in Russia, cleric says

Court ruling to weaken Jehovah’s Witnesses influence in Russia, cleric says

Metropolitan Ilarion stressed his conviction that Jehovah’s Witnesses were a totalitarian sect heavily misinterpreting the Gospels and, on top of that, destroying families Russian Orthodox Church welcomes the ruling of the Supreme Court to prohibit the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, as it destroys the traditional family, Metropolitan Ilarion, the head of Moscow Patriarchate’s…

to mark May Day

1.5 mln people hit the streets in Moscow to mark May Day

There have been neither emergencies nor offences About 1.5 million people hit the streets in Moscow to celebrate the International Workers’ Day of May Day but public order has not been violated, Moscow City police told TASS on Monday. “On May Day, about 1.5 million people participated in public events and gatherings. Police officers alongside…

in Russian-led VE Day rally

Russian embassy in Poland welcomes international participation in Russian-led VE Day rally

The international motorcycle rally “Roads of Victory-to Berlin” kicked off in Moscow on April 2 The Russian Embassy in Poland welcomes international participation in the motorcycle rally “Roads of Victory-to Berlin,” organized by Russia’s Night Wolves bikers, said Vladislav Vybornov, a councellor of the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Poland. “We welcome and…

outh Africa by motorbike

Russian traveler reaches South Africa by motorbike

46-year-old Oleg Kharitonov set off from Moscow on 20 August 2014 A Russian biker has covered 110,000 kilometers solo on his motorbike reaching Africa’s south cape halfway around the world. On Sunday, Oleg Kharitonov arrived at the Russian Orthodox Church near Johannesburg, South Africa. The 46-year-old set off from Moscow on 20 August 2014. He…

Just Between Us, the Russian Way

In my file drawer of doctoral dissertations I will never write is one entitled: “Choice and Frequency of Parasitical Word Use Among Non-Native Speakers of Russian.” My personal parasite phrase is честно говоря (to be honest).

in Poland

Russia’s Night Wolves bikers arrive in Poland

The bikers will visit Warsaw, Wroclaw and Oswiecim, and later Germany’s Berlin, where the rally will be over on May 9 Russia’s Night Wolves bikers, who are on their motorcycle rally “Roads of Victory-to Berlin,” have arrived in Poland to honor memory of soldiers who died when liberating the country from fascists. The participants of…

Russia’s Night Wolves start motorcycle

Russia’s Night Wolves start motorcycle rally in Slovakia

On May 4, the Night Wolves will travel to the Czech Republic Russia’s Night Wolves bikers began their motorcycle rally “Roads of Victory-2017” in Slovakia on Sunday with laying wreaths at the scenes of major battles of the Red Army against fascists, a spokesman for Russia’s embassy in the country told TASS. “The Night Wolves…

St Petersburg’s landmark cathedral to get patriarchal status

Several other churches in Russia, including Moscow’s Cathedral of the Savior, have this status The status of the Patriarchal Cathedral that St Petersburg’s landmark Cathedral of St Isaac may get after its transfer to the administrative control of the Russian Orthodox Church will impart special spiritual significance to it, Alexander Volkov, the press secretary of…

Cheat Sheet for Говорить

The other day I tried to trot out an expression using the words говорить (to speak), так (so) and не (not), and got completely balled up. Now to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes, here’s my говорить cheat sheet.

baby names

Russia’s upper house passes law banning bizarre baby names

The law will ban figures, abbreviations, numerals, obscene words and titles or positions as baby names Russia’s Federation Council upper house of parliament passed on Wednesday the bill, which bans parents from officially giving their babies names that are foul words, numbers, titles or abbreviations. The law will ban figures, abbreviations, numerals, symbols and characters,…

Re-enactment of WWII Battle of Berlin staged in Moscow

Re-enactment of WWII Battle of Berlin staged in Moscow

The audience got to see tank fights, aviation duels, as well as infantry clashes More than a hundred stuntmen, trophy German armored vehicles and restored WWII-era Soviet tanks took part in the re-enactment of the Red Army’s storming of the Reichstag along with the Battle of Berlin in Patriot Park near Moscow. According to the…

to be buried

Poll shows two-thirds of Russians want Lenin to be buried

The poll indicated that 39% of the respondents consider the Lenin Mausoleum a tourist attraction and are indifferent to the issue Most Russians (63%) have agreed with the idea that Lenin’s body should be buried, last year this figure was 60%, a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center showed on Friday. “The…

n Egypt

Monument to Russian poet Alexander Pushkin unveiled in Egypt

The initiative for putting up the bust of the legendary Russian poet in Cairo came from the Egyptian Association of Graduates of Russian Universities and the Russian Center for Science and Culture A monument to the landmark Russian classical poet and writer Alexander Pushkin was unveiled in downtown Cairo on Thursday. A gala ceremony took…

Russian MPs pressing for Lenin to be laid to rest

The legislators also cited the position of the Russian Orthodox Church that Lenin should have been buried some 25 years ago A group of Russian lawmakers has submitted a bill to the lower house of parliament demanding to remove the remains of Bolshevik revolution leader Vladimir Lenin from Moscow’s Red Square, the press service of…

safety plan

Putin approves Russia’s environmental safety plan

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on the country’s environmental safety strategy for the period up to 2025, according to a respective document posted on the online portal of legal information on Thursday. The government has to approve a plan of measures to implement the strategy within three months, the decree says. More:…

into Europe

Spring blossoms under the snow: winter blows back into Europe

Parts of central Europe have experienced “winter comeback” over the past few days Сold weather brought snow to parts of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland and the Balkans. Record low temperatures also hit Central Russia and Ukraine. Take a look at the bizarre weather aftermath in European cities. More: //tass.com/society/942342

Facebook unblocks account of Russian embassy in Slovakia

Facebook unblocks account of Russian embassy in Slovakia

Facebook unblocked the embassy’s account after sorting the situation out and ensuring that the account actually belonged to the Russian embassy Facebook has unblocked the official account of the Russian embassy in Slovakia, the embassy’s spokesperson Nikolai Levshunov told TASS. “The page is available again,” he said. “Unlike the fake account, this page contains truthful…