2013 #11 RBTH for The Daily Telegraph by Russia Beyond

Politics & Society

RBTH for iPad

No two ways about it

For each grumpy Russian waiter, there is a smiling babushka serving pelmeni

Ukraine pulls back from EU deal as East-West manoeuvres hit the buffers

For each bottle of vodka, there is a glass of kvas

P.02

Special report The full nest syndrome Examining the challenges of the booming Russian property market

For each of you, there is a Russia of your choice

P.05

Saturday, November 30, 2013

This eight-page pull-out is produced and published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia), which takes sole responsibility for the contents

Distributed with

United front: US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, celebrates the Iran deal with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov PHOTOSHOT/VOSTOCK-PHOTO

A NUCLEAR RESET BUTTON

ran’s foreign minister returned home to a hero’s welcome as thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran to celebrate what they saw as an undisputed victory. An international agreement signed by Javad Zarif with six major powers in Geneva had confirmed Iran’s right to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme and eased a crippling sanctions regime by allowing the Islamic Republic to resume exports of gold and petrochemicals, as well as to conduct certain types of financial transactions on the international markets. In return for the reduction in sanctions, worth an estimated $7-10bn (£4-6bn) to the hard-pressed regime, Iran agreed to halt the uranium enrichment programme that made the international community suspect it of secretly planning to develop a nuclear bomb. It made a commitment to cease enrichment of uranium above 5pc, to“neutralise”stocks that have already been enriched beyond this level, and to allow greater access to its nuclear sites for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran has no intention, however, of dismantling the centrifuges that permit enrichment at its facilities in Fordo and Natanz. President Hassan Rouhani said during a live appearance on Iranian television that Iran had retained its inalienable right to enrich uranium under the terms of the Geneva deal, and “no country can deny or qualify that right”. His statement was music to the ears of Iranians, but not to those of Israelis or Americans. The true value of this month’s agreement between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group of Russia, China, the United States, France, Britain and Germany will become clear in six months, when they aim to sign a comprehensive treaty. “The victory achieved in Geneva is tactical,” Vladimir Yevseyev, head of the Centre for Social and Political Studies in Moscow, told RBTH. “The bulk of the sanctions, including those imposed by the UN,

The agreement in Geneva to suspend Iran’s nuclear programme could help to reshape political relationships across the Middle East and beyond, say Andrey Ilyashenko and Ivan Flegontov remain in place for the time being, and Iran has yet to consent to placing its nuclear programme under full international controls.” An indication of the difficulties ahead came almost immediately after the signing, when Iran declared that it would continue building at its Arak heavy water reactor, a facility that critics fear could be used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. Iran claimed that the text of the deal did not prevent construction, but France’s foreign ministry said that a halt to work was “specifically targeted” by the agreement and should be respected.

A WINNING POSITION Nevertheless, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov believes that the talks have had a positive outcome, and that the deal Russia helped to broker was in line with its own foreign policy interests.Very few people had hoped for such a successful outcome after 34 years of confrontation between Washington and Tehran, and 10 years of seemingly fruitless talks between Iran and the international community. “The key reason the Geneva accord is important is that it has helped form a foundation of trust that was clearly lacking during the previous years of negotiations,” said Prof Vladimir Sazhin of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences.“It is extremely important that the Iranian nuclear programme is becoming more transparent.”

The US-Russian reset, which was pronounced dead in the water, has been given a second chance

The main obstacle to agreement had been the unwillingness of Washington and Tehran to listen to each other. Mr Lavrov said that the situation changed dramatically following Mr Rouhani’s election as president. Mr Rouhani’s determination to initiate a reset in relations with the US was welcomed by President Obama’s administration. Gleb Pavlovsky, a political analyst and president of the Foundation for Effective Politics, believes that President Obama is pursuing a risky course for any US president. Détente with Iran is not universally popular in the US, while Washington’s main allies in the Middle East, Israel and Saudi Arabia, are putting up fierce resistance. The two have formed a united front on this issue, though they disagree on almost everything else with the possible exception of their attitude to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. A survey by Israel’s pro-government Hayom newspaper found that almost 58pc of Israelis believed that the US had inflicted serious damage on Israel’s national interests by signing the Geneva accord. Shortly before the deal was announced, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Moscow in an apparent attempt to influence the international mediators through Russia, since his concerns were not being heeded by the US. Speaking on Russia’s Channel One TV, Mr Netanyahu insisted that the Geneva deal was “flawed”and that Tehran had only agreed to a temporary suspen-

sion of its nuclear programme “because of the tough sanctions that Iran is now facing”. In such a situation ,Washington needed strong backing from the other mediators, said Yevgeny Shestakov of the Russian Council for Foreign and Defence Policy.“Lavrov worked hard to persuade his colleagues in Geneva that even an interim deal with Iran on a nuclear programme, that would enable IAEA inspectors to visit Iranian nuclear facilities, would be better than pressing ahead with the policy of blockade and sanctions,” Mr Shestakov said. “In essence, Russia was energetically backing the American approach to Iran in Geneva. That was an example of practical co-operation between the two countries, which ultimately enabled Moscow and Washington to agree on a date for another important international conference, the one on Syria.”

BREAKTHROUGH IN SYRIA Joint efforts by the US and Russia recently led to the major breakthrough of Syria putting its chemical weapons programme under international control for destruction. For all of the doubts voiced by western sceptics, the programme to destroy Syria’s chemical stockpiles is proceeding in accordance with the agreed schedule. The Syrian chemical disarmament deal and the nuclear accord with Iran have drastically improved the chances of establishing the Middle East as a zone free of weapons of mass destruction. There is, however, another equally important goal. The reset in Russian-US relations, which many have pronounced dead in the water, has been given a second chance by the successes in the Middle East. An abstract reset, unrelated to any specific resolution of international problems, has been shown to be pointless. But co-operative efforts to identify solutions help to strengthen Russian-US ties and restore a climate of trust between the two countries. The conditions for such a restoration may now be in place.

Read on RBTH.CO.UK: Highlights of UK-Russia Year of Culture rbth.co.uk/31751

Russia enters list of top 10 travel destinations rbth.co.uk/31503

Soviet fashions of the 1960s: Dawn of a new era rbth.co.uk/32045

Politics & Society P2_Saturday, November 30, 2013_www.rbth.co.uk

NEWS IN BRIEF

Ukraine does a U-turn on Europe

Last Greenpeace activist released from prison Colin Russell, the Australian radio operator on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, has been released on bail of two million roubles (£40,000) by St Petersburg City Court. Mr Russell was the last of the “Arctic 30” in custody after courts freed 27 environmental activists and two journalists this month from pre-trial detention on hooliganism charges. Mr Russell, who took part in the bail hearing via video link, had previously been ordered to remain in custody until February 24, 2014. The group was detained when Greenpeace activists attempted to scale an Arctic oil rig owned by a Gazprom subsidiary in the Pechora Sea on September 19. Greenpeace has condemned the charges as ridiculous.

Foreign policy Yanukovych declines a deal with the EU as economic realities hit home GEVORG MIRZAYAN

Emotional pull In reality, the situation was neither as dramatic nor as simple as Ukraine’s opposition made out. Moscow certainly played a key role in halting Ukraine’s European integration, not out of a desire to restore the Soviet Union but from a need to protect Russia’s interests. Economically, a number of Ukrainian and Russian industrial enterprises are parts of the same production chain.Ukraine also has great emotional significance for Russia because Russian statehood was born on the territory of modern Ukraine. Even now, most people in Kiev not only know Russian but speak it in everyday life. From an economic viewpoint, Russia would have to protect its market from an inflow of cheap European goods through Ukraine into its territory and this would put an end to the free trade arrangement that currently exists between the two former Soviet neighbours. That is why Moscow did not want Kiev to sign an agreement that would, in Russia’s view, make Ukraine an economic and political appendage of Brussels. But MrYanukovych’s refusal to sign the agree-

Ryanair will ﬂy to Russia

REUTERS

President Viktor Yanukovych’s last-minute rejection of a planned Association Agreement with the European Union was unexpected and shocking for most of Ukraine’s public, who are imbued with the idea of European integration. Up to 100,000 demonstrators took to the streets of the capital, Kiev, prompting comparisons with protests on Independence Square during the pro-western Orange revolution of 2004. Some attempted to storm the prime minister’s offices, prompting riot police to use batons and tear gas, and there were opposition rallies in many other cities across the country. The charismatic opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko declared a hunger strike from prison over Mr Yanukovych’s turn away from Europe and towards closer ties with the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. His change of heart ahead of this week’s Eastern Partnership summit inVilnius, Lithuania between the EU and six former Soviet republics prompted opposition parties linked to the Orange cause to claim that MrYanukovych had betrayed Ukraine’s national interest for his own political gain. Arseniy Yatsenyuk, leader of the “Fatherland” parliamentary party, claimed that MrYanukovych had struck a“bargain” with Moscow for a $20bn reduction in gas prices, “half of which will be stolen, and half of which they will spend on the election campaign so that Viktor Yanukovych will be able to falsify the presidential elections in 2015”.

SPECIAL TO RBTH

ment was also rooted in fears for Ukraine’s economy, as those who read the full document realised. The deal gave full access to Ukraine’s market for European goods, but there was no reciprocal access to the European Union for Ukrainian products. Rather than free trade, Ukraine would be assigned strict quotas, particularly on agricultural produce. For example, Ukraine produces a total of 30,000 tons of cheese per year, but would be allowed to export only 5pc of it, or 1,500 tons, to Europe under the agreement. The situation with poultry is even worse: Ukraine produces a million tons of chicken meat per year, but would be permitted by the agreement to export only 1pc, or 10,000 tons, to the EU, while being obliged to import 20,000 tons of poultry from Europe. Meanwhile, Russia has made clear that it would have to impose duties on Ukrainian exports, making them less competitive, as a result of any endiing of their free trade zone. MrYanukovych admitted the economic pressures in a television interview on the eve of the summit, saying: “Today our economy is sick.” The president may be playing a strategic game to gain benefits from both the EU and Russia by continuing to manouevre between them, as Ukraine has done for some time. But there are also two short-term electoral imperatives. “Yanukovych does not want to gamble before the presidential election. He doesn’t need the confrontation with Putin,” Vadim Karasev, director of the Ukrainian Institute of Global Strategies, told RBTH. A souring in relations between Ukraine and Russia could encourage Russia's media to focus more attention on the deteriorating economic situation in Ukraine's Russian-speaking southeastern industrial regions. MrYanukovych might also face the risk of a domestic challenge at the polls from a political opponent who advo-

Bound by the ties of history Russia and Ukraine have deep historical, cultural and religious ties dating back more than 1,000 years. In common with neighbouring Belarus, they trace their origins to the Kievan Rus, a ninth-century federation that united the majority of East Slavic tribes. Eastern Christianity was introduced across the realm after the baptism of Vladimir the Great in 988. Much of present Ukraine was part of the former Russian Empire and known as “Little Russia”; Kiev remained under Kremlin rule during Soviet times, until independence in 1991. Eastern and southern Ukraine is mostly Russian-speaking, while Crimea transferred from Russia to Ukraine only in 1954, after a ruling by the Supreme Soviet.

Press Blogs boom as platform for diverse views and uncompromising reporting

Journalists find freedom online but can they make it pay? DMITRY ROMENDIK SPECIAL TO RBTH

The reporter liberated “Blogs have turned out to be a very good format. They offer the free creative space that I need as a journalist. I do exactly what I want and how I want it,” says Mr Babchenko. “I don’t have to worry about the editor, wondering whether they will like my text or not; I don’t have to worry about the

Passionate protest: a woman wipes away a tear at a demonstration in Kiev against Ukraine’s rejection of the EU agreement

Arctic medal for museum British and Russian veterans of the Arctic convoys came together to present an Arctic Star medal to the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow. They were joined by Russian officials and diplomats from the embassies of its Second World War allies, Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for the presentation ceremony last week.

The Tymoshenko factor Mr Yanukovych is well aware that Tymoshenko is seen as his main rival in the presidential election, just as she was in 2010. She is the preferred candidate for both a large part of Ukraine’s electorate and for foreign powers. “Ukraine’s president should act as a mediator between the Ukrainian elite and the Kremlin, as well as Ukrainian elites and Brussels and Washington,”said Mr Karasev. In his view, Mr Yanukovych’s relations with Moscow and Brussels have been damaged by the struggle over European integration, but Tymoshenko’s relationship with both sides remains quite good. Mr Yanukovych suggested last week that Ukraine could still sign an Association Agreement with the EU “when we are able to negotiate reasonable terms”. But he quickly added: “Time will show if it happens soon or not.”

Flights are expected to start next March. Ryanair is the latest airline to enter Russia’s growing low-cost market: easyJet and Hungary’s Wizz Air began flights this year. Aeroflot has also announced plans to set up its own budget carrier. Oleg Panteleev, head of the AviaPort analytical agency, said that passengers who currently connect between Russia and Ireland via Helsinki would be attracted to the new service. He said: “Ryanair has a lot of potential.”

Sochi ticket sales surge

READ MORE www.rbth.co.uk/ tag/children

se. They were the first people to help me and to show me that Nastya can do things. “I am a different person now and the people around me are different.” Tatiana is trying to organise parents of children with Down’s syndrome to help each other and educate society. She monitors what happens at maternity homes and says that doctors no longer suggest that mothers give up their disabled babies. Instead, they provide contact details of parents like Tatiana or Irina. ThePromise has just run its first training workshop in Moscow for 30 Portage workers. Obeschanie has also started running workshops and fund-raising in Russia. Ms Gevurian says: “There was a solid tradition of charitable work and volunteering in Russia before the Communist revolution. We are simply reviving those traditions with the help of our British friends.”

Reaching out

REUTERS

Portage is a developmental system for children with special needs and their parents that first emerged in the US town of Portage, Wisconsin, in 1970. It has won widespread international recognition for its success in helping children reach early development milestones in terms of language, movement and under-

standing by breaking down learning activities into small steps, often through play. It uses a series of precision teaching techniques involving home visitors working with parents that are based on the capabilities of the individual child and the things he or she most enjoys. For example, a child may learn to

pick up a toy, move it from hand to hand, then drop it into a toybox in a series of steps encouraged by a carer, or to give eye contact to a parent during a nursery rhyme. The success of portage has led to a growing understanding of how much disabled children can learn under the right conditions.

While the orphanages benefited, a more subtle change also took place. ThePromise believed that families would be less likely to hand their children to the state if more support was available in the home. In 2006, working with the psychology department of Ryazan State University, it set up a community Portage service where student volunteers, supervised by a senior Portage worker, help families with disabled children. They visit once a week to work on developmental exercises with the child and his or her mother. For Saveliy’s parents, the support is an enormous relief. Encouraged by positive changes in attitudes towards disability among neighbours and even complete strangers, they are now planning a get-together with other families, something they could never have dreamt of in those six lonely years. But old habits die hard. Irina Barkina, a single mother of twins with cerebral palsy, says that she had to fight really hard to secure places for her children at a local nursery. At first, I think she is talking about a specialist unit for children with disabilities. She replies: “No. Why would I want my lively boys to be consigned to a disabled facility? To me they are as normal as any other child, and I want them to grow as normal people.” That was where the difficulty lay – to per-

RUSSIAN ENTREPRENEURS TELLING YOU THEIR SUCCESS STORIES

Don`t miss the chance to meet them at rbth.ru/30under30

Business & Finance P4_Saturday, November 30, 2013_www.rbth.co.uk

Q&A President of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov discusses the challenges and successes of staging the 2013 Universiade student games

A sporting chance for Kazan Rustam Minnikhanov, the president of Tatarstan, considers that major sports events contribute to the growing investment attractiveness of cities and entire regions. In an interview with Brics Business magazine, he explains how the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan helped to solve problems that could have taken another 20 years to tackle.

www.rbth.co.uk/ tag/kazan

SERGEY SAVOSTIANOV / RG

ITAR-TASS

What would you recommend to Sochi and Rio, two cities preparing for their Olympics? The first city is ready for the event and very little time remains until the beginning of the Games. First of all, I would advise not to pay attention to all of the accusations, and work on the organisation of the Games. Speaking of our experience, many people did not believe that we would have time to finish all the preparations for the Universiade. However, I did not pay attention to them. It turned out that we managed to build the necessary facilities, prepare and organise this event. I am sure that the organisers of the Sochi Olympic Games and the ones in Rio de Janeiro will be able to implement all the plans on time. We are ready to share our experience in the preparation and organisation of such large-scale sports events. Foreign business is well aware of Tatarstan. What are the main objectives of foreign investors? We have many areas for investment. In particular, foreign companies are attracted by the hotel business, especially after the Universiade in Kazan, when many tourists came. In general, we are open to any proposals, and investors can rest assured that any project in Tatarstan will be readily backed by the leadership of the republic. In Tatarstan, we can offer a developed infrastructure and also skilled personnel to hi-tech companies.

The world frequently protests against major sports events that are too big a luxury for cities and countries. What was the expenditure on the Universiade? What are the predicted long-term economic benefits? I do not share this point of view. Major sports events, of course, require investments not only in their conduct, but also in the construction of sports facilities and infrastructure. However, after the competition, new sports facilities, roads, road junctions do not go away – they serve the people. Preparations for the event were under way for five years. The work was carried out in the following areas: construction of sports facilities and the Universiade Village; the development of the road network of the city; subway construction; repair of apartment buildings located in areas hosting the 2013 Universiade; riverbank protection works; construction of a new

FIND MORE

From your personal impression, was Tatarstan well known abroad before the Universiade? What, if anything, changed after it was held? We have been working long and hard to make Kazan and Tatarstan more recognised in the world. This is vital in order to attract investments into the republic, since an investor is interested in knowing as much as possible about the place where they plan to invest their money. Until a few years ago, foreigners knew only two cities in Russia – Moscow and St Petersburg. However, in the course of our visits abroad, we talked about our republic. We emphasised that Tatarstan is one of the most dynamic regions. I think that with the help of the Universiade we succeeded in this endeavour. About 12,000 participants from 160 countries and numerous guests came to our country. Universiade competitions were broadcast on the leading sports channels.

terminal at Kazan International Airport; the realisation of ecological concepts and other infrastructure facilities; as well as the modernisation of healthcare services. After the Universiade, Kazan has qualitatively changed, becoming a much more comfortable place to live. Many questions have been solved, which, without this event, would take about 20 more years to be sorted out.

Building the future: clockwise from top left, the president of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov; the Universiade closing ceremony at Kazan Arena; a view of the Universiade village; and Kazan’s main mosque, the Kul Sharif

This interview was conducted before the crash of Flight 363 on November 17, 2013, from Moscow to Kazan. Irek Minnikhanov, the son of Tatarstan’s president, was among the 50 passengers and crew who died. The RBTH editorial team offers its condolences to relatives of all the victims.

Russian nuclear power plants may be built in UK

Transaero and easyJet celebrate take-off for Moscow-London deal

Energy Partnership takes first steps towards deal on sophisticated new reactors

Travel Ticketing agreement boosts choice and flexibility of flights for passengers MARIA KARNAUCH

ANDREY REZNICHENKO

SPECIAL TO RBTH

Plants built to survive a Fukushima Stress tests of nuclear plants conducted after Fukushima have shown nuclear plants based on Russian design have the highest stability under various disaster scenarios. A project developed by Rosatom proposes that even if all power and water systems are damaged for a long time, the plant can independently stop nuclear fission, remove residual heat and provide the necessary security. The NPP 2006 project provides for double containment designed to withstand aircraft impact, passive systems for removal of heat from the core, containment, plus active systems, hydrogen afterburners and melt trap. No project in the world can provide greater security; such a plant could have survived the Fukushima disaster safely.

implementing projects for the construction of nine power units with VVER reactors in Russia and 19 abroad. Rosatom’s power units are built according to the strictest post-Fukushima safety standards of the 3+ generation. Proof of the highest quality of Russian nuclear technology is the fact that the Finnish company Fennovoima selected Rosatom for the construction of Hanhikivi-1 NPP in Pyhäjoki in north-western Finland. The Finnish nuclear supervision authority, Stuk, is one of the strictest in the world. Finnish experts have chosen Russian technology because of its security characteristics and quality-to-price ratio. Russian nuclear specialists are offering to build the VVER-1200 unit based on the design of the NPP-2006 in the Hanhikivi-1 NPP. This machine meets all the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the EU. Today, six units based on this design are being built in Russia, two in Belarus, and four in Turkey. NPP-2006 belongs to the 3+ generation, meets post-Fukushima requirements and has a unique combination of active and passive safety systems. The Finns were the first in Europe to say Rosatom offered the world’s best energy solutions in the field of the “peaceful atom”. Rosatom’s technology is popular not only in Europe, Asia and America, but in Africa, too. Russia and South Africa are preparing to sign an intergovernmental agreement on peaceful nuclear energy, providing the opportunity to build Russian nuclear plants. South Africans selected the Russian NPP project because of its good price and highest level of security, confirmed by the IAEA.

Safety first: Russian nuclear technology has passed stress tests designed to simulate a range of disaster scenarios

Transaero, Russia’s second-largest airline, has started to sell tickets for flights between Moscow and London with the leading budget airline on the British aviation market, the discount carrier easyJet.“In addition to our own flights operated from Moscow’s Vnukovo to London’s Heathrow, Transaero offers passengers the opportunity to fly from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport to Gatwick airport,” said Olga Pleshakova, general director of Transaero. Tickets are available for flights beginning December 16, 2013. The co-operation between Transaero and easyJet, which flies 600 routes across more than 30 countries, was made possible by an intergovernmental deal, which obliges designated carriers to enter into commercial agreements. Transaero and easyJet are the second designated carriers on the MoscowLondon route.“We are confident that this partnership, which is the first of its kind in airline history, will be mutually beneficial,” said Ms Pleshakova. Under the agreement, the Russian airline will sell discount flights on the basis of a flex fare (this ticket price includes a range of services, such as free checked baggage).“We are delighted to offer our flights for sale for less than £100 return on this landmark route,” said an easyJet spokesman.“It will be both easier and more affordable than ever before to fly between the two capital cities.”

The discount difference Discount or budget airlines generally offer minimal services and low-cost, non-refundable tickets starting from €20 one way within Europe. Typically, the price

does not include seat selection, checked baggage, or a meal; the passenger pays extra for these. The price depends on how far ahead of travel time the ticket is purchased, with the lowest prices offered for early booking. If people buy tickets a day before the flight,

PRESS PHOTO

Russian nuclear power plants may be built in the UK very soon. This is a real prospect following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the nuclear sphere between Rosatom and the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change. Other strong evidence of the seriousness of this statement is the agreement between the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom), the Finnish company Fortum and Rolls-Royce, under which the partners will engage in the preliminary preparation of procedures for assessing the design concept of Russian nuclear projects in the UK, and licensing sites for a nuclear power plant (NPP). In order to enter the British market, the Russians attracted Rolls-Royce, as it has experience of working with local licensing authorities, and Fortum has experience in operating nuclear power plants in the EU. This is all about the first steps needed to obtain a permit to build a nuclear power plant based on a Russian design: the partners have made significant progress in negotiations for the construction of reactors in the UK. This was reported by First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, who noted it was the issue of a strategic partnership of Rosatom and Rolls-Royce. “If such partnership is implemented, Rosatom and Rolls-Royce will be able to obtain the right to participate in the competition to build new reactors,” said Mr Shuvalov, adding that the Russian government would support this project. Rosatom showed interest in the UK market for the first time in spring 2012, when Germany’s RWE and E.ON withdrew from the Horizon Nuclear Power project for the construction of two nuclear power plants with a total capacity of up to 6GW in Wylfa and Oldbury. The state corporation was named among the likely buyers of their shares. However, in September Rosatom said it would not join Horizon. Now Rosatom reaffirms that the British energy market is considered attractive. Britain is the only country in Western Europe where there is a large nuclear plant construction programme (eight sites have been allocated); the rest have either suspended nuclear projects or, like Germany, decided to withdraw from nuclear energy. Alexander Uvarov, an independent Russian nuclear expert, said the British nuclear regulator was “very hair-splitting and conservative”, but would eventually recognise the technology and experience of Rosatom. What can Russia offer the UK in a new nuclear power project? Unlike other NPP technology providers, Rosatom has never stopped building new plants. Today, it is

PRESS PHOTO

SPECIAL TO RBTH

easyJet began to offer flights between London Gatwick and Moscow in March this year. Now Transaero can sell its tickets as well. The Russian airline confirmed that there were three pricing levels, two of them promotional fares with the cheapest offered for flights only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.“The availability of fares will be determined by ticket demand,” it emphasised. “From the point of view of tourism, it is the independent tourists that will be more likely to buy easyJet tickets,” said Vladimir Kantorovich, president of the Russian Association of Tour Operators.“Young people who are not worried about inconvenience will take these flights from Russia to London.” International discounters are already active on the Russian market: the German airlines Germanwings and AirBerlin have flights to Russia. However, easyJet’s commercial agreement with Transaero marks the first time a Russian airline has entered into a commercial agreement with a discounter, said an airline source. Discount airlines have not yet become established on Russia’s domestic market. Two companies that offered discount pricing – Avianova and Sky Express – declared bankruptcy two years ago. Obstacles faced by Russian discount airlines include airport fees that are up to three times higher than in Europe, according to Mr Kantorovich. But Russia’s current legislation is the main road block to creating budget airlines, said a Transaero source. For example, airlines in Russia are not allowed to sell non-refundable tickets, must provide free meals on board, and must give passengers a certain amount of checked baggage free. Another problem is the existing airport infrastructure, which is not set up for handling low-cost flights.

Aircraft from the Transaero fleet at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport

the ticket price is comparable to those on traditional airlines. There are several veteran companies on the market that offer such discount pricing. Besides Britain's easyJet, other European leaders are the Irish Ryanair, the Hungarian Wizz Air, and Germany’s Germanwings.

Special Report www.rbth.co.uk_Saturday, November 30, 2013_P5

Housing challenge makes it tough to fly the parental nest Property High prices and expensive mortgages leave many Russians with no option but to live with mum and dad

from its main players. Expert estimates indicate that up to one million Russians take out a mortgage every year. However, even at such rates of development in lending, Russia still lags behind Europe, particularly the UK, where, says Blackwood, mortgages are the most common way of solving the accommodation problem. According to Russia's Agency for Housing Mortgage Lending, only 24pc of Russians considered a mortgage as a potential financial mechanism for acquiring housing in 2013.

MARIA KARNAUCH SPECIAL TO RBTH

Russia’s mortgage market

Help with housing

According to estate agent Metrium Group, buyers looking to set up in their own apartment need a minimum of $112,600 (£70,000). For that sum, they can acquire 38.8 square metres in a new building on the outskirts of Moscow. Construction is most actively under way in the south and south-west of the city, according to Metrium chief, Maria Litinetskaya. Housing with finished interiors are more expensive: it costs $104,600 to buy 20 sq m on the outskirts of the Russian capital, say analysts from Incom Real Estate. Prices in the suburbs are almost half what they are in the city, at $2,000 per sq m compared to $4,100. But lower prices come complete with Moscow’s infamous traffic jams. In the Russian regions, prices are substantially lower. A one-room apartment in a new building in Yekaterinburg can be purchased for $42,000, in Kazan for $50,000, and in Novosibirsk for $22,000, according to data from analytical agency Blackwood.

Mortgage demand Both new buildings and existing housing can be bought with the help of a mortgage, and bank loans are gaining in popularity among Russians despite high interest rates, which average 14pc per annum (the lowest on the market is 10.5pc for those able to make a 50pc down payment). Six years ago, research conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre showed that more than half of Russians (56pc) want to improve their housing situation, with bigcity residents experiencing the most acute need. As a result, starting in the crisis-hit year of 2008, the number of mortgage loans has increased sharply. In the last year alone, the mortgage market of Moscow and the surrounding region has doubled, according to information

PHOTOXPRESS

The price of jams

Young couples aged between 25 and 35 make up the largest group of mortgage borrowers, at 45pc of the total, according to Metrium Group data. Both spouses need to work to pay the interest, with monthly incomes ranging from $1,500 to $2,400 per person. Of these young professionals, 15pc are middle-tier managers, who use their parents to guarantee their borrowing. Single women under 40 with a child and who hold management positions make up another 15pc of the market, while 20pc is formed by parents who buy a flat for their children or to rent out.

Cost of upmarket property rises

As in the UK, the Russian government offers assistance to some of those who want to buy housing. Military personnel, teachers and young families can qualify for mortgages on special terms. However, those terms do not mean cheaper housing, but special interest rates. Housing has to be chosen on the open market, at publicly available prices, and income must satisfy banks’ lending terms. Young families have been the most fortunate. The Russian government is willing to subsidise 30-40pc of the cost of an apartment for young families that join one of the federal programmes“Young Family – Affordable Housing’’or “Home”. The age limits are identical – applicants must be 35 years or under (single parents can also qualify for government aid). The most important requirement is that the family be registered and officially listed as being in need of improved housing conditions. The size of the subsidy and the living space that applicants can qualify for depends on the number of children. The standard is 18 sq m per family member. But there are additional details: for example, participants in the“Young Family” programme can only acquire finished housing, which is more expensive than apartments in new buildings, according to Leonard Blinov, marketing director at development company Urban Group. According to Incom Real Estate’s data, the proportion of such clients is just 2.5pc compared to 97.5pc of borrowers on standard terms.

ITAR-TASS

Russians appear in no hurry to fly the family nest and begin an independent life. According to statistics, one in three under 45 year-olds lives with his or her parents. High mortgage rates and the equally high cost of housing stand in the way of buying a home for many.

nished one-room apartment in good condition within a five-minute walk from the Metro. But that is also on the outskirts of the city; prices in the centre for housing with minimal renovation start at $1,300 and up. Compare that to the estimated average monthly salary in Moscow of $1,200. “The low salary of a young specialist who recently graduated from university and the high rent payment make it impossible to live independently,”says Renat Laishev, president of the non-commercial partnership Educated and Healthy Children of Russia. “In 67pc of cases, money is the reason behind the lack of desire to leave the parental home.” But in addition to economic reasons for the

Rental market Russians who are unable to buy houses are forced to rent or live with their parents. High rents serve as an incentive to stay under the parental roof. A small flat in a residential area on the outskirts of Moscow can cost $600-$700 a month to rent. Prices depend on proximity to the metro and the condition of the flat. For $1,000, a Russian can rent a fully fur-

Tough at the top: buying a home, such as a high-rise Moscow flat, is a daunting prospect for many young people

Social history Basic apartment blocks named after leaders shed light on ‘two nations’ of Communist era

Home truths about Soviet design Stalinki were built without internal decor. Then came the Khrushchyovka era. In everyday life the Stalinka and Khrushchyovka have become bywords for a luxury lifestyle for the elite and a cheap, uncomfortable one for others. The Khrushchyovki were three- to five-storey apartment blocks with small apartments. The first designs featured brick and slate roofs but were later given plain bitumen roofs with a very small loft space to save money. Later apartment blocks were made in sections in a factory and assembled on site without taking the surrounding architecture and landscape into consideration. The expected life of the blocks was just 25 years but a great many are still in use. The Moscow authorities have promised to demolish all the Khrushchyovki and to replace them with contemporary structures of greater quality. When housing prices are high, the Khrushchyovki are more or less affordable, but the cost is similar to that of apartment blocks in many European cities.

MARINA OBRAZKOVA

NATALIA MIKHAYLENKO

ANNA KUCHMA RBTH

THE NUMBERS

The architecture of Soviet times is not just a monument to the epoch, but also an illustration of the social ideals of the Kremlin’s former leaders. Even the names of the buildings are testimony to that, formed as they are from the names of the leaders: Stalinki, Khrushchyovki and Brezhnevki. The history of Soviet communal living is contained within their walls. The Stalinki are Stalinist apartment blocks that housed the elite. They were built from the end of the Thirties to the mid-Fifties, predominantly in the neo-classical style, and their principal characteristic was a sense of space and enormous size. They featured high ceilings of up to 3.2 metres (10ft 6in), wide window sills and thick walls. But behind the grand facade lurked room partitions made from poor-grade materials that have deteriorated over time, as well as wooden overhangs between storeys. In most cases these apartments had three or four rooms.

RBTH

Lookalike cities Homes for the elite

Average price, in thousands of dollars, for a square metre of premium Moscow property, according to Knight Frank

Moscow’s place in the ranking of major European cities with price increases in elite property in the past 12 months

Average percentage price rise for premium property in Asia-Pacific megacities

There were two types of Stalinki: those for the upper levels of Soviet society and those for the workers. The first were known as nomenklatura. Soviet and economic leaders, high-ranking military officers, those who worked in the security agencies as well as powerful representatives of the technical and creative intelligentsia lived in these apartments. They were well planned, with many featuring study rooms, nurseries and libraries as well as servants’ quarters, spacious kitchens and separate bathrooms. Rooms ranged from 15 to 30 square metres. The directors’(direktorskiye) apartments featured classical architecture and simple decor. The buildings were large, with a high first-floor balcony and decorated with elaborate plasterwork and mouldings. They were either built in the centre of a city or lined city squares, and have become tourist attractions in a number of urban centres. Apartment blocks intended for communal housing were built more simply. Several families would live in a single apartment, or kommunalka, and share lavatory, bathroom and kitchen facilities. These apartments were smaller and often featured interconnecting rooms. In some cases there were no

Prices for prestigious properties in Moscow have risen for the first time in about a year. According to Knight Frank’s premium-class property rating, the most expensive property costs a little more than $23,000 (£14,300) per square metre this autumn, up 1pc compared to September 2012. Moscow ranks fourth in the rate of increase among European cities, behind London (up 7pc), St Petersburg (up 6.6pc) and the principality of Monaco (up 3.2pc). But the real leaders are the mega cities of the Asian-Pacific region and the Middle East, where premium-class sites have risen in price by around 17pc. Government officials have suggested building more affordable housing but Moscow’s deputy mayor for urban development and construction, Marat Khusnullin, has described such a plan as unworkable. He said: “The price of such real estate should be $2-3,000 per square metre. I think that 12 million Muscovites are not ready to have their property value drop.” Mikhail Prokhorov, the billionaire leader of the Civic Platform party, said that Mr Khusnullin’s argument explained “why real estate in Moscow has become so inaccessible for the younger generation of Muscovites”. He added: “This is one of the factors that puts the brakes on Moscow’s economy and on development of the real estate market.”

housing problem, there is also a historical and cultural context. In the Soviet Union, the majority of Moscow apartments were not private, but communal households, where the entire family often lived in one room, while other families lived in other rooms, with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. A separate apartment was an unaffordable luxury for many until the end of the Eighties and the beginning of the Nineties. The first generation of Russians not to experience this situation is only today coming of independent age, as students and recent graduates. They will have to solve the housing issue in the next few years, without regard to the social conditions of the Soviet past.

bathrooms in the corridor-type apartments constructed after the war. There was nothing extravagant about the architecture, and the facades were almost plain or had standard moulded decor. This sort of Stalinki was constructed in workers’ villages, near factories or in residential quarters. These apartment blocks represented the divisions in society. Behind the propaganda about equality was the reality of a society divided into two distinct categories.

Shared space: communal living was a social phenomenon of the Soviet era. It denied privacy and sought to create relationships suited to the ideology of the state

Decor not on the agenda After 1956, fewer and fewer of these blocks were built. Nikita Khrushchev, who succeeded Joseph Stalin, shifted the emphasis on to mass production and the last

READ MORE www.rbth.co.uk/ tag/soviet union

Despite their many drawbacks, these apartments represented the most desirable accommodation in Soviet times. People moved there from the kommunalka and the small kitchens, low ceilings, and poor soundproofing were accepted because one family lived in each apartment. The first district built entirely of these structures was Cheremushki in Moscow, and the exercise was repeated across the country. These apartments were so alike that, even today, if you are in one of these districts it is difficult to tell which city you are in. These apartment blocks continued to be built in Russia until 1985.

Brezhnev aims higher Finally came the Brezhnevki, named after the next leader, Leonid Brezhnev, which were high-rise blocks of nine to 17 storeys. The quality of construction was a little better but they were essentially a magnified version of an uncomfortable living space and turned cities into faceless uniform expanses. Although these building conventions were swept aside with the Soviet Union, it would seem that today’s architects, while given more freedom, are not ready to abandon the characterless apartment block just yet.

Comment & Analysis P6_Saturday, November 30, 2013_www.rbth.co.uk

ART OF DIPLOMACY

HOW KENNEDY BECAME A HERO OF THE SOVIET UNION

A celebration of cultural links with a long and proud tradition

Ivan Tsvetkov INTERNATIONAL ANALYST

Alexander Yakovenko AMBASSADOR

T KONSTANTIN MALER

On Saturday, November 23, 1963, the Soviet headlines were as catchy as usual:“Uzbek cotton growers set new record”;“Prepare now for spring”.News of the assassination of the President of the United States, John F Kennedy, was towards the bottom of the front page, barely discernible from other international events. But the Soviet reader, well used to interpreting the meaning of political events from various signs, such as the arrangement of leaders atop Lenin’s Mausoleum during the May and November parades, would realise from a casual glance that the seemingly inconspicuous column inches of November 23 showed that the news from the US had alarmed the Soviet leadership to an extraordinary degree. Published under a portrait of Kennedy were the texts of telegrams of condolence from all the top leaders of the country – there was even one from Nina Khrushcheva, wife of the First Secretary of the Communist Party, addressed to Jacqueline Kennedy. A few days later, the Soviet Union dispatched Khrushchev’s confidant Anastas Mikoyan to the funeral in Washington – the only socialist country to send a representative. Materials on Kennedy’s life and personality, and analyses of the circumstances of his death, were published daily in the newspapers until spring of the following year, sometimes taking up several double-page spreads. Even before the tragic events in Dallas, over the course of several months in 1963, the image of JFK in the Soviet press had acquired traits wholly uncharacteristic of other US leaders during the Cold War. Kennedy faced almost no criticism and his policy initiatives received often cautious, but at the same time obvious, approval. Two episodes in particular were cited by Soviet propagandists: Kennedy’s speech on June 10, 1963, in which he called for peaceful coexistence between socialist and capitalist countries; and his administration’s signing in August 1963 of a treaty to ban nuclear tests in three environments. The papers highlighted Kennedy and his team’s political standoff against right-wing forces, racists from the southern states, and ardent anti-Communists, who, by the autumn of 1963, were personified by the future Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. The massive campaign in the Soviet press, replete with heartfelt sympathy towards the young, forward-looking president cut down in his prime, had a surprisingly powerful effect, traces of which can be found in modern Russia. Many of the older generation still single out Kennedy from other US presidents, remember the most important events connected with his name, and are always ready to offer their version of the mystery of his assassination. What on earth was going on? Why did this president, who in fact quarrelled and clashed

Kennedy’s assassination was a terrible blow to the designs of the Soviet leadership

with Moscow more than any other (remember the failedVienna Summit, the Berlin and Cuban crises), suddenly became a near icon, the embodiment of all things good and progressive in the eyes of the Kremlin? Did a handful of initiatives in the last months of his life really and so radically change the assessment of his personality in the USSR? A more likely explanation is that Kennedy’s positive image was a product of Soviet propaganda, as a consequence of his help in resolving a key issue for both the Soviet leadership and Khrushchev personally. As Khrushchev revealed in his memoirs, he was anxious to his dying day about the international community’s assessment of the Cuban missile crisis. The accusation of cowardice and shameful backpedalling under US pressure could only be countered by proving that, in reality, Soviet policy had served to seriously reduce the threat of a US attack on Cuba. Since this reduction was only as good as Kennedy’s word – in exchange for Moscow’s withdrawal of missiles – it became necessary to turn this conniving, unprincipled go-getter (as he was characterised in the Soviet press in 1961 and 1962) into a progressive champion of peace and AfroAmerican rights, and a trustworthy guy. Kennedy’s assassination was a terrible blow to the designs of the Soviet leadership, punching a hole through the carefully constructed drama of Soviet-US relations. Less than a year later, Khrushchev was removed from all of his posts and pensioned off. The Cuban gamble was one of the main, unspoken reasons. But the propaganda machine had no reverse gear. Perhaps nowhere else in the world were the events in Dallas interpreted so plainly and straightforwardly as in the USSR. By Novem-

ber 23, reporters from the scene had accused the “far right”. It dovetailed nicely with what they had been writing for the past few months and diverted attention from the dubious past of the accused killer Lee Harvey Oswald, who had lived for some time in the Soviet Union. This version soon became official. In a fourvolume history of the US published in Moscow in 1987, the authors of the relevant section wrote: “It was clear that Kennedy fell victim to hysteria and intolerance, implanted by right-wing circles.” As if the numerous investigations, and countless books and articles published by American authors simply did not exist. But Soviet historians knew better than to diverge from the official point of view. In the Soviet Union, as in the US, the ruling elites tried to inculcate into the public consciousness the most convenient version of the assassination, from a propaganda point of view. Both the conclusions of the Warren Commission on the“lone assassin”and the Soviet concept of a“right-wing conspiracy’’ were designed to airbrush other less salubrious explanations, such as rumours of CIA or KGB involvement. Interestingly, the wider American public refused to accept the official point of view, while people in the USSR, highly sceptical of much of what appeared in Soviet newspapers, took their government’s version to heart. The“rightwing conspiracy” has been passed down from generation to generation, so much so that Russians today are the least likely people of all to question who killed President Kennedy. Dr Ivan Tsvetkov is an associate professor at the School of International Relations at St Petersburg State University and an expert on US domestic policy.

NOTEBOOK

Running out of puff? Blow-up dolls and smokers in the line of fire But life isn’t good for everyone, especially smokers. Russian police have begun issuing fines to anyone found smoking within 50ft of entrances to the Metro, train stations and airports, and near hospitals, schools and playgrounds. Under legislation that came into force on November 15, 2013, violators can be fined between 500 and 3,000 roubles (£10 to £60). Penalties have also been introduced for advertising or propaganda that promotes smoking among minors. Anyone who buys cigarettes for children can also be fined between £20 and £40, rising to £60 if the person responsible is the parent or relative. A smoking ban will be extended to bars and restaurants from June next year. A recent survey found that three-quarters of Russians support a total ban on smoking in public places and on tobacco advertising, but most are sceptical that any ban can be enforced in the country’s tobacco-addicted culture. Only a small proportion believed that smokers would comply with a ban on smoking in public places.

Andrew Denney SPECIAL TO RBTH

Things are looking up in Russia, according to a quality-of-life index prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It says that conditions for the average citizen have improved over the past decade although the country is still below the international average in several categories of the OECD’S Better Life Index. The report, which studied 34 developed and developing countries, found that Russian households had about $15,300 (£9,500) in net-adjusted disposable income, compared with an average of $23,000 for all countries surveyed. This might be a factor in why Russians still feel less content with their lives than people in other countries. Some 74pc of Russian respondents agreed that their daily lives contained more positive than negative experiences, compared with an international average of 80pc. They may be less well paid than their international counterparts, but Russians seem to have less problem finding work, at least according to the figures. Russia reported a 2.2pc annual unemployment rate, compared to 3.1pc on average for the countries surveyed.

THIS EIGHT-PAGE PULL-OUT IS PRODUCED BY ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA (RUSSIA) WHICH TAKES SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENTS. ONLINE: WWW.RBTH.CO.UK; E-MAIL: UK@RBTH.RU TEL. +7 495 775 31 14 FAX +7 495 988 9213 ADDRESS: 24 PRAVDY STREET, BLDG 4, SUITE 720, MOSCOW, RUSSIA 125993

The battle against inflation

Russia will soon overtake the UK for the number of shopping malls available

Following complaints from the Orthodox Church, authorities in the Siberian city of Novosibirisk have ended a five-year-old swimming race in which competitors use inflatable sex dolls as flotation devices. Gazeta.ru reports that the event was cancelled after campaigners for traditional values condemned the race in a letter to city administrators, claiming that it “damaged public morals” and harmed the mental health of Novosibirsk’s residents.

EUGENE ABOV PUBLISHER, PAVEL GOLUB CHIEF EXECUTIVE EDITOR, MARIA AFONINA EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF WESTERN EUROPE, ILYA KROL EDITOR, UK EDITION, ALEXANDRA GUZEVA ASSISTANT EDITOR, TONY HALPIN GUEST EDITOR, OLGA DMITRIEVA ASSOCIATE EDITOR (UK), PAUL CARROLL SUBEDITOR, SEAN HUGGINS SUBEDITOR, ANDREY SHIMARSKY ART DIRECTOR, MILLA DOMOGATSKAYA HEAD OF PRE-PRINT DEPARTMENT, ANDREI ZAITSEV PHOTO EDITOR, SHAUNA MASSEY PROOFREADER

The race was called the Bubble Broad Challenge and is also held in other regions of Russia. Organisers insisted that it was held to demonstrate that sex dolls should only be used as flotation devices. It was unclear from reports whether the blow-up dolls would be put to new uses now that their racing days are over.

VOX POP

What RBTH readers think about hot topics. From facebook. com/russianow

Sarah Diligenti, queuing for the Romanovs exhibition: All nations who have suffered a very bloody revolution look to their monarchist past with nostalgia. Same thing with the French: when you see the amount of media coverage of crowned heads in a country that chopped its monarchs' heads off... you have to wonder why they even bothered

Robert Michael Balloid on the Greenpeace case: I like that Russia is making examples of these freaks. Why should anyone let them into their country to disrupt and get away with it?

Bryce Code on Moscow’s elite property: Totally overpriced due to corruption. It shouldn't be in the top 20

There’s always shopping Smoking and sex dolls may be off limits, but Russians can always console themselves with a bit of retail therapy. Russia leads the rest of Europe in the construction of new shopping malls, but still lags behind the United Kingdom and Turkey in the number of shopping malls currently in operation, the St Petersburg Times reported. Close to half a million square metres of new retail space was built in Russia in the first half of 2013 alone, which is a lot of shops. If present trends continue, Russia will soon overtake the UK for the number of shopping malls. With a population of 142 million to serve, however, there still seems plenty of room for expansion – Russia lags in 28th place overall in Europe for the amount of retail space per person.

Waiting for the train Results of a tender to design a new high-speed railway between Moscow and Kazan are being delayed, The Moscow Times reports. The winning bid for the $33bn project was due to be announced in December, but must now wait until Russian Railways has finalised its investment programme for 2014. Two international consortiums have submitted bids for the project, which is intended to slash journey times between Moscow and Kazan in Tatarstan from 10½ hours to 3½ hours, with trains reaching speeds of up to 250mph. Funding will be split between the Russian government, Russian Railways and private investors.

E-PAPER VERSION OF THIS SUPPLEMENT IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.RBTH.RU TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SUPPLEMENT CONTACT SALES@RBTH.RU © COPYRIGHT 2013, ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALEXANDER GORBENKO CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, PAVEL NEGOITSA GENERAL DIRECTOR, VLADISLAV FRONIN CHIEF EDITOR.

Letters from readers, guest columns and cartoons labelled “Comments”, “Viewpoint” or appearing on the “Opinion” and “Comment & Analysis” pages of this supplement are selected to represent a broad range of views and do not necessarily represent those of the editors of Russia Beyond the Headlines or Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Please send letters to the editor to UK@rbth.ru

he governments of Russia and Britain have designated the year 2014 as Russian-BritishYear of Culture. More than 250 cultural events are expected to take place in the first project on that scale in our bilateral relations. However, we are not starting from scratch. British culture has always been welcome in Russia (favourites include Shakespeare, The Beatles, the architect Charles Cameron, the artists James Whistler and George Dawe), but Russian culture has also been popular for centuries in Britain. There is plenty of evidence that our cultural relationship has always had strong elements of interaction and mutual influence. The history of Russian-British ties goes back at least 460 years. Throughout this time, Russian culture was a very obvious phenomenon in the British Isles. Despite the fact that our political relationship has had its ups and downs, the cultural fascination with each other has always helped us to keep in touch. England first became acquainted with Russian culture in the 16th century, when the embassy of Tsar Ivan IV arrived in London. References to Russia can be found in Shakespeare’s plays, including Love’s Labour’s Lost as well as in Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many influential Russian cultural figures such as Princess Ekaterina Dashkova, the historian Nikolai Karamzin, writers Ivan Goncharov, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoevsky and many others visited Britain, along with Alexander Herzen, who lived here in exile. It is around that time that William Shakespeare became as much a cult figure in Russia as Anton Chekhov became in Britain in the 20th century. The Russian cultural presence became more prominent in the period of Russian-British alliances during the Napoleonic wars. Some buildings and monuments in Britain today reflect that influence, notably the sculpture of a Russian eagle on a double column in Bayswater Road in London, the nearby Apsley House and Windsor Castle. After the strain of the unnecessary Crimean War of 1853-1856 and the terms of the Peace of Paris, Russia and Britain rediscovered each other during the allied relationship before and during the First World War. It went far beyond a joint struggle for peace in Europe. This was a time of great cultural exchanges: for example, a mission of prominent Russian public figures, writers and journalists – including the writer Aleksey Tolstoy,Vladimir Nabokov (the father of the novelist), and the children’s poet Korney Chukovsky – visited Britain in 1916. A similar British mission was sent to Russia. It was a genuine breakthrough in the relationship encouraged by the two governments, and it was a time when the people of Russia and Britain looked beyond the stereotypes. During the Second World War the Arctic Convoys served as a living link between the two countries and helped bring the two peoples closer through effective comradeship-in-arms. There are other examples of lasting cultural ties. Many Russian scientists and artists were awarded the title of honorary doctor at Oxford University. The history of Cambridge University is closely associated with the name of the physicist Pyotr Kapitsa. One of the most memorable 20th-century events in Britain was the visit of the first cosmonautYuri Gagarin in 1961. There is also a strong Russian connection in British sport. One of the most famous British rugby players was Oxford’s England international Count Alexander Obolensky (1916-1940). British ballet is still greatly influenced by Anna Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina. One of the important sources of cultural influence in Britain today is the Russian community. Its members have established a number of organisations promoting Russian culture and language and play an important role in the multicultural fabric of British society. The London office of the Russian Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo has become a popular place for people in love with the country’s culture. Regular cultural exchanges continue: the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres, a huge number of different theatrical companies, exhibitions, singers, musicians, artists and many others are frequent guests in the United Kingdom.TheYear of Culture in 2014 will build on this tradition, contributing to the growing sense of affinity between our nations.

AlexanderYakovenko is Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He was previously Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Keep in touch with the Russian Embassy in London: www.twitter.com/Amb_Yakovenko www.twitter.com/RussianEmbassy www.facebook.com/RussianEmbassy www.youtube.com/RussianEmbassy www.flickr.com/photos/rusembassylondon russianembassy.livejournal.com

ANY COPYING, REDISTRIBUTION OR RETRANSMISSION OF ANY OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS PUBLICATION, OTHER THAN FOR PERSONAL USE, WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. TO OBTAIN PERMISSION TO REPRINT OR COPY AN ARTICLE OR PHOTO, PLEASE PHONE +7 (495) 775 3114, OR EMAIL UK@RBTH.RU WITH YOUR REQUEST. RBTH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS AND PHOTOS.

TATYANA RUBLEVA RBTH REPRESENTATIVE IN UK TATYANA.RUBLEVA@RBTH.RU

Culture www.rbth.co.uk_Saturday, November 30, 2013_P7

When did you realise that your name was starting to work for you? I’ve never yet felt this. If I relax and spend a whole day reading a book or go to parties, the name will cease to work for me.

Sochi prepares to dazzle the world at Olympic opening

In Moscow, you meet with the dealers and do your sales in London. Is that right? No. Moscow collectors built up their collections on their own and they sell very little and reluctantly. They are mostly buyers. If anything is sold in Moscow, it is mostly by relatives who inherited a collection from a deceased family member. Or people who accidentally bought a piece of art for a song, for example during the collapse of the Soviet empire in the Nineties. But in general, America and Europe are selling, and Russia is buying.

Gala event Organisers plan night of the stars to celebrate start of the Winter Games VIKTORIA IVANOVA IZVESTIA

Preparations for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi are taking shape, with many of Russia’s most famous artists among more than 1,000 people expected to take part. The Russian Ministry of Culture is expected to announce more details about the organisation of the event next month, but it already seems likely that big stars, such as viola player Yuri Bashmet and conductor Valery Gergiev, will appear. Members of the British team that helped stage the successful Isles of Wonder show at the London 2012 Olympics are also reportedly involved. All participants have been sworn to secrecy about their involvement in the opening ceremony on February 7. But Gergiev in effect confirmed his participation in September during a meeting of the All-Russia Choral Society, which he oversees. There were reports then of a performance at the opening ceremony by the children’s choir and casting started in Russia’s regions for an Olympic choir of 1,000 singers. Bashmet and Gergiev will meet during the sixth Winter International Arts Festival, which Bashmet hosts in Sochi and which features in the Olympics cultural programme. The Games will also see a performance from the first All-Russia junior orchestra headed by Bashmet. Pianist Denis Matsuev also announced his involvement, saying: “For sure, I am participating in the Olympics. But how? I will not disclose secrets. Naturally, I will play the piano and root for our athletes.” Edgard Zapashny, director of the Great Moscow State Circus on Prospekt Vernadskogo, said that only Russian circus artists would take part in the ceremonies. He said: “I’m tremendously glad about this. I was displeased that Cirque du Soleil worked at the Universiade in Kazan. When Russians do something, it should be through Russian efforts. In many things, especially circus and ballet, we can dictate who is the strongest on this planet.” Ballet stars representing Russia, according to Izvestia newspaper, include the Mariinsky Theatre’s prima ballerina Ulyana Lopatkina, who performed at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Natalia Neumann, manager of opera singer Maria Guleghina, regretted the impossibility of “disclosing information”, but confirmed that Guleghina would attend the opening of the Paralympics, as she is an honorary member of the International Paralympic Committee.

Let’s talk about the auctions that are coming in November. Which will be the hottest sellers? I think (Léon) Bakst should sell well; we have his 1.5-metre painting Bathers on the Lido, Venice from 1909. We have a beautiful Isaak Brodsky, a good 1916 portrait of Samuelson. I am really interested in finding out how the Vladimir Stozharov will sell. It is priced at $80,000. This is Sixties Russian realism.

THE NUMBERS

thousand children from all over Russia will sing in the junior choir at the Fisht Olympic stadium

So these works also came to you from people who accidentally purchased or inherited them? Stozharov came from America. A man bought a very large collection in Russia in the Nineties, and is now selling it. The Brodsky was purchased at Sotheby’s in 1994 and has been in a French collection. The Bakst was part of his niece’s collection and in 1974 was purchased, again at Sotheby’s, from an English collection.

million roubles will be spent on staging the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics

In selecting items, are you guided by personal preference? Or is it just a business? An auction is primarily a trading floor. Personal preferences in the selection of collections have never been the norm and I was never guided by this. But I am very often guided by my own intuition and understanding.

buildings, six locomotives and six bridges will be built on the stage of the stadium for the opening ceremony

What trends do you anticipate? In the near future, demand for socialist realism will significantly increase, and for the art of the second half of the 20th century.

REUTERS

A cultural portrait of Russia

Testing the market: Catherine MacDougall with Nude by Zinaida Serebriakova (1932), to be auctioned by MacDougall’s Plans for the opening ceremony of the XXII Winter Olympics reportedly include a performance on three stages featuring heroes of Russian stories, the Russian troika from Gogol’s Dead Souls, and Peter I commanding five ships. Images of imperial Russia will give way to the 20th century, with buildings, locomotives, bridges and sculptures.

Russian Art Week Auctioneer predicts rise in demand for socialist realism

What’s hot under the hammer? sell paintings, but we were already collectors, and participated in many auctions. At one point, we decided to open our own auction house.

ILYA KROL RBTH

Ulyana Lopatkina: Paralympic post

PHOTOSHOT/VOSTOCK-PHOTO

Valery Gergiev: choral role for conductor

As London celebrates Russian Art Week, Catherine MacDougall, director of MacDougall’s Fine Art Auctions, tells Russian Beyond the Headlines about the evolving Russian art market, and where to look for the most beautiful winter landscapes.

Yuri Bashmet: likely to star in ceremony

How did you get into the auction business? In our previous lives, my husband and I were financiers. William MacDougall led one of the largest investment funds, with about $4bn (£2.5bn) in capital, and I worked on strategy for Russia. We were not dealers and did not

MacDougall’s works in the Russian art market with such established companies as Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Do you have a specific niche? Rather specific tactics. I very often see our competitors organising an auction for one work of art – it is enough to sell just one painting for $10m and you can celebrate success. We have always stuck to a desire to experiment. We had up to 700 lots in some auctions, and three catalogues. That’s a lot, but this is a tried and tested brand. We attract large numbers of works by natural flow.

FIND MORE www.rbth.co.uk/ tag/art

Russian avant-garde always seems popular, as do old classic paintings They will continue to be in demand, but this is not the point. If you open a catalogue from Sotheby’s or Christie’s, you will find practically no works from the second half of the 20th century. I think that’s the next step in the development of the market. We were the first to hold a specialised rich graphic auction. Before that, no one auctioned graphics and it was thought Russians would not buy them. They did not buy until a few years ago, when suddenly the demand rose. This became one of the most rapidly developing sectors. What period are you talking about? Before 2008. After the crisis, everything died for three to four years. In the past year, we are starting to see a revival, but a slow one, in this sector. Before that, we tried icons, but these were rather specialised auctions. This sector practically died after the crisis, but is now going through a new development. Are foreigners interested in Russian lots? There is interest in specific artists and directions, such as Diaghilev, Ballets Russes or icons. Foreigners are more interested in these than Russians. But the collecting of art is a domestic passion – these are images from their childhoods and they bring people pleasure. Russians from Russia buy green forest scenes and still-life paintings because they don’t get enough summer; Russians from Monaco buy winter landscapes as they have no winter. Do you deal in contemporary art? No. For me, art is something that you can bring into your world and live with. For example, a creation in the form of mountains of old slippers – it is not my style. Some might like it and all power to them. But I cannot imagine how I can bring a mountain of dirty slippers into my space, into my personal life.

theatres in Moscow offering world-class performances for non-Russian-speaking audiences who are inspired by the spirit of dramatic art There are more than 50 theatres in Moscow. Some, like the Bolshoi, are world famous and their latest productions are always an event in the city’s cultural life. Others are little-known, but unique in their own way. Several, such as the Moscow English Theatre, cater specifically to the capital’s English-speaking community. The Pyotr Fomenko Theatre is reaching out to non-Russian speakers through innovative use of technology. Theatre buffs are bound to find something to their liking in Moscow, whether they are visiting for a few days or making the city their home for a few years. Russia has a rich tradition of literature and dramatic art, with a special reverence for the ability of great actors to immerse themselves and their audiences in the details of character, emotion and plot. A visit to the theatre here is a must for anyone who appreciates fine drama and imaginative staging, and as a way to gain a deeper appreciation of the culture and character of modern Russia. Tickets are often inexpensive and are not difficult to buy at outlets around the city. Here is a brief description of just a few of the offerings available on stage this winter. Take your pick! T H E R U S S I A N C A P I TA L H A S M U C H T O O F F E R T H E A T R E L O V E R S — F R O M C L A S S I C O P E R A T O S I LV E R - A G E R U S S I A N D R A M A A N D B R I T I S H C O M E D Y

M O S C O W E N G L I S H T H E AT R E Ticket per person: from £20 The Moscow English Theatre was founded in March 2013, thanks to the efforts of Jonathan Bex, a professional actor and graduate of the Drama Studio London, who lives in Moscow. The theatre, which only casts foreigners in its productions, chooses plays that have enjoyed success in the UK and, they believe, might appeal to Moscow audiences. The theatre does not have its own performance space at the moment, so its productions are put on at the small stage of the Mayakovsky Theatre. The Moscow English Theatre today presents another performance of Educating Rita. The play, by British playwright Willy Russell, is directed by

Gillian King and stars Bex as Frank and Emma Dallow as Rita. Susan, 26, a hairdresser who also goes by the name of Rita, decides to make some changes in her life. To begin with, she needs to get an education and is accepted into a correspondence course, where her tutor is Frank Bryant. He is more fond of whisky than of his students, but Rita proves an eager and intelligent pupil and he finds an unexpected pleasure in discussing literature with her. As he nurtures her literary tastes, they gradually fall in love. The play clearly echoes George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, but Rita is not the object of an experiment. http://moscowenglishtheatre.com

P YO T R F O M E N KO T H E AT R E Ticket per person: from £4 It’s hardly surprising that many visitors to Moscow limit themselves to opera or ballet rather than trying to decipher classic Russian drama in Russian. The Pytor Fomenko Theatre, however, has found a solution for those who want to see Chekhov in Moscow, but don’t speak the language. Four of the theatre’s productions based on Russian classics are now available with subtitles for foreign visitors and the hearingimpaired. The plays are Wolves and Sheep, based on a comedy by Alexander Ostrovsky; Chekhov’s Three Sisters and two stage adaptations of works by Leo Tolstoy – Family Happiness and War and Peace:

Beginning of the Novel. The plays are subtitled by native speakers and specialists in literary translation. Theatregoers pick up a tablet when they arrive at the theatre. There is no charge for the service but they are requested to leave a passport or other type of identification as a security deposit. The tablets display white text on a black background, so there is little light spillage to distract other members of the audience. The theatre is now working on a new version of the software that will allow spectators to use smartphones and tablets after installing a free app. There are also plans to offer a dubbed soundtrack via headphones. http://fomenko.theatre.ru

B O L S H O I T H E AT R E Ticket per person: from £9 The Bolshoi Theatre is a must-see attraction for any tourist to Moscow. Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece Eugene Onegin, based on the verse novel by Alexander Pushkin, has long been one of the Bolshoi’s most popular offerings. Since it was first performed there in 1921, the production has undergone numerous changes, but has a solid place in the repertoire. The current Bolshoi staging is by Dmitry Chernyakov and it opened the 2006–07 season. The present Bolshoi season also includes the classic ballets The Nutcracker and Ivan the Terrible, both in productions by Yuri Grigorovich, and Jewels, George Balanchine’s

choreographic masterpiece as interpreted by Alyona Pikalova. In addition to Russian classics, the Bolshoi is also staging La Traviata as part of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth. The production by American director Francesca Zambello is the theatre’s 11th interpretation of the opera. Zambello’s masterful use of costumes and props has helped her to combine an authentic 19th-century atmosphere with a very modern way of storytelling that does not detract from Verdi’s masterpiece. Bolshoi tickets can be bought online. More information on the schedule and ticket prices can be found at the theatre’s website. http://bolshoi.ru/en

Sport P8_Saturday, November 30, 2013_www.rbth.co.uk

Sochi station

MULTIMEDIA

The president often holds meetings on his train while travelling to Sochi. So the next stop is the stunning Sochi station, which in 1975 was voted the most beautiful train station in Europe. The three-storey building has three courtyards and a 180ft tower, on which a 16ft-wide clock is mounted. Each digit on the clockface corresponds to a sign of the zodiac or a constellation. Rumour has it that the architect who designed the station was connected with a secret society that studied the occult, although you don’t have to believe that rumour to appreciate the station’s beautiful arches and palm trees. The president’s summer residence, Bocharov Stream, is in the district of New Sochi. If, while taking a stroll, you find Vinogradnaya Street, ask the locals to tell you where the house is. The residence was built in the Thirties, and Stalin and Khrushchev were among the Soviet leaders who enjoyed holidays here. In 2006, Mr Putin entertained the then President of the United States, George W Bush, in Sochi.

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

Bocharov Stream

Scan this code to visit the only Englishlanguage guide to the Winter Games by RBTH

Sochi station: most beautiful in Europe

The Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival is held in the Winter Theatre every year, and Mr Putin goes to the Festival Concert Hall to see his favourite Russian band, Lubeh, in concert. He also likes to watch the live student standup comedy competition, known as KVN, at the concert hall.

ITAR-TASS

Winter Theatre and Festival Hall Bocharov Stream: president’s place

Travel Russia’s Olympic capital is Putin’s favourite playground ALINA MEREDOVA SPECIAL TO RBTH

Vladimir Putin is no shrinking violet: he skis; he glides through the air with Siberian cranes on national television; he once dragged ancient amphorae from the bottom of the Black Sea.

Clearly, this is a man who knows how to have an epic vacation. So if, in his spare time, Mr Putin heads to a summer residence in Sochi, then anyone considering a visit to the Black Sea resort town for the Winter Olympics would want to check out the president’s favourite spots. Surely Mr Putin, a leader famous for his exotic pastimes, must know the best things the city has to offer. For example, a few years ago he launched a programme to restore the Persian leopard to the Western Caucasus mountains and person-

ally released a young female into a more spacious enclosure. The big cat and her offspring are known as “Putin’s leopards” and the animal has become one of the symbols of the Winter Olympics. The presidential leopards can today be seen in Sochi National Park.

Krasnaya Polyana Krasnaya Polyana in the beautiful upper reaches of the Mzymta River is especially dear to the president. Mr Putin personally inspects the skiiing conditions on the track each snowy winter.

Dagomys tea houses Strong and aromatic Krasnodar tea is made from plants that grow in the mountains of Sochi. President Vladimir Putin serves this drink to entertain foreign dignitaries in the Dagomys tea houses in the hills between the villages of Loo and Dagomys, 10 miles from Sochi. Mr Putin has served the heady ambrosia to many famous past presidents, ministers and chancellors. From the start of their construction in the mid-Seventies, the Dagomys tea houses were planned to hold receptions of foreign delegations in a place where everything had a distinct Russian flavour – the tea, the blini, the pirozhki and the samovar.

A tour of Sochi with the president’s seal of approval

MIKHAIL MORDASOV

AFP/EASTNEWS

Krasnaya Polyana: President Putin is a frequent visitor to the Sochi slopes and personally inspects the pistes in winter

The Russian International Olympic University, in the centre of Sochi near the port, is also important to the president. Mr Putin, together with then-president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, laid a capsule at the base of the university building in 2010. In September 2013, the president personally examined its auditoria. On the opening day of a meeting attended by teachers and students from 14 countries, President Putin stressed that the university would be the institution that would benefit most from the Olympic legacy. A new generation of athletic educators would be trained there.

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

Olympic University

Winter Theatre: film festival venue

Olympic University: for sports educators

Dagomys tea house: flavours of Russia

SOCHI BLOG

Volunteering a smile: the Games inspire nation to turn on the charm VOLUNTEER

I’m not sure if it was the cold, harsh weather, the alleged rudeness of the people or the total lack of customer service, but something about Russia attracted me from my first visit here as part of my gap year 10 years ago. So it was that, having finished my degree in the UK, I found myself back here as a teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) teacher, and have stuck it out, determined to try to understand this “riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” ever since. I have come to know Russia and its people very well, but since I started working with Sochi 2014 volunteers as a trainer two years ago, I have been surprised by their enthusiasm, energy and willingness to smile (commonly held as a sign of idiocy here). These are not merely the regular flirty

They were paying to work for free, which shows serious dedication to the cause and was more than surprising

smiles a male expat can expect to receive from young marriageable Russian women, who just happen to far outnumber all the other volunteers and will find you if you visit the Games. These are genuinely welcoming smiles from volunteers of all ages and walks of life, eager to show off what they believe to be world-famous Russian hospitality. My first experience of working with Russian volunteers, partly to study how they worked in order to help plan future training sessions, was at the London 2012 Games. I was involved as both an assistant trainer of the “Golden 100” (Russian volunteers who were sent to London to get volunteering experience) and as a volunteer at Russia. Sochi.Park, a huge site set up to promote the Sochi 2014 Games. The Paralympic training session proved many of the Russians were not ready to deal with people with disabilities. This is not surprising, since blind, deaf or wheelchairusing people are a rare sight even in Moscow. For example, one group decided that if a team

69 days to go

Richard Winterbottom

COUNTDOWN TO SOCHI

A Metro station in Moscow is trying to promote an athletic lifestyle before the Winter Olympics. The station has been equipped with a machine that issues customers with a free Metro ticket – with an Olympic symbol and Sochi 2014 logo – in return for 30 leg squats.

of four wheelchair users wanted to get in a bus equipped for three, they should take one passenger out of the wheelchair, plonk him or her into a “normal” seat, fold up the wheelchair and cram it in the back. Most of the Russian workforce took it on the chin, however, when it came to coping with long working hours, shifting timetables and the slight chaos of Russia.Sochi.Park. This was my first real glimpse of the Russian Olympic and Paralympic volunteer movement, and it was impressive. Volunteers had paid for their own flights and accommodation: in effect, they were paying to work for free, which shows serious dedication to the cause and was more than surprising, considering the concept of volunteering is relatively new (“Work for no money?! Why would I do that?”). Last year, I was thrilled to be in my country’s capital city to see the summer Olympics, soak up the atmosphere and see London at its friendliest ever. My Russia. Sochi.Park T-shirt, boldly printed with the word “Volunteer,” meant I was met with the same smiles, friendly greetings and constant requests for directions to the nearest lavatories from the general public as the Games Makers were. No doubt other London 2012 volunteers, full of such memories, are keen to repeat this experience, which is why so many have applied to take part at Sochi. My training sessions in Sochi itself have

helped me get to know the somewhat erroneously named “Russian Riviera” quite well. As I understand it, most Sochi 2014 volunteers will be far too busy in the fairly distant mountain and coastal clusters, in Krasnaya Polyana and Adler respectively, to make it into the centre. Sadly, they will not be able to sample the wonders of the Museum of Sochi Sporting Honour, the Dolphinarium, the Botanical Gardens or the hundreds of odd statues (my favourite being a man-sized wishing ear). Their loss. I am sure the volunteers will do their best to show both Sochi and Russia at their best. Don’t let me fool you with all this modern Russia positivity, however. Some older volunteers will more than happily talk to you about how things were better “in the Soviet period” and that the loss of the Crimea to Ukraine, just across the Black Sea from Sochi, was shameful. As for me, I will be entertaining and observing volunteers, seeing what fruits my labours have yielded. I also hope to squeeze in some bobsleigh events, an interest I picked up as a volunteer trainer, and will be proudly supporting anyone from Team GB, which got just one medal at the Vancouver 2010 Games (but it was gold, so we have reason to be proud). But mainly I will watching out carefully for any signs that Russians have started to get the hang of customer service and the harmlessness of a friendly smile.