Publications

Svetlana Smetanina There is a monument to Helena Antipoff, a Russian woman, in Brazil. She was a child psychologist and teacher who transformed the entire school system in this country. It was Helena Antipoff who managed to make a difference in attitude towards children with special needs. She also developed an education system for gifted children. Her legacy includes departments of psychology at local universities, a network of rural schools, and centers for gifted children, as well as the very system of public school education in Brazil that she has founded. Helena Antipoff, the 1930s. Photo credit:...

Svetlana Smetanina This year marks the centenary of the Russian exodus. Above all, it is meant to commemorate our compatriots who greatly contributed to the achievements of mankind with their work and talent. Alexander M. Poniatoff, the creator of the video recorder, was one of those people. His name was inscribed in the world history of inventions. Alexander M. Poniatoff, 1968. Photo credit: Museum of History of Kazan University “A man’s life is not complete unless he has made a contribution to humanity” Mentioning the name of Alexander Poniatoff, a White Guard and an...

Svetlana Smetanina November 19 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Fyodorovich Krusenstern (Adam Johann von Krusenstern) who led the first Russian circumnavigation of the Earth. It was this voyage that enabled Russia to become one of the world's maritime powers and empowered Russian seafarers to discover Antarctica a few years later. Vitaly Sychev, a member of the RGS and UNESCO expert, tells about Ivan Krusenstern’s role in popularization of Russian science, as well as in establishment of the Russian Geographical Society that turns 175 these days. Monument to Ivan Krusenstern in St. Petersburg....

Elena Aizenberg Photo: Alexander Rahr Alexander Rahr, a renowned German political expert, historian and publicist, shared his opinion on the impact that the October Revolution of 1917 had on the subsequent history of Russia, the Russian people and the Russian diaspora. Would Hitler have attacked Russia if it had not been for the USSR? Would bourgeois Russia become a highly developed state? What did the October Revolution bring and what did it take away? How did Russian emigrants live away from their homeland? Alexander Rahr answered many sensitive questions in a conversation with Elena Aizenberg. ...

Julia Goryacheva Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky (UK) is one of the most renowned and active representatives of the old Russian emigrant community, co-founder of the International Council of Russian Compatriots (ICRC), Russian art collector and philanthropist. He told the Russkiy Mir about the history of his family that had left Soviet Russia in 1919 and his public activities. Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky – Rurikovich at the turning-point of times is a book published this year for your 85th birthday. What does it mean for you today to be a descendant of Rurik, the founder of Russia? – Despite the fact...

Svetlana Smetanina Carol Apollonio, president of the International Dostoevsky Society and professor Professor of the Practice of Slavic and Eurasian Studies at Duke University (USA), is a participant of the XIV Assembly of the Russkiy Mir. Quite a long time ago she started studying Russian to save the world. And today she believes that it is necessary to read Russian classical literature to have a better understanding of Russian people. – During a meeting with students at Omsk State University last year, you told them that you had started studying Russian because you wanted to save the world. And today, how would...