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Friday, December 28, 2012

Holidays Russians enjoy an extended New Year’s break that many Westerners would envy but share a familiar last-minute rush to buy gifts

IN THIS ISSUE

Ringing in 10 days of festive bliss

OPINION

Fighting corruption Is Putin serious?

Inspired by the old saying, “The way you see the new year in is the way you will live it,” Russians are prepared to splurge during the holiday season.

Russia's new boomers How they are changing the country for the better

YEVGENY BASMANOV SPECIAL TO RBTH

PAGE 3

SPECIAL REPORT

How do Russians survive the winter?

Learn about how to dress, what to eat and how to have fun in the snow PAGE 4 © ILIA PITALEV_RIA NOVOSTI

RUSSIAN city streets, shopping malls and businesses are aglow with decorated fir trees, lights and tinsel, reminding the locals once again that the long New Year’s break is coming. The official holiday break in Russia will last from December 30 to January 8, a week and a half of mid-winter bliss that the citizens of many Western countries, where only Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are national holidays, are likely to envy. Also, unlike in many Western countries, in Russia it is New Year's Day rather than Christmas that is the main winter holiday. This tradition is rooted in the Soviet past, when religious holidays were phased out and substituted with secular ones. In moving the focus from Christmas to the New Year, the customs of decorating a tree, celebrating a special day with family and exchanging gifts were just moved to a different date. “Although I consider myself a religious person, New Year was always far more important for me than Christmas,” said Irina Popova, a director of a small advertising agency in Moscow.“You can’t have the feast, the gifts, the holiday atmosphere, the champagne and the smell of tangerines without the chimes of the Kremlin clock at midnight.” Ms Popova seems to be one of the few Russians who have prepared for the holiday in advance: “I hate the rush at the stores, the long lines and all that bustle, so I prefer to buy everything

Classic Russian cartoon character Cheburashka ice skates with children on Red Square as the new year approaches.

before the crowds come, or do it online.” This last option is not yet widespread — the share of online shopping in Russia is still only 5 per cent — but lines in stores grow exponentially, especially during the peak period from December 15-24. According to a survey by

Deloitte, this year Russians will spend 8.6 per cent more on the NewYear holidays than in 2011. Experts suggest this is because they are more confident about their future; half of the survey respondents view the economic situation in Russia as stable. On average, Russians spend

pers are prepared to splurge for the holidays, and not just on gifts and food. It is becoming increasingly popular to go away. Slightly more than half of those who spend their holiday abroad chase the sun. Many Russians head to Egypt, where tour packages start at about $A380 for the week. Ski

about $A475 on celebrating the winter holidays, 35 per cent less than in Europe, where the average is about $A730. But given the 120 per cent difference in per capita gross domestic product between the European Union and Russia, this figure looks far more impressive. Russian shop-

holidays are also popular, though prices are substantially higher. Vadim Nesmeyanov, the 30-yearold founder of an information technology start-up, is among those leaving snow to find more snow. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Business Abramovich interested in coal technology

International Russia heads G20 in 2013

Billionaire eyes Australian energy

Presidency offers leading role in global economic reform

NATALYA SKORLYGINA KOMMERSANT

RUSSIAN billionaire Roman Abramovich, who paid $A13.2 million last month for a minority stake in AFC Energy, the British hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer, is reportedly interested in its Australian partner Linc Energy. Linc operates coal gasification facilities to manufacture synthetic oil products and has produced diesel and jet fuel from gas released from coal. According to The Australian Financial Review, Mr Abramovich flew to Australia at the start of November to meet Linc Energy chief executive Peter Bond. “They [Ambramovich] used to be big players in the oil indus-

try and are interested in becoming involved once again after selling out of their oil interests,”said a source close to the negotiations who did not wish to be identified.“They are interested in the underground coal gasification process.” Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a relatively established industrial process that converts coal into gas directly in coal seams, rather than in a reactor. The gas produced can be used as fuel for power generation or as chemical feedstock for the Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquids process, which produces liquid synthetic fuels. These fuels have the key advantage of being almost completely free of contaminants, resulting in high quality and low emissions when burned. Linc Energy owns and operates a facility in Queensland with several underground coal gas generators, and also a gas-to-liq-

REUTERS/VOSTOCK-PHOTO

Following the purchase of a British hydrogen cell manufacturer, Roman Abramovich visits Australian UCG producer.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, centre, could be interested in expanding his holdings to include an Australian coal gasification firm.

uids pilot plant with an annual capacity of about 230 tonnes of synthetic oil products, mostly diesel fuel and aircraft kerosene. Linc also plans to build a 20,000-barrels-per-day (about 1 million tonnes per year) gas-toliquid plant and a 200-megawatt synthesis gas-fired thermal power plant to supply electricity to the wholesale market. Abramovich may be interested in investing in Linc or simply in acquiring the rights to use Linc’s processes in Russia. Several companies in Russia use

UCG technology but none belong to Abramovich’s holdings. Neither Linc Energy nor Mr Abramovich’s company, Millhouse Capital, would confirm or deny the reports of Mr Abramovich’s visit to Australia but the Australian company’s shares went up 6 per cent on the back of the news. Linc Energy did announce on its website that its facility plans to use hydrogen fuel cells made by AFC Energy, 15 per cent of which Mr Abramovich bought in October.

Over the next year, the organisation will focus on traditional economic issues but also reassess International Monetary Fund contributions. YURY PANIYEV SPECIAL TO RBTH

RUSSIA will hold the presidency of the G20, the club of the world’s biggest economies, until November 30 next year, having begun its tenure on December 1. The G20 accounts for 90 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP), 80 per cent of world trade and two-thirds of the world’s population. KseniaYudayeva, Russia’s G20 sherpa and head of the Presidential Experts’ Directorate, said the G20 summit would be held in St Petersburg from September 5–6. Early bilateral meetings have already taken place in Moscow, however, and Russia has

formally presented the priorities for its presidential year to an international conference to promote economic growth and sustained development. In an address marking the start of Russia’s G20 stewardship, President Vladimir Putin said: “We see the main objective of Russia’s chairmanship in concentrating the G20’s efforts on developing measures stimulating economic growth and the creation of jobs.” This would require stimulation of investment, confidence and transparency on markets, and efficient regulation. In line with these priorities, Russia intends to discuss such staple G20 agenda items as the state of the world economy, job creation, reforming the world monetary system, the stability of global energy markets, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

TRAVEL

More than Red Square Moscow is full of hidden gems – here's how to discover them

Christmas begins here Klin is the home of Russia's largest ornament factory PAGE 7

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VIEWPOINT

G20 presidency offers Russia leading role in global economic reform

Summit success requires organisation and ambition the vector of movement in unpredictable ways. Every country always has a list of priorities when it assumes the rotating chair of the G20. Russia is no exception and officials have already cited strengthening financial stability, reducing government debt, stimulating growth and fighting unemployment. Despite the size of the G20, the main voices number only three or four: the US, China, the European Union (or, rather, Germany speaking for the EU) and possibly Japan, given the size of its economy. True, the presence of many countries with different types of economies and political systems gives the discussions additional legitimacy. Incidentally, the most notable aspect of Russia’s G20 chairmanship is likely to be the summit of the Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), slated to take place in St Petersburg on the sidelines of the main event. Although Brics has yet to become a consolidated centre for making decisions about global issues, the spectre of such a centre continues to trouble countries in the West. Much depends on the organisational abilities and ambitions of the chairing nation. France under Nicolas Sarkozy made concerted efforts to show it was not simply offering an arena for meetings but genuinely leading the world process. Even so, it did not entirely succeed in this objective. During this year’s chairmanship of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), many people noted that the relevant Russian ministries capably organised conferences and that these conferences arrived at the necessary consensus. At the G20 meetings, these organisational talents will be every bit as useful.

Fyodor Lukyanov JOURNALIST

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

THE QUOTE

Vladimir Putin

Sergei Ivanov

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA

CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE OFFICE

HE G20 is not the G8. It possesses greater legitimacy because of its broader representation of countries. Russia will need the talents of all its relevant ministries if it wants to prove its G20 chairmanship is not simply about providing an arena for meetings. The G20 is an annual gathering of heads of state representing the world’s largest economies. It is a product of the panic that gripped the international community in the latter part of 2008. In the wake of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy and the general finan-

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promoting international development, strengthening multilateral trade and combating corruption. Russia is proposing two new themes: investment financing as the basis for economic growth and job creation; and modernising national systems for state borrowing and sovereign debt management. Putin said in his address that during its G20 presidency, Russia would “take the opportunity to offer a positive and substantive agenda to our partners aimed at resolving common problems concerning all countries of the world.” According to Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov, the key issue Russia should address during the year is how to restore investor confidence. It is easy to understand his concern. Economic growth in the locomotives of the global economy, including China, is still slowing. The southern countries of the European Union are in recession. Not surprisingly, major investors are in no hurry to lose money in the crucible of another crisis. Mr Siluanov is convinced restoring investor confidence is crucial to addressing the challenge of jump-starting economic growth around the world. Another important problem the G20 must confront is state debt, which in many countries exceeds 100 per cent of GDP. It is no coincidence that debt issues will be high on the agenda of Russia’s G20 presidency. MsYudayeva noted that often mitigating budget deficit requirements requires a reduction in trade imbalances between countries. However, she said, all researchers know that currently imbalances are due to the economic slump and that there are

THE QUOTE

We believe that the Russian presidency’s main task will be to focus the G20’s efforts on developing measures to stimulate economic growth and create jobs. What will this require? We think the answer is clear: investment incentives, trust and transparency in markets, and effective regulation. These priorities will be at the heart of the discussion.”

already has a hefty package of promising proposals for reorganising key international institutions, particularly financial ones. In promoting reforms to international financial architecture, the Brics countries have more than just their own interests in mind, according to Vladimir Davydov, director of the Latin America Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences.“Brics has within its purview much broader interests of all the emerging economies and emerging countries,” he said. “Proof of this is the program for reforming the

IMF and the World Bank. It would strengthen the position of the whole group in the key international finance management structures.” Gennady Chufrin of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of International Economy and International Relations said: “At present, we see an obvious pro-Western tilt in the activities of the IMF and the World Bank. That tilt needs to be corrected in favor of the developing countries and Brics, and Russia as president of the G20 has such a chance.”

The goal is to make the economies more predictable. To do so, we need to resolve debt issues and problems faced by oversight authorities, because oversight of the banking sector has not been effective. There are fake banks that are in fact money laundering operations. This poses major economic problems, not only for Russia, but for all G20 countries.”

cial collapse, governments sought to calm people’s fears to prevent the situation deteriorating further and to gain time to develop a plan of action. The first G20 meeting in November 2008, organised in great haste, proved useful. That so many leaders of influential states had come together had a pacifying effect on volatile markets because it created the impression that together they might solve something. The world situation today requires solutions on a scale that exceeds the present resources of politicians. Globalisation, having reached a certain level and scope, creates challenges that are too serious and conceptual, challenges in which political and economic components are interwoven, altering

Russia is holding the presidency of the G20 until November 30, 2013. Its tenure began on December 1.

G20 members, but small European countries have objected because they fear their IMF quotas would be drastically reduced. According to Mr Siluanov, the distribution of IMF quotas does not reflect realities: the emerging countries are not what they were even five to 10 years ago. “So it is natural for such countries to want more clout with the IMF and the world financial system,” he said. A feature of the Russian presidency will be a Brics summit to be held on the fringes of the St Petersburg G20 summit. Brics

designing specific debt-reduction programs. He added that the formula for calculating International Monetary Fund (IMF) quotas would also be discussed during the Russian presidency. At the moment, Russia’s share in the IMF. capital is 2.8 per cent. The United States contributes 17 per cent and the EU 30 per cent. “GDP. should be the decisive factor in distributing quotas,” Siluanov said. This approach is shared by the Brics nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the United States and some other

A new feature of the Russian presidency will be a Brics summit to be held on the fringes of the G20 summit. no serious structural changes that will allow economies to grow in a more balanced way. “This subject remains on the economic policy radar and it will receive a lot of attention,” she said. Mr Siluanov said Moscow would introduce the prospect of

The world situation requires solutions on a scale that exceeds the present resources of politicians.

Milestones From an underground punk band who became superstars to a deal that creates the world's biggest oil company, 2012 was not a year for half-measures

Stars sent down as Russia trades up, takes centre stage MAY 6

‘PRAYER’ LEADS TO STIFF PUNISHMENT

CLAMPING DOWN ON PROTESTS

AFP/EASTNEWS

THE wave of protests that began after parliamentary elections in December 2011 continued after Vladimir Putin was elected president. A rally on May 6 ended with clashes between protesters and police. More than 400 were detained and 17 arrested and accused of rioting and attacking law-enforcement officers. On November 9, businessman Maxim Luzyanin, 36, was sentenced to 4½ years in prison. Other investigations continue. The May 6 rally also led to a law that dramatically increases fines for those who participate in or organise demonstrations that have not been approved by the authorities. Opposition leaders could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

MARCH 4 PUTIN WINS ELECTIONS

AUGUST 22

NOVEMBER 6 DEFENCE MINISTER DISMISSED

ROSNEFT IN DEAL OF THE YEAR

ROSNEFT'S buyout of BP’s shares in TNK-BP was the biggest mergers and acquisitions deal of the year. The state-owned oil company offered $US17.1 billion plus 12.86 per cent of Rosneft shares. The value of the deal was $US27 billion. Rosneft now wants to buy out Russian shareholders. TNK-BP was one of the most controversial companies in Russia. It was set up in 2003 as a joint venture of the Tyumen Oil Company (TNK) and BP.

AFP/EASTNEWS

REUTERS/VOSTOCK-PHOTO

AFTER 18 years of talks, in 2012 Russia acceded to the World Trade Organization. A stumbling block had been Russia’s reluctance to cut import duties and stop supporting its producers, but as part of the deal, Russia will cut duties on almost all types of agricultural products.

RUSSIA held its first gubernatorial vote in eight years. The direct election of governors was abolished in 2004 at the behest of Vladimir Putin during his previous term as president. After widespread protests across Russia earlier in the year, the Kremlin promised to ease restrictive electoral laws and to reintroduce elections for Russia’s 83 provincial governors. Candidates from the ruling United Russia Party won all five races, reaffirming the party’s dominance across the national political landscape.

OCTOBER 22

ACCESSION TO THE WTO

REUTERS/VOSTOCK-PHOTO

PRIME Minister Vladimir Putin won Russia's presidential election in the first round with more than 63 per cent of the vote. Gennady Zyuganov, the veteran communist leader, followed with 17 per cent. A $A284 million network of webcams and as many as 500,000 independent observers were deployed to ensure electoral transparency.

IN 2012 Russia for the first time served as president of the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation organisation (APEC). The highlight of the presidency was the organisation's summit in Vladivostok in early September. The four key topics discussed were energy efficiency, technology exchange, food security and logistics, which was particularly topical given that Vladivostok is Russia’s eastern gateway. Foreign ships started using the Northern Sea route for the first time after the summit, a route that had been mostly ignored since the collapse of the Soviet Union, despite the fact it shortens the journey from Asia to Europe by several days. Another project Russia hopes will take off is the the TransEurasian railway, a track linking western Europe to south-east Asia via Russian territory.

was made conditional. The case drew unprecedented attention inside and outside the country. Opinion polls, however, showed that only 6 per cent of Russians were sympathetic to the women.

RETURN TO DIRECT GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS

COUNTRY HOSTS APEC SUMMIT IN VLADIVOSTOK

REUTERS/VOSTOCK-PHOTO

THE feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot held an impromptu “punk prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in the heart of Moscow that included chants such as“Mother Mary, put Putin away”. Three members of the band were arrested in March while the other participants in the performance remained at large, wanted on charges of disorderly conduct motivated by religious hatred. In August, band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich were found guilty by a Moscow court and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. In October, Samutsevich’s punishment

OCTOBER 14

SEPTEMBER 2-9

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FEBRUARY 21

The deal makes Rosneft the world's largest oil production company.

THE sudden dismissal of Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov (seated) sent shock waves through the Russian establishment. Serdyukov was sacked after a corruption scandal involving defence procurement contracts was exposed. The minister’s dissmisal triggered additional inquiries and the subsequent investigations exposed other high-level officials, including former agricultural minister Yelena Skrynnik. Meanwhile, new Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (standing), the former emergency situations minister and governor of the Moscow Region, began a major reshuffle in top Read military circles More and introduced at changes to SerdyRBTH.ru ukov’s reform of the armed forces.

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Opinion

MOST READ Russia's new foreign policy: neither cold war nor warm peace rbth.ru/21235

THE GAME-CHANGERS Alexandra Shevelyeva RIA NOVOSTI

HE last generation to be born in the Soviet era – the baby boomers of the 1980s – has become the second largest demographic in Russia. Now reaching the peak of their personal and professional careers, like the analogous generation from the 1960s in the US, they are capable of bringing significant changes to Russian social and political life. According to federal statistics agency Rosstat, the largest age group in Russia today, with more than 13 million representatives, is of those who are 70 and older. The second largest group in 2010, when the last census was taken, was of people between the ages of 25 and 29 (about 12 million). That would make them 27 to 31 today. The latter age group is not just big in numbers; this demographic is also exceptionally active in society. They are the ones who are earning money, having kids, paying taxes, taking out mortgages and going to political demonstrations. They are the people advertising agencies target. The members of this generation are managing newspapers and running companies, publishing books, setting up charities, hosting TV shows, teaching in universities and trying to create their own businesses. It is hardly surprising, then, that for many of them, 30 is the peak age for professional activity. Even so, it never ceases to amaze that there are so many in this age group and that they are so influential. Just think of the protests last winter – they were mostly attended by young people aged 25 to 30. Think about the swell of voters at the polling stations, or the people blogging on LiveJournal and posting on Facebook. Where did they all come from? This demographic is made up of

ALENA REPKINA

people who are all children of the 1981 Resolution of the Communist Party on Measures to Increase Government Support for Families with Children. This was when the Soviet government began paying child benefits to citizens on the birth of their first child and introduced paid maternity leave with guaranteed return-to-work conditions. This is the last Soviet generation.They have no illusions about the Soviet Union: they remember the bread queues and ration coupons for pasta.They were still infants when the White House was stormed, and, unlike their

brothers and sisters born in the 1970s, their hopes were not shattered by the 1990s. This generation took university entrance exams in the early 2000s. As a teacher at Moscow State University said: “This is the first entering class that grew up on Walt Disney cartoons.” It was true – they were the first generation of kids who ran straight home after school to watch Huey, Dewey and Louie, or Talespin. Maybe it was that very childish belief that the good guys always win and friendship is worth more than money that kept them

from being lured into other temptations. The gravy train of cash in the early 2000s somehow passed this generation by, so they were never forced to agonise between“being yourself” or “driving around in a Porsche,” or whether to marry for love or money. Russian baby boomers originally found their self-expression solely through consumerism, but once they had gorged themselves, they started looking around and wondering: Where do my taxes go? Why is there such a long wait at the medical centre? And then they started asking: What can I

do to make things better? Around 2008, baby boomers began having kids. From 2007 to 2011, birth rates shot up by 20 per cent, prompting the Ministry of Health to report that it was all due to the great work they themselves had done, forgetting to mention that this baby boom was the result of the previous one. But this is where all the social protest began – pregnant women gathered around the Ministry of Education asking for a recalculation of their maternity benefits, parents whose children did not have places in state-run pre-

schools began to turn out in droves and then there were those who collected signatures for petitions asking that modified foods be withdrawn from store shelves. These early protests showed that the baby boomers knew that there was power in numbers and how to organise groups of people. This striving toward selfawareness is a specific feature of Russian baby boomers; it is a striving toward conscious choice, conscious activities and a conscious life. The baby boomers have a completely different approach to life than their parents did. They define success – in both life and work – differently. Success in life is living in a way that allows for self-expression; career success is finding work that is fulfilling both personally and professionally. Their desire for self-expression has led them to protests, volunteering and charity projects. These processes have gained such a high profile mainly because of the fact that the people involved in these projects are all the same age and are linked through social networks. The same thing has happened with Russian baby boomers as it did with the American baby boomers of the 1960s: an aesthetic reappraisal of the priorities of the previous generation, through shifts in culture and art, has been transformed into a battle for social rights and rights of groups that are underrepresented in society. Where does this all lead? In a few years, the people who are now between the ages of 27 and 31 will become the most populous age group in Russia. If they can unite with the group that is currently between the ages of 22 and 26, then it will constitute a massive force that is capable of effecting unbelievable change. Alexandra Shevelyeva is a columnist for Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

IS PUTIN'S CORRUPTION FIGHT FOR REAL? Mark Galeotti SPECIAL TO RBTH

HAT corruption is a serious challenge for Russia has long been acknowledged, not least by President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. There has been a regular trickle of arrests and dismissals connected with abuse of office, but generally of smaller fry or else connected with wider political struggles. On the whole, it has been hard to see any serious intent to address the problem. If anything, there seems to have been a culture of impunity: those with power were able to enrich themselves as a matter of course. Suddenly, that seems to have changed. Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was dismissed following allegations that one of the ministry's procurement companies sold property worth $95 million at below-market prices. Former Deputy Regional Development Minister Roman Panov has been arrested after claims that $470 million was embezzled as facilities were built for September’s APEC Summit in Vladivostok. New investiga-

tions are being opened within the Health and Social Development Ministry and the Glonass satellite navigation system. Why the apparent change of heart? First of all, there is ample evidence that the government has come to truly appreciate the costs and risks in allowing corruption to fester. For example, the government’s ability to continue to spend on military armaments is under pressure given the need to allocate money to developing everything from education to pensions. A step towards squaring this circle would be to address the way that, according to Chief Military Prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky, some 20 per cent of the State Armament Order is misappropriated. Likewise, as it becomes clearer how far high-profile projects from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics to the APEC Summit in Vladivostok have been beset with embezzlement then not only does it drain the treasury, it also deters foreign investors. There is a further impact on Russia’s standing in the world. The irony that the APEC Summit released a declaration on

IORSH

fighting corruption from a building whose construction was the opportunity for fraud is hardly lost on Moscow. There is also a domestic political dimension.While attitudes range from resignation to outrage, the public is aware of and dismayed by the persistence of corruption. As a result, it has become one of the relatively few rallying cries able to unite the disparate opposition. It also provides an issue that

middle class, metropolitan radicals might be able to use to stir up and mobilise support among the masses. Aware of the danger, the Kremlin is looking to capture the corruption card for itself, presenting itself as the force able and willing to clean up the country. To lighten the burden of corruption on people’s day-to-day lives, it is largely bribe-takers at the bottom or middle ranks of the apparatus who must be tar-

LESSONS LEARNT, COUNTRY BETTER PLACED TO NAVIGATE SLOWDOWN Alexei Zabotkin SPECIAL TO RBTH

U S S I A ' S e c o n o my should enter a new phase in 2013 — the country begins its first full year as a member of the World Trade Organisation and has plans to pursue further modernisation policies. How the new year will play out, however, depends largely on how the government responds to the changing demands of the global economy. At the height of the 2008 financial crisis, many observers believed Russia was destined to be trapped in a boom-bust cycle. Memories of the 1998 economic

crash had not yet completely faded when the 2008 financial crisis hit, and experts believed its effects would be far worse. Although the crises were different in substance, it was not difficult to question the ability of a commodities-based economy lacking diverse financial markets to resurrect itself for the second time in less than 10 years. Today, however, the situation looks very different. Economies around the world are either slowing down or remain in a state of stagnation, and while Russia’s economy has also experienced a cool-down of its own since the second quarter of 2012, it has done so in the most orderly fashion. Russia learnt many lessons from 1998, and in the 10

years between that crisis and the next one, the government put into place instruments and policies to prevent another crash of the same scale. For one thing, the Russian Central Bank established a more robust monetary policy, which allowed for exchange rate flexibility. The boom-bust experiences of the 1990s and 2000s stemmed from either de jure (1998) or de facto (2008) fixed exchange rates of the ruble. To combat the 2008 crisis, the Russian Central Bank induced stress tests for domestic liquidity conditions, and, hence, sudden stops in local credit. Starting from 2010, the Russian Central Bank demonstrated an increasing latitude toward

the scale of currency fluctuations, so even if external economic conditions worsen sharply, as some analysts fear may happen in 2013, the depreciation of the ruble would act as a buffer to the real variables. Russia’s GDP for 2013 is expected to be in the range of 2–2.5 per cent. Inflation, which inched higher early in 2012, has showed some signs in recent weeks of rolling over yet again. If this is the case, then the Russian Central Bank could consider easing monetary policy in the spring, or even earlier. By the end of 2013, economic growth would most likely have expanded to 3.5-4 percent, which is widely seen by analysts as the proper estimate for Russia’s current

geted. However, to have a real impact, more heads must roll. This is not just a stunt, it also allows a president who seems at present to have concerns about his position within the elite to reassert his authority. When so many powerful people have guilty secrets, an anti-corruption campaign is also a great opportunity to oust a few in order to cow the many. Of course, there is also a fourth dimension to the process. Just as the crackdown on the opposition this year has allowed various security agencies and their chiefs also to try to raise their profile and strengthen their positions, so too an anti-corruption campaign provides excellent opportunities to settle old scores and build bureaucratic empires. Serdyukov’s enemies were glad to see him go under any pretext, and if the campaign continues and deepens, expect to see some mud-slinging and whispering campaigns within the elite. How far will the campaign go? No one among Putin’s true inner circle yet appears to be at risk. Dismissing Serdyukov carried relatively little political cost, especially given his unpopularity

within the high command and defence industries. Glonass and APEC, for instance, were supervised respectively by Sergei Ivanov, the chief of staff at the presidential administration, and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, both Putin men. There has been no suggestion that they may have to answer for any failures in supervision: there are definite limits to the present campaign. It is hard to know how credible the campaign will be, though. If it is envisaged as little more than a political marketing campaign – a couple of months’ rhetoric, a few high-profile arrests, then back to business as usual – then it may well prove counter-productive. Truly fighting corruption means a dramatic reshuffle of the elite, a comprehensive change in the administrative culture of Russia. This would be a phenomenal legacy to leave Russia, but it is not yet clear whether Putin has the enthusiasm, determination and authority for the job.

long-term growth potential. The crucial question is whether Russia is capable of attaining an even higher growth rate. Russia’s economy grew by more than 7 per cent a year for nearly a decade. However, a considerable level of this growth has since been attributed to the redeployment of idle resources — both capital

ductivity by Russia’s relatively strong employment level. However, an increase in productivity growth will require a major expansion of Russia’s capital stock. The government can take credit for some notable achievements in 2012 that have helped pave the way for a more modern economy. These include the institutionalisation of the budget rule, which requires the federal budget to balance at the 10 year average of oil prices; the long-overdue creation of the Central Depository; and progress on the privatisation of state companies. That said, it is yet to be seen if the momentum behind these efforts is unstoppable. Until these measures are fully realised, it might seem possible, yet elusive, for a more optimistic 5–6 percent growth objective to remain on the other side of the proverbial dark glass.

The government can take credit for some achievements that have paved the way for a more modern economy. and labor — after the depths of the 1998 crisis. This process has been repeated since the 2008 crisis. As of October, Russia’s national unemployment rate stood at 5.3 percent, a post-Soviet record. Therefore, superior growth outlook for Russia can rely significantly on an increase in pro-

Mark Galeotti is professor of Global Affairs at New York University.

Alexei Zabotkin is head of investment strategy at V.T.B. Capital.

THERE’S NEITHER COLD WAR NOR WARM PEACE Yevgeny Shestakov SPECIAL TO RBTH

n 2012, Russia did not declare a cold war on the West and has no intention of doing so in the future. The proposed new Russian foreign policy concept speaks of applying confidence and co-operation on the basis of pragmatism with Moscow’s European partners.Yet developments over the past year have prompted fears in Russia that an undeclared cold war is already being waged. The passing of the Magnitsky bill by the US Congress, which imposes sanctions on Russian officials who, in the opinion of American law-makers, were complicit in the death of Hermitage Capital Management lawyer Alexei Magnitsky, is only the tip of the iceberg. It was the final act in a series of unfriendly western political moves towards Moscow. On two of the most sensitive issues – the deployment of a European missile defence system and European visas for Russians – the Kremlin suffered a crushing defeat. These conflicts were particularly noticeable against the background of positive relations developing between Russia and Asia.The 2012 Apec summit in Vladivostok and the Customs Union and the Eurasian Union projects were unqualified successes, not least on the diplomatic front. In Europe, the situation has been different. On the one hand, 2012 saw the launch of long-term economic projects linking Russia and the Old World. These included the laying of the Nord Stream gas pipeline on the bed of the Baltic Sea and the start of construction of the South Stream gas pipeline under the Black Sea. These will link north and south Europe to Russian gas fields. At the political level, however, the dialogue between Moscow and Europe has been marked by increased tension, with little hope for improvement. New areas of conflict emerged – biased monitoring of polls by European international organisations and foot-dragging over visa-free travel to the European Union for Russians. Moscow has criticised the west for human rights violations this year, including the brutal suppression of mass action against austerity measures. Police in Europe and the US dispersed protesters and detained dozens of people. Another issue to which Moscow paid close attention was the rights of children who are sometimes unreasonably taken away from their families by social workers. There have also been many cases where adopted Russian children have died in American families, while their murderers, in Moscow’s opinion, have not always been duly punished for their crimes. The issue of family values has also caused a rift between Russia and the west. In Europe and

the US, gay relationships have increasingly been approved by government legislation. Russia categorically objects to this. St Petersburg passed a law banning “homosexual propaganda", which was seen as a violation of human rights by European activists. They linked the issue of samesex marriages with granting visa-free travel for Russians to the EU.The EU’s political documents stipulate that visa-free status is only granted to countries with a clean human rights record. Moscow, however, has refused to budge on the issue, which further complicated the RussianEuropean dialogue at the intellectual level. Russia’s new foreign policy concept does not envisage any revolutionary change of outlook, which will remain traditional and fairly conservative. Russia will stick to its interpretation of the principles of international law and the primacy of UN Security Council decisions on international affairs. It will also react to events in accordance with the specific situation and seek to build a new dialogue with countries that had a regime change during the Arab spring. I predict that next year will see more tension in Russia’s relations with its partners in Europe and the US. First, the conflict in Syria on which Russia and the West fail to agree. The

At the political level, the dialogue between Moscow and Europe has been marked by increased tension. conflict is drawing more states into its orbit, ceasing to be local and becoming geopolitical. Second, at least two meetings held last year at such key forums as the NATO-Russia Council and the Russia-EU Council have lost much of their effectiveness. The West is giving Russia a polite hearing but not considering Russia’s interests when taking decisions. Russia is ready for dialogue with the West, as reflected in its foreign policy concept, but it won’t change its approach to internal and foreign policy. The Kremlin is particularly worried about the reluctance of its European and American partners to recognize Moscow’s national security concerns. So a further deterioration in relations between them is inevitable. Virtually all areas of co-operation will be directly or indirectly curtailed or put on hold. Even so, there is no question yet of a new cold war between Russia and the West.The two sides still have much to gain from the joint initiatives in combating terrorism and drug trafficking and the joint economic projects. That will keep Russia and the West on civil terms for a while. Yevgeny Shestakov is editor of the international politics desk at Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

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Lifestyle

MOST READ Fun at the world's largest urban snowboarding track rbth.ru/21209

Winter Russians are constantly devising strategies for living a good part of their year under a blanket of snow. So what is their secret to surviving – and thriving – in this harsh climate?

Forget winter gloom, just chill out and take the plunge for some fun MORITZ GATHMANN

WILDLIFE

SPECIAL TO RBTH

Fur and fat protect big cats ANIMALS native to Russia have evolved to cope with the cold. The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger, is the only tiger whose habitat encompasses snow and ice. Temperatures on the Amur River in Russia's far east can drop to minus 45 degrees. The tiger’s long thick fur and a fivecentimetre layer of fat protect it from freezing to death. Yet the tiger is defenceless against man. During the stormy years following the October Revolution in 1917, this species was almost wiped out. There are about 500 tigers living in border areas of Russia, China and North Korea but their habitat continues to shrink. Sightings of the Persian leopard, long considered extinct, are even less frequent: it was seen in Russia again only in 2003, and many Russians learned the leopard inhabited their country only when it was selected as a Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games mascot.

REUTERS/VOSTOCK-PHOTO (3)

Mild surprises amid the icy shocks and St Petersburg falls in late November, and snow remains on the ground until early April, though the mid-January period known as "Epiphany frosts" is a particularly cold time. Winter affects all aspects of life in Russia but locals have long grown accustomed to frost and snow. They know how to cope with the temperatures and cite the saying: "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." Apart from freezing temperatures, other winter phenomena that must be reckoned with include icy roads and icy rain – ice pellets formed when it rains at freezing temperatures. Additionally, winter yields little sunlight in much of Russia, so many people must also cope with seasonal affective disorder.

JUST the word “Russia” triggers images of snow-covered countryside. True, it sometimes gets extremely cold, but Russia is a big country and temperatures vary greatly, from polar to subtropical. The southern city of Sochi, for exampled, on the shores of the Black Sea, is located on the same latitude as the French city of Nice. Russians from other regions envy Sochi residents. The 470 people who live in Oymyakon, a town in Yakutia where the mercury dropped to minus 62 degrees last year, must be especially envious. In European Russia, that part of the country west of the Ural Mountains, the average winter temperature is rarely below minus 20 but sometimes falls to minus 35. Usually, the first snow in Moscow

Roads Keeping the streets snow-free is a full-time job

Average temperatures across Russia

Snow ploughs, dump trucks put drivers in clear Oymyakon is a small village in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in eastern Siberia. Located along the Indigirka River, it is the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. The lowest temperature registered at Oymyakon’s weather station is minus 71.2.

Sochi is one of Russia's southernmost cities. A humid subtropical climate brings mild winters (average 11 degrees) and warm summers (24 degrees). Oddly, this temperate city will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

PHOTOXPRESS

FROM the time people began to settle in Russia, they have had to learn to cope with the climate. Over time, Russians have adapted their strategies for dealing with cold, according to the changing technologies. Today, central heating means most Russians do not have to worry about keeping warm while indoors. This is not, however, the perfect solution. There are no individual thermostats and in many places a comfortable room temperature can be achieved only by opening the windows slightly. To avoid being cooped inside all winter, many Russians take up winter sports. Some of them, such as skiing and ice skating, are enjoyed by people all over the world. Then there are the extreme sports. On January 19, the day that Russian Orthodox believers celebrate Epiphany, people known as“walruses”in Russia and often called “polar bears” in the West wait for the moment when priests bless rivers and lakes and then plunge into the water, sometimes through a cross-shaped hole cut through thick ice.

Tourists Surviving the Russian winter is more about keeping warm than looking good

Don't pack light for this holiday on foot, icy surfaces can be a problem. Two pieces of kit that help walkers areYaktrax spiked attachments for boots or shoes, and Nordic walking poles, neither of which are readily available in Moscow. Note that no locals use such devices to walk in the city. If you are planning to go into the forest, a hypersonic dog whistle can help ward off stray canines. British photographer and long-term Moscow resident Henrietta Challinor wryly observes: “A reliable watch is important, so you can be sure you have the right time when it’s still dark at 10am ... and a camera that is well sealed.”

Looking to visit Russia in the winter? Here are some hot tips from a group of Russia-based expats on what to bring when the mercury plummets. PHOEBE TAPLIN SPECIAL TO RBTH

DESPITE the cold, winter is a popular time to visit Russia but it's important to be prepared.

Clothes

Equipment

A fully charged mobile phone can be especially important and visitors should note the cold causes electronic devices to lose their charges more quickly. Student Seva Ardov remembers a visiting friend from high Gore-Tex boots.” His list Spain:“His eyelashes were comcontinues: thermal underwear, pletely covered in frost after a a padded coat and hat, and a short walk in minus 30 degrees thin pair of woollen gloves,“so and he forgot to recharge his that when I take the outer pair phone, so at 7 o’clock he off ... I won’t expose naked flesh”. couldn’t call me to ask for diEven so, he lasted just 13 min- rections.” You can buy or rent ice skates utes outdoors. In Moscow, he recommends just “a good, solid and skis all over the city but for those who want to explore winter coat".

VLADIMIR REBROV SPECIAL TO RBTH

FOR three days at the start of December, an unusually heavy snowstorm trapped thousands of motorists in a 200-kilometre traffic jam on the Moscow to St Petersburg highway for three days. More than 30 centimetres of snow and freezing rain fell

Warm reception for new year celebrations

Food, drink and mental attitude There are plenty of things to eat and drink to keep warm. Former Muscovite Sara MorrisJordan recalls “horseradish vodka – it keeps you warm, from the inside out” and recommends following it with dark chocolate to take away the taste. The most important thing you can pack, however, is a sense of fun and adventure.

but drivers headed out on to the road anyway. The Russian capital maintains 30,000 employees and 15,000 snow ploughs and dedicates $A23.7 million annually to the battle against snow. As soon as snow starts falling the streetcleaning machines are sent out. “An inch or two of fresh snow is never a problem; it is routine for us,”said Peter Biryukov, head of Moscow municipal services, which is responsible for the work of the utilities during the winter. Only heavy and long snow-

HOLIDAYS

To visit Moscow in the winter, all you need is a good, solid winter coat – and maybe some high-heeled boots.

GETTY IMAGES/FOTOBANK

Removable layers are essential, since it is often as hot inside as it is cold outside. Barbara Valfre Corrias, a veteran of six Moscow winters, suggests: “No heavy sweaters and a change of shoes for indoors.” Russians, particularly in Moscow, are both elegant and trendy, making clothing choices more complicated. Danielle Eversdijk from the Netherlands says: “Definitely heels, [with winter profile, of course] or you’ll be snubbed at bars and clubs.” Winter gear includes hats, gloves, long coats and boots. Shaun Walker, Moscow correspondent for The Independent newspaper in London, reported back on what he packed for a working trip to the coldest city in Siberia. He began: “I’m wearing: a pair of cotton socks, with a pair of thermal socks over them; a pair of ankle-

Nothing stops Russian drivers from exercising their right to drive, not even a snowstorm that resulted in a three-day traffic jam.

storms cause difficulties, requiring the deployment of additional snow ploughs. A single machine cleans about 12 kilometres of road surface per hour and it also provides another valuable service – each snow plough detects holes in the road and sends electronic reports noting their location to the road construction service. Snow ploughs, however, only push snow to the side of the road. The piles of snow must then be loaded into dump trucks and taken to one of 200 snowmelting units, each capable of turning up to 300 tonnes of snow into water each day. Drivers are responsible for some additional winter maintenance costs. Guards at car parks often ask drivers who leave their vehicles overnight if they have a special parking heater that warms the engine even when the ignition is turned off. Without it, the car would be impossible to start at low temperatures. As well as winter tyres equipped with spikes, drivers use huge amounts of windscreenwashing fluid – up to five litres a day in the winter. Many motorists simplify their lives by installing an additional screen wash tank.

NEW Year is the biggest holiday of the year in Russia. Like Christmas in many countries, it is celebrated with a decorated tree, spending time with family and giving presents. According to a recent poll by international consulting firm Deloitte, 80 per cent of Russians prefer to spend New Year's Eve at home. Nevertheless, on the evening of December 31, the celebrations at Moscow’s Red Square will be the centre of attention. At the stroke of midnight, the bells from the Kremlin clock tower will ring out 12 times and fireworks will fill the air. About 150,000 Muscovites and guests gathered at the square last December to ring in the new year.

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MOST READ Take a dip under the ice rbth.ru/14215

INNA LEONOVA SPECIAL TO RBTH

Christmas and New Year were celebrated as in the rest of Europe until the Bolsheviks came to power. The first official Soviet New Year celebration was held in 1937. Ded Moroz appeared as the hero of the celebrations, putting presents under New Year trees. In the 1940s, New Year’s Day became a public holiday. By the time the Soviet regime collapsed five decades later, the New Year’s Day celebrations were well established. On this day each year, families gather round a festive table and, after the clock strikes midnight, drink sparkling wine and exchange gifts. Today it is again possible to celebrate Christmas, although New Year remains the focus of Russian winter celebrations. Russian Orthodox believers cel-

WIZARD SCHOOL

Father Frost in-training

Many Russians will break out a bottle of cheap, sweet sparkling wine to toast the new year, but the market is becoming more sophisticated nonetheless. ANTON MOISEENKO

ITAR-TASS

SPECIAL TO RBTH

MORE than 40 per cent of all alcohol in Russia is sold in the two weeks before NewYear’s Eve, and while vodka sales continue to constitute the lion’s share, an ever-increasing segment is made up of high-end wine. Russians’ drinking habits have changed noticeably over the past decade. In the 1990s, expensive wines and champagnes were exclusively the domain of the new rich, who appreciated them more as a status symbol than a quality product. Today, oligarchs may still serve Petrus as their table wine, but the main shift from beer and vodka to wine is taking place in the growing class of young professionals. This cohort, mostly made up of top and middle managers at both Russian and multinational companies, have travelled and studied

Young professionals are making a shift from beer and vodka to wine.

abroad, and have brought back from their experiences the idea that wine culture is something worth exploring. During a recent tasting in the offices of a multinational law firm based just outside the Kremlin walls, a participant who preferred to remain anonymous said: “We are stuck in our offices for 12 hours a day; we are office inhabitants. We

need this to know that there’s life outside the walls of our company.” Wine education has become a popular way to socialise out of the office, too. In addition to wine tastings offered by wine importers, restaurants and cooking schools have begun including wine and food pairing courses in their curriculums. In the past

Meat in a pot: warming fare for cool climes

amateur Father Frosts and Snow Maidens-to-be, said stage director Sergei Goppen. “They are really committed to learning, so even three weeks is enough time to unlock the potential of an interested student.” The studies culminate in an exam in front of children. Alumni receive a brightly coloured diploma bearing the stamp of the Russian Father Frost and a certificate from the Moscow Institute of Open Education confirming completion of an advanced course in organising New Year events for children. Apart from Father Frost or the Snow Maiden, students have an opportunity to become certified Leshys (woodland spirits), Baba Yagas (witches) or Snowmen.

SINCE 2000, the Moscow City Children's Creativity Centre has conducted threeweek-long “Father Frost” courses for anyone wishing to become a professional winter wizard. Participants learn to paint their cheeks and nose red in the right way, choose the right false white beard and the right costume colours, as well as play and dance around a Christmas tree. Classes are taught by specialists in organising New Year festivities: stage directors, script writers, composers, makeup experts, teachers and psychologists. “It is pure pleasure to teach the

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

Alcohol Vodka still dominates, but today more Russians are embracing quality wine

High-end wine, intimate bars play to country's evolving drinks culture

Food Classic Russian stew

A constant of classic Russian cuisine is the principle of slow cooking, a trend that is enjoying an enthusiastic renaissance today. JENNIFER EREMEEVA SPECIAL TO RBTH

IN EARLY December, city authorities all over Russia begin to decorate the streets with trees and lights. The holiday season lasts from December 1 until about January 7, the day Russian Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas. Official celebrations in Moscow begin on December 24, when Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus, arrives with his granddaughter Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden), from their residence in the old city of Veliky Ustyug, 152 kilometres north of Moscow. Their arrival is celebrated at Gorky Park. Ded Moroz has long been part of the holiday tradition, bringing gifts to children on New Year’s Eve. About 300 years ago, Peter I (the Great) returned from a trip to Europe and brought a Christmas tree with him. Over the years, other holiday traditions, such as giving presents, were also adopted. For two centuries, Christmas and New Year's Day were celebrated as in the rest of Europe, but after the Bolsheviks came to power following the Russian Revolution, their official atheism resulted in a ban on open celebrations of Christmas. Members of the Communist

ebrate the birth of Christ on January 7 because it follows the Julian calendar, which holds its feast and fast days 13 days off those of the Western Christian churches. In 1991, January 7 was declared a public holiday in recognition of the traditions of Orthodox believers. Russian Orthodox churches conduct midnight services on January 6, Christmas eve. The most impressive of these is held at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. It is conducted by Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and is attended by Russia's leading officials. Beginning in 2005, the Russian government made the entire period from New Year's Day through to Orthodox Christmas official national holidays. In general, the Christian and the secular holidays complement each other. However, a growing number of Orthodox believers maintain a 40-day nativity fast before Christmas, when dairy, meat and alcohol are prohibited, and fish is allowed only o n s p e c i fi c d ay s , making it difficult to have a true celebration of the New Year.

several years, cooking classes have become trendy in Moscow, and with the increased interest in wine and spirits, instruction in what to drink with what you cook was a natural addition to the market. And for those who prefer to go out, Moscow’s restaurant and bar offerings continue to expand. A big trend in the Moscow restaurant scene in 2012 was the increase in the number of wine bars; small, intimate spaces that offer a wide selection of wines by the glass. Wine pricing is usually the Achilles’ heel of any Russian restaurant; exhorbitant mark-ups mean that only people able to splurge can order a bottle on the premises. One Western trend that could allow customers to enjoy an affordable bottle of wine with their meals — the corkage fee — has yet to make it to Russia. Of course, that just means that many Russians prefer to drink at home, particularly on New Year’s Eve, which many people spend with family and friends, talking over drinks in the kitchen. On New Year’s, in Russia as elsewhere, most people prefer to celebrate with a sparkling wine, but those who toast the NewYear in Moscow with a glass of true champagne remain in the minority. The most popular drink for the evening is the cheap, sweet Russian sparkling wine known as Soviet champagne; Italian Asti is also popular.

Ringing in 10 days of festive bliss CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“My family has been going to Chamonix for about three years now. There were only four of us in the beginning, but now our group has grown to 12 people, and we need to find a chalet that is big enough. If you book early enough, the cost of flights and accomodation shouldn’t be too high — around €1500 ($A2000) for 10 days,” Nesmeyanov said, adding, “Plus, travelling to Europe during the holiday sale

A new smartphone is one of the most desired gifts this new year, but most people would be happy with cash. season is an excellent opportunity for shopping; I can buy a new iPhone.” According to the Deloitte poll, a new smartphone is one of the most desired gifts this NewYear. Forty per cent of respondents would like a new phone; 56 per cent said they would be happy with cash. However, most poll respondents said they planned to give cosmetics (42 per cent) and confectionery (38 per cent) as presents. Inexpensive household appliances such as slow

cookers and juicers are also in demand. Russians don’t like to go out on New Year’s Eve; more than 80 per cent prefer to entertain guests at home or visit friends in their homes. And this sets the trend for the rest of the long holidays. This, together with winter sports and trips to the cinema make up the typical post-New Year lull for most Russians – as well as the chance to get some sleep for the year ahead. But not everybody can share in the bliss or afford to forget about work: more than 11 per cent of Russians work through the holidays.

PAGAN Slavs believed that fire and water were powerful deities, and that their combined force was particularly potent. Cooking, which perfectly demonstrated this fusion, took place in the ubiquitous Russian stove or “pechka” . Russian stoves made of clay and covered with ceramic and clay tiles were built into the corner of every peasant home. Russian stoves produced dry heat at a consistent temperature, while effectively keeping open flame away from the ingredients to avoid scorching or burning. The classic Russian stew today is called simply “meat in a pot,” and its preparation harkens back to the era of the pechka: meat and vegetables are layered in single-portion sized clay pots, covered and baked in a hot oven just as they were in the 18th century countryside. The advent of electricity did little to quell the popularity of “meat in a pot", which continues to feature prominently on menus to this day.

Meat in a pot Yield: four individual-sized clay-pot servings or one 2-3 litre casserole. - 600 grams lean lamb or beef cut into small cubes - 450 grams of red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into small cubes - 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes - 1 large eggplant, cut into small cubes - 1 large brown onion, roughly chopped - 40 0 grams of tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped (or 1 tin) - 1 cup (250ml) of beef bouillon or red wine, or a combination of the two - flour for dredging the meat - three anchovy fillets - 1 tablespoon (15ml) of orange zest - 5 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed - 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley - 1 sprig of fresh rosemary - 3 sprigs of fresh thyme - 2 tablespoons (30ml) of tomato paste - 3 tablespoons (45ml) of coarse sea salt - 2 teaspoons (10ml) cracked black pepper - vegetable oil - butter

Instructions: 1. Toss the eggplant cubes with a generous handful of table salt.

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

Party could be expelled for attending Christmas services. A few years later, however, party officials realised the country needed a major winter holiday. They co-opted NewYear for this purpose – a day that had no association with Christianity. The Christmas traditions, such as decorating a tree and giving presents, were moved to January 1, and Ded Moroz, a pagan character from Russian folk tales, was introduced as an important part of the celebration.

As a result of Soviet-era changes, Russians exchange presents on New Year's Day and reserve Christmas for religious services.

ITAR-TASS

Christmas in the land of Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden

M. JULIA

Holidays New Year's Day is bigger than December 25

Slow-cooked meat and vegetables remain a menu staple.

Arrange the cubes in a colander, set into a bowl at an angle and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes. Rinse cubes briefly in cold water, then pat dry with paper towel. Arrange the eggplant on a plate, cover with paper towel and process for one minute at the highest setting in the microwave. Set aside. 2. Pre-heat the oven to 180C and adjust the oven rack to the middle level. 3. Pat the meat cubes dry with paper towel, then dredge them in flour. Skim a small amount of olive oil on a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven until it shimmers. Sear the meat for 30 seconds on each of its surfaces. Set aside. 4. In a non-reactive mixing bowl mash the anchovy fillets with the back of a fork, and then turn out onto a cutting board. Add the mashed garlic cloves, sea salt, thyme, rosemary, parsley, orange zest and cracked black pepper. Use a large kitchen knife to blend by a combination of chopping with the blade and scraping together with the side of the knife until the mixture forms a paste. Set aside. 5. Combine the tomatoes, tomato paste and the bouillon/wine combination in a food processor and pulse until smooth. 6. Assemble the pots or casserole: lightly butter the inside of the clay pots or casserole. Arrange the meat on the bottom layer, topped with roughly one fourth of the garlic/herb/anchovy paste. Layer the rest of the vegetables: potatoes, carrots, eggplant, adding a fourth of the paste to the top of each layer. 7. Pour the tomato/bouillon mixture into the pots/casserole so it just covers the top of the mixture. 8. Cook for 1.5 hours. Test the potatoes to see if they are tender. Remove from oven if done, garnish with parsley and serve with hearty bread.

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Culture

MOST READ Photo exhibit in Siberia hopes to expand the world’s borders rbth.ru/20787

Exhibits Alexander the Great, the largest exhibition ever mounted by Russia's State Hermitage Museum, has come to Australia

From Russia with antiquity

to India and Mongolia. Russia’s fascination with Alexander the Great dates back to Catherine the Great, who drew inspiration from his military successes. The 18th century empress named her grandson after Alexander, and extended the borders of Russia’s empire during her rule. Organisers are staging a range of special events for visitors to the Australian Museum, including mosaic-making master classes, academic lectures, battle re-enactments and storytelling for children, and an exchange visit of young people from St Petersburg to Australia. Reaction to the collection has been enthusiastic among Australian art lovers, with reviewer Luke Slattery referring to Alexander as“the kickass king”. “Alexander is part of our modern culture and can be seen on YouTube, in epic movies, as a character in games, and is referred to by numerous writers, artists and musicians,” Slattery quotes Fran Dorey, researcher for the exhibition, as saying. “The last section of the exhibition brings the 2300-yearold Alexander story up to date with pop cultural objects from a number of contemporary sources such as novels, cigarette cards, stamps, magnets and shaving advertisement from the early 20th century using Alexander's conspicuously beardless face,” Slattery writes. The Alexander the Great exhibition was first shown in Russia in the Nikolayevsky Hall of St Petersburg’s Winter Palace in 2007 before travelling to Amsterdam in 2010. The Hermitage’s first exhibition in Australia, Western European art of the 5th-20th centuries, took place in 1978, and other classic collections brought here include Rubens and Italy (1992), and Matisse: Drawing Life (2011). Australian artists have also been shown in the Hermitage; the works of Noel Counihan, Victor O’Connor, James Wigley and Herbert McClintock all travelled to St Petersburg (then known as Leningrad) in 1960.

FACTS ABOUT ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Alexander was only 20 years old when he came to power and by the age of 30 he ruled the known world. He subjugated a vast territory ranging from Greece in the west to the Indus River in the east and created the largest empire in antiquity.

As a teenager, Alexander was tutored by Aristotle, one of the greatest Greek philosophers. As he grew up, his great examples were the Greek heroes Achilles and Heracles, whom he would frequently honour on his campaigns with sacrifices and games. Homer’s Iliad became a guiding motif in Alexander’s life.

2 3

ITAR-TASS

Until April, the Australian Museum in Sydney is hosting an exhibition from the Russian State Hermitage Museum. ROZALIA SAMIGULLINA , TIM WALL SPECIAL TO RBTH

ALTHOUGH Russia's State Hermitage Museum often mounts shows outside its home in St Petersburg, it is an infrequent guest in Australia, and for good reason: an unusually large attendance is required to cover the costs involved in the transport, insurance and protection of exhibits. Nevertheless, in November more than 400 exhibits of classical antiquity on loan from the Hermitage went on display at Sydney's Australia Museum. The exhibition, entitled Alexander the Great – 2000 Years of Treasures, demonstrates how Greek architecture and art spread throughout the world and covers more than 2500

years of history – from the 5th century BC to the 20th century. Organisers have selected the exhibits to appeal to the public and they are confident that Alexander's outsized personality and his influence on the world will attract a broad audience. Apart from spawning a whole subculture of myths, the story of Alexander the Great has often been used to illustrate both the success of brilliant generalship and the dangers of hubris. His armies of up to 50,000 men employed state-of-the-art military techniques and logistics to win battles against all the major kingdoms of the day, while his legend grew with each victory.

Alexander hunting (left), Gonzaga Cameo (right).

Yet as he conquered Persia and swathes of Asia as far as Afghanistan, Alexander took to drink, murdered friends he believed to be enemies, executed dissidents and turned many of his soldiers against him as he began to adopt many of the mannerisms of the gods, a heresy to the ancient Greeks, who believed in a strict demarcation between the human world and the divine. He died in Babylon (present-day Iraq) in 323BC, at the age of just 32. While his legacy lived on through Hellenistic culture, his empire collapsed immediately.

“Alexander was below

average height, with blond hair. "They say Alexander, son of Philip, was distinguished by natural beauty – his hair was blonde and wavy, but by all accounts something terrifying could be seen in the king’s face,” wrote the Greek miliary historian Claudius Aelianus in his Varia Historia.

THE FACTS

Plan your visit The exhibition can be seen at the Australian Museum until April 28. Tickets for adults cost $24; for

Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of the State Hermitage Museum, hailed the exhibition’s opening in Sydney as an example of ancient art’s lessons for new generations. “Today’s world, which was once united by Alexander, is rapidly disintegrating. It’s instructive for us to bear in mind that globalisation is not always an ugly process. This exhibition is just one example of that,” Mr Piotrovksy said.

families (two adults and two children) $60; for children between 5 and 15, $12; and children under five are admitted free of charge. Tickets can be bought in advance and are available online at australianmuseum.net.au.

Unique exhibits at the Australian Museum, including the Gonzaga cameo and the black basalt statue of Queen Cleopatra VII, present the path followed by great civilisations during Alexander’s time: the Greek world, the ancient empires of the East and the world of nomads. Visitors see how Greek architecture and art spread, and how the Greek language covered a vast area from Greece

Art Foundation plans to buy modern works

Hermitage looks to expand collection The New York-based Hermitage Museum Foundation hopes to attract enough donations to fill a new wing in St Petersburg devoted to contemporary art. AYANO HODOUCHI SPECIAL TO RBTH

WITH its 250th anniversary only two years away, Russia's State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg is determined to celebrate the 21st century by filling its new wing, which faces the main building in the Winter Palace, with contemporary art. The world-renowned museum is relying on donations for this push, and the nascent collection so far includes Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Robert Rauschenberg and a handful of other prominent artists. The Hermitage Museum is one of the largest and oldest in the world, with about three million items in its collection, of which only a small percentage are on display. But it is not just the lack of space that the museum is grappling with; it is catching up with trends. Peter Schaffer, president of the New York-based Hermitage Museum Foundation and an expert on Russian antiques and Faberge in particular, explained that when the foundation was founded in 1994, they had to“explain [to the museum] what a gift shop was. Now there are gift shops in almost every other room, but all this is new. The museum had to first come into the 20th century, and then, into the 21st century.” That said, the foundation is not pushing for radical changes. Getting the right works for the Hermitage is largely a matter of networking, also an area in which the museum has limited experience. “Yes, there are a lot of classics there. But there are impression-

KOMMERSANT

The Hermitage is renovating ahead of a big anniversary.

ists there, too,” said Paul Rodzianko, the foundation’s chairman. “And Catherine the Great was collecting a lot of stuff that passed for contemporary art in her day. So what’s the difference?” Mr Rodzianko explained that nothing happens in isolation. Artists, even contemporary ones, take inspiration from the masters, like those featured in the Hermitage. “It’s a continuity; [what we’re trying to do] is not something different, something alien,” he said.“It can look pretty alien, but it’s still relevant. We don’t try to replace, we try to complement. “The Hermitage is a great brand. There’s a certain amount of responsibility involved. You don’t want to degenerate the brand, you don’t want to compromise it ... and you want to find a way to make it not only recognised, but user-friendly.” Hermitage contemporary art curator Dmitry Ozerkov said that the museum wanted“to develop principles for contemporary art. We want a collection, and we understand we can’t have it tomorrow,” he said.

Literature A new Hollywood adaptation of a classic Russian novel focuses not on the work's national character, but on its universal themes

Anna Karenina: once

again, dying to win you over

Joe Wright's Anna Karenina is one of at least 24 film versions made of Leo Tolstoy's tale of a married mother who leaves her husband.

Tolstoy heroine's latest makeover

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“ALL happy families are alike; every unhappy one is unhappy in its own way.” This is the opening of one of the most important 19th century Russian epic novels – maybe one of the most important novels of all time – Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.Yet, unlike Tolstoy's other major epic War and Peace, which takes place around the time of the 1812 war against Napoleon, Karenina does not have a sweeping historical backdrop. Rather, the novel focuses on such intimate matters as love, friendship and family values. The basic plot is the story of a married Russian woman who falls in love with a young officer who woos her and loves her deeply. Yet her growing insecurities and her spurned role in society lead to a tragic end. When she commits suicide out of desperation over the state of her affair, Anna leaves behind two small children, her husband and her lover. In addition to this main story, the novel has several often overlooked parallel plot lines. One is the story of the Oblonsky family, to which the novel’s

KEIRA Knightley is wrapped in fur from head to toe, and Jude Law surprises with his dramatically receding hairline in the new adaptation of Anna Karenina. Directed by Joe Wright, it was filmed in the United Kingdom and Russia. Russia’s Karelia and Kizhi Island were chosen as locations. “Taking on Anna Karenina is a massive challenge,” Knightley told Popsugar. “Partly because it’s an 820-page book and you’re trying to get it down to a 130-page screenplay.”

Keira Knightley stars in the latest film adaptation of Anna Karenina.

opening sentence refers: Karenina’s brother Stepan “Stiva”Oblonsky, a man-abouttown, is fond of his wife, who has given him five children, but he keeps being unfaithful to her. His wife dotes on her children: one of the novel’s most vivid scenes shows her as a loving mother bathing her children. Another noteworthy character, Konstantin Levin, is in many ways autobiographical. A country landowner, Levin loves the Russian soil, but despite his social position and marriage, he harbours thoughts of suicide. Tolstoy turned his Russian first

name (Lev) into his character’s last name to portray this Russian idealist who mows grass with a scythe together with his peasants; not unlike Tolstoy himself, who often did such work in his later years on his estate,Yasnaya Polyana.

Written for the screen “Anna Karenina seems to have been written according to a classic Hollywood scenario: a beautiful 30-year-old woman, strong of spirit, breaks social taboos for the sake of love and gets what she wants, but ultimately pays with her life. The idea of immu-

table family values triumphs,” said playwright Nina Belenitskaya.“If Tolstoy had lived today, he may well have written the screenplay based on his novel and won an Academy Award. His colleagues would be insinuating that he had cynically foreseen the success of his story and deliberately stuffed it with the right ingredients.” Indeed, Anna Karenina has been made into a film multiple times. There were nine silent film adaptations of the novel, only two of which were Russianmade. The sound film era produced 15 films based on Tolstoy's

masterpiece. Director Maurice Maitre produced the first silent film version of Anna Karenina in 1911 starring Moscow theatre actors. The film has not survived and little is known about it. In 1914, Vladimir Gardin directed a new adaptation, inviting Maria Germanova, a star of the Moscow Art Theatre, to play the title role. The film was slammed by critics. Russian film-makers returned to Tolstoy seriously only in 1953, when Tatyana Lukashevich filmed a theatrical performance at Moscow Art Theatre with Alla Tarasova playing the leading

Anna Karenina has been made into a film multiple times. There were nine silent film adaptations alone. role. The black-and-white picture became a box-office hit. The first colour adaptation of the novel, produced by Alexander Zarkhi at Mosfilm in 1967, stirred public interest again. Tatyana Samoylova played Anna, while Bolshoi prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya co-starred as Betsy. Seven years later,

Plisetskaya played Anna in the ballet by Rodion Shchedrin. In 2006, interest had waned again and the new adaptation by Sergei Solovyov, starring Tatyana Drubich and Russian film icons Oleg Yankovsky and Alexander Abdulov, received only private screenings; the distributors thought the film had no commercial future. Producers had no such qualms about the latest adaptation, directed by Joe Wright with a screenplay by Tom Stoppard and starring Keira Knightley as the troubled heroine. Anna's husband is played by Jude Law, who manages to overcome his usual personable persona to inhabit the role of the dour bureaucrat Karenin. Although some experts have argued that Wright's casting choices were purely based on commercial concerns, others say that by making the decision not to cast Russian actors,Wright embraced the universality of the themes. This universality is what makes the novel a classic, according to contemporary Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin. “The most important things that happen in life occur between a man and a woman (and between a parent and child, a person and his homeland and a human being and death). These themes are eternal and Lev Nikolayevich depicted them deeper, wiser and more accurate-

ly than anyone else without resorting to romanticism or misanthropy. That’s the big secret,” Prilepin said. Anna Karenina was published as a serial in a popular Russian magazine between 1873 and 1877. Russian critics were tough on the novel, calling it trivial, but it influenced generations of writers, starting with American novelist William Faulkner.To this day, universities all over the world teach the novel. Writer Olga Slavnikova does not share the world’s admiration for Tolstoy’s novel, though she admits that its popularity is easy to explain.“Honestly, I am not very fond of this work. I think it is too melodramatic. But perhaps the sentimentality is the secret of its popularity. Many women have sympathy for her hard lot, since Anna lost her child and the man she loved … How many of her peers were fantasising about taking pills or jumping out of the window. These thoughts are interesting and one feels like watching how they will be put into practice.” Solovyov, who made two adaptations of Anna Karenina, one for cinema and the other for TV, said of working with the text: “The novel helps us to understand why fate hurled us into this life. That level of human truth alone makes the novel worth filming.”

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MOST READ Golden Ring tourist route turns 45 rbth.ru/21127

Tourism If a country's soul is expressed in its art, these itineraries will help visitors understand more of what makes Russia unique

Three days in the Moscow of artists Travel Tips

FAST FACTS

at RBTH.ru/ travel

Capital launches tourist pass RUSSIA’S capital has launched a tourist pass that grants visitors discount rates on museum visits and tours. The Moscow Pass costs 2400 rubles ($A74) and covers seven museums, including the State History Museum and St. Basil's Cathedral. The intention is to extend the number of museums by the start of the summer tourist season. “We are offering a three-day card, but we plan to have more partners in the spring and issue a long-term card for seven- to nine-day visits,” said Ksenia Zemskova, head of travel projects at the WowMoscow website for travellers, which is part of the Moscow Pass project. “The Rome Pass includes 50 mu-

PHOEBE TAPLIN SPECIAL TO RBTH

BECAUSE getting to Moscow in the first place requires a little more time and effort than many destinations, many visitors to the Russian capital want to get more out of their trip than St Basil's and Lenin's Tomb. While there are plenty of local operators happy to conduct tours in any language, public transport also makes it possible for visitors to strike out on their own. Here are three itineraries for tourists wishing to discover the heart of Russia's music, art and literature scenes.

ITAR-TASS

While the Kremlin and Red Square should not be missed, there is so much more to see in Moscow. Here are three daylong, do-it-yourself itineraries built around the Russian capital’s rich cultural life.

seums and I suppose that’s a good figure for us to try to match.” The Moscow Pass went on sale this month and is available at hotels, museums and hostels, as well as online at Moscowpass.com. Later, the pass will also be sold at airport shuttle stations.

Day 1: Art and architecture

Day 2: Literary Moscow A new metro station, Dostoevskaya, has murals showing scenes from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novels in shining black-and-white marble. Next door is his birthplace, the Mariinsky Hospital,

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where he spent his childhood in a wing for the poor. Two metro stops away, walk from Chekhovskaya along the boulevard, passing a statue of the poet Sergei Yesenin, to visit Maxim Gorky’s house. This free museum, in a remarkable art nouveau mansion, is opposite the church where Alexander Pushkin got married. From the swirling marble staircase under a stained-glass chandelier in the form of a jellyfish, to the dragonfly-shaped bronze door handles, almost every aspect of the decor was created by the architect Fyodor Shekhtel. At the far end of the road is the pink townhouse museum of

A new metro station, Dostoyevskaya, has murals showing scenes from Fyodor Dostoevsky's novels. playwright Anton Chekhov; also close by is the pond where the opening scene of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita takes place. Bulgakov’s apartment, also now a museum, is around the corner. The cultural centre in the same courtyard has a cafe and runs tours of the area on a tram-style bus. Continue the theme of Soviet writers with a visit to Vladimir

Mayakovsky’s apartment block, now a four-floor installation, symbolically reflecting the writer’s avant-garde ideas. The tiny room on the top floor where Mayakovsky lived is the centre of a revolutionary journey revealing the hope and despair of early 20thcentury Russian history.

Day 3: Musical haunts Start inside Teatralnaya metro, where the ceiling is decorated with white and gold porcelain figures dancing and playing flutes and balalaikas. Come out of the station near the newly renovated Bolshoi Theatre and head for Kamergersky Pereulok, where the composer Sergei

1. The Moscow skyline as the sun rises on a winter morning. 2. The Church of the Ascension is just one of many sites of interest at Kolomenskoye Park, which sits on the banks of the Moscow River south of the city. 3. Visitors to Moscow often check out the Pushkin Museum of Fine Art but miss Russian masterpieces at the Tretyakov Gallery.

his back, is singer and poet Vladimir Vysotsky, whose lyrics about love, war, politics and drunkenness won him many fans. Turning left, you reach the theatre-filled Hermitage Gardens, dominated by the curving bulk of the Novaya Opera. This urban oasis looks great in snow or blossom, with skating rinks in winter and outdoor concerts in summer. Just beyond the gardens is the Glinka Museum of Musical Instruments, which houses everything from 13th-century lyres to the first electronic music makers. The composer Mikhail Glinka is quoted just inside: “A nation creates music; we merely arrange it.”

Prokofiev lived. Cross under Tverskaya Street to reach the Conservatory, heart of many of Moscow’s musical traditions. Pyotr Tchaikovsky taught here from 1866, and wrote Swan Lake while he worked there. The railings around the statue of Tchaikovsky bear the notes from six of his works. Walk along to 7 Bryusov Pereulok, where so many dancers and musicians lived. Nearby are musical monuments and the Composers’ House. On Strasnoi Boulevard, at the top of the hill, are two more musical statues: Rachmaninov sits near the house where he once lived and, behind him, with his guitar strapped on

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A TRAVEL card for tourists will be introduced in Moscow next year. “The travel card will be a one-day multiple ticket covering all types of public transport,” said Maxim Liksutov, head of Moscow’s Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development. The pass, which is to be introduced in April, will cost 200 rubles ($A6). “While a transport pass for tourists is not actually a factor that will help attract tourists to the city, it will certainly improve Moscow’s image as a tourist-friendly city,” said Irina Tyurina, spokesperson for the Russian Travel Industry Union. “There are often queues to buy metro tickets, and many people are at a loss as to where they can buy trolleybus tickets.

“They have no idea that you can buy them from the driver. A transport pass is what tourists really need. “Whether or not it works will depend largely on how well we inform people about it,” Ms Tyurina said.

New radio station – in English MOSCOW’S first 24-hour English-language radio station, Moscow FM, started broadcasting in November. The radio station is the brainchild of the city government’s Moscow Media holding, and the plan is for it to become an essential resource on events in the capital. “I hope that this station will open our city towards the whole world,” said Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Mr Sobyanin encouraged foreign visitors and residents in the city to listen to Moscow FM on 105.2 FM saying: “Let visitors to the capital city, whether they are here on business or holiday feel at home here.” The station mostly broadcasts international music. Other

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For transport, one size fits all

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Many visitors make a beeline for the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts with its fabulous collection of western European impressionist paintings, but why not sample some Russian art, too? The Tretyakov Gallery, in the picturesque Zamoskvorechye area, offers a crash course in history and culture, from icons and imperial portraits to poignant Russian landscapes and epic recreations of the past. To see ethereal works by Mikhail Nesterov in their original setting, walk round the corner to the Martha and Mary Convent. Alexei Shchusev, architect of Lenin’s tomb, designed the elegant art nouveau cathedral at the complex. Fans of 20thcentury art should head for the New Tretyakov Gallery, with its modernist experiments and waterside sculpture garden full of Soviet heroes. In the afternoon, ride the metro out to Kolomenskoye Park (Kolomenskaya station) to enjoy some of the city’s finest architectural monuments. Among the cliff-top apple orchards is the Church of the Ascension, built in 1532 to celebrate the birth of Ivan the Terrible. Its spire, one of the earliest built of stone, rises from layers of arched gables and vaulted stairways. The surrounding park includes the sites of Stone Age villages and a huge reconstruction of a 17thcentury imperial palace.You can also find Peter the Great's cabin here.

content, including news about cultural events, traffic and weather, will make up to 30 per cent of the station's airtime. News stories, provided by the state-funded English-language TV channel RT, will also cover international events.

Christmas a year-round affair for country's ornament artisans

KRISTINA ZUYKINA (4)

Travel To find the best Russian holiday ornaments, take a trip to the Moscow region town of Klin and visit the Klinskoye Podvorye Museum of Christmas decorations.

THE FACTS The museum of decorations houses 2000-plus ornaments.

The town of Klin, north-west of Moscow, is home to a museum of Christmas tree decorations as well as a factory producing intricate glass creations. KRISTINA ZUYKINA SPECIAL TO RBTH

WHILE many people anxiously count down the days to Christmas, the holiday lasts year-round at Klin, the home of Russia's premier ornament factory and the country's only museum of Christmas tree decorations. The museum features more than 2000 ornaments that are a testament to the history of holiday celebrations in Russia.

The tradition of decorating Christmas trees came to Russia from Germany in the early 18th century, thanks to Tsar Peter I (the Great). During Peter's time, confectionery and fruit were hung on Christmas trees. Later, these goodies were wrapped in paper or packed in little boxes. Later on, trees were decked out with cardboard and glass decorations brought from abroad.The first factories making Christmas tree decorations didn’t open in Russia until the mid-19th century, and early Russian decorations were not balls, but beads. “Initially they just used women’s beaded necklaces. It was

only some years later that they started making strings of beads just for Christmas trees,” said Lyudmila Dedikova, the senior guide at the Klinskoye Podvorye Museum. Later, decorations made of cardboard, wire and cotton appeared. The simplest kind was constructed like this: two identical cardboard cutouts were made, pressed and glued together, and then painted. “There were also surprise toys that might contain beads or a letter and a thread between the cardboard halves. The recipient of such a toy would pull the thread so the two halves opened

up and the surprise dropped into your hand,” Ms Dedikova said. Today the factory in Klin produces only glass ornaments. Every craftsman sits over a gas burner heated to 500-900 degrees. The craftsman holds a glass tube, and within seconds, thanks to the powerful flame, the craftsman can cut the glass, leaving only a part consisting of two “antennae”. The working antenna is in the craftsman’s right hand and the extra one is in the left hand. In the middle of the tube is the“pellet". The extra antenna is soldered off and thrown away. The pellet is heated even more until

the glass becomes soft and the worker can use the main antenna to blow out a ball. The result is a free-blown decoration. To make some decorations, workers use special metal moulds consisting of two halves between which a hot glass tube is placed and squeezed. “At first glance, blowing out a ball seems easy,” said Ms Dedikova.“But in fact, it’s a difficult job. We don’t hire random people; if somebody wants to become a glass blower, he first has to be an apprentice for nine months. Even then, not everyone can do it on the first try.” After the decoration is blown,

1848

the year Prince A.S. Melnikov opened a glass factory in the Moscow Region town of Klin, employing 80 workers.

1.5

hours it takes to get from Moscow to Klin by train, an easy distance for a day trip from the capital.

exhibit halls in the Klinskoye Podvorye museum. They house more than 2000 ornaments.

it is sent to a workshop where it is covered with a special type of foil before being dyed. The item is held by the antenna and dipped into a bowl of dye. It is then kept in a special dryer for 20 to 40 minutes. The final and most interesting stage is the decorative painting. Every worker has an example on the table made by the factory’s chief artist and technologist. The items are painted in stages. If the item is, for example, a mushroom, first the grass is put on several glass blanks and then the top is painted. During the day, one item passes through an artist’s hands seven to 10 times,

depending on the complexity of the pattern. When the item is fully painted, the antenna is cut off with a special knife, a metal cap is put on it and then the item is packaged. This year the factory is trying to diversify, creating souvenir decorations that can be given not just once a year, but on any holiday. “We have swans symbolising love and fidelity, which are given at weddings,”said Ms Dedikova. “You can give little angels on somebody’s saint’s day. A bell keeps evil away and if you ring it from time to time, you will get to travel frequently.”

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MOST READ Drawing the line between fan and hooligan rbth.ru/20485

Olympics Russia’s resort city on the Black Sea may be the world’s biggest construction zone now, but authorities are confident everything will be ready for the opening ceremony

Counting down the days to Sochi 2014 With the Winter Olympics little more than a year away, Russia's host city of Sochi continues its preparations with the expansion of infrastructure.

Medvedev caps hotel prices for Games

ELENA SHIPILOVA RBTH

ITAR-TASS

Sochi getting ready slideshow

THE NUMBERS

123

days is how long the Olympic torch will travel around Russia before arriving at the host city, Sochi. The journey will be the most extensive in Winter Olympic history. MIKHAIL MORDASOV/FOCUSPICTURES

482 new private houses and 518 apartments have been built by the government for the 3000 residents who must be relocated from the Olympic construction areas.

1.2m tourists are expected to visit Sochi during the Games. To prepare for them, new hotels are being built. Eventually, 41,467 rooms will be available.

President Vladimir Putin views the Sochi Games as a key project for improving Russia’s international image.

Facilities being built in Sochi have prompted the head of the organising committee to label the city the “world's largest construction site”.

A new state program has been set up to try to overcome this problem, with hotels being built in downtown Sochi, nearby Adler and Krasnaya Polyana, where many of the sporting events will take place. Mr Chernyshenko has described Sochi as“the biggest construction site in the world”. Russia’s southern regions will also receive improved logistics and transport infrastructure, much of it created from scratch. More than 50 transport routes are being built, 367.3 kilometres of roads and bridges, 201 kilometres of railways, 20 intersections and a several tunnels. Costs have been shared by the Ministry of Transportation and developers.

The Sochi ring road was completed in 2009 and includes 15 bridges and five tunnels spanning 10 kilometres. One of the major projects still to be completed is the combined road and rail line between Adler, where the airport is located, and the Alpinka Service resort at Krasnaya Polyana. The project is estimated to cost $A7 billion. Russian athletes traditionally perform strongly at the Winter Games but officials are hoping the home-town advantage will provide an added fillip. The Russian team is confident it can improve on its results at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, where it finished 11th on the medals table.

PRIME Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a government resolution capping the price of hotel rooms in Sochi at 14,000 rubles ($A431) per day during the games. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who was based in Sochi during his term as presidential envoy to the North Caucasus, told the prime minister this would slash the prices usually charged by Sochi’s hotels in the peak season by 30 to 40 per cent. When the city hosts major events, hotel prices sometimes jump to 157,000 rubles ($4840) a night, Kozak said. A deluxe suite in a five-star hotel during the Olympic Games will cost 13,896 rubles ($A428); other single or double rooms will cost 8253 rubles ($A254) and 10,569 rubles ($A325) respectively. In four-star hotels, deluxe rooms will

cost 13,148 rubles ($A405) a night and a single room 5839 rubles ($A180). In the most popular category of hotels (three stars and below) and in mini-hotels, the price will be 4339 rubles ($A133) or less. Prices may be further reduced, since the construction of new hotels will double the number of hotel beds in the city. “All the hotels should be opened between June and October 2013,” said Mr Kozak. Above all, Mr Medvedev said, it was important that hoteliers did not start looking for loopholes in the resolution. “Our folks are smart and we should see to it that tourist operators and hotels do not introduce some surrogate charge that would not, in fact, be linked to the cost of accommodation, but would need to be paid to compensate for the losses,” he said.

VISAS

The Russian journey of the Olympic torch

Athletes take visa fast track PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin has signed a law that simplifies the process for issuing visas to foreign athletes travelling to Sochi to compete in the 2014 Winter and Paralympic Games. According to the law, the Federal Migration Service will be able to issue visas and send them by email to the corresponding diplomatic missions and consular services in Russia at the request of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Organizing Committee.

ALENA REPKINA

THE 2014 Winter Olympic Games kick off in the southern Russian city of Sochi in less than 400 days’ time, and aside from the massive infrastructure being constructed around the Olympic venues, plans for the opening and closing ceremonies are in an advanced stage. According to Russian daily Izvestia, an actor portraying Tsar Peter I (the Great) will open the Games commanding a flotilla of five ships containing several heroes from classic Russian fairytales. The ceremony will be broken up into several thematic parts connected with Russian literature and history. A total of $A62 million will be spent on the opening and closing ceremonies, about 20 per cent less than was spent on the ceremonies at the London 2012 Summer Games. Sochi organising committee head Dmitry Chernyshenko said infrastructure in the city, which sits on the Black Sea coast, is 70 per cent complete and preparations are on schedule for Russia’s first Winter Games. “Sochi will be the showcase for Russia for the world to see,” Mr Chernyshenko told the Associated Press. President Vladimir Putin has made the Sochi Games a focus of his third term and views the event as a key project for improving Russia’s international image. About $A28.5 billion has been earmarked for building facilities and developing infrastructure in Sochi, including roads, some of which were only singlelane until a few years ago. About 1.2 million tourists are expected at the Sochi Games, which poses a potential accommodation problem. Currently the city offers no more than 34,000 hotel rooms; the International Olympic Committee, however, is insisting Sochi offer no fewer than 41,467, more than half of which are to be in the three-star category.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS to win a grand slam tournament overseas. So when Sam is at the US Open, the pressure is different; French Open finals or semifinals it’s different. But here the pressure is greater. So I think it’s harder, but she is capable of winning it.You are going to play for two weeks, play seven great matches, and the players who play the most consistently win. Maria has done that, Serena has done that, and Sam did it at the US Open.

Happy returns for Russian players at Melbourne Park

Explore Russia's most unique natural monuments. Where would you go?

the highest prizemoney in the world, $30 million. We think it is the best facility in the world because not many have three stadiums that you can close the roof on, we have clay on the site, we have indoors. We expect the top 100 men and top 100 women, like we have every year. The question that concerns many tennis fans is whether Rafael Nadal will be able to recover in time to play at the Australian Open in 2013. We are fortunate that we start in January; players have some time off so that they are not injured. Like Rafa Nadal, whom I spoke to last week and he is going to be ready to play. Evgeny Kafelnikov, Marat Safin and Maria Sharapova have all won the tournament. Why do you think the Australian Open is the most successful grand slam tournament for the Russians? There is a strong Russian com-

munity living in Australia and they come and support the Russian players. I also think it’s a good surface; it’s a surface that Russians generally do well on. It’s not a hard court, it’s a softer surface. It suits Maria’s game, it suited Marat’s game. [Nikolay] Davydenko had some good runs here as well. I also think it’s the beginning of the year, the sun is shining and they are coming from cold winter. Historically, Maria always comes early; historically the Russian players always come early, too. We always believed that the earlier you get here, and we’ve got statistics to show, the more success you have at the Australian Open.You can’t acclimatise in three days; you need a couple of weeks to acclimatise to the heat and the Australian summer. And the Russian players generally have been here earlier than others. Last year, Maria was here two to three weeks before [the tournament]

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Maria Sharapova will face a tough crowd in Melbourne, including last year's champion, Viktoria Azarenka (pictured).

and she’s going to be early this year, too, training. I think it’s helpful. Who are the favourites in the women’s draw? In the women’s draw, I think Maria. I think she was probably playing the best tennis at the end

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Which final is your favorite in the history of the Australian Open? Nadal-Djokovic last year. I was sitting courtside for six hours. The ball was going so fast, and it was the drama. It was my favorite final. © RIA NOVOSTI

IMAGO/LEGION MEDIA

In an interview with Russian news service RIA Novosti, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley discusses the latest developments at the season’s first grand slam and why the Russians tend to do well at Melbourne Park.

Whatareyourexpectationsfornext month’s tournament? What makes it unique? We’ll start 2013 with the first grand slam of the year. We’ve been able to take the Australian Open to 683,000 people who came through the gate last year and a global audience of more than 300 million. So the event is really growing. Part of this growth is the redevelopment of the site. We are adding another court with a retractable roof. Now we have three such venues. We’ve also built eight indoor courts, eight outdoor red clay courts and another five practice courts, so we have another 21 courts that we’ve built in partnership with the Victorian government. We’ve invested more than $363 million in the upgrade of the facilities and we’re going to invest probably another half a billion [dollars] in the next few years and there will be even more development. We will have again

of the year. [Viktoria] Azarenka is playing great tennis and she won here last year obviously and this was her first breakthrough. Australian No. 1 Sam Stosur has taken the United States Open title. Do you think she is capable of winning her home grand slam event?

Russia beyond the headlines Asia

If the Russians had a grand slam in Russia, the Russian players would find it hard because the expectations are so great. You hear even in the coffee shops people talking about tennis [and] when you go shopping. I think for a local player to win the Australian Open is a lot harder than

Why do you think Lleyton Hewitt could not achieve his best results at the Australian Open? Was it the surface or something else? He got to the final in 2005. I think the surface is actually good for Lleyton. He had some very difficult draws and he had been injured a couple of times. I think the surface now is better for him. The old surface used to change a lot in the weather conditions: if it was shade or sun, the speed would change a lot. Now it doesn’t matter whether you’re in shade or you have direct heat.

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