Vladimir Aniskin, by day a farm equipment researcher (pdf), makes gorgeous Faberge-like creations, haunting and whimsical metaphors of war and peace, and more in extreme miniature. Moscow reporters have entered him in a competition (Russian-language page) for the strangest hobby practiced in Russia. Via the ever-brilliant aldaily.com.
posted by By The Grace of God on Dec 8, 2004 - 7 comments

Life in Vladimir An amateur photographer would like to introduce you to Vladimir, one of the most beautiful cities of ancient Muscovy. Via Seelangs, a list serve for Slavic and East European Languages.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk on Sep 15, 2004 - 1 comment

Russian TV broadcasts siege video: [BBC link: RealPlayer/RealAlternative/Windows MPC] SFW
Unknown provenance of footage, but clearly genuine. Terrorist uses 'Dead Man's Brake' switch on a bomb, also shots of Hoop Bombs'. Beware: NewsFilter
posted by dash_slot- on Sep 7, 2004 - 39 comments

Russian Plane Crashes, Another Missing.
posted by johnnydark on Aug 24, 2004 - 41 comments

"People had to leave everything, from photos of their grandparents to cars." One brave (or foolish, depending on your view) girl, and her Kawasaki motorcycle take a tour through the Chernobyl "dead zone". An astounding an eyewitness photo-essay of chernobyl today. (Note that the first link is a google cache, but subsequent pages are available from the site when you click the "next page" link...Angelfire, go figure.)
posted by dejah420 on Mar 8, 2004 - 15 comments

If you refer to Russia as the Soviet Union three times while discussing foreign affairs should you really be President of the United States?
posted by Mick on Dec 2, 2003 - 72 comments

Russian Prisoners Sing for Freedom
A strange take on the whole American Idol concept, prisoners in Russia were allowed to take part in a singing competition to get freed. Of the 26 finalists, six were freed. That only leaves just about a million prisoners left. I'm curious about the precedent this sets.
posted by fenriq on Oct 28, 2003 - 6 comments

CEO of Russia's largest oil company in jail The guy sounds like a crook to be sure; but its an interesting contrast to the US. When was the last time in this country someone with limitless financial resources was thrown in jail? Is Key Lay in jail? How about Bernie Ebbers? (Worldcom getting Iraq contracts is of course another story) Jeff Skilling? With all the talk of crony-capitalism anymore its easy to get desensitized. But to get a reality check on how to treat toplevel white-collar crime from Russia of all places is sobering.
posted by H. Roark on Oct 26, 2003 - 23 comments

The Museum of Anti-Alcohol Posters from Russia's 80's anti-alcohol campaign
posted by mathowie on Jun 18, 2003 - 16 comments

Russian History. 'Few nations have as colorful and vivid a history as Russia. At times torn between the East and the West, sometimes buffering the two, Russia has always been a pot of enormous ethnic diversity which refuses to melt. The result has been a mixture of socialism and capitalism, of east and west, Christianity and Islam with a bit of social experimentation thrown in. '
A Chronology of Russian History; the Russian Assembly of Nobility; the History of Moscow; the Khazars; the History of Jews in Russia; Treasures of the Tsars; Soviet and Russian Technology; Soviet Archives Exhibit.
posted by plep on Apr 22, 2003 - 8 comments

The joke has become reality.
Albanian and Russian observers sent to monitor American elections... [via Cursor]
posted by talos on Nov 1, 2002 - 49 comments

Russian Forces Set Hostages Free. Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Vasilyev said about three dozen of the estimated 50 hostage-takers had been killed and Federal Security Service director Nikolai Patrushev said, contrary to earlier reports, that none of the gunmen had escaped. Terrorism loses again.
posted by David Dark on Oct 26, 2002 - 93 comments

In the midst of all the talk of possible terrorist deployments of Weapons of Mass-Destruction, this seems like a somewhat dramatic, if effective, approach to pre-empting the threat of blackmarket nuclear proliferation. The co-operative approach adopted by the U.S and Russia - and presumably the Yugoslav Government itself - also seems encouraging. Should this 'surprise-attack' approach now be used to negate the threat posed as nuclear facilities are decommissioned worldwide??
posted by Doozer on Aug 23, 2002 - 3 comments

Farmland for sale. $80-100 trillion. Russia's lower house of parliament on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow the sale of Russian farmland for the first time since the days of the czars, but would bar foreigners from buying it.. foreign companies could still purchase Russian land through subsidiaries that are majority Russian-owned.
posted by stbalbach on Jun 26, 2002 - 3 comments

The good news is that there is no religious war, the bad news is that a time bomb blast killed 7 in a Russian market; 14 Christians were killed in Indonesia; a 5 year old killed and three other under 15 injured in Israel. All in one day.
posted by semmi on Apr 28, 2002 - 10 comments

The 12th Annual Golden Hairy Ass Award "Every year, for over a decade now, the eXile has been presenting its Golden Hairy Ass awards to the best, the worst, and the hairiest of things-Russian."
posted by kirkaracha on Apr 28, 2002 - 5 comments

More than one way to get your hands on nuclear material. You probably know that Russia's ability to keep track of nuclear material is something that keeps a lot of people in the US military up at night....but is it possible that the problems are worse than we thought? (more inside...)
posted by PeteyStock on Mar 18, 2002 - 6 comments

"The PRAVDA Forum" in English. Vlad Putin's homeboys serve up Colombian FARC manifestos, and grin- "Let's roll!" They invite you to mix it up with black blockers, American hawks, meglomaniac spymaster wannabes, Osama fans, Nazis and ethnic cleansers, irate Israelis, Pakstanis, Indians, hardcore feminists, peaceniks, dolphinsavers, conspiracy theorists, and the Chinese. Free speech in wartime, Russian Communist style. (Warning: Offensive content guaranteed.)
posted by sheauga on Feb 23, 2002 - 8 comments

Captures from a video of an attack on a Taliban BMP. All I have to say is "holy crap." Graphic. Interesting. Discuss amongst yourselves.
posted by manero on Jan 25, 2002 - 24 comments

According to this editorial, the Russians have outmaneuvered the US oil interests by encouraging the Northern Alliance to take Kabul. "The alliance is now Afghanistan's dominant force and, heedless of multi-party political talks in Germany going on this week, styles itself as the new "lawful" government, a claim fully backed by Moscow."
posted by electro on Nov 28, 2001 - 14 comments

The Politics of Central Asia "The US will be under pressure to pitch its tent in Russia's back yard and help to clean the place up."
posted by kliuless on Oct 3, 2001 - 2 comments

The eXile's take on the rush to war.
posted by GriffX on Sep 26, 2001 - 6 comments

Russia not willing to help? Meanwhile, Nikolai Kovalyov, the former head of the Russian FSB security service, warned the US that an attack on Afghanistan would fail to capture Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the atrocities, and would backfire on the US. "In Afghanistan's mountainous terrain it takes a trainload of explosives to destroy three militants," he said. "The chance of hitting bin Laden is zero."
posted by rushmc on Sep 15, 2001 - 17 comments

Farewell, eXile Russia's caustic English-language bi-weekly, The eXile, has been sold to a Dutch media company and its expat editors have been forced to resign. The magazine, which has pulled nary a punch in its quest to both inform and disgust, will apparently become just another inoffensive local guide to sports and entertainment in Moscow.
posted by tpoh.org on Sep 1, 2001 - 4 comments

Remember the Kursk? It was discussed in length here last year. Now the Russians are going to haul it up, because they don't want US salvage divers to see what their best technology looks like. But the people involved in the rescue attempt last year charge that the haste is risky, and could lead to serious consequences if those reactors were to rupture.
posted by Ezrael on Jul 17, 2001 - 15 comments

Russia-China alliance emerges as a foil to US The enemy of my enemy is my friend.... Not! Post cold war alliances do indeed make strange bedfellows. Does this mean Vodka will now be served with Kung Pao chicken?
posted by Rastafari on Jun 15, 2001 - 24 comments

Russia in crisis as vodka runs out. The situation is dire. Riots are threatening to break out. All because Russian businesses actually decided to obey a poorly thought out law for a change.
posted by andrewraff on Jun 5, 2001 - 3 comments

Capitalism wins! Does anyone need more proof than seeing sponsors in Russia's mission control room?
posted by jdiaz on Mar 22, 2001 - 9 comments

Russia suspends dismantling weapons: “IF THE NMD (national missile defense) is deployed in the United States, we will have to forget about reductions of strategic offensive weapons,” said Yuri Kapralov, director of Russian Security and Disarmament.
posted by owillis on Mar 12, 2001 - 16 comments

The Andromeda MIR Strain. Russia pushed back the MIR deorbit dates by another two weeks on Tuesday. Meanwhile, questions have surfaced about whether the mutant micoorganisms that inhabit the station will survive the fiery decent. Just another sci-fi story? Or should we be worried both about the ISS and Biosphere One (a.k.a. Earth)?
posted by iceberg273 on Mar 8, 2001 - 15 comments

The first "space tourist" is scheduled be lifted to the ISS by the Russians, in exchange for millions of dollars, on 30 April.
posted by jammer on Jan 31, 2001 - 9 comments

Is this really very likely to happen? The Russians plan a new space station.
posted by davidgentle on Jan 10, 2001 - 3 comments

Former Russian Prime Minister Suing George W. Bush The irony is, Bush's statements were probably true
posted by owillis on Oct 12, 2000 - 1 comment

Live Russian TV Interesting even though I don't know what they're saying. Rumor has it that you can also see some live Olympics action there too
posted by owillis on Sep 24, 2000 - 3 comments

Sometimes, I'm proud to be a commie, heh. well, a russian. whichever. ohh, and here is photo 1, and photo 2 too.
posted by tiaka on Aug 24, 2000 - 4 comments

When headlines... Those sadistic Russians.
posted by owillis on Aug 18, 2000 - 4 comments

What's more refreshing than the blue screen of death? The Professor Solonin Vodka Company recently launched a new beer using a variation of the infamous Microsoft trademark - Windows 99. Russian trademark law allows registration of similar, if not identical trademarks as long as they are in different product categories. If Microsoft decides to litigate, it's basically a whack of free advertizing for these jokers.
posted by grant on Jan 3, 2000 - 0 comments