Police Detain Over 1000 in Crackdown on Moscow Elections Protest

For two weeks, the authorities had allowed Russia’s political opposition to vent frustration in the capital’s streets over the decision of election officials to bar anti-establishment candidates from running in upcoming local elections. But after some 22,500 people turned out for a protest in central Moscow last weekend that was approved by city officials —…

On This Day in 1841 Mikhail Lermontov Died

Mikhail Lermontov was born on Oct. 15, 1814 in Moscow to a noble military family. When he was three years old, his mother died of tuberculosis and Mikhail’s father sent him to live with his grandmother in Tarkhany in southwest Russia where he would spend most of his childhood. His grandmother provided a lavish lifestyle…

Police in Moscow Detain Opposition Figures Before Protest

Russian police have detained prominent members of the opposition in Moscow ahead of a planned protest later on Saturday which the authorities have declared illegal and warned could become violent. The demonstration, due to be held outside the Moscow mayor’s office from 2 p.m. local time, is designed to protest against what the opposition says…

Love in Dagestan: Alisa Ganieva’s ‘Bride and Groom’

Alisa Ganieva first came to literary prominence in 2009 when her novella, “Salam, Dalgat!,” which she wrote under a male pseudonym, won the prestigious Debut Prize. The novella portrays a day on the streets of the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala, and the writer astonished audience members and jurors alike when she revealed her female identity…