June 04, 2024

The Post that Angered a City


The Post that Angered a City
A view of Novosibirsk. Alex Polezhaev, Wikimedia Commons.

The wife of a Novosibirsk city deputy for the Kremlin party, United Russia, posted a selfie mocking the city, calling it a word that implies it is provincial and dirty. The post outraged Novosibirskians and led journalists to share information on her family's alleged wealth.

Maria Tarasova is used to sharing notes about her lavish lifestyle and latest garments on social media. But recently she uploaded a picture of herself in her car in Novosibirsk with the caption: "Greetings from Mukhosranska," a word that implies a place that is "savage, provincial, and dirty." The selfie was uploaded to a page only her friends could see, but the image was leaked, sparking anger on the internet.

Tarasova told Novosibirsk Online that she spoke offensively of her town because of its air quality. Tarasova said she is allergic to dust and said she was "beginning to choke" because of the city's smog. On the day she posted her controversial caption, she had run a race and had to stop because she could not breathe.

To add fuel to the fire, the Telegram channel Lyubit Novosibirsk (Love Novosibirsk) posted that the Tarasovs' son was studying at the French Polytechnic Institute La Jaune et La Rouge and that one of their daughters was married and living in France. Tarasova confirmed her son has been studying in France since 2021, but emphasized, "We don't pay a single rouble for this." Tarasova denied her daughter was married, as both of the family's daughters are underaged and study in a Novosibirsk school.

It is not the first time that the Tarasovs' name has circulated in Russian media. In 2023, Maria's husband Alexander (the legislator) made headlines after complaining that a picture of two men eating ice cream next to each other in the snow was "LGBT propaganda."

With the latest scandal, the family's finances came into question after tax records showed Tarasov made R685,000 ($7,100) a year, while his wife made R16 million ($176,922). Maria Tarasova has shares in six real estate and household goods businesses. Novaya Lizingovaya Kompanya (New Leasing Company), owned by her father, lists her husband as a member of the enterprise's board of directors.

 

You Might Also Like

Snowing on Your Parade
  • May 12, 2024

Snowing on Your Parade

A few things were notably absent (and present) from this year's Victory Day parade.
Small Things Can Fix Everything
  • May 06, 2024

Small Things Can Fix Everything

From looking for a lost cat to gathering signatures for Boris Nadezhdin, Russians find hope in their communities. 
Returning Home to Kill
  • April 29, 2024

Returning Home to Kill

More than 100 persons have been killed by returning Russian soldiers since the beginning of Russia's War on Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
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.
A Taste of Chekhov

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.
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.
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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
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.
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.
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.

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