Publications

Anna Efremova Fyodor Tyutchev, daguerreotype. 1848-1849. Fragment / mos.ru (CC BY 4.0) Probably everyone has heard the famous lines "Russia is a thing of which the intellect cannot conceive..." by Fyodor Tyutchev at least once. December, 5 marks the 220th anniversary of the poet's birth. Yet, he never considered poetry to be his life's mission and was preoccupied with matters of a global scale. Mr.Tyutchev fought his war focusing on relations between Russia and the West, the origins of mutual misunderstanding, and the origins of Russophobia. When you read his works today, it feels as though...

Igor Yelkov Photo: Astrakhan Oblast Governor's Administration Press Service and Information Department / edu.gov.ru (CC BY 4.0) 258 million people in the world speak Russian: 146 million in the Russian Federation and 112 million abroad. But the situation is not static. Somewhere Russian language is "abolished" along with Russian culture. Somewhere, on the contrary, it is in demand. The number of Russian schools is growing in Uzbekistan, some Russian classes have been opened in Laos after a 30-year break, Tajikistan has a high request on our teachers. FOR...

Sergey Vinogradov 17-year-old Dmitry Pinchuk from Moscow won the world's most prestigious saxophone competition held in Dinant, Belgium, the hometown of the saxophone's inventor, Adolphe Sax. The competition showcased the triumph of the Russian saxophone school, with three Russians among the six finalists. All three are not only students at the Moscow Frederic Chopin College but also disciples of the renowned Russian saxophonist Nikita Zimin. “Of course, we were surprised that three Russians were allowed to reach the finals, let alone win in our time,” commented Dmitry. In an interview with...

Svetlana Smetanina India is currently witnessing a revival of interest in the Russian language and culture. For instance, students of natural sciences are eager to attend courses on Russian culture and folklore at Delhi University. Dr. Girish Munjal, translator and head of the Russian language section of the Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian Studies Department at Delhi University, discusses the steps needed to promote such interest. Girish Munjal – You speak Russian very well. Why did you decide to study it? What inspired your choice? – I graduated from university in the 1980s. A...

Photo: Alexander Borodin Physician, chemist, scientist, composer Alexander Borodin had to be born during Renaissance times, somewhere in Florence, when the same versatile and gifted personalities lived. But God willed that he was born in St. Petersburg, on November 12, 1833. Borodin was an illegitimate son of a 62-year-old Imeretian prince, Luka Stepanovich Gedianov, and the 25-year-old St. Petersburg bourgeois, Avdotya Antonova. In keeping with the common practice at the time, Borodin was registered as the lawful son of Prince Luka’s serf, Porfiry Borodin. Therefore, until the age of 8 the boy was officially his...

Anna Efremova Admiral Yevfimiy Putyatin. Photo credit: wikipedia.org A few years ago, a memorial sign was set up on the shore of Sovetskaya Gavan Bay, a town in Khabarovsk Krai, It reads: "To the glorious son of the Russian state, its defender in the Far East, the founder of the first fortified area on the shore of Imperatorskaya (Sovetskaya) Gavan Bay, Admiral Yevfimiy Putyatin." Three cities have monuments to the Russian admiral not only in Russia, but also in Japan, There is even a museum dedicated to Yevfimiy Putyatin and his expedition. Disciple of the renowned fleet...