On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted off onboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, becoming the first human to journey into outer space. A major milestone for humanity and a triumph for Moscow in the U.S.-Soviet space race, the event’s anniversary is celebrated annually as Cosmonautics Day in Russia. Special events are being held…
At the beginning of Maria Kuznetsova’s second novel, Natasha, a young mother in New York, chats with her grandmother Larissa in Ukraine via Skype. Larissa has the following advice for her granddaughter who is struggling to adapt to her new parental responsibilities: If you train that girl to sleep in your arms, she will become…
“What am I, chopped liver?” Such a marvelous phrase with so many applications. Tyrion, our black lab bounds towards my husband nine times out of ten, even though I’m the one with a full pocket of treats. “What I am I, Tyrion? Chopped liver?” I ask him. It turns out that Tyrion actually loves chopped…
Following weeks of bitter winter weather that held its grip on Russia’s capital despite the start of calendar spring, Muscovites finally have a chance to enjoy some warmer temperatures and sunshine. This winter season was marked by record-setting snowfalls and some of the coldest temperatures Moscow has seen in recent years, making the springtime’s arrival…
With clients like Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, Olesya Kondratyeva is one of the most in-demand nail technicians among LA’s countless bloggers and influencers. With its glitzy celebrity culture, laid-back pace, palm trees and sunshine, Los Angeles is a far cry from her birthplace Tver, a Russian city of 400,000 northwest of Moscow. Kondratyeva, 28,…
The exhibition of painter Robert Falk (1886-1958) in the New Tretyakov Gallery begins with a comment about the leader of the U.S.S.R. “Nikita Khrushchev was not prepared for this kind of painting,” it reads. The painting in question was “Nude in an Armchair.” In 1962 the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist…
The centuries-old rivalry between Russia’s two largest cities took a new turn when St. Petersburg residents found photos of Muscovites climbing on top of their city’s many statues. St. Petersburg tour guide Violetta Vitovskaya on Tuesday shared a photo that shows Moscow parkour athlete Akmal Shakurov standing atop a 100-year-old statue on the historic Rosenstein…
Jewelry makers at the House of Fabergé are hatching an exclusive $2.2 million gift for fans of the iconic HBO series “Game of Thrones” on the 10th anniversary of its premiere: a one-of-a-kind egg inspired by the show. Fabergé’s lead designer Liisa Tallgren has partnered with the series’ award-winning costume designer Michele Clapton and Warner…
The Art Theater (Khudozhestvenny) on Arbat Square was for more than a century the site of openings, cinema festivals, and special events. Built in 1909 by Robert Albert Broksha, it was the third cinema in the city and the only theater especially designed to show movies. In 1912-1913 Broksha had Fyodor Shekhtel, Russia’s finest style…
Diana Vishneva dances through the history of art in the new film, “Imprint In Motion,” that brings together five Russian choreographers, five Russian composers and five halls of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. The one-hour film is a joint effort of the Pushkin Museum, the Aksenov Family Foundation and the international festival “Context. Diana…
While most Russians, as followers of the Orthodox Christain traditions, will mark Easter on May 2, the country’s Protestant and Catholic parishes took part in the Western-style celebrations on Sunday. Marking the holiday amid the pandemic, Russia’s Christian believers had to forgo some Easter rituals such as foot washing and the ceremonial kissing of the…
Russia’s premier documentary film festival has pulled a movie about a gay MMA fighter from Chechnya from its lineup after receiving threats over it. “Silent Voice” tells the story of Khawaj, a promising young MMA fighter who is forced to flee his home region to Belgium after his brother finds out he’s gay and promises…
In 1983 Dr. Harald Lipman came to Moscow as the resident physician for the British Embassy. Yuri Andropov was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the U.S.S.R. and relations between the Soviet Union and the Western countries were particularly tense. After completing his first residency, Lipman returned in 1987 for another ‘tour of duty,’…
Years before I ever tasted it, I was pre-conditioned to adore schnitzel. Maria in “The Sound of Music” listed it along with “cream-colored ponies” and “crisp apfelstrudel” as one of her “Favorite Things” during the famous thunderstorm scene with the pajama-clad Von Trapp children. This inspired the first order of business on my first trip…
An exhibition called “Stillness. Russian Classical Sculpture From Shubin To Matveev” opened at the Manege in St. Petersburg, throwing a virtual bridge across centuries, artists and art forms. The spacious halls of the Manege have been transformed into theater spaces, complete with a foyer, dressing rooms, an orchestra pit, audience seats and stages where different…
The Yeliseyevsky Food Emporium, famous for its grand interior and rich history, is due to close its doors on April 11 after 120 years of service, store representative Gleb Prostakov said in an interview with RT. Once a bustling grocery store on Moscow’s main street, the store is now barely functioning as customers wander among…
Yasho Thierry from Côte d’Ivoire has been performing with the Russian folk music group “Marusya” for the past ten years. Based in the southern city of Krasnodar, the group was born from a chat about musical culture between an African student at the city’s university and the leader of a Russian folk ensemble, Pavel Chelakhov.…
This Sunday, April 4, is Easter for the mostly western part of Christendom, and if you are looking for a beautiful and delicious way to celebrate the day, look no farther than the Oriental Bar at the top of the Hyatt Regency in Petrovsky Park. The family brunch, served from noon to 5 p.m., will…
Major historical landmarks worldwide switched off the lights on Saturday in solidarity with Earth Hour, the environmental awareness movement spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) since 2007. Moscow’s monuments and iconic buildings were among the famous sights that descended into darkness between 8:30 and 9:30 on Saturday evening, adding an air of mystery to…
What is more comforting than a bowl of matzoh ball soup? Is there another elixir that can vanquish the blues, kill a cold, warm up the body, or nourish the soul quite like it? Does your spirit not rejoice when a large soup plate is set in front of you: a rich golden chicken broth…
On March 25, Alexander Lipnitsky, a journalist, writer and one of the founders of the cult Soviet rock group Zvuki Mu, died near at age 68 his dacha at Nikolina Gora. His son, Vladimir, said he had been skiing across the Moscow River when he fell through the ice and drowned. Lipnitsky was a childhood friend…
“I hope to watch a film tonight, and this spring I’m going to watch films by Andrey Tarkovsky,” the self-taught and award-winning film director Dmitry Davydov told The Moscow Times. “I find some information on the internet, and I watch a lot of films so I can focus on the work of the directors. I…
The Non/Fiction international book fair has scrapped a scheduled presentation of a novel authored by jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh, the book’s publisher said Monday. Yarmysh is currently under house arrest alongside nine other Navalny allies and local opposition deputies for calling on supporters to join nationwide protests in his support earlier…
Russia’s Turkic and Persian communities on Sunday marked the first day of the astrological year with the celebration known as Nowruz, or Persian New Year. The ancient holiday marks the time of renewal and new beginnings. Nations that traditionally mark Nowruz believe that a lavish celebration can bring a successful and prosperous year. Largely forgotten…
In its 874-year history, Moscow has grown from an obscure twelfth-century military outpost into a world-class capital city of over 20 million inhabitants. Along the way, the city has been reinvented over and over to suit the needs of its rulers. Ivan the Great made Moscow “The Third Rome” after the fall of Constantinople in…
There is no greater culinary contrast in Russia than the transition from Maslenitsa — the weeklong Shrovetide festival — to the somber beginning of Lent, the long fast which precedes Easter. From buttery pancakes with thick cottage cheese filling, fistfights, and a round-the-clock carnival atmosphere, the mood becomes far more contemplative and the diet positively…
This week the Dal State Literature Museum held the opening of a new project and exhibition. The museum is opening a new section on the history of 20th century literature, which they launched with an exhibition called Osip and Nadezhda Mandelshtam Street. The exhibition was made in collaboration with the Mandelshtam Center at the Higher…
Russian investigators said Thursday they will examine the lyrics of the country’s entry to this year’s Eurovision song contest after it angered conservative groups. Manizha Sangin, known as Manizha, is set to perform the song “Russian Woman” at the annual competition in The Netherlands during May. It praises the strength of Russian women, urging them…
A Siberian pianist sparked an uproar Tuesday with a speech against “state repression” at a concert honoring Italian-born French concert pianist Vera Lotar-Shevchenko, who spent eight years in a Soviet gulag prison camp in Siberia. Timofey Kazantsev was nearly hauled offstage at the Novosibirsk Philharmonic after urging attendees to sign a petition demanding the release…
Moscow-based artist Yevgeniy Naumuv aims to breathe new life into the city’s gloomy urban landscape by turning them into Renaissance-inspired artworks. A resident of the Vykhino neighborhood located in Moscow’s outskirts, Naumov defines his art style as “Vykhino Renaissance,” saying it reveals the romantic side of life in gray residential apartment blocks. The young artist…
New materials meet new technology, street art and personal dreams at the new exhibition at the State Russian Museum devoted — for the first time in its history — exclusively to the works of Gen Y artists. Called “Millennials in Contemporary Russian Art” and hosted by the museum’s Marble Palace, the exhibition is an attempt to create…
Russia’s only active female cosmonaut has inspired the latest astronaut Barbie doll from Mattel’s campaign to inspire women, the country’s space agency announced Tuesday. Anna Kikina, 36, is set to become the fourth Russian woman to go into space with a fall 2022 mission to the International Space Station a decade after her admission to…
In Russia, the last week of the pre-Lenten season is traditionally marked by the Maslenitsa folk festival. Best known for its signature food, bliny (thin pancakes), Maslenitsa week signifies the bridge between winter and spring and culminates with weekend open-air festivals in cities and villages across Russia. Here is a closer look at how Russians…
Kazakh DJ Imanbek Zeikenov has snagged a Grammy for Best Remixed Recording for “Roses,” a chart-topping remake of rapper SAINt JHN’s melodic hit that went viral on TikTok and racked up over 1 billion plays on Spotify. The 20-year-old self-taught producer and ex-rail transport worker from northern Kazakhstan became the first artist from a post-Soviet…
It has been an unprecedentedly long, unrelentingly cold, and oppressively dark winter. And while spring may still be a ways away, this week I caught subtle hints of its eventual arrival: an unexpected shaft of amber afternoon light; optimistic early morning birdsong; and a slight softening of the air on my face, as if I’d…
On Tuesday Russia’s best-selling novelist Guzel Yakhina presented her third novel, “Train to Samarkand” (Eshelon na Samarkand), in an online press conference. Yakhina took Russia’s literary world by storm in 2015 with the publication of her first novel “Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes.” It won the Yasnaya Polyana and Big Book awards, was translated into over…
Russian movie distributors have self-censored a gay sex scene from “Supernova,” a British love story starring Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth that was released in Russia on Thursday, media reported. Citing viewers who had also watched the original edit, the DTF culture and tech platform said “at least one scene where the characters try to have sex…
At the end of 2020 just before all museums were closed in Moscow to contain the second wave of the coronavirus, the Museum of Moscow opened “100 Years Old: VKHUTEMAS, School of the Avant-Garde.” Lauded as one of the most important cultural events in the capital, it immediately had to close until a few weeks…
A Kyrgyz ballet troupe’s refusal to perform in a show featuring stars from Russia is shining light on the woeful condition of state-funded culture. On March 6, local performers who had been due to support Russian leads in a production of Swan Lake took to the stage of the State Opera and Ballet Theater in Bishkek…
International Women’s Day remains one of Russia’s most beloved holidays, even though its popular meaning has evolved over the years. In the Soviet era, the holiday celebrated the revolutionary struggle for equality, a far cry from today’s flowery celebration of womanhood and femininity. Though the holiday’s critics blame it for re-enforcing harmful gender stereotypes, March…
“The Charmed Wife,” Olga Grushin’s fourth novel, is not easy to categorize. It isn’t a fantasy, although certainly much of it is fantastical. It isn’t a parody of fairy tales, although it does poke fun at the Disney-like sweetness of “happily ever after.” It isn’t the story of women’s lives, although it does follow the…
“How’s March 8 shaping up,” I asked my Russian husband on our morning walk. “Just fine,” he said, “absolutely fine.” “Because,” I said, “we’re still sort of in lockdown, you know, and we aren’t expecting anything over the top — “ “It’s fine!” he hollered, which stopped me from offering to help him shop for…
International Women’s Day may have started out as a way to support women workers, but it has morphed into a day to fete, celebrate, and treat the favorite women in your life. The Hyatt Regency in Petrovsky Park offers to ways to share some love — while enjoying great food, music and ambiance. Heritage Restaurant Brunch…
Four Russians and one Ukrainian photographer have been shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Sony World Photography Awards. Works by Sasha Bauer, Fyodor Savintsev, Alexey Pavlov and Igor Kryukov of Russia, as well as Maryna Masel of Ukraine, were selected from a record-breaking number of over 300,000 entries from 220 countries. Another notable entry, a portrayal…
At the end of the 19th century, the director of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, had an idea for a ballet based on a tale by Charles Perrault called “La Belle au bois dormant.” Vsevolozhsky wrote the scenario and sketched the costumes for the ballet, which would be called “Sleeping Beauty,” and…
Gulag History Museum The Gulag History Museum has been awarded the 2021 Council of Europe Museum Prize. The prize, which has been awarded since 1977, is given yearly to a museum that has made a significant contribution to understanding the European cultural heritage and has promoted respect for human rights and democracy. Speaking on behalf…
Residents of Russia’s northwestern Leningrad region were fortunate to have a rare glimpse at the aurora borealis, the natural phenomenon also known as the northern lights. The aurora could be seen in the parts of Lake Ladoga both on Monday and Tuesday night and was visible enough to be captured by local Instagrammers. Resulting from…
Outdoor sports lovers from around the world arrived in Siberia last month for the annual Lake Baikal winter games. Each year, racers brave ice, wind and snow — not to mention bone-chilling temperatures — as they ski, bike and skate across the world’s largest freshwater lake. Here’s a look at some of the frozen feats…
Siberia is not generally known as a holiday resort. In tsarist and Soviet times, Siberia was where criminals and political convicts were sent, and it was also a region of rich natural resources. In 1912 the Sheregeshev brothers discovered iron ore in the mountainous region of Gornaya Shoriya to the south of present-day Kemerovo. At…
I suffer intense performance pressure when I contemplate making Medovik, Russia’s beloved multi-layer honey cake. I’m cognizant that this is, hands down, every Russian’s absolutely favorite cake, ever since Alexander I’s wife, Empress Elizabeth, a confirmed honey hater, fell in love with a Medovik made by a new chef in the palace kitchen blissfully unaware…
While the first day of calendar spring is just around the corner, the brutal Russian winter has yet to ease its grip. This week, abnormally cold temperatures have been recorded across the country — with Russia’s second-largest city St. Petersburg battling one of the heaviest onslaughts of snow. Within days, Russia’s imperial capital was covered…
Sand master Yelena Kadyrova touches sand on the table, and on a big screen, spectators see waves, a ship, and the Little Mermaid swimming on the waves. Each scene stays on the screen for no more than a couple of seconds. Actors, musicians, and a storyteller help to give life to the story unfolding and…
A ballerina from St. Petersburg’s renowned Mariinsky Theatre has filmed herself dancing on the ice of the Gulf of Finland in a move to save a local beach from development. Ilmira Bagautdinova is one of thousands speaking out against plans to construct a port terminal for grain shipments on Batareinaya Bay, a beach roughly 100…
As Kirill Serebrennikov steps down as the director of the Gogol Center this week, it will signal an end of an era for this theater. The dismissal was to be expected after Serebrennikov was found guilty of embezzlement last summer and got a suspended sentence on what most observers believe to be completely trumped-up charges.…
One hot day in August an older gentleman in rather poor health decides to celebrate the fine weather with a walk through his favorite forest on the outskirts of a European city. Tired from his walk, he wends his way to a small town, past a soaring old cathedral to an outdoor restaurant in the…
Defenders of the Fatherland Day is upon us, that most masculine of all holidays. Feb. 23 nominally celebrates the foundation of the Red Army in 1918, during a hastily organized rout of Kaiser Wilhelm’s forces in the waning months of World War I. No sooner was the Red Army founded than it locked horns with…
South African comedian Mamello Mokoena, better known by his stage name Mum-z, came to Russia to be with his girlfriend. A year later, he still finds himself in a pandemic-forced affair — with the country. Mum-z came to Moscow for the first time last February, planning to spend several months with his romantic partner. “When…
Andrei Myagkov, an actor most famous for his role of Zhenya Lukashin in the 1975 New Year’s hit, “Irony of Fate,” directed by Eldar Rozanov, died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 82 at his home in Moscow. Myagkov was born in Leningrad in 1938 and graduated from the Moscow Art Theater…
The “Fabergé: Jeweler to the Imperial Court” exhibit at the Hermitage Museum finds itself at the center of a scandal about fakes. It began with an accusation by one Russian art dealer about another Russian art dealer. On Jan. 10 André Ruzhnikov, a London-based art and antiques specialist, wrote an open letter to the head…
Film lovers, particularly those who love films from the early golden age of Soviet films, are in luck. Two collections are now available online, and one modern series with a retro theme is about to air. Kino Klassika Kino Klassika was founded in 2015 as a U.K. charity to preserve and make available Soviet classical…