a pro-democracy and anti-war stalwart, and, although sometimes their articles get a little opinionated, their photographic and journalistic coverage from a human rights perspective is invaluable.

The Moscow Times is the major English-language paper in Moscow and is popular with expats. Their coverage has been remarkably balanced, and their live feed has covered multiple fascinating details.

We here at Russian Life will be keeping an eye on the situation with our signature penchant for the offbeat, but for constant updates, the above, we hope, will be helpful.

You Might Also Like

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

Some of our Books

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

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.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

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.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

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.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

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.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

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.

 
A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

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.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

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.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

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.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

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.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

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. 

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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