Tag Archives: Saint Petersburg
The Cosmic Cock of War
Early Monday morning, as Kyrgyzstan continued its descent into ethnic bloodbathery, a small band of nine warriors gathered at the Liteiny Bridge in St. Petersburg to celebrate the birthday of Che Guevara. It was just getting dark at 1:30 am … Continue reading
'Put away your bubbles!' and other neo-Nazi funnies
On Sunday, a flash mob of 500 gathered in St. Petersburg to partake in an annual tradition: blowing bubbles to celebrate the arrival of spring. This time, they were met by another mob, this one of 30 suspected neo-Nazis who … Continue reading
Putin opens Moscow Fashion Week with a mystery photo
It’s fashion week in Moscow, so I thought it fitting that we open it with this photograph of Dear Leader Vladimir Putin. Unlike prior photographs of DLVP, which show him mastering nature with his bare chest, this one is, um, … Continue reading
Russia's Olympic self-flagellation, Plushenko's whining continue apace
If you can believe it, Russia still hasn’t gotten over its sixth place finish in the medal count (eleventh, if you’re counting golds). Yesterday, President Dmitry Medvedev held an award ceremony at the Kremlin for the Russian Olympians that brought … Continue reading
Affordable, corruption-free furniture from IKEA Russia
IKEA, which is hugely, insanely popular in Russia, has fired two top managers for “closing their eyes” to corruption, including Per Kaufmann, who is in charge of Central and Eastern Europe for the company. Kaufmann, ironically, made a splash this … Continue reading
Follow the money
Vladimir Putin is from St. Petersburg. Most of Putin’s best freinds — the so-called “siloviki” — are from St. Petersburg. And so it makes sense, right?, that he loves the city so much that he would want to expand its … Continue reading
Celebrate good pipes
Putin’s birthday may have already passed — he turned 57 on October 7 — but that doesn’t mean he has properly celebrated it yet. For that, there’s tonight and a big private blow-out on Lake Valdai, just south of St. Petersburg. … Continue reading
Incapacitating, soul-crushing beatings for all, or "welcome to the unit, son"
Last week, in a post associated with October 1, army draft day in Russia, I talked about the widespread phenomenon of “dedovshchina,” the “rule of the elders” that subjects recruits to beatings, hazing, robbery, enslavement and murder from their superiors. … Continue reading
