Category: Architecture
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The Poet and the Lady: Voznesensky and Kennedy
“The Poet and the Lady” is an exhibition devoted to the unlikely friendship between the Russian poet Andrei Voznesensky and American First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The exhibition is at the Voznesensky Center, a relatively new addition to the Moscow museum scene, which has the mission of not just telling the story of Andrei Voznesensky, but…
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Who Is Olga Lyubimova, Russia’s New Culture Minister?
On Tuesday evening, Russia’s new Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced the members of his cabinet. Vladimir Medinsky, who served as the culture minister for the past eight years, was let go and Olga Lyubimova appointed in his place. She had served as deputy minister and was the head of the cinematography department. Today it was…
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Decembrist Blockbuster Splits Film Critics
Just before the New Year’s holidays Russian filmmakers released their best bets for vacation blockbusters. One of the most promising films was “The Union of Salvation,” a lush, cast-of-thousands, historical saga that tells the story of the Decembrists, young Russian noblemen who organized a revolt against the monarchy in December 1825. Directed by Andrei Kravchuk…
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Russians Take a Frozen Dip to Celebrate Epiphany
Every year on Jan. 19, Russians across the country briefly submerge themselves in ice-cold lakes and rivers to celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, or the feast of the Epiphany. The Orthodox Christian tradition has become popular among non-believers too, as it’s commonly believed that a quick ice bath can be good…
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‘We Are Building Capitalism!’
“Do you want to go to Russia?” When Robert Stephenson, a senior civil servant in the U.K. was asked this question in February 1992, he had no idea how it would change his life. But he immediately said, “Yes” and only after a moment asked the more important question: “Why?” The “why” turned out to…
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From the Archive: A Real Russian Winter From the 90s
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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Immersive Pushkin-Themed Park to Open in St. Petersburg in 2023
St. Petersburg is set to open a sprawling, immersive theme park that will bring iconic Russian writer Alexander Pushkin’s fairy tales and poems to life in 2023. Considered the founder of modern Russian literature, Pushkin wrote some of Russia’s most famous fairy tales and epic poems and remained popular through Soviet times and into the…
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Belarussian Writer Alexievich Starts All-Women Publishing House
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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Soviet Film Director Konstantin Bromberg Dies at 80
Soviet and Russian filmmaker Konstantin Bromberg — director of the children’s cult movies “The Adventures of the Robot Electronic” and “Wizards” — died in the United States at the age of 80 on Jan. 10. This was announced by Mikhail Idov, Russian director and screenwriter, on his Facebook page. Bromberg spent his last years in…
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The Best Art Innovation: Mobile Theater
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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The Year’s Best Art Scandal: Moscow Art Biennale
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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The Year’s Best in Art Collectors and Their Works
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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The Year’s Best in Music Festivals
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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‘Chernobyl’ Scores Best Miniseries Golden Globe
BEVERLY HILLS–The victor was “Chernobyl” at the 77th annual Golden Globe awards as it bested its competitors in the best limited series or motion picture made for television category. Its writer and creator Craig Mazin accepted the Globe before an audience of film and television stars at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Sunday night. Stellan Skarsgard…
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Best Retrospective: Vasily Polenov
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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The Year’s Most Daring Art Heist: Arkhip Kuindzhi’s “Ai-Petri”
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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The Year’s Best in Cinema: “The Frenchman”
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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2020: The Year in Culture
The Russian Ministry of Culture has named 2020 as the year of Memory and Glory, and also dedicated it to the 150th anniversary of the birth of writer Ivan Bunin; the year of traditional crafts; the year of intellectual property and inventiveness, and the year of fathers. How these themes will be brought to life…
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Miniature Miracles: Russian Painted Lacquer Boxes
Painted lacquer boxes are one of Russia’s most typical crafts, found in rows on vendors’ tables next to the matryoshka dolls and wooden toys. You might think of them as another mass-produced souvenir for the tourists — but you’d be wrong. These boxes with miniature paintings of landscapes, fairy tales and scenes from Russian literature…
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Moscow Is Ready to Celebrate the New Year
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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The Year’s Best in Cinema: ‘The Humorist’ Directorial Debut
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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The Year’s Most Scandalous Film: ‘Text’
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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Savory Kutiya for Kolodia and Christmas
Pity poor Russian Christmas! Russian Christmas is the poor relation in the winter holiday line-up. In the Orthodox world, Easter has always loomed liturgically larger than Christmas, particularly so in northern countries, where the return of spring is always welcomed with particular fervor. Thanks to the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, Orthodox Christmas…
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From the Archive: New Year’s in 90s Moscow, in Photos
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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The Hottest New Year’s Parties in Moscow
Moscow starts celebrating New Year’s Eve early. The Moscow Times picked only the best parties, where you can dress up, listen to some great music or rave till the break of dawn. VEU 2020: December 28 VEU stands for “Evening of Esthetic Joys” as it’s organized by a promo group called Esthetic Joys, responsible for one…
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Popular Sovremennik Theater Director Volchek Dies at 86
Galina Volchek, the director of Sovremennik — one of Moscow’s most popular theaters — has died aged 86 on Thursday. Volchek made her stage debut in 1956, when she and other rebellious young actors co-founded the Sovremennik. She headed the theater since 1972 and was named its artistic director in 1989. Volchek’s cause of death…
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Here’s How Russia Celebrated Christmas Eve (in Photos)
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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Russian Jews Сelebrate Hanukkah Across the Country
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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In Russia, Church Bells Ring Out at Raves
Philipp Gorbachev is one of the first Russian electronic artists who became popular in the West. At the age of 30 he was at the peak of success, making a good living off his music. But one day he realized it wasn’t enough. “I felt a need to live in a state of prayer,” he…
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5 Best Events in Moscow’s ‘Journey to Christmas’ Fest
Every year the center of Moscow turns into an enchanted holiday village, with tunnels of light, forests of decorated pine trees, streetlights transformed into chandeliers, and streets cleared of cars and filled with people. Music and the scent of hot mulled wine and holiday treats waft through the air. This year the festival runs from…
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5 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in St. Petersburg
Visit Palace Square On Dec. 22 Grandfather Frost makes his first stop on the holiday train in St. Petersburg, where he lights the enormous tree on Palace Square that is both the symbol and the heart of the holiday season. On New Year’s Eve, the square is filled with music, special events, a light show…
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Russian Ballet’s Use of Blackface Ignites Online Controversy
Prominent African-American ballet dancer Misty Copeland’s criticism of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow for its use of blackface has prompted a heated online debate and a strong rebuke from the world of Russian ballet. Copeland, who in 2015 became the American Ballet Theater’s first black female principal ballerina, highlighted “the reality of the ballet world”…
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Notable Deaths in Russia in 2019
This year Russians mourned the lost of many fellow citizens who played great roles in the public life of the country. The arts were particularly hard hit this year, beginning on Jan. 1 with the death of singer and songwriter Kris Kelmi at the age of 63. Kelmi was a well-known pop singer and performer…
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Best New Band: Shortparis
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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International Ded Moroz Convention Comes to Moscow’s VDNKh
The New Year is one of the most popular holidays in the world — and the biggest celebration of the year in Russia. The closer it comes, the more events there are. Ded Moroz, the Slavic version of Santa Claus, is a character synonymous with the Russian New Year. Last weekend, Ded Morozes from around…
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Judith Heneghan’s Novel ‘Snegurochka’
“Something terrible is happening here. Something terrible has already happened.” “Snegurochka” follows Rachel, a troubled young English mother who joins her journalist husband on his first foreign posting in the city to Kyiv in 1992 as the country is wracked by uncertainty and upheaval after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Her difficulties expose her…
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Old Moscow and St. Petersburg Through an American Photographer’s Lens
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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Moscow’s Controversial, Unforgettable ‘Luzhkov-Style’ Architecture
Yury Luzhkov, who died Tuesday at the age of 83, served as the mayor of Russia’s capital for 18 years from 1992-2010. During that time, the city’s appearance underwent the dramatic transformation from stern Soviet capital to glitzy, modern mega-metropolis. Today, it is impossible to walk through Moscow without stumbling upon the so-called “Luzhkov-style” buildings…
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Swim Season Opens in December
At 11 a.m. Lyubov Chesnokova, 62, and her husband Alexei, 56, put on heavy socks, sweaters, coats, boats, hats, gloves and scarves and head out to the banks of the Voronezh River. The sun is shining but it is cold, as it should be in a real Russian winter. The couple strips down to bathing…
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‘Chernobyl’ Nabs 4 Golden Globe Nominations
HOLLYWOOD — “Chernobyl” captured Golden Globe nominations Monday in every category it entered, including the best television category. The highly acclaimed HBO miniseries was nominated for best television limited series or motion picture made for television. The show’s leading actors also received recognition, with Jared Harris nominated for best actor, Emily Watson for best supporting…
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2,000 Russian Santa Clauses Are Coming to Town
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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Russian Gallery Puts Stickers Over Nude Art
An art gallery in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg has censored nude paintings over what organizers called parents’ concerns for children, the 360 TV news channel reported. The five-day art exhibition displayed a painting of the naked Roman goddess Venus with a small curtain covering her entire body below the shoulders. Stickers were also strategically…
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‘Russia’s 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories’
Professor Michael Khodarkovsky’s “Russia’s 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories” seems to prove Rudyard Kipling’s theory that” if history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” “Russia’s 20th Century: A Journey in 100 Histories” distills one of the more complex, thorny, dystopian and tragic eras of history into a…
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Moscow’s Magical Chinese Lantern Festival, in Photos
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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Music and More Awarded in Moscow
November is one of the awards months in the Russian capital, starting with the Snob magazine “Made in Russia” awards on Nov. 13. Held for the eighth time at the Malaya Bronnaya Theater, the “Made in Russia” prize is awarded to the best thing that has happened in the country in a year in the…
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Moscow Tears Down Historic Soviet Cinema
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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Writer and Historian Robert K. Massie, Dead at 90
On Dec. 2 Robert K. Massie, author and historian of Europe and pre-Revolutionary Russia, passed away in Irvington, New York at the age of 90. The cause was complications associated with Alzheimer’s. Massie’s works on Russian, European and military history sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. He began his literary career with “Nicholas and…
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On This Day in 1934 Sergei Kirov Was Killed
On Dec. 1, 1934 Sergei Kirov, Party boss of Leningrad, was gunned down as he left his office. In the Soviet Union, this case turned out to be like the Kennedy assassination in the U.S.: a charismatic leader murdered in his prime by a lone assassin, whose death would burnish his memory and go on…
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‘The Connection’ by Daniil Kharms
Daniil Kharms was born Daniil Ivanovich Yuvachyov in St. Petersburg in 1905. His father, a former member of the revolutionary group The People’s Will who had been imprisoned and exiled in his younger years, was a professor of philosophy. Kharms first went to school in Tsarskoye Selo and then attended the German Peterschule, where he…
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Pushkin’s Classic ‘Eugene Onegin’ Sells for $150K in London
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
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What’s On in St. Petersburg in December
St. Petersburg is always a magical place to visit, but it’s especially glorious in the lead-up to the grand New Year’s and Christmas holidays. Here are our picks for best exhibitions and a couple of must-see concerts. Alexander Deineka and Alexander Samokhvalov The Manege has put on a breath-taking show of two major artists of…
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On This Day in 1880 Poet Alexander Blok Was Born
On Nov. 28, 1880, Alexander Blok was born into a prominent academic family in St. Petersburg, although he spent many years in his childhood at the estate of relatives outside Moscow. After studying law and philology at St. Petersburg University, he married Lyubov Mendeleyeva, daughter of the famous scientist, to whom he dedicated a volume…
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Moscow Double Concert Ends in Obscenity Charges
The Red Bull SoundClash Nov. 24 double concert made headlines this week when both bands — Leningrad and Noize MC — were fined for swearing on stage. Red Bull SoundClash capitalizes on the recent trend of rap battles but uses a different format. Rather than two performers battling each other on one stage, SoundClash juxtaposed…
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Moscow Unveils a Winter Fairytale at Europe’s Largest Ice Rink
Moscow’s VDNKh park has reopened the largest artificial ice rink in Europe just in time for the park’s 80th anniversary. The park’s ice rink, which was closed last winter for renovations, has been a holiday treasure in Moscow ever since the first rink was opened there in 1954. In 1960 the first Russian Winter Festival…
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Revealing Signs of Moscow’s Hidden Past
To foreigners, Moscow might seem like a closed fortress, always “defending and disguising itself,” as Walter Benjamin once wrote. But under the city facades there is another hidden life waiting to be discovered. Right in the city center on Kostyansky Pereulok, the past has burst into the present with the sign “Streletsky Bakery” (“Стрелецкая пекарня”)…
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Alexander Lebedev’s ‘Hunt the Banker’
Can billionaires be good, honest people? Alexander Lebedev, a Russian oligarch turned philanthropist and media mogul, certainly wants us to think he is. His new memoir, “Hunt the Banker,” begins with a preface that laments the burdens of immense wealth. Lebedev confesses that the millions he made during the unbridled capitalist 1990s have brought him…
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Austrian Embassy Unveils Vadim Kosmatschof Sculpture
On Nov. 19, a small sculpture was unveiled on a tiny patch of courtyard on one of Moscow’s narrow little side streets before a handful of people — a deceptively modest ceremony to mark a momentous event. The sculpture was created by Vadim Kosmatschof and placed in front of the Austrian Embassy. It was the…
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Meet Ivan Savkin, Russia’s Human Mountain
Bogatyrs play an important role in the Russian literary and artistic imagination. Epic poems of the exploits of these fierce and powerful warriors are part of Russia’s rich oral tradition, first written down in the early 19th century. At first, warriors were basically gods or shape-shifters with superhuman strength. Then they became very strong human beings. Ivan Savkin…
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On This Day in 1711 Mikhail Lomonosov Was Born
Mikhail Lomonosov was Russia’s most famous and most impressive polymath: a scientist, geographer, writer, historian, poet and grammarian, who was one of the founders of Moscow University. Among his many accomplishments was the discovery of Venus and the law of conservation of mass in chemistry. The son of a prosperous peasant family in Russia’s far…
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Side By Side LGBT Film Festival Goes On Despite Threats
It was not a smooth beginning or a novelty in the history of the LGBT Festival Side by Side when the opening ceremony of the 12th festival in St. Petersburg was interrupted on Thursday evening by a bomb threat. Being regularly disrupted by hoax bomb threats, pickets of conservative activists, and even by the anti-gay…