January 04, 2022

The New Year's Fairytale Nobody Asked For


The New Year's Fairytale Nobody Asked For
His story certainly doesn't lack creativity.  Photo via YouTube

As part of Russia's annual "Holiday Tree of Desires" campaign, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (Vladimir Zhirinovsky) decided to grace a young Muscovite with a toy dog for the New Year, but in a rather peculiar fashion. 

Zhirinovsky began his video presentation with a rather sad story about how in his youth he didn’t have such robotic dog toys, nor even any toys at all for that matter. Then he decided to present the girl with an additional gift: a little blue bag filled with candy and printed with the initials of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. 

But this bag is not just a bag; it comes along with an incredible story too. Somehow Zhirinovsky was able to see into this little girl's future and told her that this bag will lead her to her grandmother, who lives in the woods in a house with chicken legs (a lá Baba Yaga). Through a rather chaotic series of events, the little girl would be detained, but would then be saved when another politician from the Liberal Democratic Party (Vasily Vlasov) decides to make her his wife. 

Zhirinovsky ends his story by saying that this marriage will be the best thing to happen to the little girl, but a great tragedy for the Russian politician, and it is all thanks to the little blue bag and the robodog toy he gave her.

Many Russians aren't sure what to make of this story; some suspect Zhirinovsky is speaking in code to describe the political events of Russia, others suggest he had a bit too much to drink in celebration of New Year's Eve. As for the four-year-old girl in question, I'm sure she is just happy to receive some toys and candy

You Might Also Like

How to Celebrate the New Year
  • December 28, 2015

How to Celebrate the New Year

Are you sure you know how to appease the Fire Monkey and get your New Year off to a good start? We have tips! Learn how to decorate your house, what food to serve, and what to wear to ensure good luck in 2016.
New Moo
  • December 01, 2021

New Moo

In which, after not a small bureaucratic scuffle, a thirteen-year-old boy receives the gift from Putin that we all are really hoping for this Christmas: a brand new cow. 
Better Take This Seriously
  • February 18, 2020

Better Take This Seriously

“We wanted to draw attention to the problem: a lack of medical masks in pharmacies, the lack of information on the coronavirus. We were not trying to scare our compatriots or laugh at a hot topic. We just set up a social experiment.” – One of two men fined for their video pranking the coronavirus
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
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.
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. 
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.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
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. 

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