RBTH Thailand August issue by Russia Beyond

Thursday, August 28, 2014

P2-3

Special How is Russia helping Africa to deal with the Ebola virus outbreak? P8-9

REUTERS

Business What will be the impact of Russia’s ban on import of food products from the West?

ITAR-TASS

www.rbth.com

This supplement is sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, which takes sole responsibility for its contents and is wholly independent of The Nation.

Distributed with

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

Six places you didn’t know were in Russia

WHAT CITY IS ON THE COVER?

PAGE 14

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Business

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

FOOD EMBARGO GOVERNMENT ACTION AIMS TO PROMOTE IMPORT

RUSSIA’S TIT-FOR-TAT BAN WILL IMPACT EU THE MOST

REUTERS

SUBSTITUTION

Some observers believe the move will boost imports from South America and Asia instead of the US and the EU.

Moscow has retaliated to Western sanctions by blocking food imports from the EU, US, Canada, Australia and Norway. NIKOLAI LITOVKIN, ANNA KUCHMA RBTH

Countries in the European union are set to experience a potential 12-billion-euro loss due to a one-year food embargo that Russia has imposed in retaliation for sanctions. The ban, announced by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on August 7, affects meat, including all forms of beef and pork, poultry and their subproducts, smoked foods, sausages, fish, vegetables, roots, fruits and nuts, as well as milk and all dairy products, including cheese. Besides the EU, the ban also affects products from the US, Canada, Norway and Australia. Japan is not on the blacklist, although it has also introduced sanctions against Russia. Russia’s food sanctions will have the biggest effect on EU countries, which are the biggest exporters of food products to Russia. According to data from the Institute for Complex Strategic

HOT TOPIC: rbth.com/ malaysia_airlines_ _ plane_crash

Studies (ICSS), Russia buys 31.5 per cent of its meat, 42.6 per cent of its dairy products and 32 per cent of its vegetables from Europe. In an interview with radio Govorit Moskva (Moscow Speaks), EU Ambassador to Russia Vigaudas Ushatskas said:“It is presumed that for the EU the loss may reach 12 billion euros, since food products make up about 10 per cent of everything we sell to Russia.” Ushatskas noted. However, these were just estimates made without analysis of any specific banned goods. Experts stress that Russia is heavily dependent on food imports. According to the ICSS, Russia buys 70 per cent of all its fruits and berries and almost 50 per cent of its powdered milk and cheese from abroad. Out of all the EU countries, the ones with the strongest export ties with Russia are Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland, which mainly export butter, cheese and curd. For example, 41 per cent of Finland’s butter exports and 47 per cent of its frozen fish exports go to Russia. Latvia and Lithuania, meanwhile, send 43 per cent of their sausage

exports to Russia. Lithuania, along with Poland, also sells to Russia a substantial portion of its fruits, vegetables and nuts exports. As far as Germany, Italy, the UK and Spain are concerned, ICSS believes that only their separate, specific producers will be affected by Russia’s sanctions. For example, only 9 per cent of

Spain’s and 6 per cent of Italy’s frozen beef exports are shipped to Russia, compared with 6 per cent of Germany’s pork and dried fruits exports. The US, Canada and Australia will also be affected, as Russia buys their meat, fish and vegetables. However, the volume of these imports is insignificant. For

example, the largest share of Russia’s imports from America is meat, which is only 5 per cent. Although the aforementioned countries will be deprived of a sales market as a result of the sanctions, Russians should also brace themselves for some negative consequences.Will Russian store shelves be empty?

The Kommersant newspaper explains the logic and timeframe of the sanctions. On one hand, the issue concerns providing“food security”.In a few months, Russia may be hit by national food export restrictions imposed by the “sanctioning countries”. On the other, Moscow hopes to stimulate import substitution.

Thailand can replace Western products Amid the Western food embargo on Russia, the Kingdom has something to offer. MARINA OBRAZKOVA RBTH

Russia’s MarinaVolkova has taken a great interest in the Oriental cuisine and together with her whole family spends a long time in different countries of the region, primarily, in order to treat herself to the culinary delights.“I myself know how to cook some dishes from the Chinese,Thai andVietnamese cuisine, but it is difficult

OR TO MBASSAD RUSSIAN A A COLLECTIVE LY N THE UK: O E AN RESOLV EFFORT C OBLEMS R P N O COMM /3 8 5 57 rbth .co m

to do this, because the ingredients can rarely be found in stores. I would like to see them brought to Russia,”she explained. Following Marina as an example, many Russians are ready to try oriental cuisine in their everyday lives. An RBTH correspondent visited the THAIFEX – World of Food ASIA 2014 exhibition. Russia was not represented at the exhibition; however, the food presented showed that Thailand has something to offer Russia. For example, Russia is already importing

canned vegetables and fruits. According to Russian restaurateurs, they are going to find it difficult without fruit and vegetables in the winter period. Now the interest is likely to shift from canned food towards fresh food. Russian grocers also lament that it will be difficult for them to get seafood. At the exhibition, the entire range of seafood can be seen, which has never been more relevant for the Russian buyer. The interesting thing is that the Russian-Thai goods turnover does not have the spi-

EST: USE PRESS DIG RUS HO P S O H OF P CIVILIANS BOMBS ON A ‘FACT’ E IN BY UKRA /3 8 8 5 3 rrbth .co m

ces that are popular among Russians on its list. At the rice factory, we were told that Russia is a strategic partner for them, but there are difficulties. “In Russia, the customs regulations change frequently, and also they have established relations with Vietnam, the world’s largest producer of rice since the Soviet-era,”a CP Intertrade representative told RBTH. We would like to thank Thailand’s Trade office in Russia for their assistance in preparing this material.

NING OF THE DOW : 17 H M T H LG FLI DINARY WHAT OR THINK RUSSIANS 8 4 69 /3 m o .c th rrb

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Business

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

IN BRIEF Business forum in Singapore

SOURCE: KOMMERSANT

NUMBERS

European Union agricultural exports to Russia were $15.8 billion in 2013. Losses for the EU could amount to $16 billion.

According to Eurostat, $16 billion amounts to 10 per cent of EU food exports.

Independent Pollster Levada Centre says that about 72 per cent of Russians approve of the food embargo.

The US, Canada and Australia will also be affected as Russia buys their products

HOT TOPIC: rbth.com/ sanctions_against_ _ russia

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and the allRussia public organization Business Russia (Delovaya Rossiya) will host yet another Russia-Singapore Business Forum, from September 9-11. The forum was first launched in 2006, and has since become a significant platform for the establishment of business and policy communications between Russia and Singapore. “Singaporean companies have proven themselves to be reliable partners, and have expressed interest in investing in Russia. We believe that these investments can be profitable for both sides,” Alexey Repik, co-chair of Business Russia, told RBTH. IE and Business Russia will sign a cooperation agreement.

Far East welcomes ASEAN On August 26, the “Territory of Business – is the Territory of Life” Forum in Vladivostok hosted a roundtable discussion on the development of business between entrepreneurs from Russia, East Asia and Southeast Asia. The main topic on the agenda was the creation of an environment inVladivostok that would be attractive to businesses from Southeast Asian countries, and in particular the Asean countries. In addition, the participants of the roundtable discussed the work of the RussianAsian business projects forum, the Mayak (Lighthouse), to be held in May of 2015. Its goal is to create an international business accelerator in Vladivostok.

Ambitious goal to double trade with Thailand in 3 years Trade Representative of the Russian Federation to Thailand Oleg Maslennikov speaks to RBTH about the state of trade between the two countries, as well as on the recent political events in Thailand and the impact of global events. How has the deterioration in relations between Russia and the West affected RussianThai trade? It has not been influenced as much by the events in the world as by the situation in Thailand itself. The events [political protests] beginning late last year in Bangkok first caused the cancellation of the visit to Russia by former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, which was scheduled for mid-December and was put off literally one day before her departure. Later, they also completely“froze” previous agreements indefinitely. Has trade turnover declined greatly? It has declined, but not greatly. According to Thailand’s statistics, in 2013 trade value between the two countries amounted to about $4.7 billion. This is 10 per cent lower than in the previous year. If we consider figures from the official website of Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, in the first half of this year, trade has grown by 10.5 per cent, and in terms of value, it has already exceeded $2.5 billion. This was made possible largely due to the fact that the country’s leaders have begun to have relative certainty about the future course of Thailand, because

GRORUSSIAN A OCKS ST Y R ST U D IN BACK OF SOAR ON TIONS C FOOD SAN 9 017 /3 rrbth .co m

Imported food share, (%)

Russia plans to deliver two Mi-17 helicopters.

on May 22, the Army commander took control of the country into his hands, and so far I do not see anything apart from positive things stemming from the decisions taken by the new administration. The situation has stabilised, and the military leadership, it seems to me, is taking steps in the right direction. What projects have enabled you to minimise the decline in trade? We have certain expectations, having won the tender for the delivery of two Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft in the business jet configuration. This tender, however, took place in December 2013, under the previous prime minister,. I hope that the results will not be reconsidered. In addition, we are developing cooperation in the military’s technical sphere and are planning to deliver two Mi-17 helicopters.

To what extent do you hope to increase bilateral trade in the next 3 to 5 years? Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, who is also chairman of the Russian part of the Joint Russian-Thai Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, at its most recent meeting, set an ambitious goal – to double bilateral trade within the next three years. It is our aim, but we all know that it will be very difficult to implement in the current environment. At least we should maintain the level of bilateral trade, which has been achieved so far when restructuring our trade by means of increasing exports of non-primary goods, in particular by increasing supplies of Russian hi-tech products. Perhaps, it is the present world situation that will have a positive influence on our economic cooperation. The fact that Thailand’s military have

MONITOR RUSSIA TO EPLACEMENT R PRICES OF TS TO STAVE R O P IM D FOO TION OFF INFLA 9 0 0 5 /3 rrbth .co m

taken power into their hands and put things in order has angered the United States, and accusations of the undemocratic nature of the events taking place in the country and statements about breaking off cooperation with Thailand have been heard. At a time when most Western countries have expressed their opposition to the political changes in Thailand, Russia has taken a neutral position, which was positively received by officials in the Kingdom. At that moment, I have told my team that there should not be any vacuum in the relations with our Thai partners, and we can and should offer them our products and services. As of now, it is too early to anticipate future developments, but I hope that there will be a kind of breakthrough. Interview by Vladislav Kuzmichev

CTIONS US OIL SAN USSIA R ST O C Y A M F ILLIONS O TENS OF B PROFITS IN S R DOLLA /3 8 9 4 3 rrbth .co m

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Business

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

Pattaya Russian business has become a significant part of the resort

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

Russian diaspora life thrives in Pattaya The Thai resort town is home to a thriving Russian diaspora. A new industry has come up around servicing the expatriate community. AJAY KAMALAKARAN SPECIAL TO RBTH

The sheer number of Russian-language shop signs and billboards that dot the city of Pattaya can take a casual visitor by surprise. Over the last ten years, the Thai tourist resort city has become one of the most Russian cities in all of Asia, with a Russian expatriate population that numbers around 110,000. One of the pioneers of the large Diaspora is Mikhail Ilyin, the owner of 8 Horseshoes Tavern, a restaurant specialising in Russian and Central Asian food. “Our

clientele includes expats from former Soviet republics as well as Thai and foreign tourists (especially Japanese), who want to get a taste of Russian cuisine,” says the restaurateur, who also runs Ilves Tour, which brings in Russian tourists to the city. Ilyin has been living in Pattaya for the last 20 years and has seen the changes that have taken place in the city. He says there was a time when very people spoke Russian, but now it wasn’t uncommon to hear the language even in the distant outskirts. “l no longer feel that I am living in Thailand.” Several attempts to run a Russian language paper failed in the city, but there is a popular real estate magazine called Pod Klyuch (a way of saying ready for

sale in Russian), with a monthly circulation of 7000. Along with the magazine, there is an entertainment supplement called Mango, which covers the Russian social scene.

The Russian Diaspora is believed to number more than a hundred thousand Russian culture and the Russian language are considered ‘vogue’ in the city, and people from different parts of Asia try and get a taste of Russian culture in Pattaya. There are 2 Russian Orthodox churches in the city, one that is attached to a small Russian settlement.

Architect Paradorn Bunyakurloj started learning Russian so that he could work on projects meant for Russian realty investors and vacationers, but has now fallen in love with the culture.“Russian people are so misunderstood here, especially since they don’t smile so easily and take time to know people,”he says.“But the cultural barriers are vanishing and we see a lot more interaction at the social level,” the architect adds. In September, the city will play host to the Miss Russia in Thailand contest, which is being organised by Boris Fleydervish.“Around 20 of the most beautiful Russian women in the country will take part in the first contest of its kind,”says Fleydervish, a resident of Pattaya since 2000.The Thai media has also shown quite a bit of enthusiasm for the contest, he adds. Although Thailand is a relatively easy place to come for a holiday, legislation for longer stays can be complicated says Fleydervish, whose main business is in the real estate. “Since people are allowed to buy flats, they come and stay here for half a year, as tourist visas permit them to,” he says. A large number of Russians spend the entire tourist season in the city with their families. Sochi native Irina Novikova, director of Seven Flowers Co Ltd, runs Russian-language kindergartens in Pattaya and Bangkok. Russian expatriates enrol their children in international schools in Pattaya, since there are no Russian-language schools. Novikova’s kindergarten organises cultural and entertainment programs and also employs speech therapists and other experts to make sure that the children get a good base in learning the language. “We try and inculcate the Russian language, culture and traditions in children,” she says, adding that she’s happy doing what she enjoys in a distant country.

Oil&gas Russian firms eye Myanmar

New energy in bilateral ties Oil and gas exploration form the backbone of a renewed drive to develop economic relations between the long-term allies. AJAY KAMALAKARAN SPECIAL TO RBTH

Russia’s refusal to back sanctions against Myanmar and the use of its United Nations Security Council veto to help the country when it was still under the tight grip of the military, managed to win Moscow a key trade ally at the crossroads of India and Southeast Asia. The political ties between the two countries were reinforced last year when Russian Foreign Minister visited Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw. Lavrov had called for the complete removal of sanctions on the country and proposed the setting up of a joint inter-governmental commission and a joint business council, along with an investment protection agreement. The key area for Russian investment in Myanmar is the oil and gas industry. Russia’s expertise in the oil and gas industry and experience working withVietnam were among the main factors considered when Russian companies were invited to explore Myanamar’s once vastly underestimated oil and gas reserves. Bashneft is involved with Myanmar’s state oil and gas company as the operator of the Block EP-4 oil well. Privately held Nobel Oil has been trying its luck in the country since 2008. The presence of oil companies from Russia in Myanmar has created opportunities for several subcontractors and support companies from different Russian regions. Dalmorneftegas, a seismic survey

operator based in the Russian Far East, has an office in the former capital Yangon with mainly Russian staff. The company provides support services toVietsovpetro, a Rosneft joint venture inVietnam, and two major oil projects in the Russian island of Sakhalin. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that Myanmar has 10 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves. Analysts believe that the country, which is just opening itself to the world after decades of isolation, could have much larger gas reserves, especially in its territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal. Gazprom is almost a late entrant into the country formerly known as Burma. While there has been talk of the Russian company working in the country since 2003, no project came to fruition, as the European Union slapped sanctions on Myanmar; Gazprom’s international upstream branch, Gazprom International, is registered in the Netherlands. The EU, in 2012, lifted all sanctions on the country barring an arms embargo, p av i n g t h e way fo r Gazprom’s international unit to enter Myanmar. Last month, the Russian company said it was interested in setting up a joint venture with Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company to jointly carry out oil and gas exploration. Gazprom International chief executive Valeriy Gulev proposed Myanmar as one of the main countries where the joint venture could operate. A sizeable Russian representation is expected at the Myanmar Offshore Congress, which will be held in Yangon in the last week of September.

RBTH for iPad

FOR EACH OF YOU, THERE IS A RUSSIA OF YOUR CHOICE

SCAN WITH LAYA R

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Education

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

News Educational institutions join hands to forge closer ties between the people of the two countries

Facility to open in the new academic year; university to also serve as a formal testing centre for Russian language. IRINA VINOKUROVA RBTH

Thammasat University is one of the centres for the study of Russia and the Russian language in Thailand. It has a Russian Language Department that boasts of some 400 students. The university has strong ties with Russian educational establishments: Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, Ural State University, the Academy of Labour and Social Relations, St Petersburg State University and Nizhegorod State Linguistic University. According to Olga Zhilina, a professor in the Rus-

sian Language Department, at the initiative of the department, a Russian centre will be opening up in the new academic year. In addition, this year Thammasat University will become the first university in Thailand to start doing official testing for Russian. Zhilina says that Thammasat University has signed an agreement on the organisation of the testing with the Academy of Labour and Social Relations in Moscow. “Representatives from the Academy will be present at the exam, and in fact they will also take the exams. We only prepare students to ensure that they successfully pass it. We plan to offer the exam in fall and spring, preliminarily in October and March,” says Zhilina.

SHUTTERSTOCK/LEGION-MEDIA

Thammasat set to welcome a Russian centre

Thammasat University is boosting its Russia-related activities in the new academic year.

A certificate attesting to the knowledge of Russian is necessary as proof of the level of mastery of the language for entering Russian educational establishments or for working in Russia. “Not only students at Thammasat University, but any citizen of Thailand or another country can take this exam. But in order to pass the exam, it is first necessary to determine what level a person can claim.

For this purpose, preliminary testing is done that indicates his or her approximate level.” Preparatory courses with several programmes will be opened at the university: a prolonged course with lessons once a week and an intensive course with lessons 5 days a week, 4 hours a day. “In total, the course must be no less than 20 hours and no more than 50 hours

and its final price will be decided based on this. Naturally, if someone has sufficient knowledge, he or she can take the exam without additional preparation,” says Zhilina. Trial testing will cost Bt500 (US$16). The basic level will cost $146, level one $150, level two $164, and levels three and four $175; for the granting of RF citizenship it will cost $150 and for migrant workers

$86. The cost of services for retaking one subtest are: basic level $72, level one $76, level two $82, and levels three and four $87; for the granting of RF citizenship $76. In addition, this year Thammasat has signed a contract on cooperation with Nizhegorod State Linguistic University, which plans to open a Thai cultural centre.“As a result of the negotiations, we decided that our teacher will go to Nizhny Novgorod in late-September or early October in order to begin organising this Thai centre. The rector of Thammasat University has expressed his interest and promised to provide this centre with all the necessary symbolism, literature in Thai, and visual aids. And now we are already handling the technical questions on transportation; everything is basically already arranged. “So our young teacher will go to Nizhny Novgorod soon, and next year they will send us their young teacher, who will teach Russian here in the department and study the Thai language.”

INTERVIEW ROM PHIRAMONTRI

There is very little on Russia in Thai mass media Rom Phiramontri speaks to RBTH about his Centre for Russian Studies and answers a few questions about relations between the two countries. What kind of opportunities are there for Russians in Thailand? I lectured in Pattaya quite recently and met with some of my former students there who had studied Russian. Their careers are turning out very well for them and they hold rather high positions in various large companies dealing with

high demand for specialists with Russian right now.

good results during this time. Many government employees, attachés, sales representatives, and businessmen, too, who need to travel to Russia in the course of their duties, as well as students who want to study in Russia, receive training at our centre. Many are sent for training by the management of their organisation.

How many years has the centre been in operation? The Centre has been in existence for six years already and we have achieved

How do you assess the coverage of the events related to Russia by the Thai mass media? There is very little infor-

BRIEF BIO STATUS: PROFESSOR

POSITION: Director of the Centre for Russian Studies of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

tourism or doing business with Russia. And, according to what my former students say, young specialists with knowledge of Russian are sorely needed. Moreover, they are needed immediately; there is a

mation about Russia in the Thai mass media. It is usually very short and not always clear. And, of course, it comes from Western sources. Is Russian culture alien to Thai culture? I don’t have that impression. I think that we are very, very close. Even guides talk about Russian tourists: they are so much like us, simple, unceremonial. The only thing that everyone always notices is that Russians don’t smile and they even tell them

DEFINE YOUR ‘RUSSIAN HOMELAND’ M a n y p e o p l e w i s h t h e y ’d b e e n b o r n i n a d i f f e r e n t c o u n t r y. W h a t i f i t w a s R u s s i a ? C h e c k o u t o u r Q U I Z : I f yo u we re R u ss i a n , w h e re wo u l d yo u l i ve? > > t rave l . r b t h .co m / 1 4 2 7

that they need to smile in Thailand. Why do Russia and Thailand always remember the turn of the 20th century and relations between the King and the tsar? We have a special relationship with everything connected to the royal family, and we also continually recall that the Russians supported us – we remember the good things… I would say that we have an anti-Western position like Russia does. America and Europe do not like Thailand and also try to place limits on us. That is why our stances are similar. Interview by Irina Vinokurova

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Society

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

Traditions To make the memories last a lifetime, everything needs to be upscale and elegant

Moscow to host a Thai Festival in September

Weddings à la Russe

The Thai Embassy in Russia and the Moscow government will organise a series of events next month. GLEB FEDOROV RBTH

REUTERS

Many young couples are prepared to spend colossal sums on their weddings and honeymoons and August is the big month for that in Russia. ANNA TROFIMOVA RBTH

The traditional Russian wedding scenario went like this — matchmaking, brideassessment, hen party and stag night, the wedding journey, the dowry, the wedding ceremony, going on a walkabout, and the nuptial feast. Courtship is the tradition of putting a girl forward for marriage. Specially-hired brokers acted as intermediaries, whose job it was not only to talk up the bride’s good features, but also to assist in the courtship and finding a suitable groom. During the Soviet period, the traditions of courtship were not observed; most young people today look on these traditions as washedup nonsense, long past its sell-by date. Even so, there are marriage agencies in Russia’s larger cities that will serve as a matchmaker, for a suitable fee, who promises to find seekers an agreeable bride or groom. Most of these agencies are quite new, but the popularity of the service they offer has increased several-fold in recent years. Olga, a pro-

fessional matchmaker from Vis-a-Vis Marriage Agency, gave RBTH more details on the matchmaking industry. “Well, first we hold a meeting with the client to make a character assessment, find out what makes them tick, and some other related aspects of our work. Of course, there are some who prefer to make their own searches — they choose potential matches, select photos. But others prefer to leave the whole thing in our hands,” says Olga. “Recently, quite a number of foreigners have begun approaching us. Of course, that’s not surprising, given that Russian girls are more feminine… and caring,” Olga says. She mentions that clients from European countries make up the bulk of their applicants. Long-standing tradition requires that the bride and groom should not have seen each other before. Presentations of brides or grooms took place strictly in the presence of parents. If the parents declared themselves satisfied with the matchmaker’s choice, they sealed their agreement with a handshake. In early Russia, the engagement would then be announced at the dinner table and declared by the bride’s father. Once the engagement was an-

nounced, the parents would begin to decide on a date and place for the wedding ceremonies and celebrations. On the eve of the wedding, hen parties and stag nights would be held. These would frequently involve visits to Russian baths, accompanied with songs and rituals. The wedding itself might

host the parents on both sides, sing songs together and make a ceremonial procession around the town to celebrate their wedding. Very few people in Russia observe these old traditions nowadays. The elements that have survived are the wedding feast, the engagement traditions and the wedding

During the Soviet period, the traditions of courtship were not observed

The most demanding couples begin organizing up to a year beforehand

go on for several days. On the first day, the groom would usually bring a bride-price to the bride’s home — a kind of ceremonial payment — and then the wedding feast would be organised. The paying of the bride-price might go on for several hours, including a variety of checks and tests on the worth of the groom. Frequently, the groom was asked to pick out the bride from a group of dressed-up girls. Once the bride-price was found to be satisfactory, the happy couple proceeded to church separately — each in his or her own wedding carriage, accompanied by the matchmakers. On the second day of the wedding, the couple would

ceremony itself — although the latter two are less honoured in observance. The demands of newly-weds grow with every passing year, with an accompanying rise in the price of weddings and in the services of wedding agencies. Particularly costly are weddings that involve carrying out the registration in the countryside, or even abroad. The price of a wedding in a top restaurant can be exorbitantly high. Alexandrina Remez, a manager from the wedding agency pozhenimsya.ru (getmarried.ru) explains: “These days, agencies have to be able to set things up on any budget. I’ve known cases

myself in which the young couple has done the whole thing in Moscow for just 100,000 rubles ($3,035), with 50 guests. Usually, the couple decides what they want to spend. We’ve organised weddings where the couple was ready to spend up to 2–3 million rubles ($607,000–$910,000). Of course, that price includes the very top photographers, videographers and other staff.” “Today, most couples expect that their wedding will be organised by a designer; they take an interest in what the colour theme will be, and so that the wedding reflects the history of their relationship,” says Remez. Generally, weddings can take 2–4 months to organise. The most demanding couples begin organising the details of“the most important day of their lives” up to a year beforehand — booking the date, reserving the restaurant, etc. “A wedding these days,” Remez says, “is like a bet on the individuality of the couple. Just 2 or 3 years ago, couples were organising theme-night weddings in the style of Chicago gangsters of the 1920s, or 1980s disco nights, or modelled on Ancient Russian traditions. So tradition can be found converging with the present day.”

The Festival of Thai Culture will be held on September 13-14, at the Kuznetsky Most street. The ambassador of Thailand has promised that this festival will become an annual event. The Thai Festival is also of particular importance, because the last major event within the framework of cooperation between the two states’ capitals was held in in 2003 – the Days of Moscow, in Bangkok. “The history of diplomatic relations between Russia and Thailand spans more than a hundred years, and the countries enjoy close ties, so it not by chance that the various events in September will be held under the slogan“Thailand – the focus of Russia in 2014”, Thai Ambassador Itty Ditbanjong told journalists. “We look forward to the success of the Thai Festival in Moscow, and we believe that this can become an annual event and expand to other cities in Russia, particularly St Petersburg,”Itty said. Immediately after the cultural festival, a flower festival will open in the centre of Moscow. It will be held from September 1521, and during this time, the compositions of internationally renowned Thai floral artist Sakul Intakul will adorn the famous Central Universal Department Store (TsUM). For this flower festival, they will bring more than 200,000 orchids to Moscow. Along with the flower festival, at the Park Hyatt Ararat Hotel, the Thai Food Festival will be held from September 15-28. In addition, the city will host an exhibition dedicated to His Majesty the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Thai events in Moscow will also have a business component, with Thai companies taking part in World Food Moscow.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Food

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

History Some of the dishes we eat, date back a few hundred years

RECIPES

Exploring the history of Russia’s national cuisine

How to make borscht

For bouillon • 1kg beef ribs • 1kg chicken and beef bones • 3 carrots • 3 onions • 2 bulbs of garlic For the soup • 6-7 beetroot • 1/2 head of white cabbage • 2 onions • 1 big carrot • 6-7 potatoes • 40ml lemon juice • 1 tbsp tomato puree • 4-5 cloves of garlic sunflower oil salt

Russia’s fierce climate makes agriculture unviable for a large portion of the year. However, Russia has never been short of woodlands. Deciduous woods in the warmer areas, and evergreen taiga coniferous forests provided sufficient firewood to keep up a roaring glow in that most universal item of Russian kitchen appliances – the stove. If forced to describe a Russian brick stove in modern technical terms, then it’s sadly inefficient – not more than 30 per cent of the fuel is converted to usable heat. The chimney-space inside is large enough that a grown adult can

SHUTTERSTOCK/LEGION-MEDIA(2)

SPECIAL TO RBTH

The Stove

SPECIAL TO RBTH

For instance, it is part of the national cuisine of Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Belarus, Romania, Moldavia, and Lithuania.

Ingredients:

MAXIM SYRNIKOV

The earliest mention of Russia’s national cuisine dates back to the 10th century – in the writings of Arabic historian, astronomer and geographer Ahmad Ibn-Rustah. The Eastern Slavs, according to IbnRustah, subsisted entirely on mare’s milk. At the height of the Cold War, a well-known European food magazine suggested that the Russian cold soup okroshka was made from a blend of beer and vodka, while Russian borsch was habitually brought to the table fetid. The Iron Curtain collapsed to show the world a different picture of pseudo-Russian food – mountains of black caviar, without which nary a Russian-style lunch was ever munched. Russian chefs who went to Europe or America made no attempt to show authentic Russian dishes, but instead whipped up the food foreigners expected from the scanty knowledge of that distant country they had gained while watching Omar Sharif as Doctor Zhivago.

Pyotr Golavskiy

Borscht is a variety of soup based on beet, and a traditional dish. It is very popular among many nations of Eastern and Central Europe.

Soups from beer and vodka, black caviar and mare’s milk – what is it that Russians actually eat and where can you try authentic dishes?

Facts: Once the stove is heated it can bake a number of dishes that need long cooking time.

WHERE TO BUY TRADITIONAL FOOD

In the historic centre of St Petersburg. There you can find authentic Russian dishes on the menu of Russkaya Rumochnaya. In Moscow, you can try the Elki-Palki restaurants.

Restaurants in the Russian provinces are installing traditional Russian stoves again, with young chefs serving authentic dishes than dazzling the clients with the richness of the food.

Farmers are beginning to grow nearly forgotten items like spelt and turnips. These traditional Russian ingredients can be found in well-known Moscow locations such as the LavkaLavka Cafe.

1. Usually the ingredients for Russian borscht do not contain potato, although it is recommended to add it whole or sliced with fresh tomatoes. 2. A mandatory ingredient of

FOTOIMEDIA

Ukrainian borscht is, of course, salo (lard), while the Russian recipe does without it. 3. The Russian recipe contains half the amount of cabbage, but more carrots, which in Ukrainian borscht can either be left out or added whole and then removed. 4. Russian borscht contains no added flour. Watch the video at rbth.com/24915

Svekolnik - a cold borscht Anna Kharzeeva

clamber in and even have a wash there if needed. To get the temperature in this cavernous stove up to bread-baking heat, at least a dozen sizeable logs are needed – most of a smallish tree. However, once the stove is heated it can bake a number of dishes that need long cooking, and bake enough bread and pies to feed a big family.The dishes were left to cool in the stove, which might retain its heat for up to 8-12 hours afterwards, and this way of cooking helped create a distinctive kind of national cuisine.

Shchi cabbage soup and porridge These are the dishes that benefit most from an extended stewing – prolonged cooking for several hours at temperatures from 200 degrees Celsius to 80°C. Such dishes have been the beloved fare of Russians for centuries. Amongst the

popular favourites with Russian families both then and now being different kinds of shchi – cabbage soups - and all sorts of different porridges. A typical hearty lunch in a peasant family would traditionally have included one tureen of long-stewed cabbage soup, and another of boiled, crumbly porridge.

Salted pickles Russian vegetables and mushrooms are traditionally salted with the help of natural lactic acid fermentation, and are usually called kvashennie, or sour – a major branch of Russian cuisine. The brine from pickled cucumbers and cabbage once played the same role in Russian cooking that soy sauce has today in the countries of Souteast Asia. There are also special so-called pickle foods that are made from these pickles, as well as cabbage soups – they include solyanka and

rassolnik soups. The medieval German traveller, Adam Olearius, who travelled across Muscovy, mentioned dishes such as roast mutton in cucumber pickle as an effective pick-meup after excessive boozing.

SPECIAL TO RBTH

Russians like soup so much that even when it’s 30 degrees Celsius we can’t imagine a meal without them, so we came up with

some cold ones. Svekolnik is among the most popular, since it’s made from beets – just like borscht. It’s cold, fresh, healthy and refreshing.

Ingredients:

Fish and black caviar No list of Russia’s favourite foods would be complete without mentioning river fish of every kind – which were always in plentiful supply. Domostroy, or Good Husbandry – a 17th-century manual of household management – mentions more than a dozen different ways to salt fish, including air-dried, salt-barreled, layered, and many more. And well, yes, there’s the famous Russian black caviar too – the caviar, which nowadays we’ve almost lost.The pies made with fish fillings are really only known in Russia – coulibiac, fish pasties, and rasstegai, open-top brioches.

• 150 grams beetroot • ¼ cup (50 grams) sour cream • 1 tbsp sugar • 10 grams lettuce • 1 egg white (hard boiled and chopped) • ¼-1/3 cup (75 grams) cucumbers, diced • 3 spring onions, chopped • 2 tbsp each dill and parsley, chopped • Lemon juice, salt to taste • 1 ¼ cups (300 grams) beetroot stock • 2 boiled potatoes or apples cut into small cubes can also be added, depending on your preferences Preparation: 1. Wash beetroot and boil it until it is soft. Add lemon

juice. I add it towards the end so it doesn’t affect the cooking of the beets. 2. Remove the beetroot; cool and strain the stock. Peel and chop up the beetroot. 3. Add sugar, cut up the egg white (I add the whole egg), lettuce and spring onion, cucumber cut up into small pieces and add sour cream. 4. You can also add boiled potatoes or fresh apples.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Special

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

FIGHTING EBOLA THE VIRUS OUTBREAK, WHICH FIRST OCCURRED IN WESTERN AFRICA, NOW THREATENS THE WORLD. RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS ARE READY TO HELP.

VACCINE KEY TO WINNING THE BATTLE Despite the fact that the number of people infected with Ebola in West Africa continues to grow and spread, the tide has turned for the better. GLEB FEDOROV RBTH

In August, Russia sent two of its leading virologists to Guinea to make contact with local authorities, render assistance to professionals, and to discuss the possibility of reopening a Soviet-Guinean research station for monitoring local viruses. The station operated from 1973 until the Soviet Union collapsed. This RBTH correspondent contacted one of the experts and asked him about their mission in Guinea and what they have achieved. The following is based on a conversation with Mikhail Shchelkanov of the Ivanovsky Institute of Virology.

The situation in Guinea According to Shchelkanov, as Ebola can now be easily spotted in Guinea, infections come to the attention of doctors immediately. Therefore, Ebola mortality rates have dropped [the mortality rate was typically 90 per cent, and now is about 60 per cent]. The diagnostic process in Donka Hospital in Conakry [the largest public hos-

pital in the country] has been running quite smoothly, at least partially due to the fact that its diagnostic laboratory is headed by a graduate of a Russian university. Dr Magas graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine [in the academy they study viral infections, some of which, such as Ebola, are transferred to humans from animals]. To reduce the risk of spreading the virus, the bodies of all those who die at Donka Hospital must be cremated on hospital grounds and are not released to the relatives. In addition, the governments of West African countries finally realised that the number of infected people shouldn’t be kept a secret.

with the Crimean haemorrhagic fever. In addition, they are discussing using the RussianGuinean laboratory for monitoring natural sources of infection that was created in 1977. The laboratory operated successfully right up until Perestroika, after which it fell into disuse. Everything there would essentially have to be started from scratch. Time has passed, the equipment is now obsolete, and new methods and approaches have been adopted.

The mission

How can the epidemic be stopped?

Firstly, Russian virologists have been providing scientific and methodological assistance to local specialists, such as helping improve virus detection. Secondly, the virologists gave advice to local experts on the Ebola virus [the virus was studied in Russia]. Virologists also counselled the doctors on clinical issues and haemorrhagic fevers. It turns out that the clinical treatment is much the same for all of these types of fevers. In Russia, for example, people are familiar

It is difficult to halt an outbreak of Ebola for two fundamental reasons. Firstly, the disease is zoonotic, meaning it spreads from animals to humans. It is practically impossible to control the transmission of viruses in natural outbreak points such as forested Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Secondly, West Africa is one of the poorest regions [in the world]. It has almost no epidemiological services in the modern sense. Unsanitary conditions

Instaweek: P u s sy R i o t i n ‘ H o u s e o f C a rd s ’ and Crimean Forum Tavrida 2014

NUMBERS

1,200

By the end o than 1,200 p and more th were infecte infected live Liberia and

Russian scientists visualized Ebola virus molecule

See the graph at rbth.com/38767 OPEN SOURCES

are exacerbated by administrative incompetence in many West African countries and high levels of corruption, which hamper efforts to fight epidemics. For just US$1.50 an infected person can walk out of the quarantine area. Another important factor is local beliefs. In particular, at funerals across the country people embrace the body of the dead person before it is placed in the grave. None of this helps

to slow down the epidemic.

The nature of the virus The natural breeding grounds for Ebola are in the North Guinean hilly region in the forest zone. The virus is transmitted by fruit bats (also known as megabats). They usually live in the upper levels of the rainforest, they do not exhibit any symptoms, but transmit the virus through their faeces and saliva.

They can infect primates. Large apes become sedentary and sluggish from the disease and are easy prey for hunters, whom they can then infect. People can become infected directly by bats, too. A fully cooked bat poses no danger, but people can become infected when they are cut up. The only way to fight the virus is to create a vaccine and regularly monitor the natural transmission points.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Special

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

History Who defeated smallpox?

CALLING FOR COOPERATION

Russia’s leading role Bangkok and Moscow in the fight against need to work together deadly diseases Anna Popova

HEAD OF

Rospotrebnadzor

Vaccines against major worldwide diseases such as cholera, plague and smallpox were developed by Russian and Soviet scientists. RUSSKIY REPORTER WEEKLY RUSSIAN MAGAZINE

60%

The mortality rate is about 60 per cent, which is much lower than past outbreaks, when it reached rates of 90 per cent.

Ebola virus outbrake started last winter in the rain forests on the border of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

NEWS

Mobile laboratory to Guinea The Russian federal public health control service (Rospotrebnadzor), together with the Emergencies Ministry, sent a special plane with a mobile laboratory on board to the Republic of Guinea to deal with the Ebola outbreak. “Russia is capable of assisting African countries. Our Rospotrebnadzor has a wonderful and super-modern mobile laboratory and our trip has resulted in understanding and a request of the Guinea Health Ministry for a field expedition of our specialists and their assistance to local and international organisations in the most complex part of epidemiological work,

laboratory diagnostics of the fever,” head of the Pasteur Epidemiology and Microbiology Institute’s Immunology and Virology Laboratory Alexander Semyonov told media. In his words, Soviet-era cooperation is being restored with Guinea. “We are taking very serious steps towards real medical assistance to local healthcare bodies. We did a lot in that country in the Soviet period so we are not newcomers, we are restoring Russia-Guinea cooperation. A task of our trip was to negotiate the reopening of a Russia-Guinea laboratory. The negotiations were successful.”

AFP/EASTNEWS

of August, more people had died, han 2,200 people ed. Most of the e in Guinea, Sierra Leone.

Humankind has always had to deal with infectious diseases, but it has never been particularly good at treating those illnesses. Until the 19th century, bacteria and viruses were the main causes of death. But the advent of vaccines and immunology has transformed the nature of the problem from mystical and incomprehensible to scientific, and then organisational. The majority of infectious diseases are now curable and/or preventable. Soviet scientists and doctors made a great contribution to this achievement.

Smallpox Depending on the exact type of the virus, the disease kills 10 per cent to 40 per cent of its victims; the figure can sometimes be as high as 70 per cent. So far, smallpox remains the only infectious disease to have been completely eradicated. The eradication plan was drawn up by Soviet medics. It was adopted at a general meeting of the World Health Organisation

(WHO) in 1967, for which the Soviet Union can rightly take credit.

Plague The first plague vaccine was developed in the late 19th c e n t u ry by V l a d i m i r Khavkin, a scientist from Odessa. Tens of millions of dozes of the vaccine were used all over the world up until the 1940s. Unlike the smallpox vaccine, the vaccine against plague could not totally eradicate the disease, and it reduced mortality by a factor of 10 rather than preventing deaths from the plague altogether. Nevertheless, it was widely used for lack of any better alternatives.

Cholera Before the invention of antibiotics, there was no effective treatment for cholera. But in 1892, Vladimir Khavkin, who had previously developed the plague vaccine, developed another vaccine against cholera in his Paris laboratory by heating up the bacteria that caused the disease. Khavkin tested his vaccine using himself and three friends as test subjects. A new generation of vaccine based on his method is still being recommended by the WHO as the main weapon against cholera in the affected areas.

Khavkin treating cholera with his vaccine in India in 1894.

he current outbreak of the Ebola virus shows that the control of infectious diseases develops into a global issue. Infections are causing more and more damage and threaten the world with economic losses in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Asia, and especially Southeast Asia, are the original centres of the spread of a number of epidemic diseases: all 7 cholera pandemics, a number of new infectious diseases such as SARS, avian influenza, and the Nipah virus. China is the source of pandemic influenza, which is transmitted by airborne droplets. Also in Asia dengue fever is widespread, as well as HIV/ Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria. Therefore, international cooperation is extremely important in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, where state borders become irrelevant. Since 2006, the cumulative contribution of Russia in the international development of assistance programmes in the areas of health, including programmes to combat malaria, polio, and tropical diseases, totals more than US$700 million. Russian international cooperation and assistance in this area being led by Rospotrebnadzor have helped to build strong bilateral and multilateral partnerships and implement number of projects to counter infections in partner countries. Rospotrebnadzor is the federal service responsible for supervision of consumer rights protection and human well-being in

TUNE INTO THE RUSSIAN MOOD WITH OUR NEW VIDEO PODCAST ON CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Russia. Southeast Asia is a priority partner for Russia in cooperating in the field of public health and epidemiological welfare of the population. Projects have already been implemented with Vietnam in the agenda of the Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Centre, and there are plans to develop cooperation with Myanmar. Incidentally, Russia is interested in establishing cooperation with Thailand. Cooperation could be carried out on both a bilateral and multilateral basis. Priorities would include: risk management of the emergence and spread of new infectious diseases; reducing the spread of epidemics and the eradication of epidemics which hinder development (HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, malaria,“forgotten” tropical diseases); ensuring the safety of food. Given the ever-increasing tourist flow from Russia to Thailand, ensuring public health and disease control in tourist areas also plays an important role. The development of cooperation would allow for opportunities to conduct joint research, including the development of new diagnostics and prevention for infectious diseases, education, and training. This partnership could be carried out in an inter-agency format, as well as through the implementation of the Russian contribution to the WHO and the main UN organisations. Multilaterally we find it promising, primarily, to attract Bangkok as a“new donor”in the implementation of joint projects in neighbouring countries (Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia). In the medium term, Moscow and Bangkok could cooperate in the development and implementation of programmes and projects on the regional level with access to the Asean.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Opinion

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

VLADIMIR PUTIN TO SET NEW GOALS FYODOR LUKYANOV EXPERT

ifteen years ago, on August 9, 1999, President Boris Yeltsin stunned Russia by appointing Vladimir Putin as prime minister. After the upheavals of the 1980s and 1990s, Putin was just the kind of leader people wanted — not brilliant, but dependable, capable of finally bringing the endless chaos to an end and ensure the return of hope for the future. Putin, considered only by a few initially as appropriate for politics, consolidated Russian society around the idea of stability. Stability in the 2000s meant action, not preservation. To achieve stability, it was necessary to restore the management of the country, lay a foundation for economic development and give people a sense of purpose — not through a “big project”, but through actively building and improving their own lives. Putin came to power at an uncertain time, against a backdrop of an eroding world order.This contradiction between internal goals

and external conditions gradually became more and more apparent. The West sees Russia’s president as an enemy of progress, a symbol of outdated viewpoints and old-fashioned approaches. He, meanwhile, expresses his astonishment at the policies of leading nations, which seem to be almost intentionally adding fuel to the fire of international conflicts. Faith in the possibility of a “major deal” with the West, and Russia joining the circle of leading nations, has weakened, although Putin did see it as possible when he first took office. After Putin’s return to power in 2012, he saw the West, primarily the US, as the main destabiliding force in the world. This wasn’t due to anti-Russian sentiment in Washington or Brussels, but to the West’s thoughtless and arrogant interference in one situation after another, destroying the foundations of national governance. Until his third term, Putin was emphatically non-ideological; he was pragmatic, working to increase opportunities whenever possible while preserv-

VICTOR BOGORAD FOR THE M.T.

After the upheavals of the and 1990s, Putin was just the kind of leader people wanted Until his third term, Putin was emphatically nonideological; he was pragmatic Today the time has come to achieve new goals, ones that have yet to be defined

ing freedom of action. After his return, he promoted an ideology of conservatism. This was probably a necessity. The president sensed the vulnerability of his country in the ungovernable global chaos and the absence of an agenda that would support Russia’s national development. That is why he strives to simply maintain the status quo and protect against new upheavals. But if the stability of the 2000s was a conscious plan, stability in the current decade is a game of retention and preservation. The escalating external turbulence has always worried Putin because it echoes and compounds internal disorder in Russia. This

year has confirmed those fears; the coup in Ukraine was a greater challenge to Putin than any previous event and led to the end of a paradigm, with as yet unforeseeable consequences. Fifteen years ago, his task on the international stage was clear: Restore the country’s former position as a significant global player. This became a recurring theme. By the end of last year, Moscow’s influence had indeed grown. Putin’s realism, his ability to set appropriate goals and achieve them with cold pragmatism, had borne fruit. The annexation of Crimea in March was a risky, but calculated, move. It was done were to ensure

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES (RBTH) IS SPONSORED BY ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA (RUSSIA). ITS PRODUCTION DOES NOT INVOLVE THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE NATION. RBTH IS FUNDED THROUGH A COMBINATION OF ADVERTISING AND SPONSORSHIP REVENUES, TOGETHER WITH SUBSIDIES FROM RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES EVGENY ABOV PUBLISHER PAVEL GOLUB EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KONSTANTIN FETS EXECUTIVE EDITOR GLEB FEDOROV EDITOR KUMAR KRISHNAN ASSOCIATE EDITOR (THE NATION) ANDREY SHIMARSKIY ART DIRECTOR ANDREY ZAITSEV HEAD OF PHOTO DEPT MILLA DOMOGATSKAYA HEAD OF PRE-PRINT DEPT MARIA OSHEPKOVA LAYOUT

OUR EDITORIAL VOICE IS INDEPENDENT. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO PRESENT, THROUGH QUALITY CONTENT AND OPINION, A RANGE OF PERSPECTIVES ABOUT RUSSIA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD.

ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA ALEXANDER GORBENKO CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD PAVEL NEGOITSA GENERAL

IN BUSINESS SINCE 2007, WE ARE COMMITTED TO MAINTAINING THE HIGHEST EDITORIAL STANDARDS AND TO SHOWCASING THE BEST OF RUSSIAN JOURNALISM AND THE BEST WRITING ABOUT RUSSIA. IN DOING SO, WE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE FILLING AN IMPORTANT GAP IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE. PLEASE E-MAIL EDITORTH@RBTH.COM IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON OUR OWNERSHIP OR EDITORIAL STRUCTURE. INTERNET ADDRESS WWW.RBTH.COM EMAIL EDITORTH@RBTH.COM E-PAPER IS AVAILABLE AT WWW. RBTH.COM TEL +7 (495) 775 3114 FAX +7 (495) 988 9213 ADDRESS 24 PRAVDY STR, BLDG 4, FLOOR 12, MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 125 993

DIRECTOR VLADISLAV FRONIN CHIEF EDITOR TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SUPPLEMENT CONTACT SALES@RBTH.COM © COPYRIGHT 2014, FSFI ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 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 EDITORTH@RBTH.COM WITH YOUR REQUEST. RBTH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS AND PHOTOS.

the presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea and prevent Ukraine from joining Nato. This radical move to protect Russia’s strategic interests and strengthen the country’s position doesn’t deviate far from the realistic spirit of all Putin’s political actions. However, the March 18 speech he gave in Crimea was definitely in the nationalist/romance genre as opposed to a work of realism. Putin appealed to Russians as a divided people, emphasising national values. Bringing ideology into politics, especially romantic nationalism, commits a leader, tying his hands. Putin’s departure from his usual realistic approach thrust Russia into a serious international crisis. The civil war in eastern Ukraine brought Moscow back from the global level to the local. Russia is now bogged down in an internecine conflict in a neighbouring country with unclear goals and questionable methods. What we can take from this situation is that Russia is undergoing a crisis of purpose. The Soviet identity is definitively gone, and nothing convincing has emerged to replace it. No large-scale national development project, demand for which comes from the populace, has been proposed. And the fight for Ukraine, which began as a geopolitical squabble, has turned into a moment of decision about Russia’s future path. Putin has been successful in achieving the goals set 15 years ago. But today the time has come to achieve new goals, ones that have yet to be defined. Fyodor Lukyanov is the chairman of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defence Policy.

COMMENTS AND 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 EDITORTH@RBTH.COM

THIS ISSUE WAS SENT INTO PRINT ON AUGUST 25

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS AND SECTIONS ABOUT RUSSIA ARE PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES, A DIVISION OF ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA (RUSSIA), IN THE FOLLOWING NEWSPAPERS: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, UNITED KINGDOM • THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, UNITED STATES • LE FIGARO, FRANCE • EL PAÍS, SPAIN • LA REPUBBLICA, ITALY • LE SOIR, BELGIUM • GEOPOLITICA, SERBIA • ELEFTHEROS TYPOS, GREECE • THE ECONOMIC TIMES, INDIA • MAINICHI SHIMBUN, JAPAN • GLOBAL TIMES, CHINA • THE NATION, THAILAND • LA NACION, ARGENTINA • FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL • EL OBSERVADOR, URUGUAY • JOONGANG ILBO, SOUTH KOREA • THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, THE AGE, AUSTRALIA • GULF NEWS, AL KHALEEJ, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Opinion

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

END OF A LOVE AFFAIR

C O N V E R T I N G M O N O LO G U E S I N TO D I A LO G U E Russia Direct is a forum for experts and senior decision-makers from Russia and abroad to discuss, debate and understand the issues in geopolitical relations from a sophisticated vantage point.

Eduard Ponarin

russia-direct.org

EXPERT

he US has for many decades occupied a unique place in the Russian national psyche. For Russians, the US is an ideal composite image of an enemy and at the same time an object of desire. In recent months, there has been a hike in anti-American sentiments in Russia: Opinion polls by the Levada Center showed that in May, Russians’ dislike of America reached a historic high. Currently, 71 per cent of Russians say that they do not like the US, whereas in the early 1990s, the figure was under 10 per cent. This is not surprising: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the USSR was just entering a period of liberal revolution under first Mikhail Gorbachev and then BorisYeltsin. For Russia, the US was an ideal, a model country and an example to follow. Our country was making generous gestures (in disarmament, in withdrawing troops from Europe, in declassifying military facilities and technologies) and, in general, was showing signs of being in love: Russia wanted to “return to the family of civilised nations”, ie become part of the Western world led by the US. This ambiguous situation had changed by the late 1990s, when two crises took place one after the other, undermining the foundations of the liberal revolution and preparing ground for a

The Future of Russia’s Innovation Economy SEPTEMBER’14 QUARTERLY REPORT

The Ukrainian crisis has triggered a deep rift between the West and Russia about the principles of the new world order. Prepared by Gleb Fedorov

Russian innovation development has been identified as a priority by the Russian government since the mid-2000s. Now economic growth based on innovation is gaining new momentum thanks to an unexpected push – US and EU economic sanctions imposed upon Russia over the Ukrainian crisis. The September Report ‘The Future of Russia’s Innovation Economy’ will explore two fundamentally different scenarios for moving forward.

IORSH

counter-revolution. The financial crisis of August 1998 shook the belief that liberal reforms would make people more prosperous. The Kosovo crisis and the Nato bombing of Belgrade in 1999 showed that Russia’s inter-

those of the elite. Any national ideology is based on confrontation: There must always be the other side, somebody alien. America is an ideal alien. In addition, America is an ideal rival in the eyes of several genera-

Putin, promoting pride in Russian history, including the Soviet period. That proved enough to turn the US into an adversary in Russians’ collective consciousness. The new generation of Russian citizens have a stronger feeling of patriotism.The fact that at the time when their national feeling was formed it was the US that happened to be“the significant other”in relation to whom Russia’s place in the world was determined has resulted in that anti-Americanism becoming an integral part of that national feeling.

Our country made generous gestures and, in general, was showing signs of being in love

Bombing of Belgrade showed that Russia’s standing had not at all improved

national standing had not at all improved.The frustration of the elites had finally reached such a degree that it spilled over to the TV screens. As a result, the message being broadcast by the media changed dramatically, and the anti-American sentiments of the general public began to approach

tions of Russians who, like it or not, carry imperial ambitions. People born in Soviet times still remember the rivalry between the two superpowers, whereas people who became adults in the 2000s were already subject to a new ideology proposed by Vladimir

CRAFTING A STRATEGY FOR DETERRING PUTIN

VIEW ON RUSSIA’S UKRAINIAN AID CONVOY

THE ONLY WINNER IN UKRAINE IS CHINA

David Ignatius

Editorial

Dmitry Trenin

WASHINGTON POST

THE GUARDIAN

THE MOSCOW TIMES

Putin had made three big mistakes [...]. He thought the battle for eastern Ukraine would be a walkover for his covert proxy forces [...]; he thought the pro-Russian separatists could be controlled; and he thought the newly elected [...] President Petro Poroshenko would be weak.

The only questions are: What sort of presence Moscow has in mind; whether a disavowal of the convoy by the Red Cross [...] will be forthcoming, or would it make any difference if it was; and whether this supposedly humanitarian venture could blow up into a full-scale cross-border war.

The sharp reduction of Russia’s economic ties with advanced countries leaves China as the only major economy outside of the US-led sanction regime. This increases China’s significance to Russia, promising to enable the Chinese to gain wider access to Russian energy and resources.

Eduard Ponarin, PhD, is head of the laboratory of comparative sociological studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. rbth.com/38033

PRESS REVIEW VIEWS ON UKRAINE FROM THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRESS

Asia-Paciﬁc Military Buildup: Russia’s response AUGUST’14 MONTHLY MEMO Given its strained relationship with the West over Ukraine, Russia has strong incentives to turn to Asia-Pacific to diversify its political and economic ties. However, long-lasting regional conflicts have led to countries in the region expanding their military capabilities. What steps Russia should take to address them?

BECOME RD SUBSCRIBER TO GET CURRENT REPORTS, COMPANY NEWS AND INFORMATION ON UPCOMING EVENTS RUSSIA-DIRECT.ORG/SUBSCRIBE

HOW RUSSIA, CHINA AND THE US CAN DENUCLEARIZE NORTH KOREA

WHY TERRITORIAL DISPUTES IN ASIA-PACIFIC SHOULD WORRY RUSSIA

READ ON RUSSIA-DIRECT.ORG

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Religion

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

Communism Religions paid a terrible price during the first two decades of Soviet rule

The repression of Buddhism The collapse of the Russian empire and the rise of Communism was a terrible disaster for the Buddhist faith. RBTH gives the history of this dark period.

INFO

Buddhism exhibition

GLEB FEDOROV RBTH

The exhibition “Buddhism, a Victim of Political Repressions” is on display at the Museum of GULAG in Moscow until October. The exhibition tells about the basics of the Buddhist religion and its relationship with the Soviet system. It features photos and videos, which illustrate the lives of the Buryat, Kalmyk and Tuva people in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, the Soviet period of persecution of Buddhism and repression of the clergy, as well as the subsequent government-controlled revival of Buddhism in Russia.

MUSEUM OF GULAG

The Soviets sought to build a society free from religion. As the mainstay of the Russian empire was Christian orthodoxy, it was dealt the first blow by Communists. Arrests and executions of the clergy, as well as the nationalisation of church property, began immediately after the 1917 revolution. For two reasons, Buddhism had long faced such repression. First, it was profitable for the Communists to play the role of liberators, representing the Kalmyks, Buryats, and Tuvans, who had been“oppressed minorities of the Tsarist regime”. Secondly, the Bolsheviks wanted to win the support of the Dalai Lama and the Buddhists to promote a “world revolution” in the Buddhist East. But as soon as the Bolsheviks realised that they wouldn’t help them reach this goal, the gradual destruction of Buddhism began. The 1920s can be called

When the severe repressions stopped in the 1940s, there were almost no temples left untouched.

Soviet Union at the end of WWII) – remained weak. The authorities could not long endure the fact that socialism struggled to grow in “the thick of Lamaism and primitive beliefs” and the Buddhist clergy became a “huge sore on the body” of the Soviet population. Therefore, from the

the “herbivorous” years, as the Communists tried to influence the Buddhists through persuasion. However, the anti-religious propaganda failed all through until the 1930s, and the influence of the Soviet authorities in “Buddhist areas” – Kalmykia and Buryatia (Tuva finally returned to the

beginning of the 1930s propaganda went by the wayside, giving way to harsher measures. In 1931-32, the highest-ranking clergy faced repression, and during 1935-36, the other remaining members of the middle ranks of the clergy were arrested. However, the census of the USSR in 1937

History How did the Buddhist faith get to Russia and where is it common?

This year marks 250 years since Empress Catherine the Great finally recognised Buddhism, and the clergy declared her the White Tara incarnation. GLEB FEDOROV RBTH

Buddhism, in its Tibetan form, first appeared in Russia in the 17th century, with the advent of the nomadic Mongol tribes, the Oyrats (later, they came to be called Kalmyks) in the Lower Volga region. In approximately 1616, they built their first permanent monastery near the city of Semipalat-

insk, and by 1917 the Kalmyks had 5,270 priests in 105 temples. Buddhism became most widespread in Buryatia, especially after about 150 Tibetan and Mongolian monks settled there at the beginning of the 18th century. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Buryat monasteries already had a complete system of higher theological education in existence, including departments of tantra, astrology and Tibetan medicine. The influence of the Buryat Buddhists is illustrated by

MUSEUM OF GULAG

Buddhism in the Russian empire

Buddhism was one of main religions in the Russian empire.

the fact that Pyotr Badmayev, an expert in Tibetan medicine, became a doctor to the royal family and treated Emperor Nicholas II. After the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, Tuva (the official name of the region since 1993 is Tyva) requested accession to Russia,

which took place in 1914. By that time, there were 22 Buddhist monasteries and about 4,0 0 0 lamas in Tyva. By the time of World War I, three Buddhist regions had formed in Russia where Buddhism is still widespread today.

discouraged the Soviet authorities by showing that even repression could not eradicate religion: A quarter of the population of Buryatia and Kalmykia continued to consider themselves believers. Then the Communist Party decided to do away with all religions and began its campaign of mass terror. Just as with Orthodox priests, Buddhist priests were accused of plotting against the government by spying for Japan and planning direct hostile acts against the Soviet Union. In 1937, it was announced that the lamas were actively involved in subversion and sabotage, including plotting to blow up a series of bridges. Allegedly, photographs of these objects were found in the lamas’ possession. In the then-independent Republic of Tuva, the situation was not much better. In 1930, the seizure of temples and monasteries and pogroms began. Datsan property was confiscated and destroyed.The most valuable property were xylographs (wooden engravings). The Aga datsan alone had up to 100,000 pieces. Most of these engravings had no religious content, but ranged from serving as a dictionary, grammar, narrative and

poetic literature, and essays on history, medicine, astronomy, and philosophy. No less valuable were original manuscripts, which went missing even in Tibet, as well as thangka – works of Buddhist art. The militia which was engaged in the expropriation of the property used the pages of the manuscripts to cover their windows and as tissue paper and papier-mâché. At the end of the “Great Patriotic War”(WWII), Stalin softened his stance on religion, which consequently also helped Buddhism. In Buryatia, Buddhists donated to the Defence Fund of the USSR several hundred thousand rubles, and then Buryat Buddhism was legalised, although it came under the control of the KGB. Buddhists pledged“to esteem to make their sacred Buddhist faith on par with workers in the homeland and foster its strengthening and flourishing”. Buddhism was under scrutiny of the KGB until Perestroika, when, beginning in 198788, the persecution ceased completely. This article was written based on the materials presented at the “Buddhism Repressed” exhibition in the GULAG Museum in Moscow.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Religion

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

IN BRIEF

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Investing in Hollywood

Church has no intent to proselytise in Thailand

What do you consider your task here? As a priest and as a Christian, I see the very same task in Thailand as I see in every place, in any country. The thing is that from the Christian point of view, a person is saved for eternity by following Christ. This does not mean that we want to turn the Thai people to Orthodox Christianity at any cost. Religion is not Coca-Cola; it is not a product that requires advertisements. This is not what Orthodoxy uses. We must give an answer to an individual who is truly asking, prepare him. We must baptise him and teach him how to be a Christian. That is why I am here. Who are your parishioners? We have a very multinational flock. If we talk about the priesthood, then we have priests from Russia, Moldova and New Zealand; there are also Thais. And, of course, realising that we are located in Thailand, our Thai priest Fr Daniel has the advantage of honour. How can you explain the rapid

Once you said that you do not take donations “earned by prostitution, fraud, or in professions that do not comply with Christian values”. How do you know for sure where the money comes from?

Restoration in the Kremlin

PRESS PHOTO

growth of the Russian Orthodox Church in Thailand? Theravada is considered to be closer to the original teachings of the Buddha than, say,Tibetan Buddhism. If we speak of convention, then Thai Buddhism is the “orthodoxy” in Buddhism. If someone compares Catholicism, the various currents of Protestantism, and Orthodoxy, then the antiquity and nearness of Orthodoxy to the original source will immediately be evident to him. This is attractive. Another very important component is that Catholicism and Protestantism followed the colonisation of East Asia by the Western European countries. The feeling that Christianity is the religion of the colonisers is connected to this. Orthodoxy does not have this handicap. Even in the most favourable time for the Russian empire, the time of the friendship of King Rama V and Tsar Nicholas II, we never sent our priesthood to Siam and always greatly respected that Buddhism – a culture – was the state religion of Thailand. And we are still very sensitive to this as it belongs to the religious choice of each individual and of whole nations.

Russian Orthodox philanthropists are set to finance a wide range of Russianthemed Hollywood films, Izvestia reported in August. Among the first of these films may be a Hollywood adaptation about Tamerlane the Great, a Turko-Mongol conqueror. American actor Hugh Jackman is being considered for the role of Tamerlane, according to Izvestia.

Russian Orthodox Church was never seen as a colonial religion and only serves its flock.

BRIEF BIO

F Oleg (Cherepanin)

PRESS PHOTO

The Russian Diaspora in Thailand is steadily growing, which inevitably creates the need for the presence of the Russian Church. Father Oleg, who has lived in Thailand since 1999, talks to RBTH about his mission and how he deals with his parishioners.

NATIONALITY: RUSSIAN AGE: 53 RANK: ARCHIMANDRITE

In 1999, F Oleg was sent to the Kingdom of Thailand as the rector of St Nicholas’ Chapel in Bangkok. In December 2001 he was appointed Representative of Russian Orthodox Church in Thailand with the mission to give spiritual guidance to the Orthodox flock in Laos and Cambodia. In November 2011, he was awarded the highest order of the Russian Peace Foundation - a golden medal “For peacemaking and charitable activities”.

VOICES OF ‘READ RUSSIA’ DOWNLOAD OUR SPECIAL ISSUE NOW AND DISCOVER THE LATEST TRENDS IN RUSSIAN LITERATURE!

Of course, this is not about the donations that people put into the box inside the church, but about situations when someone wants to donate a large sum, especially when it is a person we do not know. In such a situation, the person writes a receipt indicating what his name is and so on, and he swears on the cross and on the Gospel that this money is honest. Then we accept it. But these were rare occasions that happened in the beginning, because I have been here for 16 years and I know everyone; I know who, and how, and what they earn. There have been instances when we truly refused to accept money. Money is relative for the church, for God. God cannot be bought and donating a lot does not buy you the Kingdom of Heaven. I have a Ukrainian“denezhka” [currency note] of small value. When we were collecting monies with which to help our Russian girls that had ended up in difficult situations here, a little boy came up to me in one of the hotels and asked: Would this help them? He was holding it for a very long time. It’s clear that mama and papa gave it to him for candy or

ice cream. He had taken care of it; it was folded up… It could not be used, of course, but I saved it for the memory and it is kept in the church. How would you explain why Russians behave in Thailand in a way that is not the best? There are good people and bad people. For example, policemen were killed during the recent protests in Thailand. Families lost breadwinners. They had been doing their job, upholding the law; children were left behind… It took me a few minutes. I called our congregation to Pattaya and we collected Bt400,000 (US$12,447), giving it to the families of the killed. No one knew those policemen and there was no benefit to be had. Everyone just understood that they needed help; police salaries are not that high… So people see things like this and others. One of the provisos of our activities is rendering aid to the needy without reference to their religious affiliation. There is a tradition where we give money to poor students and help orphanages. Interview by Irina Vinokurova

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

President Vladimir Putin has suggested demolishing a Kremlin administrative building and restoring two Orthodox monasteries. Building 14 is a relatively recent addition to the Kremlin ensemble. It was built by the architect Ivan Rerberg in 1934 on the site of two monasteries – the Chudov and the Ascension – that were demolished in 1929 and 1930.

Church head to bring peace Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he hoped that the efforts of the newly elected Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Onufriy, would help establish and maintain peace in Ukraine. The previous head of UOC, Volodymyr, died on July 5.

Crack that Russian enigma rbth.com/products/read_russia

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Travel

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

Top places The country is so big and unexplored that you can find there many new favourite destinations 1

Places you would never believe were in Russia

Our travel editor Darya Gonzalez will prove to you that in Russia alone you can get a glimpse of the whole world. DARYA GONZALEZ RBTH

From the sandy beaches of the Far East, to Swiss-like villages lost in the middle of South Siberia, from German villages on the Baltic Sea coast to the bridge across the Bosporus – it is all in Russia.

LORI/LEGION MEDIA(3); GEOPHOTO (2); ASYA ORLOVA

(1) Italy? Sometimes St Petersburg is called the Venice of the North, but that does not make it an Italian city. This city, originally built on a swamp, is the largest port in Russia and has long been Russia’s “window to Europe.”This tourist capital of Russia is known for its drawbridges, long seafronts, romantic White Nights during which the sun never fully sets, imperial facades, and its many charming streets, many of which are named after 19th- and 20thcentury Russian writers.

(2) The Chinese Stone Forest? No, this is a different Unesco World Heritage Site called the Lena Pillars. The unique stone features began to form 540-560 million years ago, and sit on a bed of Cambrian limestone. The forested red sandstone pillars reflect majestically in the calm waters of the Lena River, which also serves as the main way to access them, typically via a small boat from Yakutsk. Al-

though it takes less time to travel from Europe to the Lena Pillars than to the Stone Forest, it is still an exhausting journey that involves flying into Yakutsk, taking a bus to the docks, and then spending a few hours on a boat or a ferry. Not all of the Pillars can be ascended, but there are several observation platforms about 100 metres (330 feet) above the ground from which one can take in the natural beauty of the Siberian landscape and the mighty river traversing it.

(3) Switzerland? Almost, but 6,500km (4,000 miles) farther east, these are actually the Altai Mountains, located in Southern Siberia on the border with Mongolia. Due to a lack of roads and other infrastructure in the remote mountainous area, the breath-taking Altai Mountains remain one of the most in-

Bay and the nearby city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The Bay is also the main gateway for people and goods arriving on the peninsula, while the rocky cliffs around it contain several enchanting grottos, which can only be accessed by sea kayaks.

(6) A German village? 6

so ceased after the construction of the cable railway, and Vladivostok was able to retain its unique Sino-Russian culture.

(5) Ho Long Bay?

accessible places in Russia. The only urban area is the regional capital of GornoAltaysk, which has a population of 60,000. The rest of the region’s inhabitants live in villages. Locals say the mythical kingdom of Shambhala is located somewhere in the “Russian Tibet”.

(4) Istanbul? AlthoughVladivostok is far away from Istanbul, there is also a bay here called the

Golden Horn. A cablestayed bridge was built across it in 2012, ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. However, Vladivostok is more often compared to San Francisco than Istanbul. S ov i e t l e a d e r N i k i t a Khrushchev even decided to build a cable railway network in the hilly city in order to transform it into “another San Francisco”. However, all efforts to do

Could be, but this is actually the Avacha Bay, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula. At 24km long, it is the second-largest bay in the world after Port Jackson in Australia. The bay is so large that all the ships in the world could fit into it. The Koryaksky, Avachinsky, and Vilyuchinsky volcanoes can be seen from the waters of the bay. At the entrance to the bay, one can find the Tri Brata, or“Three Brothers”,a rock formation consisting of three adjacent rocks jutting out of the sea. This landmark is considered a natural treasure and is a symbol of the Avacha

Almost. The town of Zelenogradsk is located in the Russian Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, originally known as Konigsberg. Founded in 1255 by knights of the Teutonic Order, Konigsberg was home to many German colonists and Teutonic knights, and eventually became the capital of the Duchy of Prussia. Kaliningrad was part of the Third Reich and was taken over by the Soviet Union after World War II. Today, the exclave is home to ethnic Germans, Greeks, Armenians, Poles, Russians and Lithuanians. People expelled from the region after it came under Soviet control often return to wander among the old houses, cemeteries, and German castles. Many landmarks and towns had different names back then, for example Zelenogradsk was called Cranz.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Travel

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

Paranormal Not only cultural sites may be a good travel spot in the country. Try your luck to be 1st to spot Nessie

Searching for Russia’s ‘Loch Ness’ Deep-water dives in the icy, Siberian depths of Yakutia’s Lake Labynkyr have sparked “Loch Ness Fever” in every watery corner of Russia. ANDREI KHIMIK SPECIAL TO RBTH

The dive by Dmitry Schiller’s team into the frigid waters of Lake Labynkyr on February 1, 2013, could qualify for the Guinness World Records. The team members dived to the bottom of the polar lake at the coldest time of year, in Russia’s coldest region.The dive has already prompted a blaze of publicity in the Russian media, not to mention the repercussions. Rumours abound that parts of the skeleton and jaws of a huge animal were found on the lakebed, with the help of camera technology. The members of the Russian Geographical Society team have since denied this claim, but “Nessie Fever” was unstoppable. Both scientific and pseudo-scientific exploration teams have set off in pursuit of a Russian Loch Ness Monster all over the country. Fans of paranormal events from RBTH’s editorial team have tracked the movements of different expeditions and compiled a list of Russia’s

more obscure lakes that might yet earn the title of “The Second Loch Ness.”

Lake Labynkyr The lake is located at an altitude of 1,020 metres above sea level, and its depth is 52.6 metres. The lakebed has an anomalous fissure, with a depth that reaches 75-80 metres. Lo-

The Brosno Dragon is a lizard-like plesiosaur, living in Lake Brosno, in Tver Region With its own “Valley Of Death” and flying saucers, Yakutia is a paradise for fans of the paranormal cals only ever refer to the lake as “The Second Loch Ness”.Viktor Tverdokhlebov, local lead researcher of a team from the East-Siberian Section of the Soviet Academy of Science, recorded in his notes a sighting of an unidentified animal floating on the lake’s surface and resembling a giant fish. “It was moving in an arc, at first along the lake, and

EXPERIMENTARIUM Scientists in training will enjoy the Experimentarium, a center that lets children not only look at exhibits, but also participate in real experiments. At this giant complex, visitors can see over 200 unusual exhibits, ranging from the cab of American 18-wheeler to the layout of the human eye. Through exploring the exhibits, children can learn about the basics of anatomy, mechanics, optics, acoustics, and electromagnetism. Address: 46/2 Butyrskaya, Moscow. Telephone: +7 (495) 989-73-94; Hours of operation: Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm, Saturday, Sunday, and holidays from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. For individual ticket and membership prices, call or visit the website. Best for ages 7 and up.

then it came towards us... a dark-grey, oval-shaped body moved across the water. Against this background could be made out two symmetrical white spots, which could be eyes, and standing up on its body was something like a stick — perhaps a fin. We only saw a small part of this animal, but we could imagine there was a massive body in the water. It was undoubtedly a predator — one of the most powerful predators in the world,” wrote Tverdokhlebov. Quite possibly, this report by a respected scientist has made the Lake Labynkyr Monster one of the more serious contenders for the role of a Second Nessie, even though the Russian Geographical Society (RGS) has rejected media reports of an alleged large animal jawbone found in the lake.

The giant bull-pike of Lake Khaiyr (Pestsovoye) With its own “Valley Of Death” and flying saucers, Yakutia is a paradise for fans of the paranormal. Yakutia has not just one alleged Loch Ness Monster, but two. According to witnesses, Lake Khaiyr, which is located above the Arctic Circle, is home to an unk-

Locals refer to the Lake Labynkyr as “The Second Loch Ness”. SERGEY KARPUKHIN

nown animal of monstrous proportions. The animal’s description corresponds closely to the Lake Labynkyr monster. A 1964 expedition from Lomonosov Moscow State University’s North-Eastern Research Department recorded that a mysterious animal with a long snakelike neck lives in Khaiyr. A member of a biological expedition team from the Yakutsk Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nikolai Gladikh, left a written record. “At 7am, I went to the lake to get water, with a

PLANNING A TRIP FOR ADULTS TO MOSCOW IS EASY. FIRST, COMES THE KREMLIN, THEN RED SQUARE, AND THEN OTHER SITES BASED ON INTERESTS AND PREFERENCES. FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO SHOW THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL TO A CHILD, HOWEVER, IS A MORE DIFFICULT TASK. HOWEVER, THERE ARE PLENTY OF UNIQUE ADVENTURES FOR KIDS TO BE FOUND OFF THE BEATEN PATH.

MINERALOGICAL MUSEUM The Fersman Mineralogical Museum is a must-see for inquisitive children, and not only because there are fuzzy stones to touch. The museum features chunks of meteorite, including one that was added to the collection of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1749. But the most important part of the exhibit is its collection of minerals of all shapes, colors, and sizes: quartz that looks like a sea urchin, sprigs of bluestone covered in dew, fuzzy natrolite, and purple elbaite. Address: 18/2 Leninsky Prospekt, Moscow. Telephone: +7 (495) 954-39-00, +7 (495) 954-18-59; Hours of operation: Everyday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, except for Monday, Tuesday, and the last Thursday of the month. Adults, 2 euro; Children, 1 euro (entrance is free on Wednesdays). Best for ages 3 and up.

bucket. I couldn’t have gone more than 15 or 20 metres when I heard some kind of splash and saw a huge animal crawling out of the water. It was probably 4 to 4.5 metres long, 1.5 to 2 metres tall, with a long neck, maybe 1.5 metres. It had a small, flat head, like a snake,” reads Gladikh’s record. After talking with locals, a team of researchers was able to gauge that the beast at the centre of these stories is generally called the“Bull-Pike”.Despite the fact that the animal’s described appearance is cartoonish, it has not deterred

MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY Dinosaur lovers of all ages can easily spend an afternoon here among the skeletons of animals that died millions of years ago, including plesiosaurs with sad eyes, and giant mammoths. Address: 123 Profsoyuznaya Street, Moscow. Telephone: +7 (495) 339-15-00, +7 (495) 33945-44; Hours of operation: Everyday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, except for Monday and Tuesday. Last ticket sales at 5:15 pm. Adults, 3 euro; Students, 1.5 euro; children under 6, free. Best for ages 4 and up.

scientific researchers from looking into the case.

The Brosno Dragon The Russian Ogopogo — a mythical animal known only from reported sightings — lives in Lake Brosno, located in Tver Region. There have been no confirmed sightings of the beast, but legend would have us believe this is another Nessie. As the story goes, the Brosno Dragon is a lizardlike plesiosaur — an object of fascination for many crypto-zoologists all over the world.

MUSEUM OF ASTRONAUTICS Kids who dream of interplanetary travel will be thrilled with a visit to the Memorial Museum of Astronautics. This museum has a real Mission Control Center – a giant screen that shows where the International Space Station is currently located and how the astronauts there live. The museum also features a ride that simulates a space ﬂight. At this museum guests can stop in the Mir space station and wander among dozens of space suits, containers for growing orchids in space and ejection seats. Address: 111 Prospekt Mira, Moscow. Telephone: DARWIN MUSEUM +7 (495) 683-79-14; Hours of operation: Visitors to the State Darwin Monday through Sunday from 11:00 am to Museum can see animatronic dinosaurs; 7:00 pm. measure their weight in mice, bears and Tickets, 3 euro. Best for ages 4 elephants or watch ﬁlms on giant screens. In the and up. “Living Planet” multimedia show, guests can take a trip to a unique underwater world and see the cabin of Charles Darwin’s ship The Beagle as well as a timeline of life from prehistory to today. The museum features an enormous collection of taxidermied animals, including 718 7+ birds. The Darwin museum is a perfect destination for kids interested in the natural sciences. TRAVEL2MOSCOW.COM Address: 57 Vavilov Street, Moscow. Telephone: +7 (499) 783-22-53; Hours of operation: Everyday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, except for Monday and the last Friday of the month. Adults, 7 euros; Students, 2 euros; children under 6, free

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Culture

A global media project, sponsored by Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) www.rbth.com

Body language These signs are rarely used nowadays, but are still referred to in language and idioms

The world of Russian folk gestures Why did Russians in earlier times tear the front of their shirts, throw their hats on the ground, and show each other the ‘fig’ sign? And do they still do this?

too vigorously, and the expression“to tear one’s shirt” is rooted in Russian slang speech.

MAXIM DESYATNIKOV

This gesture was used to articulate some kind of desperate decision. A headdress (along with a beard) was a symbol of honour and integration into society for Russian men. Taking off one’s hat in public was considered to be shameful – a civil penalty of sorts. Usually, debtors were subject to taking off their hats. When a person took off his hat and threw it on the ground voluntarily, he was demonstrating a willingness to take an insane risk in which the price for failure would have been expulsion from society.

Throwing one’s hat on the ground

RUSSKAYA SEMYORKA

Beating one’s chest This gesture evolved from a nomad military tradition and was brought to Russia by the Tatars, who used this gesture to make an oath of allegiance to a military commander. Hitting oneself in the chest was a demonstration of loyalty. Like many other Russian gestures, beating one’s chest almost disappeared after the introduction of rules of etiquette in Russian culture in the 18th century. Beating one’s chest became a phraseological expression meaning to “by way of an oath, vociferously tell someone something”.

DMITRY DIVIN

Showing somebody the “koza” This gesture is often wrongly confused with the criminal“sign of the horns” or the sign made by heavy metal fans. But the Russian version, the “koza”, is thousands of years old. It was associated with protection from black magic and evil spirits during the Middle Ages. The older generations probably still remember the short tale that starts with “a goat with horns is coming for little children…” The adult shows the child a butting goat by imitating the goat’s horns with the little finger and the index finger of the right hand. This isn’t just a game; it is how our ancestors warded off the evil

Russians do not have to make this gesture nowadays, it is enough to say “fig tebe!” A headdress (along with a beard) was a symbol of honour and integration into society.

eye. It is curious to note that some Orthodox icons feature the Saviour and saints who are showing off an extended pinky and index finger.

Showing somebody the “fig” According to legend, this gesture relates to East Slavic traditions, in which it was a universal talisman capable of warding off danger, especially the evil eye and evil spirits.Yet the Russians most likely picked it up from German travellers, who used it as a vulgar gesture in an attempt to seduce Russian ladies. There is even a theory that the gesture’s alternative name, “figa”, came from the German phrase “fick-fick machen”,meaning to engage

in sexual intercourse. In Russian tradition, the gesture was transformed into a symbol of absolute and final refusal. These days, the gesture is not necessarily a manifestation of aggression; it can even be a joke. Russians even do not have to make this gesture nowadays, it is enough to say“fig tebe!” (fig to you!).

Scratching the back of the head A Russian person scratches the back of his head when he is concerned about something. But why? Probably not to stimulate circulation in the brain. One theory says that the gesture comes from folk magic: Their ancestors scratched the backs of their heads in order to summon the help

Follow Get the best stories from Russia straight to your inbox RBTH.COM/SUBSCRIBE

Read RBTH.COM your favourite mobile reader

of a primogenitor, a genius of mankind.

Tearing the front of a shirt Originally, this gesture was supposed to be the improvisation of an oath. There is a hypothesis that in times gone by, Russians used this expressive gesture to demonstrate their loyalty to the Orthodox faith, displaying a cross on the chest. It is well known that during capital punishment, the executioners tore the tops of the person’s shirt. Therefore, voluntarily tearing your clothes indicated a willingness to ascend the scaffold in the name of truth. Today, the gesture has been replaced by the use of a proverb in cases when people show their emotions

Netherlands refuses to return Crimean Scythian gold to Russia or Ukraine

Flicking a finger on the neck This Russian drinking gesture comes from the idiom “to put [a drink] down under the necktie”, which was popular in the 19th and earlier 20th centuries. The expression originated in officer culture and was supposedly thought up by Colonel Rayevsky, who was “a talker and a joker.” According to the legend, he came up with another drinking term – a little bit “podchauffé,”which means tipsy [the expression appears to be a combination of the Russian prefix ‘pod’ and the French ‘chauffé’, meaning ‘heated’ – it could perhaps be translated as “heated up”]. It is interesting to note that the gesture was adopted by illicit sellers of alcohol during the “dry law” established in 1914.

NEXT issue

2 October

SHARE YOUR OPINION ON /russianow

/russiabeyond