August 04, 2022

Time to Move?


Time to Move?
Is it, though? A screenshot from the video. Russian Embassy in Spain

The Kremlin recently released an English-language propaganda video explaining why one should move to Russia.

The 52-second video was posted on July 28 by the "Rusia en España" Twitter account, an official mouthpiece of the Russian embassy in Spain. In it, a masculine voice (robotic, unaccented, with a slightly Russian tint) lists out several points of Russian national pride, including "Christianity," "beautiful women," and "ballet," in a style that feels like it could almost be satire.

Indeed, the video has been met with confusion and humor; a handful of edits of the video have already appeared, and some in the West see the video as a provocation, as it intentionally targets Western decadence and "cancel culture."

Its many claims are dubious, to say the least. Anyone who has been to Russia can attest that its "delicious cuisine" is indeed tasty at best but dire at worst. "Cheap taxi and delivery" is an odd point, and Russian dash cam videos provide evidence that maybe you get what you pay for. "Beautiful architecture" applies in some city centers, but not in apartment-block suburbs. One also has to wonder what kinds of "traditional values" are being promoted under a regime that's been arresting dissenters left and right for the last six months.

And as for the boasting of "[an] economy that can withstand thousands of sanctions" ... well, we'll just have to wait and see...

For "world famous literature" the video shows images of Pushkin and Gogol, writers who are largely unknown in the West, but revered in Russia, lending credence that this is a product of the Kremlin.

The video ends with a dubious "Don't Delay... Winter Is Coming," perhaps a reference to the hit American TV show "Game of Thrones," or to the fact that European winter heating has become dependent upon Russian gas.

The more you watch it, the weirder it gets. Surely it's one of the most bizarre responses to the invasion of Ukraine. And it originated from the Russian side, no less.

 

You Might Also Like

Sci-fi Author, Meet Dystopia
  • June 14, 2022

Sci-fi Author, Meet Dystopia

A well-known science fiction author has been placed on the Kremlin's wanted list for protesting the war in Ukraine.
The Toughest Sanction
  • March 07, 2022

The Toughest Sanction

Putin has been stripped of two martial arts honors in response to his invasion of Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
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. 
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.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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.
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. 
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.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

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.
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.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

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