Global Voices » Donna Welles

Russians React to Obama's Reelection

Donna Welles — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 01:27:56 +0000

With the American elections finally over, Barack Obama now embarks on his second term as President of the United States. Since his first campaign in 2008, Obama's top advisor on U.S.-Russia policy has been Stanford professor and democratic-transitions expert Michael McFaul, who earlier this year became America's ambassador to Russia.

Together, Obama and McFaul have pursued a “Reset” in relations with the Russian Federation. Recent events have led many observers to declare Obama's rapprochement a failure. Two watershed moments animating Obama's critics include the Kremlin-instigated closure of USAID offices in Moscow, and Vladimir Putin's assertion that the United States helped instigate street protests against Russian parliamentary and presidential elections last winter.

Vilhelm Konnander, a former president of the Swedish Society for the Study of Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, as well as a Global Voices author, epitomized the Reset-skepticism in a Facebook post:

[I wonder] what Obama's reelection will mean to US-Russian relations after the failed reset policy.

In his reaction [ru] to Obama's victory, Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev expressed relief that Americans had not elected the candidate (Romney) who insisted on describing Russia as America's “number one geopolitical foe.”

President Obama meets President Medvedev at the Business Forum on July 6, 2009, White House photograph, public domain.

In far more colorful language, Russian Twitter users have weighed in on Obama's reelection with their own commentary. Here is one illustrative, and rather clamorous, exchange:

Shiitman:

А тут есть люди, которые расстраиваются, что ромни не победил?

Is there anybody here who's upset that Romney didn't win?

Smirnov:

я

I am.

Falanster

почему??

Why??

Smirnov:

много раз объяснял же. Обама это предельно мягкий курс. Нахуй он такой нужен нам в России

I've already explained many times. Obama is a complete soft-liner. We in Russia don't need a f—ing guy like that.

Falanster:

ну он же как бы умеренный соцдем, а ромни пиздец, а рашке оба как жук лапкой потрогал

Well, [Obama] is a moderate socialist democrat, whereas Romney is a f—head, but neither is something for Rasha [sic] to shake a stick at.

Smirnov:

[...] сравните администрацию Буша-мл и Обамы по отношению к Москве. ОДНО И ТОЖЕ??

[...] compare the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama by their relationships to Moscow. Are they one in the same??

Kulturtrager:

При Обаме похуизм под видом “перезагрузки”

Under Obama, “not giving a f—” [happens] under the guise of the “Reset”

In other reactions, RuNetizens focused more on what Obama's second term might mean for the future of the United States. Oleg Kozyrev condemned [ru] the American election process, specifically the Electoral College, which he implied is undemocratic. Alexander Kireev cited polling data to illustrate [ru] racial polarization in American voting behavior.

On the lighter side of things, right-wing politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky blogged that yesterday's election results do not indicate American enthusiasm for the Obama Administration, but rather mark the beginning of American's slow march toward stagnation and isolationism:

Победа нынешнего президента США обусловлена не большими ожиданиями от продолжения деятельности президента, а обычным нежеланием американцев менять устоявшиеся порядки. Они консервативны, как и все избиратели. Все боятся: а вдруг новый что-то такое начнет?

[…]

Что сейчас будет делать Барак Обама? Ничего. У него третьего срока нет – ему хочется поцарствовать 4 года, он будет кататься по заграницам, внутренние вопросы ему не решить, их вообще никому нигде нельзя решить, это надо героическое что-то произвести. Поэтому Америка сама себя обрекает на застой.

The victory of the incumbent President of the United States is not due to great expectations about the President continuing his work, but rather Americans’ reluctance to change the established order. They're conservatives, like all voters. Everyone is scared: what would something new suddenly begin?

[…]

What will Barack Obama do now? Nothing. He doesn't get a third term — he wants to rule for [another] four years, he'll travel around on trips abroad, he won't solve any domestic issues — issues that nobody anywhere can solve, short of doing something heroic. For these reasons, America dooms itself to stagnation.

Russia: Religiosity & the Murdered U.S. Ambassador

Donna Welles — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 04:46:09 +0000

Responding to the attack on U.S. embassies and diplomatic territories across the Muslim world (specifically the murder of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three members of his staff in Libya), Russian bloggers have addressed the perceived growth of religiosity in their own country, and used the incident as an opportunity to discuss the wider consequences of political unrest.

Several media outlets have emphasized the connection between these anti-American violent outbursts and U.S. support for the Arab Spring. Evaluating the legitimacy of the recent bloodshed, many RuNet bloggers have questioned the validity of violently “avenging” Western religious liberality.

Blogger Evgeny Schultz contextualized the recent events in the Middle East amid growing religiosity in Russia in a post titled [ru], “Religion on the March: In Libya and Russia”:

Объяснение всегда просто: “Так требует вера, Бог”. [...] Они экстраполируют всезнание, благость и всемогущество Бога на предстоятеля своей религии. И естественно, власть не собирается пропускать возможности мимо себя. Для власти религия – мощнейший электоральный рычаг. Но не понимает власть, что рычаг этот не им подчиняется. И рано или поздно ударит их по лбу. А вместе с ними и всю Россию. Никакие тактические выгоды не оправдают того стратегического тупик [sic], в который ведет клерикализация.

The explanation is always simple: “It requires faith, God.” […] They extend God's omniscience, kindness, and omnipotence to their religious leaders. And, naturally, the authorities don't intend to let this opportunity pass them by. For the authorities, religion is the most powerful electoral lever. But the authorities fail to understand that they don't control this lever. Sooner or later it's going to knock them upside the head — and all Russia with them. There are no tactical advantages that justify the strategic deadlock to which clericalization is leading.

J. Christopher Stevens, United States ambassador to Libya from June 7, 2012 until killed in an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi on September 12, 2012 (photo taken 23 April 2012), photo by U.S. Department of State, public domain.

Schultz's nuance, if one can call it that, has not characterized the reactions of all netizens. Hardliner Orthodox blogger Archbishop Sergey Zhuravlev, for instance, posted [ru] a militant anti-Islam rant in response to the mob attacks on American embassies.

On Twitter, some have aired skepticism about the effectiveness of violence as a response to sometimes offensive material.

In Baku, Azerbaijan, Rahman Haji wrote:

Один идиотский фильм о Пророке перевернул пол мира.Посол в Ливии убит, флаги США срывают с посольств на всем Ближнем Востоке. Просто ужас…

One idiotic film about the Prophet has turned upside down half the world. The [American] Ambassador in Libya has been killed, and American flags are being torn down from embassies across the Middle East. Simply awful…

In Chelyabinsk, Sergei Tretyakov tweeted:

Ирония дня: ливийские мусульмане увидели в интернете ролик про то, что мусульмане – не миролюбивые, обиделись и убили посла США в Ливии

The irony of the day: Libyan Muslims saw an Internet clip about how Muslims aren't peace-loving people, and they got offended and killed the U.S. Ambassador in Libya.

Others have been more ambiguous in their commentary. In Tula, for example, Gregory Bukreev connected [ru] the anger allegedly incited by an anti-Muslim film to the Pussy Riot case.

В Ливии убит посол США за фильм,где плохо показан пророк Мухаммед,а остающиеся на свободе участницы Pussy Riot готовят новую акцию.Подумайте

In Libya, the U.S. Ambassador was killed because of a film that negatively portrayed the Prophet Mohammed. Pussy Riot's remaining members not in jail are planning a new initiative. Think about it.

What is the public meant to “think” exactly? Bloggers seem to be united in disapproval of the mob violence against American foreign dignitaries, but a more vexing issue is Russia's own struggle with religious pluralism, including matters as troubling as homegrown Muslim and Orthodox extremism. The Orthodox Church's own growing influence, of course, was and remains a major concern for secularists following the Pussy Riot controversy.

Russia: 40th Anniversary of Canada-USSR Hockey Series

Donna Welles — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:36:20 +0000

RuNet blogger Vladimir Kharitonov honored the 40th anniversary of the “Summit Series” – eight hockey games played on two continents between the USSR and Team Canada in September 1972. Although Canada emerged with more wins, the series allowed the Soviet Union to showcase some of its hockey talent that had previously been unknown in the West – Valeri Kharlamov and Vladislav Tretiak. Canada's Phil Esposito said publicly that the series’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) was unequivocally the USSR's Alexander Yakushev.

Russia: Pussy Riot's Guilty Verdict

Donna Welles — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:11:30 +0000

Russian and anglophone Twitter users responded to the guilty verdict and two-year prison sentence handed down to Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich on August 17, 2012.

The women were arrested last March after a February performance inside Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior, just before Vladimir Putin retook the Russian Presidency amid charges of election fraud.

Setting the stage

It took the judge several hours to read out the guilty verdict fully, before announcing the two-year sentence. Prosecutors had requested as many as seven years in prison for the women, two of whom are mothers to small children.

Journalist and former New York Times Moscow Bureau Chief Glenn Kates tweeted:

@gkates: Great, great photos by @hegtor of #pussyriot before this incredibly long reading began. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=450091

Specialist in Russian politics, Francesca Mereu tweeted:

‏@francescamereu: The theater of absurd:three beautiful young women handcuffed like criminals; judge reading swear words #freepussyriot

Radio Freedom (Радио Свобода) tweeted a link to an article highlighting the now global awareness about the trial [ru]:

‏ @SvobodaRadio: Полсотни городов мира – для Pussy Riot http://goo.gl/nVivO

‏ @SvobodaRadio [ru]: 50 cities of the world – for Pussy Riot http://t.co/WBJHlpWb

Verdict announced

Blogger and activist Alexey Navalny reported that music heard during the reading of the verdict originated somewhere outside on the street, but succeeded in reaching the inside the courtroom. Some Twitter users observed that the three defendants began smiling.

‏@navalny:В зале заиграла песня PR. С улицы, но очень громко.

‏@navalny [ru]: In the hall, a [Pussy Riot] was played. From outside, but very loudly.

A Twitter account representing the anglophone ‘Free Pussy Riot’ LiveJournal blog added to its regular courtroom updates a note about the music:

‏@Eng_Pussy_Riot: In the courtroom song of #PussyRiot is playing. From the street, but very loud. #Freepussyriot

Mental health issues

The Guardian's Moscow correspondent, Miriam Elder, provided live updates throughout the reading of the verdict:

@MiriamElder: We're now talking about the women's psychological health. Have entered hour three.

Denis Parfenov responded to debate about the defendants’ sanity:

‏@parfenov_:Dear #pussyriot's judge: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” ~ Krishnamurti @MiriamElder

Other twitter users detailed the judge's psychological assessment, highlighting choice absurdities:

‏@ioffeinmoscow: Psychological expertise determines Tolokonnikova has “partial personality disturbance,” bc “makes decisions based on personal experience.”

The sentence is read

‏@TelenL: Толоконниковой – 2 года, Самуцевич – 2 года, Алехина – 2 года. #Хамсуд.

‏@TelenL [ru]: Tolokonnikova – 2 years, Saumtsevich – 2 years, Alyokhina – 2 years. #verdict

Some microbloggers recalled a statement President Putin made at #London2012, where he expressed his hope that the women would not be “judged too harshly:”

‏@RusPoliceWatch: So Putin's “not too harshly” translates into two years in jail. #PussyRiot

Other Twitter users speculated about the trial's historical significance:

@ioffeinmoscow: The judge said one of the reasons for a “real sentence” was to “caution others.” And now you know. #PussyRiot

‏@ForeignPolicy: Pussy Riot: already the most politically influential punk rock group ever http://bit.ly/MVh8DL

Wisconsin-based Jacob Turk tried to remind readers that the Pussy Riot members are not the only Russians facing prosecution for political activism:

‏@randomdijit: Deserves a RT. Not all of Putin's “guests” are photogenic young women. And some get much worse than 2 years rferl.org/content/russ … @RFERL

Finally, an American expat living in Russia, Timothy Post, caustically observed that the duration of the sentence means that Pussy Riot could incite more controversy during the 2014 Sochi Olympic games:

‏@timothypost: So that means #PussyRiot will STILL be in jail during the #Sochi2014 Winter Olympics. Does NOBODY on Putin's team understand modern PR?!?!!

RuNet Echo coverage of the Pussy Riot trial and the social context surrounding the case can be found here and here.

Russia: USA's Hammon Leads Russia to Basketball Semis

Donna Welles — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 01:10:51 +0000

Twitter user @zhenya_jane wrote on the U.S. native Becky Hammon‘s contribution to #London2012: “She's 35 years old, 168 cm tall. Becky Hammon is in the starting lineup of the Russian national basketball team. Thought they wouldn't take her.” In 2008, Hammon faced ridicule from Americans when she gained Russian citizenship in the hope of playing on the international stage. Today she led her team in scoring (19 points, 5 assists) as Russia defeated Turkey (66-63) in a quarterfinal match. Team USA and Russia could meet in the final if Russia defeats France and if Team USA defeats Australia in the semis. Hammon's Facebook fan page is here.

Russia: Bloggers Honor Tupac Shakur

Donna Welles — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 11:23:01 +0000

Although Tupac Shakur‘s sudden and violent death in 1996 at the age of 25 stunned his generation, his life continues to be celebrated around the world. A number of RuNet bloggers, including LJ user papyrus-net, have honored him by sharing his story [ru] from beginning to end on the anniversary of his birth.

Russia: Alexander Semin – Insight into NHL/Post-Soviet Relations

Donna Welles — Sat, 26 May 2012 23:24:56 +0000

An acute sense of euphoria spread across the nation on Sunday, May 20, when Russia defeated Slovakia 6-2 in the Gold Medal match of the 2012 World Hockey Championship. As a whole, the tournament provides insight into the modern interrelationship between the Western Hemisphere's National Hockey League and post-Soviet Russia. Additionally, Russian professional hockey player Alexander Semin provides an example of an instance where these two cultures diverge.

One reason Sunday's victory generated euphoria among Russians is that the 2012 Russian national team was the first to remain undefeated in the World Hockey Championship in the post-Soviet era – the last team to do so was the Soviet Union in 1989. Until the fall of the Soviet Union, political borders nullified the possibility of regular East-West hockey collaborations. The post-Soviet era marked a reorientation of both the NHL and Eastern Leagues.

The 2012 World Hockey Championship provides insight into the interrelationship between the Western Hemisphere's NHL and post-Soviet Russia. The example of Alexander Semin illuminates an occasion where a Russian player has faced opposition within his NHL team, but is highly valued by Russian coaches.

Mr. Semin Released from NHL Obligations

When Alexander Semin left to join the Russian national team after he was released from his obligations to the Washington Capitals, both Russian- and English-language news outlets reported that, as a result of conflicts between Semin and the Capitals’ coaching staff, he was not expected to renew his contract.

Mark Gandler, Mr. Semin's agent, made a statement contextualizing the interests of the parties concerned:

“It was good while it lasted. With the lack of playoff success, with the direction they are going. They decided to change directions. That's within their rights. Alex doesn't fit into that system obviously. It just doesn't make any sense to him. He plays, he did the best he could under the circumstances and he earned his right to be a free agent.

“I think the issue is with the organization, not necessarily with the coach,” Gandler said. “They told us Alex is not going to play short-handed, he's not going to play in the last minute. He's going to get the same icetime as everybody else … Alex is not ready to be a role player. He wants to be a full-time player. It's important to him.”

A comment to an English-language On Frozen Blog post titled, “Pride, Regret, and Questions” suggested that the Capitals’ coaching staff was in fact responsible for the team's playoff performance:

[Why] does it not surprise me that Caps “fans” are blaming Ovechkin & Semin for the playoff failure? These so-called “fans” are an embarrassment to the whole Washington DC area! The team’s superstars bought into Hunter’s system wholeheartedly. That system put a major leash on their offensive freedom. Also, on most nights, the Caps 4th liners got more ice time than the 1st liners. Why is no one asking why that 4th line didn’t put out more on offense? Someone has to score and someone on the ice that much HAS to do more! Hunter’s system was a failure.

Mr. Semin Joins Russian National Team

RuNet Echo discussed in a post titled “NHL Stars Return to 2012 World Hockey Championship” that, in addition to discussing Mr. Semin's future in the NHL, the Russian-language internet was filled with eager tweets, status updates, and mainstream articles pertaining to Mr. Semin's role on the Russian national team.

A Lifesports.ru article was quoted in the publication's LiveJournal blog, which discussed how the Russian national team's coaching staff was eager to add Mr. Semin to the lineup – specifically, he was to join superstars Alexander Ovechkin's and Pavel Datsyuk's line:

Овечкин сыграет с Семиным и Дацюком – Тренерский штаб определился с партнерами для российского суперфорварда.

Ovechkin will play with Semin and Datsyuk – Training staff determined partnering for the Russian superforward

Mr. Semin then made headlines all over the internet when he scored two goals and earned an assist in the Gold Medal Match of the tournament.

LJ user chipstone captured the Russian reaction to Russia's 2012 Gold Medal:

Я не являюсь ни хоккейным фанатом в частности, ни любителем занятия спортом по телевизору в принципе. Но вчерашняя игра нашей сборной поразил. Это был просто фантастический хоккей. Корректный, на огромных скоростях. Комбинационный. Это действительно была не игра отдельных звезд, но звездной команды, жившей на поле единым организмом. Слава нашим ребятам!

I'm not a hockey fan in particular, nor do I enjoy doing sports via TV in principle. But our team's yesterday's game was astonishing. It was simply fantastic hockey. Correct, at tremendous speeds. Combinational. It wasn't a game of individual stars, but of a star team that lived on the field as a single organism. Kudos to our guys!

Aware of the apparent contradiction, RuNet Twitter users passed around a Russian-language NHL.com article titled, “Semin – not the [Stanley Cup], but the Gold,” which discussed how Washington Capitals’ management allegedly perceived Mr. Semin's play as inconsistent, whereas Russian coaches seemed to view his style as dynamic. The article went on to speculate that Mr. Semin's character might be more compatible with another NHL team, such as the Detroit Red Wings.

Hockey World Blog quoted Mr. Semin himself upon his arrival in Europe to participate in the World Hockey Championship:

“This is all just talk. Words can get twisted,” Semin said. “There was no talk at all that I am not going to sign with the Capitals for sure. I have not talked to them [the Capitals] about leaving. And please don’t ask me questions about the next season anymore.”

Russia: NHL Stars Return to 2012 World Hockey Championship

Donna Welles — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:31:46 +0000

Undefeated after seven games, and boasting an All-Star lineup of Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin, and Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian national team will face Norway in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship, tomorrow on May 17.

The 2012 World Ice Hockey Championship is being held in Stockholm and Helsinki. Both cities hosted tournaments during the preliminary round, where eight teams competed for the four slots advancing to the single-elimination quarterfinals. Helsinki's group consisted of: Belarus, Canada, Finland, France, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the U.S., while Stockholm's had: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

Russia started the tournament on Saturday, May 5, with a 5-2 victory over Latvia, before going on to beat Norway 4-2 on Sunday, Germany 2-0 on Tuesday, and Denmark 3-1 on Thursday.

Russia's Emotional 7-3 Victory Over Sweden

Dmitry Mikhaylov announced in his bilinguial blog how the Russian team came from behind to beat the host country on Friday, May 11.

STOCKHOLM – In a highly anticipated match-up, Russia and Sweden met tonight at the Globe Arena in an emotional battle of undefeated teams at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Down 3-1, Russia scored six unanswered goals to win 7-3.

In response to this highly emotional victory, both the mainstream and citizen media outlets of the Russian Internet devoted dramatically increased coverage to the tournament.

Bloggers Respond to Russia's 2-0 Victory Over the Czech Republic

Planet's Sporting World discussed [ru] how, although Russia scored after only 24 seconds of play, the Czech Republic dominated much of the game, but could not capitalize. NHL Pittsburgh Penguins player Evgeni Malkin scored for Russia in the third period, before he and two of his teammates — Pavel Datsyuk and Milan Mikhalek — were charged with minor penalties.

As is often the case when mainstream outlets build attention on an event, many Russian bloggers quoted their reportage, as a way of spreading popular analyses. Ruslan's News reposted [ru] a quote from Evgeni Malkin, taken from a Vesti article:

Тяжело всё выполнить. Но, конечно, здорово сыграли. И в обороне пять минут выстояли в третьем периоде. Это, наверное, дало всплеск эмоций, и после этого мы забили быстрый гол.

It's difficult to accomplish everything. But, of course, we played great. And our defense held out for five minutes in the third period. This, probably, generated a lot of emotion, and afterwards we scored a quick goal.

News Spreads of the Return of Alexander Ovechkin & Alexander Semin

Similarly, news of the return of Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin from the NHL, following the Washington Capitals’ 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers, spread rapidly in both mainstream and citizen media outlets. (Evgeni Malkin's Pittsburgh Penguins and Pavel Datsyuk's Detriot Red Wings were eliminated even earlier, in the previous round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.)

Alexander Semin scores the first goal in the World Ice Hockey Championship final, 18 May 2008, photo by Alexey Chernyadyev, CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons.

Most bloggers framed the story as a homecoming for Ovechkin and Semin, while some Twitter users indicated their familiarity with mainstream journalism, such as Sport.rbc and Lenta.ru.

Lisbeth Armel:

Прочитала, что овечкин любит хип-хоп и r'n'b. представила. 5 минут сидела с фейспалмом.

I read that Ovechkin likes Hip Hop and R&B. I sat down and thought about it. For five minutes I just facepalmed.

Sanya Belovka:

Овечкина и Семина Ждем с нетерпением….В россии….2-1 Вашингтон домои)!!!А Овечкин В ШВЕЦИЮ!!!!

We're anxiously waiting for Ovechkin and Semin….[to be] in Russia [again]…..[He lost] 2-1 to Washington, and now he's homeward-bound.) !!! But [it turns out] Ovechkin is headed for Sweden!!!!

Ilgiz Taipov:

Приезд Овечкина и Семина по разному комментируют, кто то вспоминает его прошлогоднюю игру за сборную, и пишут типа зачем он нужен и т.п.. Надо уметь использовать потенциал этого игрока, а мы то знаем что он может играть, что потенциал у него огромный. Семин тоже хороший игрок, то что с Вашингтонгом Кэпиталз случилось это чисто тренерский просчет.

People are saying different things about the arrival of Ovechkin and Semin. Some recall how [Ovechkin] played [poorly] for last year's national team, and wonder why we need him, etcetera. We have to be able to use this player's potential, and we know that he can play — that he has enormous potential. Semin is also a good player, and what happened with the Washington Capitals was purely an issue with the coach.

Russia: Putin's Return Rouses Online Polemics

Donna Welles — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:03:03 +0000

In the wake of protests against Vladimir Putin's inauguration, the reactions of Russian bloggers demonstrate a wide spectrum of opinion online. That oppositionist activism has suddenly taken on a more radical tone has only further inflamed the passions of already polemicized observers.

In the Eyes of History

Certain bloggers have raised vivid, though not always convincing, historical analogies in their posts about the May 6 protests.

Vladislav Naganov, oppositionist blogger and frequent author at Novaya Gazeta, authored a post [ru] titled, “This is War,” where he compared police brutality on May 6 to the French invasion in 1812, as well as the Nazi offensive in 1941:

Скажу сурово, без прикрас – как оно есть. Это – война. Идёт битва за Россию. Я надеюсь, что каждый, кто до сих пор этого не понимал – теперь, наконец, это понял. Уже сброшены все маски. Расставлены все точки над «i». Отныне война народу объявлена публично.

I'll say this harshly and without embellishment — just how it is: this is war. The battle for Russia is underway. I hope that each person, who didn't understand this before, finally understands now. Everyone's true colors are at last revealed. All the i's have been dotted. From here on out, war has been declared publicly on the people.

In a post [ru] titled, “The Bloody Sunday of the 21st Century,” blogger Sparkman likened the violence outside Bolotnaia Square to the 1905 massacre [en] of protesters outside Tsar Nicholas II's Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.

Собственно, ведь и демонстрация 9 января 1905 года рассматривалась не как начало Революции, но как последний всплеск петиционной кампании, начатой осенью 1904 года – сперва банкетами во славу призывов к реформам, затем принятием либеральных обращений от имени земств, адвокатских и профессорских собраний.

In fact, the actual demonstration on January 9, 1905, is seen not as the beginning of the [Bolshevik] Revolution, but as the final episode of the petitions campaign, which first began in 1904 as a series of banquets celebrating the calls for reform, and then grew into various liberal public appeals from groups of councilmen, lawyers, and professors.

What It Means For the Future

Putin and his wife in the Kremlin's Cathedral Square in Moscow after the inauguration ceremony, (7 May 2012), photo by the Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons.

Rather than turn to the Imperial or Soviet past, other bloggers have focused instead on what the current protests mean for Russia's future.

Viacheslav Egorov, who blogs as jurist_egorov, discussed the recent violence in a post [ru] titled, “Who Scares the Authorities?” exploring possible motives for what he believes was excessive police force:

Чего она боится, заставляя полицию применять слезоточивый газ, избивать митингующих, задерживать спокойно сидящих на земле оппозиционеров Навального и Удальцова, задерживать сейчас спокойно митингующих на «народных гуляниях» Алексея Навального и Ксению Собчак??? Чего боится Власть? Чего боится Король? Революции? Бунта уставшего народа? Так бунт неизбежен, если Власть будет так вести себя. Революция неизбежна, если Правительство (новое) и Король (старый новый) не станут прислушиваться к своему народу!!!

What are the authorities so afraid of that they force the police to use tear gas, to beat protesters, to detain the oppositionists Navalny and Udaltsov, who sat calmly on the ground, and now to detain Aleksei Navalny and Ksenia Sobchak as they protest calmly in the ‘people's walks'??? What are the authorities so afraid of? What is the King so afraid of? Revolution? A rebellion of Russia's weary people? Ah, but a rebellion is inevitable, if the authorities continue to behave as they have. And a revolution is inevitable, if the Government (the new one) and the King (the old-new one) don't learn to listen to their own people!!!

Blogger Nazavrik reviewed [ru] a controversial statement made by President Putin's Press Secretary, Dmitri Peskov, who said that police displayed too much self-control and should have used greater force against the May 6 protesters. Nazavrik posted photos of similar police measures used against crowds in Italy and Chile, arguing cynically that Moscow's police are increasingly eager to hone their skills studying the West's police history:

Он прав. У нашего омона пока ещё недостаточно опыта для разгона массовых мероприятий. На Западе давно уже отточены все действия по применению газа, резиновых пуль, провокаторов, водомётов и прочей спец.техники. На Западе в этом плане и законы жёстче и полномочий побольше. [...] Но теперь, когда стабильность вновь воцариалась в стране, наш омон быстро нагонит зарубежных коллег и все приёмы, годами репетируемые на учениях, отработает на протестующих, действуя жёстко в угоду переживаниям Пескова.

[Peskov] is right. Our riot police still lack the experience to disperse mass public events. In the West, they have already fine-tuned the use of [tear] gas, rubber bullets, provocateurs, watercanons, and other special tactics. In the West, in this respect, the laws are stricter and the police powers are greater. [...] Now, however, when stability in the country reigns again, our riot police will quickly overtake their colleagues abroad, and every technique they've spent years studying and rehearsing will be employed against the protesters, and done so severely, in order to allay Peskov's worries.

A Digital Delusion?

Other bloggers have pointed out that Moscow's street demonstrations are far from the concerns of average citizens, dismissing as hysteria rumors about “revolution.” In a reversal of the typical oppositionist claim that digital and citizen media breaks through censorship to reveal a truer picture of everyday life, Dmitri Kotukov argues [ru] that protesters have constructed a false reality by tweeting and writing endlessly about their adventures with the police:

Несколько дней практически не открывал ноутбук, не использовал айпад, короче как и положено в праздники – отдыхал. Сегодня открыл ленту и удивился. Читаю все эти надрывные истории о столкновениях непонятных людей с ОМОНом, какие-то нелепые призывы куда-то выйти, про марши миллионов-триллионов, революции […]. [...] Что самое удивительное, эта видимость существует только в инете. В реалии люди отдыхают, радуются весне, гуляют, встречаются на праздники.

For a few days, I practically didn't open my laptop, didn't use my iPad, and — in short and as is appropriate during the holidays — I relaxed. Today I looked at the headlines and was surprised. I'm reading all these hysterical stories about clashes between these incomprehensible people and the police, about various absurd calls to march off somewhere, about million-man marches and trillion-man marches, [and] revolution [...]. [...] The most remarkable thing is that this illusion exists only on the Internet. In reality, people are relaxing, enjoying the spring, taking walks, and meeting for the holidays.

Russia: Open Hostility in Moscow Surrounding Putin's Inauguration

Donna Welles — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:52:46 +0000

Both civilians and those charged with keeping order in the city displayed open hostility on Sunday, May 6, when protesters took to the streets of Moscow in anticipation of Vladimir Putin's inauguration.

Russian LJ user gyperbol provided [ru] readers with a detailed city map where the events of the day took place, along with the following numbered explanations:

1. Демонстранты пришли по Большой Полянке.

1. Demonstrators arrived along Bolshaya Polyanka St.

2. Поперек улицы Серафимовича от «Ударника» до угла сквера тянулась тройная цепь ОМОНовцев и солдат внутренних войск.

2. Across Serafimovich St. from the «Udarnik» [movie thater] to the corner of the park ran a triple chain of riot police and soldiers of internal troops.

3. Болотная площадь также была оцеплена и никого туда не пускали. Демонстрантов загоняли на Болотную набережную.

3. Bolotnaya Square was also blocked off and nobody was allowed in there. Demonstrators were driven to Bolotnaya Embankment.

4. Мосты, ведущие в центр, были перекрыты грузовиками и огромными кордонами ОМОНа.

4. Bridges leading to the center were blocked by trucks and huge cordons of riot police.

5. Сцена находилась далеко в стороне, в конце узкого коридора Болотной Набережной.

5. The stage was located far away, at the end of the narrow corridor of Bolotnaya Embankment.

6. Проход к сцене был перекрыт рамками металлоискателей. […]

6. The entrance to the stage was blocked by a metal detector. […]

The Russian blogosphere has surged with photographs and videos of the events that followed when protesters clashed with police.

LJ user berendeishche published several photographs of the more peaceful events of the day, including the sit-in.

Twitter users spread around a ridus.ru article [ru], which included several powerful photographs of people being arrested. One video that appeared (see below) on Twitter showed a giant crowd pushing against a police barricade. (More of May 6 Twitter reactions [ru, en] are here.)

http://youtu.be/Ohoe70Rom8A

Novaya Gazeta's Facebook page posted photographs from one of their articles [ru]. User Nickolai G. Bondarenko, in a comment, included a link to a YouTube video (see below) that showed police using force.

RIA Novosti, a state-owned Russian news agency, published an article on Sunday titled, “Moscow Riots Show Anti-Putin Drive Sustainable – Pundits” along with a photo gallery of images from the day.

Many bloggers have already begun to analyze both the immediate and long-term causes of the clash.

Activist Yevgeniya Chirikova discussed [ru] what she viewed as the two immediate causes of Sunday's events:

1)Сотни тысяч людей вышли зимой на площади с вполне конкретными, осмысленными и реализуемыми требованиями – реформы избирательной системы, перевыборов, отставки Чурова, освобождения политзаключенных. НИ ОДНО из этих требований не было выполнено

2) Преступное и бессмысленное решение полицейского руководства начать разгон “сидячей забастовки” (вероятно, санкционированное на “самом верху”, судя по заявлениям Пескова) – которое, собственно, и запустило насилие

1) Hundreds of thousands of people came out [to protest] last winter with concrete, sensible, and realistic demands – reforms of the electoral system, a re-vote, resignation of [the head of the Central Election Commission, Vladimir Churov], and the release of political prisoners. NONE of these demands has been honored. […]2) The criminal and pointless decision made by the police authorities to break up the “sit-in” (probably sanctioned at [the highest level], judging by the statements of [Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's spokesperson]) – that, in fact, was what set the violence in motion.

LJ user drugoi further condensed [ru] the causes of Sunday's events:

Я думаю, что настоящий виновник произошедшего — нынешняя власть, которая, выкрутив народу руки, устроила жалкое посмешище из основного инструмента управления демократическим государством — выборов. Сначала парламентских, а потом президентских. Люди чувствуют себя обманутыми и точка кипения вчера пришлась на Болотную.

I think that the true culprit of the events is the current regime, which, by twisting the people's arms, organized a pathetic mockery of the basic instrument of managing a democratic state – the elections. At first it was the parliamentary, and later the presidential elections. The people feel cheated, and the boiling point came at Bolotnaya yesterday.

Russia: Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace’ Legacy Today

Donna Welles — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:05:58 +0000

RuNet Echo continues its series examining the 200th anniversary of Tsarist Russia's Victory over Napoleon by examining Leo Tolstoy's novel ‘War and Peace’ and the role it plays today online. Although the book was initially published in 1869, its story begins in July 1805 and progresses through the 1812 French invasion, the Battle of Borodino, and the occupation of Moscow, all the way to the French retreat and rebuilding of Russia.

A recent survey of over 100 respected British and American authors revealed that ‘War and Peace’ is considered to be one of the greatest works of the past two centuries. Russian blogger paradise-apple enthusiastically reported these results in a post titled, “Anna Karenina Won!”

These works were listed as the nineteenth century's best:

‘Anna Karenina’ by Leo Tolstoy, ‘Madam Bovary’ by Gustave Flaubert, ‘War and Peace’ by Tolstoy, ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ by Mark Twain, Anton Chechov's short stories, ‘Middlemarch’ by George Eliot, ‘Moby Dick’ by Herman Melville, ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens; ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and ‘Emma’ by Jane Austin.

Additionally, TheRussianAmerica.com reviewed the authors whom the British and American judges selected as the greatest writers of all time. Again, Tolstoy was listed at the top, followed by William Shakespeare, James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Kramskoy's portrait of Leo Tolstoy (1873), public domain.

On the RuNet today, discussions about ‘War and Peace’ and Tolstoy's literary style are common, often addressing a variety of issues such as the proper translation of the title, the length and depth of the work, and Tolstoy's use of the French language.

Translation of the Title

The title ‘War and Peace’ is written in Russian as ‘Вoйнá и мир’ (Voina i mir). ‘Voina’ is the Russian word for ‘war.’ In the context of Tolstoy's novel, ‘mir’ is traditionally translated as ‘peace,’ although an alternate translation of ‘mir’ in a variety of contexts is ‘the world.’

Recently, two RuNet Twitter users debated whether or not the common translation, ‘War and Peace,’ is what Tolstoy intended, rather than ‘War and the World.’

Evgeny:

Вчера узнал, что слово “мир” в “Война и мир” Толстого имеет значение “сообщество”, а не “перемирие”.

Yesterday I learned that the word “mir” in Tolstoy's “Voina i mir” carries the meaning “the world,” not “peace.”

Sergei:

А я не согласен. Я считаю, что он сравнивал их. Ведь у него через том описывается то война, то мир (перемирие).

I disagree. My reading is that he was contrasting [war and peace]. Why, he writes about war and about peace throughout the book.

Evgeny:

Влияние войны на общество.

[Tolstoy wrote about] the influence of war on the world.

Sergei:

Ты так говоришь, как-будто сам Толстой встал из гроба и тебе об этом рассказал :) Это же не математика!

You speak as though Tolstoy himself somehow rose from the grave and explained everything to you. :) This can't be explained like math!

Evgeny:

Добавь к моему мессаджу “мне кажется”))

Well, add a postscript that this is my personal opinion. :)

Length and Depth of the Novel

Famous for being one of the longest books ever written in either the Cyrillic or Latin alphabets, ‘War and Peace’ is divided into four volumes. The novel is unique for its detailed and realistic discussion of the nature of war. Tolstoy combined his own Crimean War experiences with interviews he conducted with survivors of the French invasion to write something that resembles Thucydides’ ‘History of the Peloponesian War’ as much as it does a traditional novel.

On Twitter, RuNet users often focus on the magnitude of the work in terms of both its size and gravity, frequently referencing other Russian authors like Pushkin, Dostoevsky, and Bulgakov.

Lira:

Школьники, которым предстоит прочитать 4 тома «Войны и мира» очень жалеют, что на дуэли убили не Толстого, а Пушкина!

Schoolchildren, who will have to read the four volumes of ‘War and Peace,’ are filled with regret that it was Pushkin who died [prematurely] in a duel, and not Tolstoy!

Ruslan Tomatov:

Читал войну и мир, только позже, когда проникся мировоззрением толстого. у булгакова до сих пор люблю только записки юного врача

I read ‘War and Peace’ only later, when I appreciated Tolstoy's worldview. Until now, of Bulgakov's I've only liked ‘A Young Doctor's Notebook.’

Tolstoy's Use of French in the Novel

The French language was effectively the language of Russia's nobility, when Napoleon's army invaded in 1812. Tolstoy underscored the elite's relationship to this foreign language by writing parts of ‘War and Peace,’ including the opening paragraph, in French.

In comments following an April 2012 post, Russian LiveJournal blogger dohlik_nemruchi discussed the practice of creating art in a foreign language, comparing ‘War and Peace’ to Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov's award-winning 2011 film ‘Faust,’ which was made in German. LJ user menelik3 reminded readers that some of Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace’ had been written in French, arguing that Sokurov had likely used German simply to incite controversy. dohlik_nemruchi responded that Tolstoy's use of French was a tool to show progression in the novel — that ‘War and Peace’ is initially in both Russian and French, with the latter fading as the plot develops and anti-French sentiments grow.

Some Russian bloggers prefer not to analyze Tolstoy's literary style, instead simply posting notable and perhaps timeless lines from ‘War and Peace’ to their journals as status updates:

**Lovely Girl**:

Обратите все ваше внимание на самого себя, наложите цепи на свои чувства и ищите блаженства не в страстях, а в своем сердце. источник блаженства не вне, а внутри нас…

Turn all of your attention inward, restrain your feelings, and look for bliss not in passion, but in your own heart. The source of bliss is not outside, but inside us…

Russia: The Battle of Borodino Lives On

Donna Welles — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 02:37:37 +0000

In September 1812, France's Napoleon Bonaparte faced Russian Imperial General Mikhail Kutuzov at the Battle of Borodino. After 200 years, through the works of artists such as Leo Tolstoy (as well as legal disputes about the historic preservation of the battlefield), Borodino continues to inspire passion and incite controversy.

Recently, RuNet Echo examined the historical and modern contexts of Russia's victory in the Napoleonic Wars. In this post, we continue that study, focusing closely on the Battle of Borodino.

Napoleon I on the Borodino Heights, by Vasily Vereshchagin (1897), public domain.

Napoleon's Blog describes the strategic significance of the Battle of Borodino as follows:

The Battle of Borodino (Russian: Бородинская битва Borodinskaja bitva, French: Bataille de la Moskowa, fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulted in at least 70,000 total casualties. The French Grande Armée under Emperor Napoleon I attacked the Imperial Russian army of General Mikhail Kutuzov near the village of Borodino, west of the town of Mozhaysk, and eventually captured the main positions on the battlefield, but it failed to destroy the Russian army.

The battle itself ended in disengagement, but strategic considerations and the losses incurred forced the Russians to withdraw next day. The battle at Borodino was a pivotal point in the campaign, since it was the last offensive action fought by Napoleon in Russia. By withdrawing, the Russian army preserved its military potential and eventually forced Napoleon out of the country.

Travel website Russia-Channel.com's blog describes how Borodino's grounds are preserved today (protecting the site of World War II battles, as well):

Located in the Mozhaysky District of Russia’s Moscow Oblast, the village of Borodino is indelibly etched in Russian history as the location of two devastating battles. The historic Borodino battlefield is a protected area that has been preserved as a reminder of the two history-shaping conflicts that took place there, firstly between Russia and France in 1812, and later between Soviet and German military forces in 1941. Within the protected area is the State Borodino War and History Museum chronicling these conflicts in detail, while the former battlefield is scattered with memorials and monuments as reminders of specific events and influential figures relating to both wars.

Russian LiveJournal blogger paluch675 provides [ru] photographs of Tsar Nicholas II and his family at the 1912 celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, featuring images of the following events:

Император Николай II, императрица Александра Федоровна с дочерьми и сопровождающие их лица проходят по перрону железнодорожного вокзала по прибытии на станцию Бородино для участия в торжествах. Второй справа — барон В. Б. Фредерикс. Бородино, 25 августа 1912 года.

Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, and their daughters, with others accompanying, walking along the train station's platform, after arriving in Borodino in order to participate in festivities. Second from the right — Baron V. B. Fredericks. Borodino, 25 August 1912.

Крестный ход к памятнику Бородинской битвы во время торжеств в деревне Бородино, 25 августа 1912 года.

The procession to the Battle of Borodino Monument, during the festivities at Borodino village, 25 August 1912.

In a 2008 post, Russian History Blog discussed some of the more recent celebrations honoring the Battle of Borodino:

People from all over the country and overseas, particularly from France come to this historical event. These people are big fans of history. This celebration took place in 1962. In 1995 it got a status of a historic military fest. During its 190 anniversary in 2002 300 thousand people gathered.

In anticipation of this year's celebration honoring the 200th anniversary, both RuNet and Anglophone bloggers have reported on protracted legal disputes between historical site preservationists and developers. In May 2011, Russia Profile went so far as to announce ”The Third Battle of Borodino.” In April 2012, the Kremlin intervened against illegal housing developments around the historical site of the Borodino battlefield.

Borodino's cultural legacy is not confined to the physical location of the battle — indeed, it lives on in a variety of art forms.

In a post titled, “The Battle of Borodino (A Painting to Remember),” Justin's Systema Blog describes an exhibit found in Moscow's Napoleonic War Museum:

It was an amazing painting, with details of the battle painstakingly captured with the precision of the artist. You could see everything. Hundreds of men on horseback charging each other with sabres drawn, while their comrades on both sides loaded their muskets and fired at each other. Cannons aimed at the opposing armies with smoke covering the battlefield. In addition to the mural which was very large, small huts had been constructed on dirt surrounding the artwork in order to replicate the scene of the battle. There was even a recording which would play in the background; the sound of the trumpet signalling a cavalry charge, followed by the sound of galloping horses, cannon and gunfire. The effect was incredibly impressive.

Finally, summarizing the historical significance of Borodino, Historical and Regency Romance UK blog quotes Napoleon Bonaparte himself:

Although the Russians were beaten they were not completely defeated and Napoleon later said of the encounter: “The French showed themselves to be worthy victors and the Russians can rightly call themselves invincible.”

Russia: The Tsar's Victory Over Napoleon, 200 Years Later

Donna Welles — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:09:27 +0000

Across Russia, celebrations have commenced honoring the 200th anniversary of Tsar Alexander I's defeat of France's Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon's Blog contextualized the Russian Campaign amid the greater scheme of the Napoleonic Wars, as well as other conflicts with similar names:

The French invasion of Russia in 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. The campaign reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength. […]

Napoleon’s invasion is better known in Russia as the Patriotic War (Russian Отечественная война, Otechestvennaya Vojna), not to be confused with the Great Patriotic War (Великая Отечественная война, Velikaya Otechestvennaya Vojna). The Patriotic War is also occasionally referred to as the ‘War of 1812,’ which is not to be confused with the conflict of the same name between the United Kingdom and the United States.

The post went on to examine Napoleon's decision to invade Russia:

At the time of the invasion, Napoleon was at the height of his power with virtually all of continental Europe either under his direct control or held by countries defeated by his empire and under treaties favorable for France. No European power on the continent dared move against him. The 1809 Austrian war treaty had a clause removing Western Galicia from Austria and annexing it to the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. This Russia saw as against its interests as well as being seen as a launching point for an invasion of Russia. Tsar Alexander found Russia in an economic bind as his country had little in the way of manufacturing and being rich in raw materials yet being part of Napoleon’s continental system denied it the trade that was its lifeblood for both money and manufactured goods. Russia’s withdrawal from the system was a further incentive to Napoleon to force a decision.

Patriotic War of 1812 Blog incorporated excerpts from Wikipedia into a greater analysis of the Battle of Smolensk — the first major confrontation of the war:

The Battle of Smolensk, the first major battle of the French invasion of Russia took place on August 16–18, 1812, between 175,000 men of the Grande Armée under Napoleon Bonaparte and 130,000 Russians under Barclay de Tolly, though only about 50,000 and 60,000 respectively were actually engaged.[…]

An initial probing force captured two suburbs but failed to bring the Russians out to battle. Napoleon ordered a general assault with three corps of the Grande Armée, supported by two hundred artillery pieces. This was initially successful, the intense artillery bombardment setting the city on fire but the French forces lacked ladders or climbing apparatus to scale the city walls and were under counter fire from Russian artillery. By nightfall, most of the city was burning. [..]

Technically the battle of Smolensk was a victory for Napoleon as he captured the city. However his soldiers were already running short of food and its destruction denied him a useful supply base, adding to the logistics problems caused later by the Russian scorched earth tactics.

In another post, Patriotic War of 1812 Blog provided a timeline of the major events of the Russian Campaign, including the occupation of Moscow, as well as the Grande Armee's retreat:

1812

August [16-18]: Battle of Smolensk.

September 1: Moscow evacuated.

September 7, 1812: Battle of Borodino.

September 14: Napoleon arrives in Moscow to find the city abandoned and set alight by the inhabitants; retreating in the midst of a frigid winter, the army suffers great losses.

October 19: Beginning of the Great Retreat.

October 24: Battle of Maloyaroslavets.

December 1812: last French troops are expelled from Russia.[...]

Several bloggers of the RuNet have also highlighted the various celebrations around the Russia marking the 200th anniversary of the French Retreat.

In a post last February, 1812-2012 LiveJournal blog discussed [ru] an earlier event in southern Moscow and identified even grander events to come:

The first event was already held on January 7 at the Tsaritsyno palace [ru] (now a museum and memorial grounds), which Napoleon's troops occupied in 1812. ‘Although it was somewhat improvised, around 2,000 people attended,’ said the President of the International War History Association, Alexander Volkovich, who was certain that future events will draw larger crowds. Another two mass events are planned to take place at Tsaritsyno on May 18 and between June 23 and 24. During May's ‘Night of Museums’ [en] festival, the Tsaritsyno mansion will host a large-scale battle reenactment, with several hundreds of people taking part in the spectacle. […] In the summertime, between June 23 and 24, Tsaritsyno will host a ball dance, reenacting the very ball in honor of Alexander I where he first learned of the start of the war.

LJ blogger Residents of Perlovka introduced [ru] an exhibit that will be on display until September, beginning by quoting Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace':

‘The Rostov train on this night was in Mytischi, 20 versts [13 miles, 21 km] from Moscow.’

The blogger then cited the exhibit's designers:

Tolstoy's references to Mytishchi in the pages of his novel inspired us to create the exhibit '1812. War and Peace,’ which describes prominent military leaders (including Denis Davydov [en] — a pioneer of the guerrilla movement that played a vital role in the defeat of Napoleon's army), the combat valor of Russian warriors, the famous battles, the military uniforms and weapons, as well as the perspective of life in the year 1812, and of the Russian nobility in the first half of the 19th century.

Mainstream news outlets have also reported on the 200th anniversary of Russia's victory over the French. An Italian source discussed how a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church has proposed making the French expulsion from Russia into a national holiday. RIA Novosti — Russia's State News Agency — provided several photographs of battlefield reenactments. Voice of Russia joined the coverage, discussing issues surrounding the historiography of the Russian Campaign.

Finally, this author's own blog illustrated the lingering cultural effects of Russia's victory over Napoleon by recounting a past conversation with a Russian-American taxicab driver in Los Angeles:

On one occasion I'd arrived home and, when the West LA van pulled up, I noticed that the driver was the same driver who I'd met on my previous trip. He was from Russia and so I immediately spoke to him in Russian and explained to him that we'd met before. […] Two other passengers boarded the van with me. [...] I translated for the driver and the four of us had a lively conversation about travel and Los Angeles, etc. until at one point the driver suddenly switched to English. He pointed to a sign that said, BISTRO and said in English, ‘Do you know why they call cafes ‘bistros'?’

I then explained in English that the Russian army had fought all the way to Paris during the Napoleonic Wars. Russian officers would sit in French cafes and they'd taunt the Parisian waiters by saying, ‘Bistro Bistro Bistro.’ ‘Bistro,’ I continued, was the Russian word for ‘quickly’ and, as a result, cafes where patrons expect quick service have come to be known as ‘bistros.’

Russia: Evgeni Malkin's Journey to the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Donna Welles — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:40:18 +0000

Evgeni “Geno” Malkin – a Russian-born ice hockey player who currently serves as the alternate captain for the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins – has led his team to the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Born in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk in 1986, Evgeni played for the same Metallurg Magnitogorsk hockey club where his father had served as a defenseman. In 2003, Evgeni represented Russia in the U-18 World Hockey Championships before he was selected 2nd overall in the 2004 NHL draft. By 2009 he'd already won his first Art Ross Trophy.

During the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which were held in Calgary/Edmonton around the New Year, Russia defeated Canada 6-5 in a semi-final before ultimately losing to Sweden in the championship match. The Pens Blog captured Mr. Malkin's playful banter directed at his Canadian teammates via his Twitter account:

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a Feb. 26, 2012 game at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Photo by Michael Miller (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0).

As you probably know, Russia defeated Canada in a semi-final game at the World Junior Hockey Championship tonight. Evgeni Malkin spent the night trolling on Twitter. James Neal got in the act as well. […]

What we've learned from this is that Crosby, Staal, Fleury and Asham each owe Malkin $100.00. Too bad the Pens don't have any Swedish players for the final.

Here are some of the specific tweets the post cited:

James Neal:

@malkin71_ here they come geno

Evgeni Malkin:

I cant wait see Canada lose tonight!!!

Evgeni Malkin:

Whats the score Canada)))))?????

Evgeni Malkin:

Thanks boys))))#87,11,29,45-100$ tomorow please)))))

James Neal:

Anything can happen. What a game. Tough loss for the Canadian boys. Ur lucky this time @malkin71_

Fathead Sports Blog discussed in a February post how Mr. Malkin had taken a leadership role in the absence of the Penguin's Captain, Sydney Crosby:

Even with Sidney Crosby injured, Evgeni Malkin is having an amazing season. Within a three week span in January 2011, Crosby fell to a concussion and Malkin suffered a devastating knee injury. For a team that’s expected to perennially contend for the Stanley Cup, having their future Hall of Famers in doubt was worrisome.

While it’s unfortunate that Sidney Crosby is still sidelined with lingering effects of a concussion, Malkin has dominated this season. One would never guess that he shredded his knee not too long ago because he’s playing at such a high level. At this time, Malkin is leading the NHL with 78 points and has the Penguins looking like the Cup contender they’re supposed to be.

Because of Malkin, the Penguins are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. He has scored five points in a game a remarkable five times this season. Five times! In the modern day NHL, that is simply astounding.

In March, Mr. Malkin's intensity of play led to a discussion as to whether or not he should have been suspended for a hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk:

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the boarding minor Malkin received in the Penguins’ victory over the Bruins on Saturday will be the extent of his punishment: No suspension, no fine, just time served.

Seth Rorabaugh of Empty Netters has it right: This was a trifecta in Malkin's favor. No immediate injury, no prior history of illegal hits and there's enough gray area in Boychuk's last-second turn to the boards that supplemental discipline gets a little murky.

In April, both English- and Russian-language sources reported that Mr. Malkin had scored his 50th goal of the season, which was all the more remarkable because, (1) the season had been relatively low-scoring across the league, and, (2) Mr. Malkin himself had been forced to miss several games due to an injury to his knee.

CBS Sports Blog announced the goal in an April 7 post and also mentioned that Mr. Malkin had secured his second Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season:

Entering Saturday's game against Philadelphia it was pretty much already decided that Evgeni Malkin was going to finish as the NHL's leading scorer and win his second Art Ross Trophy. And that's exactly what he's going to do, as he will finish the regular season with 109 points, leaving a pretty significant gap between himself and the second leading point producer in the NHL, Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos.

And Malkin did it while playing in just 75 games. His 1.45 points per game average pretty much blew everybody else away.

The only question that remained unanswered for Malkin was whether or not he would score his 50th goal of the season. Late in the second period, with the Penguins already up 3-2, he did just that by moving into the center of the ice and beating Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky with a wrist shot.

StarSport.com – a Russian-language news outlet – announced Mr. Malkin's 50th goal of the season on April 8. A few days later, a Russian-language Twitter user posted a YouTube video of Malkin's training exercises.

Looking ahead to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Mr. Malkin thanked the fans via his Twitter account in both English and Russian:

#Pens fans are the best- always support me & team! Thank you for everything! Can't wait for playoffs- Be loud :)

Спасибо всем!!!Спасибо за вашу поддержку,переживания и теплые слова-хороший сезон,но впереди самое интересное)))Хорошего Вам настроения)))

Thanks everyone!!! Thank you for your support and care, for your warm wishes – such a good season, but the most interesting things are ahead))) Wishing you a good mood)))

The Penguins have lost their first three Stanley Cup playoff games against their instate rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. Game 4 will be played in Philadelphia on April 18.

Russia: Watching News of Patriarch Kirill's Watch Travel

Donna Welles — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 22:05:51 +0000

This week a controversy that began in the Russian blogosphere concerning an altered photograph of the Patriarch's watch on the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church spread to Western blogs, as well as the West's mainstream media.

The timing of these events is remarkable for two reasons: (1) The Russian Orthodox Church is in the middle of Great Lent (with still another week before it celebrates its Easter holiday on April 15), and (2) The Church is in the process of finding its post-Soviet identity, as discussed in a January Global Voices post titled, “The Russian Orthodox Church Re-Enters Politics.”

The Russian-language v_n_zb LiveJournal blog provided [ru] details about the photo alterations in an April 4 post:

Nikolai Pravdorub contends that [staff] on the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church altered photographs in which the Patriarch of Moscow and all the Rus' Kirill was depicted wearing a Breguet watch worth 30,000 Euros.

After a statement last week by Patriarch Kirill that he owns a Breguet watch but has never worn it, the Orthodox Church's official site, patriarchia.ru, spent the past weekend revising all photographs archived between April and July, 2009.

Specifically, the site removed all of photographs that showed a Breguet watch on the Patriarch's wrist.

In addition, one of the photos where a Breguet is visible on the Patriarch's wrist was crudely retouched in Photoshop and replaced in the old bulletins section of the official site. In the [retouched] image, the watch's reflection remained on the varnished surface of the table, and, although the photograph was taken and published in 2009, the metadata attached to the EXIF file was dated March 31, 2012.

In other words, we have evidence on the most official site of the Russian Orthodox Church that the Patriarch not only wore the watch repeatedly and for quite a long time, but also that a team was dispatched after his recent public statement to conceal this very fact and remove from the Church's site any photographs that included the watch.

The post went on the illustrate how there was a period of time when the church was in the process of returning the images to their original forms, and therefore some of the original links still do not work:

P.S. On the site, they quickly removed the altered photo, but the old photo doesn't open, either: http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/684785.html. And here a third photo has yet to be removed — where the reflection of the watch is also visible, but the watch [itself] has been retouched.

Gazeta.ru's screenshot of the altered photo on the Patriarchy's website, widely circulated online.

By April 5, the story caught the attention of the Western media, including Western mainstream blogs.

Fr. Stephen Smuts, a TAC Priest in South Africa, quoted on his blog an article from The Telegraph. Reuters ‘Faith World’ blog published an article titled, “Russian Orthodox apologise for photo after bloggers rap Patriarch Kirill over watch”:

The Russian Orthodox Church apologised on Thursday for doctoring a photograph of Patriarch Kirill to remove what bloggers said was a luxury wristwatch following accusations that he lives a lavish lifestyle. […]

The Church made no reference to a watch in a statement, but said a ‘rude violation of our internal ethics’ had been made and removed the doctored 2009 photo from its Website, replacing it with a version showing a watch on his wrist.

‘Employees of the press service’s photo-editing desk made a silly mistake while working with the photo archives,’ the statement said, promising they would be punished.

‘We apologise to all the users of the website for the technical mistake,’ it said. ‘One of the basic principles of our work is the fundamental rejection of the use of photo editing programmes to alter images.’

ABC News blog published an article titled, “Russian Orthodox Church Apologizes for Photoshop Stunt,” which included a quote from Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin — a church figure no stranger to controversy:

‘There will be a thorough investigation to determine why in this instance there was a crude violation of our internal ethical code,’ the patriarch’s press team said in a statement. ‘The guilty ones will be punished severely.’

[…] The patriarch’s press service responded, saying, ‘The person simply showed stupid initiative, not justified by anything and not agreed with superiors. It is clear that it is a mistake. We do not want to hide anything, we have nothing to be ashamed of,’ according to the Moscow News.

The Moscow News also said that Vsevolod Chaplin, the church’s head spokesman, told the Russian blog Slon.ru, ‘I do not care what watch he has; moreover, I do not remember what watch I have on my wrist, I would have to look. I am not interested in this side of life.’

In addition, the Russian blogosphere has surged with humorous posts referencing the indicient.

Typically pro-Kremlin blogger Fritz Morgen published a satirical post [ru] titled, “Ten Reasons to Defend Patriarch Kirill”:

1. The Patriarch represents a great country and should look respectable.
2. Wearing an expensive watch, the Patriarch defiantly rejects the cult of sleaze that plagues the psyche of so many Russians. [...]
4. The Patriarch is teaching us how to cope with envy, which (unlike wearing watches) is a deadly sin.
5. The Patriarch socializes with wealthy and influential people, and for them to take his moral teachings seriously, he should dress on their level. [...]
7. Wearing the watch and knowing that he would draw criticism for it, the Patriarch behaves bravely and independently, as befits a leader of his rank.
8. With the help of the watch, the Patriach [sic] avoids the sin of pride and reminds himself that he is not a saintly ascetic, but a man of flesh and blood. [...]
10. The church thinks in terms of centuries. However much the watch is worth today, it will be worth a hundred times more in 200 years, as an historical relic that raised a scandal in the Russian state.

Activist blogger Alexei Navalny chimed in via his Twitter account:

Теперь это Мастерство Фотошопа РПЦ будут вспоминать при каждом удобном случае. Навсегда прилепится

Now the Orthodox Church's mastery of Photoshop will be remembered at every opportunity. [Its reputation] is stuck forever.

Other Russian bloggers posted irreverent photos of the Patriarch with even more farcical alterations.

Patriarch Kirill on the mock cover of Photoshop for Dummies (an anonymous photo-parody widely circulated online).

Galludo's LiveJournal blog posted a selection of these photo-parodies, including a picture of the Patriarch on the cover of a “Photoshop for Dummies” book, in an April 5 post.

Monk Blog included similar pictures in a post [ru] from a Ukraine-based blogger, with the following insightful summary of the week's events:

Many have heard in the news the story of Patriarch Kirill's watch. When the Orthodox Church on its website displayed a photograph from a meeeting, where the Patriarch wore an expensive watch. Later the photos were crudely photoshopped, [but] the reflection of the watch remained in the table. Bloggers noticed the alterations, and the original photo was restored. Amusingly, [others] on the Internet have started playing with the idea of the watch.

Yet, what remains unclear is the purpose of [the Church's] attempts to feign an ascetic lifestyle. After all, those who believe will continue to believe, and non-believers won't have any more respect [for the Church].