October 04, 2023

Where Is Polina Gagarina?


Where Is Polina Gagarina?
Pro-government rally "One Country, One Family, One Russia." Katerinich Jan, Twitter.

On September 29, the Russian government held a rally and concert on Red Square to commemorate the illegal annexation of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Lugansk following their capture in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. An independent journalist from Bereg infiltrated the event, called "One Country, One Family, One Russia," and shared his experience.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who regularly gives speeches at these rallies, was notably absent. Furthermore, TV channels mostly ignored the pro-government rally, including Channel One RussiaRussia 1, and NTV

Even though the event was only for state employees and students, security guards barely checked tickets and did not inspect bags despite constant beeps from metal detectors. Security inspections at other rallies can form lines lasting up to half an hour, but Bereg's journalist was able to access the square in a few minutes.

Most of the 65,000 attendees were young adults. Bereg's journalist overheard one girl say, "I prefer to be in school right now, God, I want to study algebra." Ostorozhno, Moskva (Attention, Moscow) reported that the Moscow State Medical and Dental University offered students extra credit in exchange for attending the rally as a "volunteer activity."

Advertisements for the event promised that Polina Gagarina, a singer and judge on The Voice (or Russia's version of it, at least), as well as performer Dima Bilan, among others. However, even as spectators asked, "Where is Polina Gagrina?" Moskva Online revealed that half of the artists mentioned in the Kremlin's roster would not be at the event. Instead of songs to dance to, the crowd received performances from pro-war "Z poets."

During the last song, the performance of the Russian national anthem, many attendees headed towards the exit before the song concluded. Yet, as Bereg points out, Nikolavskaya Street was flooded with the chants "I'm Russian! In spite of the whole world!"

You Might Also Like

A Video Song-Apology
  • August 16, 2023

A Video Song-Apology

Three waterpark employees in Crimea were fined and forced to sing "Vladimir Putin is Great" after dancing to a Ukrainian song.
Street Musicians Killed by Missile
  • August 17, 2023

Street Musicians Killed by Missile

Two musicians were performing on the streets of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. An hour later, a Russian missile strike killed them.
Not-Russia Does Great Figure Skating
  • April 25, 2021

Not-Russia Does Great Figure Skating

The non-doping "Russia" won three out of four events at the recent world figure skating championships and swept the ladies' podium.
Too Hot for Kazakhstan
  • November 22, 2022

Too Hot for Kazakhstan

A Russian singer's Almaty concert was canceled due to her vocal support of the Russian invasion of 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.
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. 
A Taste of Russia

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.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
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.
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.
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.
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. 

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