26.12.2007
How Russians Live
November - December, 2007The following resource is meant to quickly introduce the reader to everyday life in Russia: how Russians live, earn, spend, study, relax, and worship. This news review is part of SRAS's monthly "obzor" publications. For more reviews, see the newsletter for this corresponding month. To receive the free monthly newsletter and obzori by email, simply sign up. Language and Education Stalin Back in Vogue as Putin Endorses History-Book Nostalgia
That rewriting of the history of the ruthless Soviet dictator who killed millions of real and imagined enemies comes from a new manual for Russia’s high-school teachers endorsed by President Vladimir Putin. Kostenki, the Navel of Europe
A team of Russian and American archaeologists recently made a sensational discovery: the village of Kostenki, located on the right hand bank of the Don River, not far from the city of Voronezh, in central Russia, was found to be the cradle of all European nations. Russian Historians to Study Stalin
Historians announced a project Wednesday to increase understanding of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's rule and help Russians come to terms with one of the grimmest chapters of their past. British Council offices to be shut down
The British Council is facing closure of its network of regional centres across Russia after the Foreign Ministry declared they were operating illegally. The Russian language has nothing to fear…
The general consensus seems to be that there are several things wrong with Russian at the moment. One of these is the stampede of new, mostly foreign words needed to describe concepts that didn't exist in Soviet times. Election bounty for universities
Russian universities have been promised a research bounty following the crushing victory for President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in last week's parliamentary elections. Russia tops, South Africa last, in literacy study
Ten-year-olds in Russia, China's Hong Kong and Singapore show the greatest reading ability among their peers, according to a global literacy study released Wednesday. Demographics, Health, Environment Is permafrost preparing a climatic blast?
Journalists and scientists are coming up with many hair-raising forecasts of an environmental disaster where millions of cubic meters of marsh gas, or methane, are released into the atmosphere. Oil Spill Highlights Tragic Environmental Legacy
By some estimates, it will take the Black Sea region's delicate marine environment five to 10 years to recover from the oil spill that resulted from a recent storm. A House Divided: Domestic Violence in the Russian Federation
Fourteen thousand women are murdered in the Russian Federation each year by their intimate partners. Russia Needs Immigrants (But Not So Many)
The infrastructure of the capital, where more than 30 percent of labor immigrants come (over 50 percent, including the Moscow region around the city), is simply not designed to handle such a number of people. Economics For more about labor issues, personal finance, and more, see "Economic News in Review", developed by SRAS and USRCCNE. Science and Technology Russia is actively striving to use its highly educated populace to diversify its economy into areas of high-tech industries and information technology. The effort, however, continues to struggle in large part because of undeveloped infrastructure. Russia Comes Down to Earth
"Russia has returned to interplanetary research!" Polishchuk exclaimed. Putin liked that better. "The lunar flight has been scheduled for 2012, but we moved it up to 2009 to get there before India and China!" Putin Aerospace Push Inspires Soviet Union-Style Bureaucracy
The government has earmarked 674 billion rubles ($27.4 billion) for nuclear energy, 246 billion rubles for aerospace, 149.4 billion rubles for electronics and 130 billion rubles for nanotechnology Putin Answers Questions on Science in Russia
We just had a meeting with some heads of other major enterprises, people with whom we had discussions at the Council for Science. Academy of Sciences Gets New Role
The Academy has also received financial independence almost equal to that of a federal agency. At the same time, the Academy has been deprived of government protection against bankruptcy and will be required to perform an annual external audit. The Academy's annual budget is around 20 billion rubles.
Moscow student catapulted to fame by Russian YouTube site
YouTube recently launched a Russian language service of their site. That site version has now produced its first pop star. Baikonur Launches This Year’s Last Booster Today
Three GLONASS navigation satellites will be launched today, Dec 25th as part of Russia’s program to establish a global navigation system. Journalism Russian TV - the Kremlin's best election friend
President Vladimir Putin occupied the first 10 minutes of Monday evening's main television news bulletin on Russia's popular First Channel, railing against foreigners poking their "snotty noses" into Russia's affairs. Welcome to the World of InoSMI
Russian internet project InoSMI, recently won an award at the country's prestigious annual Runet Russian Internet Awards. InoSMI is composed of the word "foreign" and the abbreviation for mass media. The Fight for Press Freedom in Putin's Russia
With Russia's parliamentary elections scheduled for December 2… most of the country's state-run media have fallen in line. Number Of Russian Blogs Grew 2.6 Times In 12 Months
The number of Russian-language e-diaries, or blogs… reached 3.1 million by late September, Russian e-company Yandex study said. Baltimore Sun closes its Moscow bureau
I am leaving Russia for good in the morning, and so is the Sun. News / Kommersant, Reuters to Launch Internet Portal
Independent Media Publishing House launched RB.ru in the fall of 2007. This undertaking is similar to the project of Kommersant, Reuters and Russian Media Ventures. Culture Cuts?
Recently, the hottest topic among the Russian intelligentsia has been a possible closure of the state-run FM station Kultura (Culture). However, the role of the station in maintaining the country's culture is doubtful. Moskovskiye Novosti to Suspend Operations in January 2008
The decision by Moskovskiye Novosti to suspend operations will not affect the English-language edition of The Moscow News. Religion Russian army gets 1st chief rabbi since 1917 revolution
For the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, a chief rabbinical chaplain is servicing the spiritual and religious needs of Jewish soldiers in Russia's armed forces and various security services. Russia's Orthodox Church Rings In A Revival of Sacramental Sounds
"I have a feeling my soul is singing," said Krupka, who lives in a small town near Moscow. As Nationalism Grows, Kremlin Finds Faith; Forgiving Father Sergei
Booted from the clergy after he declared the jailed billionaire a political prisoner, Mr. (Sergei) Taratukhin decided this summer to recant. State-run television reported his about-face on the local evening news. Patriarch Alexy sends Christmas greetings
Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexy II has sent Christmas greetings to Pope Benedict XVI and heads of other Churches that celebrate the holiday in late December. Russian Orthodox Bishop Discusses Orthodox-Catholic Rapprochement
As Pope Benedict XVI visits Turkey for dialogue with Orthodox Christian leaders, there is new attention being given to prospects for reconciliation between the two major branches of Christendom. Russia's Orthodox church regains lost ground
Since the Soviet Union collapsed, about 6,000 sites nationalized by the communists have been returned to the church, but hundreds more remain under dispute. Putin promises support to Russian Orthodox Church
President Vladimir Putin promised on Monday further strong state support for the dominant Russian Orthodox Church, urging believers to be active in crucial elections in December and March. Putin’s Speech... (Marking the) Anniversary of the Patriarchate's Restoration
“The state will continue to support the Church in restoring and maintaining the historical and cultural monuments transferred to it and in carrying out philanthropic work. Kadyrov Uses "Folk Islam" For Political Gain
Since his appointment as pro-Moscow Chechen Republic head in early March, Ramzan Kadyrov has energetically promulgated a revival of Chechen popular or "folk" Islam. Art, Literature, Film, etc. Putin’s Last Realm to Conquer: Russian Culture (Art)
Just a few weeks ago, the Russian culture minister censored a state-sponsored show of Russian contemporary art in Paris. Swept Away (Ballet – History)
When Rudolf Nureyev defected from the Soviet Union in 1961, he became a legend overnight. He was a great dancer; but he was also a Russian, our Russian, and the instant he threw himself into the arms of the French authorities and declared, in English, "I would like to stay in your country," the cultural cold war seemed for a brief moment to have been won. Russia's athletes struggle to recapture Soviet spark (Sport)
Less than a week ago, Russia was euphoric and believed that it was on the road to the European Championship finals. Russian FA blames media for loss (Sport)
The head of Russia's football association yesterday blamed the country's defeat against Israel on rumours that the Israeli side had been "bought" in advance. New 'War and Peace' Plays Up Glorious Past (Film)
Millions of viewers tuned in to Rossia television on a recent evening to watch the start of the latest interpretation of Tolstoy's classic novel, "War and Peace." Russian Booker Goes to Alexander Ilichevsky (Literature)
Alexander Ilichevsky has won the Russian Booker Prize-2007 with his novel Matisse. The laureate will be awarded with 20 thousand dollars, while the other five finalists will get two thousand dollars each. Metropolitan Diary (Literature)
A very nice ice cream store opened recently at 83rd Street on my East Side block. When I went in for the first time, I was greeted by a fabulous-looking blond saleswoman in her early 20s. She asked me where I was from and, learning that I am originally from St. Petersburg, immediately asked, “Do you think that a recent translation of Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ by Pevear and Volokhonsky is really superior to all others? Solzhenitsyn Turns 89 (Literature)
Despite of his years, the famous Russian writer and former dissident is hard at work preparing for the publication of new editions of his works and frequently talking to journalists about the current situation in Russia, the country's past and future. Appetite for Destruction (Architecture)
Moscow's extraordinary architectural heritage is being wiped out in the ruthless pursuit of a new Russia.
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