Archive for 'History'
20 Years of Attempting to Diversify the Russian Economy – Part II Posted by Nadya on Jun 5, 2020
“Robert has returned to Baku from the east coast of the Caspian sea. He has found excellent naphtha at a depth of 70 feet on Cheleken. Now he has the raw material…” …
20 Years of Attempting to Diversify the Russian Economy – Part I Posted by Nadya on May 27, 2020
– We wanted to wean off oil dependency… – We wanted to do that, and we are gradually weaning off it, by the way. We are really…
Current Events: Changes to the Russian Constitution Posted by Maria on Feb 6, 2020
If you follow Russian news, you may know that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has suggested changing the Russian constitution. Read on to learn what happened, how you can describe it in Russian, and what the reasons for it might be. Background The current Russian constitution (конститу́ция) was adopted in 1993, after proclamations of independence…
Is August a “Cursed” Month in Russia? Posted by Maria on Aug 26, 2019
Did you know August is seen as the month of trouble in Russia? Over the last 20 years, several accidents have happened in August (а́вгуст), which led people to regard August as a dangerous month (“чёрный а́вгуст,” literally “black August”). This post will look at some of these events and the reasons why August may—or…
Talking About Chernobyl in Russian Posted by Maria on Jun 17, 2019
The Internet has been abuzz lately with discussions of the HBO Chernobyl miniseries. The show is based on the real story of an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Powerplant (Черно́быльская А́томная Электроста́нция, ЧАЭС), and its release has reignited interest in the catastrophe, its causes, and how its been covered by witnesses, survivors, first responders, writers…
Kolyma: Russian Documentary About Arctic Siberia and Stalin’s Repressions Posted by Maria on May 28, 2019
Something that’s been widely discussed on the Russian Internet (руне́т) is a recent documentary (документа́льный фильм) by Yuri Dud’ called Kolyma — Birthplace of Our Fear (“Колыма́ — ро́дина на́шего стра́ха“). This film features footage from Northeastern Siberia and interviews with people whose families were affected by Stalinist repressions. The film was created by Yuri…
3 March Political Anniversaries in Russia Posted by Maria on Mar 7, 2019
I follow several Russian news outlets and commentators on social media, and this past week has been filled with anniversaries having to do with politics. As much as I love Russian party games or quirky memes, I realize that many “Russia aficionados,” especially abroad, are more interested in and familiar with Russian history and politics…