Publications

Sergey Vinogradov In December 1769, the decree on the establishment of the Order of St. George as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire was signed by Empress Catherine the Great. It was pointed out that the order should not be awarded for the “noble race”, but for “special acts of courage,” that is, for personal valor. In modern times, the Order of St. George, abrogated in 1917, was revived; the statute of the order was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2000. 20 years ago no one really could suspect that a few years later the St. George Ribbon would become the most important patriotic symbol...

Sergey Vinogradov There is a place in Finland, where they tell about the history of Russia in 15 languages every day, without a lunchbreak. Sveaborg (or Suomenlinna in Finnish) is a fortress which is now part of Helsinki city limits. It was founded by Sweden in the 18th century, then conquered and reconstructed by Russia, which owned the fortress for more than a hundred years, and passed it to Finland in 1917 following the country’s independence. Sveaborg is considered to be the most visited attraction in Finland (more than a million guests come to the fortress annually) and the only UNESCO site in Helsinki. But...

Svetlana Smetanina For a long time very little was known about life of white émigrés in Turkey. Although it was Constantinople that became the main transfer site for hundreds of thousands of refugees from Russia after the October Revolution and the Civil War. Perhaps this gap would not have been filled for a very long time if it were not for the selfless work of our compatriot Marina Sigirji. A few days ago she presented her book “Thank you, Constantinople! In the footsteps of white émigrés in Turkey” in the House of Russian Émigré Community. Marina Sigirji moved to Turkey ten years...

Alla Berezovskaya Constitutional Court of Latvia has debarred Russian-speaking children of the right to study in their native language, even in private schools recently. Previously, such a resolution was passed by the government and supported by the president. According to explanatory notes to the court decision, it was done taking into account “historical circumstances,” “prolonged occupation and Russification.” Let us recall that in April last year the same judges upheld amendments to the law on education, providing that all public schools should teach in Latvian. Despite the arguments of professional experts and...

Anna Genova The market of computer games is huge and extends back for a few decades. The Russian subject line in video games has not lost its popularity for many years. In this review, we will present the most impressive games by foreign studios, stories of which are somehow connected with Russia. There is the mysterious island of Syberia in the video game universe. It is inhabited with mammoths; Baba Yaga and Nightingale the Robber live on it; it is the place for adventures on the Trans-Siberian Railway during the October Revolution, tank battles of the World War II and much more. Syberia ...

Sergey Vinogradov Yaroslavl has hosted the 13th Assembly of the Russkiy Mir, which was dedicated to commemoration and glory of the Russian world. Yaroslavl has never lacked glory and reasons for commemoration – it is one of the oldest cities in Russia that crossed the millennial threshold; it was the stronghold of mass resistance during the Time of Troubles, as well as the birthplace of Russian theater. And Yaroslavl is the first Russian Christian city on the Volga and the oldest city (of the existing ones) on the main Russian river. Yaroslavl is not a million city, and it there are no ski resorts or sea beaches. But it...