Tag Archives: politics
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…
5 Words You Need To Understand Russian News — Part I Posted by Maria on Jul 2, 2019
If you read news stories in Russian, there are certain words that pop up again and again. Understanding these key concepts will help you grasp the writer’s and audience’s assumptions and the overall angle of the article. This post will cover the first two, and Part II will cover the rest. 1. Власть Власть corresponds…
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…
Political Labels That Don’t Mean The Same Thing In Russian Posted by Maria on Oct 16, 2017
Most of Russian political terminology is international in origin, so the words are easy to recognize: демократия, капитализм, либерализм, национализм, and so on. However, the definition of the foreign-language cognate will not always match how the corresponding word is used in Russian. Либерализм Либерализм may have a different connotation in Russian than “liberalism” does in…
Russian History: 25th Anniversary of Coup Attempt in USSR Posted by Maria on Aug 23, 2016
August 20 marks the 25th anniversary of an attempted coup in Russia and the USSR. Many news outlets have published their accounts and analysis of this event. Let us read some of the coverage. Background Ironically, many in Russia, especially young people, have a fuzzy understanding of the events, as demonstrated in the video…
Three Trendy Opposition Figures in Russia Posted by Maria on Apr 4, 2016
If you follow Russian news, you may come across names of certain opposition figures and their conflicts with the powers that be. Yet who are these people? Are they all part of the same group or organization? Do they have the same goals? What precisely do they oppose? Love them or hate them, you may…
How To Argue on Russian Sites Posted by Maria on Feb 19, 2015
I have noticed some passionate opinions in comments to some of the posts on this blog. This blog is not unique in this respect; many websites are home to heated debates. So I thought it might be interesting to learn to navigate online arguments in Russian. 1. Learn the etiquette First of all, you want to follow the…