Archive for 'News'
Russian News: Protests Against Church Construction in Yekateriburg Posted by Maria on May 20, 2019
You might have read in the news that residents of the city of Yekaterinburg are protesting the construction of a church in place of a park, and it’s even come to clashes with the police. Let’s look at some of the background and coverage of this situation. Where is this again? Yekaterinburg, Екатеринбу́рг in Russian…
News in Russian: Kazakhstan President Steps Down (Sort Of) Posted by Maria on Mar 25, 2019
A big story from the post-Soviet region (постсове́тское простра́нство) is that the president of Kazakhstan (Казахста́н) has resigned after nearly 30 years in power. Since Russian has official status in Kazakhstan and since this story is being widely covered in Russian-language media in several countries, I thought we should look at how it’s being reported…
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…
Why a Sportswear Ad Campaign Blew Up in Russia Posted by Maria on Feb 28, 2019
We are now hitting the “gender” holiday season in Russia. Defender of the Fatherland on February 23 is usually seen as “men’s day,” and March 8 is International Women’s Day. Incidentally, a recent ad campaign by Reebok has started a heated debate—and backlash—around the subject of gender roles, feminism, and appropriate behavio(u)r. A couple of warnings…
Poll: Most Russians Miss USSR Posted by Maria on Jan 2, 2019
The Russian pollster Levada Center recently published thought-provoking, if unsettling, findings: Most Russians said they missed the Soviet Union. We will look at the detailed results of this survey and some possible explanations. You can read the pollster’s report in Russian. More People Miss the USSR The main finding of the poll (опро́с), conducted in late…
Russian News: Crackdown on Musicians Posted by Maria on Nov 29, 2018
If you follow Russian news, you might have heard that several performers have had their concerts canceled lately—for various reasons (or excuses?). Many commentators and the musicians themselves argue that the cancellations were motivated by a sort of “moral panic” over the bad influence of the affected bands on the Russian youth. Let us take…
3 Trending Topics on Russian Twitter Now Posted by Maria on Nov 15, 2018
Do any of you follow any accounts posting in Russian on Twitter? I follow a few journalists and organizations. We have posted about ideas on who to follow on social media before. Take a look at what was trending when I was writing this post. Igor Talkov Murder Case Reopened Дело об убийстве Талькова возобновили…