The life of a canine cosmonaut

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Thursday, September 24, 2015

The claims that Russia has made for new territory But there is no response yet to the claims Moscow has made

The fate of China’s Last Emperor Pu Yi’s autobiography reveals his life as a prisoner in the Soviet Union

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September 26 - October 2, 2015

The life of a canine cosmonaut TRANING FOR DOGS TRAVELLING INTO SPACE

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RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

News

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UKRAINE

LNR) have declared their intention to hold elections on October 18 and November 1, respectively, in defiance of the Minsk peace agreements signed in February, which stipulate that they must take place parallel to the general Ukrainian elections on October 25.

At a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on September 11 in Kiev, EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said that he expected the elec-

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

American whistleblower Edward Snowden publicly criticised the Kremlin for its stance on Internet freedom and homosexuality when he accepted a Norwegian freedom of speech award on September 5.

The former National Security Agency (NSA) subcontractor accused the Russian authorities of disregarding the rights of sexual minorities, highlighting Russia’s 2013 federal law banning homosexual propaganda as an example.

EPA/VOSTOCK-PHOTO

Russia was his last resort

“I’ve been quite critical of it [the law] in the past and I’ll continue to be in the future,” he said. “This drive that we see in the Rus-

sian government to control more and more of the Internet, to control more and more of what people are seeing, […] deciding what is the appropriate or inappropriate way for people to express their love for one another [...] is fundamentally wrong.”

Snowden also said seeking asylum in Russia had been a last resort for him, and that he had applied for asylum in a total of 21 countries. Russia granted Snowden temporary asylum in Jule 2013.

A taste of Thailand

St Petersburg best tourist spot in Europe

ism Authority of Thailand also set up a special booth with the latest information about tourist destinations in the Kingdom. The peak tourist season in Thailand commences in October.

Thailand remains one of the most popular destinations for Russian tourists, although the ruble’s fall over the last year has led to a drop in visitors to the Kingdom.

Thai Airways officials said the airline’s BangkokMoscow service would be restarted when tourist traffic picks up between the cities. The service was suspended in February 2015.

Thailand and Russia have a visa-waiver program for short-term visitors.

GETTY IMAGES

Despite a fresh round of talks between Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France in Berlin on September13, the sides appear to be no closer to making a breakthrough on resolving the conflict in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, where a shaky ceasefire has halted fighting between government and pro-Russia rebels.

The key focus of negotiations was on elections in the Donbass, where the authorities of the rebel Donetsk and Lugansk“people’s republics” (DNR and

IN BRIEF

Thai cuisine, dance performances and Muay Thai lessons greeted visitors at the second Thai Festival in Moscow. The festival was held on September 12-13 in Kuznetsky Most, where Loy Krathong decorations were set up.

Visitors to the festival could sample Thai food, as well as buy food products made in the Kingdom. Muscovites were also treated to Thai foot massage sessions.

Thai massage systems are becoming increasingly popular in Russia.

Around 15,000 people are believed to have visited the two-day festival, which was organised by the Thai Embassy and the Moscow City Administration. The Tour-

AP/EASTNEWS

No resolution to Ukraine conflict despite talks

tions in eastern Ukraine would be transparent and held in accordance with Ukrainian law.

“Now the West and Kiev will demand that Moscow cancel or move the Donbass elections to another date, while in response Moscow will raise the issue of Kiev not meeting the obligations stipulated in the Minsk agreements,” said Alexander Gushchin, professor at the Russian State University for the Humanities.

Russian officials say that the main topic of discussion during the meeting was not elections in the Donbass but matters relating to the implementation of the ceasefire. Some Russian experts say that the real problem is the agenda of the talks, which are focusing on military aspects of the conflict rather than working to resolve the political issues behind it.

MOSCOW FESTIVAL

ALAMY/LEGION MEDIA

St. Petersburg has been named the best tourist destination in Europe by the prestigious World Travel Awards Europe, according to the organisation’s site.

The key factors in the city’s success were centuries-old traditions, a rich history and its great tourist potential. Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Venice, Lisbon, Florence, Edinburgh, Istanbul, London were all competing this year for the award.

All the winners of the organisation’s European travel prizes will participate in the World Travel Awards world final in Morocco on December 12.

The World Travel Awards has been honouring organisations and companies that excel in the development of the tourist industry for 22 years.

The Thai ceremony of Lanching Khom Loi lanterns in Moscow

New cooperation agreement

SANCTIONS

No progress in sight Russia is girding itself for the possibility of a long haul under Western economic sanctions, as officials in Moscow warn that they see no near-term end to the campaign of economic punishment, which the International Monetary Fund has said could shave off almost a tenth of Russia’s economy.

A year and a half after the US and European Union launched an effort to punish Russia over its oerceived role in the Ukrainian dispute, about 150 individuals have been targeted with travel bans and asset freezes, while dozens of Russia’s biggest banks and energy firms have been cut off from access to Western finance.

Russia has retaliated by banning imports of US and

European food products, a blow that fell especially hard on European farmers.

Albert Jan Maat, president of the European farmers group Copa, told Reuters news agency that sanctions against Russia had led to the loss of about 5.5 billion euros’ worth of agricultural exports last year. Yet as the dispute drags on and the economic damage piles up, observers said there seems to be no end in sight to the standoff.

“It looks as though the country is adjusting to a new old reality – life under permanent sanctions, as it was in the Soviet Union,” said a report published this month by Sberbank - Russia’s largest savings bank, which itself has been a target of the sanctions.

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

Moscow and Bangkok signed a three-year cooperation agreement in early September.

The agreement calls for cooperation in the development of urban infrastructure, public transport, housing and communal services and environmental protection.

Moscow and Bangkok have been sister cities since 1997 and have been cooperating ever since in the promotion of sports and culture.

The Second Thai Festival in Moscow was held in the Russian capital on September 12-13 and was a great success.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Politics

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Arctic Ocean As ice cap continues to melt, Moscow seeks a piece of the pie

Russia awaits response to claim for new territory Scan to read why is the battle for the Arctic heating up Read the article at asia.rbth.com/48477

03

READ ONLINE: RUSSIAN NOON: A LOOK AT WHITE ÉMIGRÉ LIFE IN 1930S SHANGHAI

The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allows countries to expand their economic zones, provided that the seabed beyond their bounds is a natural extension of the continental margin. Denmark, Canada, Norway and the US are also laying claims to sometimesoverlapping territories under the Arctic Ocean.This collective interest in the northern seas is based on geologists’ collective opinion that the seabed contains almost 30 per cent of unexplored natural gas reserves and 15 per cent of oil reserves.

In the application, Russia lays claims to the Lomonosov Ridge, Alpha Ridge and Chukchi Cap, and to the Podvodnik and Chukchi Ocean Basins separating them.

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The prospects of a solution

ALAMY/LEGION MEDIA

What are the economic benefits of acquiring the legal rights to this underwater area and is Russia’s claim likely to be approved?

ALEXEI LOSSAN RBTH

As the Arctic ice cap continues to melt, the countries bordering the region are taking a closer interest in bolstering their claims to underwater territories in the Arctic Ocean while ensuring that a potential conflict is avoided, Russia is also taking more active steps to define its presence and role in the north: After 14 years, it is renewing an effort to claim a vast territory on the outer margin of the Arctic continental shelf abutting Russia’s land mass.

In early August, Russia submitted to the UN a revised application to claim the 1.2-million-square-metre underwater territory extending more than 350 sea miles from the coast, according to an announcement posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s site.

“For justifying its claim to this territory, Russia used a large collection of scientific data, accumulated in the course of many years of

ALENA REPKINA

arctic research,”said the announcement.

The main justification The potential economic benefits of claiming this underwater region are incalculable. “The Laptev Sea, as has already been proven, has a diamond canal on the surface of its shelf, which will allow Russia to become even more competitive with other countries in the production of diamonds,” saidVera Smorchkova, professor of labour and social

policy at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).

Russia had applied to gain possession of a smaller part of territory on the Lomonosov Ridge in 2001, but did not have the required proof that the territory was an extension of the continent and belonged to Russia, said Smorchkova, also assistant to the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Affairs of the North and Indigenous Peoples.

Russia’s application will not be reviewed in the near future for procedural reasons, but will be included in the provisional agenda of the 40th session of the Commission in February/March 2016, according to United Nations deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. “The decision to expand the shelf margins is not only of a geographical and economic nature, but it also risks becoming a political issue,”noted a chief analyst at UFS Investment Company, Alexei Kozlov.

With heightening tensions between Russia and the West, the final decision to expand the shelf may be postponed under various pretexts, according to Kozlov.

“Sooner or later, however, the issue will mostly likely be resolved positively, but the shelf will not become Russia’s territory without a fight,” said Kozlov.

Russia’s claim to area in the Arctic will likely be opposed by countries such as Canada and the US, due to its rich deposits. Ed Royce, chairman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the US should be prepared to stand up to Russia in this matter.

“Russia has been aggressively pushing its claims to the Arctic, especially the resource-rich continental shelf. It now has an Arctic Command to strengthen its military presence in the region,” said Royce.

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RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Business

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Aviation Russia’s largest airline takes a 75-per-cent stake in second-largest carrier Transaero

Aeroflot’s acquisition raises fears of monopoly RBTH looks at the reasons for and the consequences of Aeroflot’s acquisition of 75 per cent of Transaero.

What will this mean for Russia’s airline industry?

ALEXEI LOSSAN RBTH

Russia’s largest airline, Aeroflot, has decided to buy 75 per cent of the country’s second-largest airline, Transaero, which has accumulated a debt of 159 billion rubles ($2.36 billion).

The purchase, which was made for a symbolic fee of 1 ruble ($0.014), creates a new monopoly, with Aeroflot now possessing more

than 50 per cent of the Russian market.

“Transaero’s activity will be fully restructured and integrated in the Aeroflot group,” an official Aeroflot representative told media.

“For the aviation industry this means consolidation and a move towards monopolisation, and in this particular case, government monopolisation,”said Anna Bazoyeva, analyst at investment company UFS. According to Bazoyeva, while on the one hand, this is a step back from a market economy and progress, on the other hand, during a time of crisis the appea-

Russian Capital Market at Freedom Finance, says that Transaero found itself in a critical financial position which it could escape only through recapitalisation or bankruptcy.

“Practice has shown that companies with low budgets that are not supported by the industry’s giants do not survive,”saidVaschenko.

The creation of a monopoly

AFP/EASTNEWS

rance of such a giant presents more advantages than disadvantages.

In 2014, the two companies transported 51.5 percent of all Russian passengers, with Aeroflot flying 34.7 million people and Transaero 13.2 million.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, a total of 93 million people flew in Russia last year.

Transaero’s largest shareholders are currently its founders, Alexander and Olga Pleshakov, who after the merger will leave the company.

The main reasons An analytical publication that focuses exclusively on the complex challenges and opportunities shaping the U.S.-Russia relationship

“In today’s aggravated economic conditions the sector is not doing so well –

Transaero’s debt in the last several years has remained very high,” said Semyon Nemtsov, an analyst from Russ-Invest, who said that Transaero had asked the

Some 93 million people flew in Russia last year, the Air Transport Agency said government to give it a loan of 20 billion rubles ($297 million).

According to Anna Bazoyeva, for a private company it is much more difficult to get out of the debt hole than it is for the sector’s state-owned leader,

even if that private company has a rather stable position on the market.

“For the population and tour operators, such a merger will doubtlessly lead to a price hike in tickets, inconvenient conditions and basically the lack of the right to choose an airline,” said Bazoyeva.

However, for the financial markets and the banking sector such a deal will lead to stability: From October to December 2015 there will be offers for holders of Transaero obligations, and since the announcement of the deal the risks of default have been greatly minimised.

GeorgyVaschenko, director of operations on the

According to Dmitry Baranov, a leading expert at investment holding Finam Management, the creation of a new monopoly demonstrates that in the end the government changed its position and decided to support the airline, even via this unusual method.

Earlier the government would have said that ineffective airlines should leave the market and then the crisis in the sector would end.

However, in the current economic conditions the idea of creating small airlines that would compete with each other is utopian.

As Semyon Nemtsov points out, the deal between Aeroflot and Transaero ch a n g e s t h e b a l a n c e of power in certain directions.

“The agreement will help Aeroflot significantly improve its presence in the Asian direction, which was essential for Transaero,”he said.

WWW.RUSSIA-DIRECT.ORG August Monthly Report FROZEN CONFLICTS IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE The latest Russia Direct report explores the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russia’s tense relations with Georgia, and Russia’s ability to ensure stability on its borders.

Can the Kremlin efficiently address potential security risks while avoiding the outbreak of new crises?

Bilateral ties Rostec works on ‘complex deal’ to boost Russia-Thailand trade

Talks on to sell defence equipment Russian company Rostec is looking to sell helicopters, planes, trucks and hightech products to Thailand.

ALEXANDER KORABLINOV RBTH

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Russian state-run conglomerate Rostec is working on a“complex deal”that could provide a major boost to Russia-Thailand bilateral trade, media reported in September.

“We are in the middle of negotiations, and that will be a complex deal,”Viktor Kladov, head of the International Cooperation Department at Rostec told the media.

According to reports,

Rostec is in talks to provide new markets for Thai commodities such as rubber, rice, food and fishery products.

In return, the Russian conglomerate wants Thailand to buy helicopters, commercial aircraft, trucks and defence equipment.

Thailand has traditionally relied on the West for its defence requirements, but the country is looking to diversify its purchases.

In 2011, the Thai military purchased three Mi-17V-5 helicopters. This was followed up with an agreement to buy two more of these multi-role helicopters for around $40 million in

October 2014. Russian Helicopters, a Rostec group company, has proposed two other helicopter versions for Thailand – the Mi-8/17 se-

Thailand has traditionally relied on the West for its defence requirements ries and Ansat light helicopter – according to the media reports.

It was added that Russian Helicopters’ sales pitch to Thailand is that their products are as reliable as Western-built heli-

copters yet half the cost.

At last year’s Indo Defence 2014 arms expo in Jakarta, officials from Russia’s export agency Rosoboronexport said they could sell several more of the multi-role helicopters to the Royal Thai Army’s air division.

The agency is also keen to supply Thailand with Sukhoi Su 30MKI fighters, which are operated by air forces in India, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Although Russia could not sell the fighters to Thailand in 2008, there is a likelihood of Bangkok looking to upgrade its air arsenal this year.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Business

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05

Online retail Chinese firms get the lion’s share of Russia’s cross-border e-commerce over Europe and the US

Following the success of China’s largest retailer AliExpress, the second largest Chinese player, JD.com has ventured to expand into Russia.

KIRA EGOROVA RBTH

Chinese firms took 65 per cent of Russian online orders from abroad in 2014, according to a report by the East-West Digital News.

“In 2014, Russians placed about 50 million orders from Chinese online stores, up 40 per cent from the previous year,” said Evgeniya Arnautova, press officer for the Russian payment platform Yandex.Money.

Chinese vendors’ success in Russia comes amid double-digit growth of e-commerce sales in Russia. The cross-border segment of the Russian e-commerce sector expanded by 70 per cent last year to reach total sales of $5 billion.

According to Arnautova, users paid almost eight times more for orders from China during the summer of 2015 than a year ago, usingYandex.Money as well as Yandex.Kassa, a fullfledged payment solution that includes not only electronic wallets but also bank cards, Internet banking, mobile phone account payments, and payments through terminals.

Russian interest in Chinese online shopping has increased with the entry of new players into the Russian market.

Over the last year, Yandex.Money connected nearly 40 new large and medium Chinese online shops to the payment system.

“The second reason for the popularity of Chinese platforms is a wide range of products and low prices, making them competitive even with an unstable exchange rate,”Arnautova said.

REUTERS

China dominates online sales

Adrien Henni, lead author of the EWDN research study on cross-border sales to Russia, noted that a range of Chinese players, who now sell via such platforms as AliEx-

press, eBay or Amazon, are interested in the Russian market and will attempt to sell directly to Russian consumers as soon as they have decided they understand the market and set

Trade Revised list of 57 new projects added to cooperation road map

Russia, Asean hail growing trade ties Newly released figures show Russia-ASEAN trade grew by 13 per cent in 2014, reaching $22.5 billion.

ALEXANDER KORABLINOV RBTH

Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) hailed growing trade ties after official statistics showed a rise of 13 per cent in trade between

Russia and the grouping in 2014, despite challenging global economic conditions.

Trade between Russia and ASEAN grew to $22.5 billion in 2014 from $19.9 billion, a year earlier. The figures were released after a meeting between the economic ministers from the ten ASEAN member states and Russia’s Minister of Economic Development

Alexei Ulyukayev in Kuala Lumpur in late August.

Ulyukayev co-chaired the Fourth AEM-Russia Consultations with Mustapa Mohamed, Malaysia’s Minister of International Trade and Industry. In a joint statement, the ministers said they “were pleased to note the growth of trade between ASEAN and Russia.”

ASEAN exports to Russia in 2014 increased by 3.3 per cent, to $5.4 billion, while ASEAN’s imports from Russia grew by 16.5 per cent year on year amounting to $17.1 billion

i n 2 0 1 4 . R u s s i a wa s ASEAN’s eighth largest trading partner in 2014, according to the joint statement. The ministers said they “endorsed the Post2015 ASEAN-Russia Trade and Investment Cooperation Work Programme,” adding that this would “deepen economic ties and enhance the trade and investment relationship between ASEAN and Russia.”

At the consultations, Russia submitted a revised list of 57 new projects to be added to the ASEAN-Russia Trade and Investment Cooperation road map.

up the necessary procedures.

A subsidiary of Alibaba Group, the online retailer AliExpress, which started operations in Russia in 2012, has become the most popu-

lar online retailer in Russia.

In 2015, the Chinese platform has become the leader of the Russian e-commerce market in terms of the total number of customers.

According to TNS, the monthly customer base of the online retailer in Russia amounted to almost 19.6 million people in April 2015, showing a 50 per cent increase compared to April 2014.

Russia ranks second in AliExpress’s global audience, providing almost 10 per cent of the retailer’s traffic, according to the website Similar Web, and is second only to the US, with 11 per cent of traffic.

Gross merchandise sold through Alibaba’s marketplaces in Russia in 2014 totaled 110 billion rubles ($1.69 billion).

Meanwhile, the dynamics of the US online businesses, which appeared in Russia in 2010, are stagnating. eBay and Amazon earned no additional market share in Russia in 2015, and their customer bases amount to 4 million people and 1.5 million people respectively.

PHOTO GALLERY SHUTTERSTOCK/LEGION-MEDIA

Over the last 12 months, the Russian ruble has depreciated by around 45 per cent.

Tourists are using this to their advantage by buying

large quantities of Russian chocolate, honey and jewellery. RBTH presents a short list of things to buy before the ruble appreciates.

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RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Society

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

Migration According to the latest statistics, there are almost 12,000 Syrian refugees living on Russian territory

Reluctant refugees faced with an uncertain future

Syrians who have come to Russia can be separated into three categories: transients whose final destination is Europe; students who after finishing the universities will not return home; and the Syrians who have lived in Russia for a long period of time and who, like everyone else, also want to move to a better country.

“Syrian refugees do not want to remain in Russia because here they don’t receive welfare, housing and work. And it is also difficult to apply for legal residency,” explains Khallum.

Mahmoud al-Hamza, Council Chairman of the Damascus Declaration Abroad Movement agrees that Syrian refugees in Russia cannot find employment and do not have benefits.

“Russia accepts very few refugees from Syria and does not offer much help.

While they look for work they must go through complicated procedures and pay bribes,” says al-Hamza.

“I encountered cases in which people on the Russian border were interrogated about their political convictions and which Islamic rules they follow. In

Russia may not be facing an influx of high numbers of refugees from Syria, but Syrians are using Russia as a stepping stone to elsewhere MARINA OBRAZKOVA

A transit route It is quite difficult to count

AP/EASTNEWS

RBTH

On September 3 The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 150 Syrian refugees had made it to Norway through the Russian border.

This is only a drop in the sea, considering the fact that since the beginning of the year almost half a million people have sought asylum in Europe. Experts occasionally say that Russia is an entrepôt for Syrians, yet they are convinced that few people come to Russia with this aim, just like there are few Syrian refugees in general.

Russia could accept many more refugees affected by the war than it does now.

the number of Syrian citizens who have arrived in Russia since the beginning of the military conflict.

Firstly, because they enter the country on a student or working visa. “In the air-

port, I met a group of ladies wearing traditional Muslim attire with year-long student visas. They told me that they had come to study Russian in St Petersburg.

However, I think that they

had used the only way to avoid the war and possibly, they will not stay long in Russia,”says Munzer Khallum, a Syrian journalist and writer living in Russia.

According to Khallum, the

Europe the approach is completely different.”

Ukrainians vs Syrians According to chairwomen of the Civic Assistance Committee Svetlana Gannushkina, the number of Syrian refugees is doubtfully higher than 10,000 people. “In 2012, when the UN High Commissioner for Refugees asked representatives of the countries that had signed the convention on refugees to introduce a moratorium on their deportation to Syria, the Russian authorities demonstrated their loyalty to the refugees and even started preparing documents for them. However, when last year we were flooded with Ukrainian refugees, the Syrians were practically forgotten,”explains Gannushkina.

Gannushkina is convinced that Syrian refugees would not strive to move to Europe if they were received better in Russia.

Whatever the case, the issue of a mass migration of Syrians to Russia is irrelevant. However, experts believe that Russia could accept many more refugees affected by the war than it does now.

Fashion A swimsuit created to make it compatible with Islamic values

ENGAGING THE WEST

GLOBALLY SPEAKING

GOING EASTWARD

Russian fashion designer of Muslim clothes, Dilara Sadrieva, talks about the burkini, a swimsuit designed for Muslim women.

VIKTORIA SEMIOSHINA RBTH

a s i a . r b t h .co m /wo r l d /t r o i k a

Burkini (a portmanteau of burkha and bikini) is a swimsuit for Muslim women, designed by Lebanese-Australian designer Aheda Zanetti in the early 2000s. The unique swimsuit is becoming popular with Muslim women in Russia.

Dilara Sadrieva, a Russian designer specialising in Muslim fashion, shared some tips for choosing this i m p o rt a n t a rt i c l e o f clothing.

1. A burkini must be

waterproof, dry quickly and protect a woman from ultraviolet rays. Very good burkinis are made from the same materials as surf wear.

2. Swimwear for Muslim women is not limited only to burkinis. There is a wide range of extravagant beachwear that is compatible with Islamic values.

3. The choice of a burkini depends the activity a woman is taking part in.

There are different types of burkinis for those who are swimming, diving, participating in water sports or relaxing on a beach.

4. A burkini should allow a woman to swim freely. It should not be very tightfitting or stick to the body after swimming.

GETTY IMAGES

Read, Watch and Listen to RBTH’s weekly analytical programme, featuring three of the most high-profile recent developments in international affairs.

What makes the burkini special for Muslim women

Burkini was designed in Australia in the early 2000s.

There are different types of burkinis for those who are swimming, diving or relaxing on a beach Scan the QR-code to see a picture gallery featuring burkinis See the pictures at asia.rbth.com/48993

5. There are burkinis that look more like tracksuits and are very heavy when wet.

6. The hemline needs to be attached to the pants from the inside, so that it isn’t pulled up while a woman swims.

7. Instead of using a headscarf made of synthetic materials, which is sold in a burkini set, it is better to use a natural crepe de chine scarf, which dries faster and protects the hair better.

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Society

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07

Security Despite attacks on works of art in recent times, state security is being reduced due to budget constraints

Attempts to destroy exhibits, as recently happened at Moscow’s Manezh, will now be countered by private security guards.

YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA RBTH

In the last month Moscow’s Manezh exhibition hall has witnessed two separate attacks on works of art displayed there. On August 14, a group of Orthodox Christian activists from the “Bozhya Volya” (“God’s Will”) movement attacked sculptures on show as part of the “Monuments We Don’t See” exhibition, claiming that the works, which included depictions of Christ, insult the feelings of believers. The museum’s security was unable to do anything and only called a police unit.

The incident, which resulted in damage to five artworks, met with outrage in the Russian media and on social networks, and the government and the Orthodox Church issued statements roundly condemning the act. However, on August 26, the TASS news agency reported a second attack on the exhibition in which a further artwork was damaged.

Yet incidents such as these may soon become more commonplace, as a state initiative is underway to withdraw policemen from Russian museums. On August 21, 29 state museums, including the Hermitage, received a notice about the liquidation of stationary police posts in their buildings.

This only means that the physical guards will leave – the emergency button, as

well as video security and other sources of security will remain. However, museum experts and officials at the Ministry of Culture believe that the departure of the policemen will greatly reduce the efficiency of the security system.

The officials have already petitioned Russian President Vladimir Putin to reinstate the police posts.

Anatoly Yakunin, director of the Russian Interior Ministry’s chief directorate on Moscow, said that the ministry is removing the posts due to large-scale cutbacks in the ministry.

“We have reduced almost 6,000 employees from the extra-departmental security staff, which is why we will also remove some stationary posts…. I can only say this financial, so to speak, burden will be removed from our directorate’s budget,” explained Yakunin.

He also said that this will happen no sooner than January 1, 2016, when all the agreements between the museums and the police will officially end. However, the procedure will not affect everyone. The police guards will remain at “critically important sites”,a list of which will be prepared by the Russian government.

They do not have the right to shoot More than half of state museums that have such posts have already received notice of the decision to abolish them, which will take effect from November 1, according to a statement made by Mikhail Bryzgalov, director of the Department of Cultural Heritage at the Culture Ministry.

AP/EASTNEWS

Private security for museums

Another issue for museums is likely to be a possible rise in insurance costs.

Moscow Kremlin Museum is trying to expand its collection Read the text at asia.rbth.com/47785 Russian Museum knows no limits as it marks 120th year.

Read the text at asia. rbth.com/45539 Instagrammers get up close with avantgarde art Watch pictures at asia.rbth.com/42197

Museums have an alternative, however: private security firms and the Okhrana commercial organisation within the Interior Ministry, which is formed of retired employees.

Commenting on the initiative, Edward de Lumley, cultural attaché at the French Embassy in Russia, pointed out that in France not only private but also large state museums (the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Musée d’Orsay, Versailles and others) hire guards from private firms and the police “never guards museums.”A similar situation exists in Switzerland and the UK. But not a single Russian private security firm has the right to use firearms in emergency situations, say officials at the Ministry of Culture.

“If you have your own post for extra-departmental guards, the unit arrives in two to three minutes. If not, it will take 10 minutes,

for example. Ten minutes is enough to destroy any work of art,” said Zelfira Tregulova, general director of Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery. The matter also concerns the security of millions of tourists, according to Alexei Levykin, director of the State Historical Museum, which is located in the centre of Moscow, on Red Square.

“The centre is very attractive for all types of provocations. An armed police post can stop a criminal and a terrorist,” said Levykin.

The risk of using private security firms The cost of hiring private security firms is also disadvantageous for museums.

According to Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of the State Hermitage, the museum spends about 23 million rubles ($344,000) a year on security. If the police posts are removed, next year the Hermitage will have to spend approximate-

ly 100 million rubles ($1.4 million).

According to Zelfira Tregulova, as soon as the issue of replacing the police posts with private security guards arose, the Tretyakov Gallery received a letter from the Okhrana company, whose services are “at least one and a half times more expensive than the cost of extra-departmental guards,” she said.

However, said Tregulova, it must be taken into account that the selection of private security firms is car– ried out in open tenders, which are usually not won by the most efficient company, but the cheapest.

Furthermore, since the tender is renewed annually, an unlimited number of people can potentially receive access to confidential information, such as the whereabouts of the museum and the kind of security system it has.

We’ll insure it, but for more Another issue for museums is likely to be a possible rise in insurance costs stemming from the increased risk of theft and damage brought on by the decision to remove the police posts.

“If we see that the security of museum valuables has seriously changed, we will be forced to adopt adequate measures with respect to tariff policy,” said Andrei Kucha, director of the Department of Cultural Valuables Insurance at insurance company AlfaStrakhovaniye. The Ministry of Culture also expects costs to go up.

However, according to Mirko Mudrinich from the Ingosstrakh insurance firm, it is still too early to speak about increasing costs. This will be influenced not only by security measures, but also incidents such as the Manezh scandal.

08

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STRAY CATS & DOGS WHY IS THIS PROBLEM UNRESOLVED IN RUSSIA AND WHAT SOLUTIONS ARE BEING PROPOSED TO ADDRESS IT?

TACKLING THE PROBLEM OF STRAY ANIMALS

SHUTTERSTOCK/LEGION-MEDIA

Stray cats and dogs in the Russian Federation are not becoming less numerous despite a growing awareness among the general public.

MARIA KARNAUKHOVA SPECIAL TO RBTH

“I am a sleepwalker and when I am under stress, I tend to walk in my sleep a lot. It was summer and my

balcony door – I live on the 14th floor – was open. I woke up standing on the edge and my cat was frantically biting and scratching my legs. Another minute and …” That was how cat Beton saved his mistress Olesya Moskovskaya, who had taken it from a shelter.

There is no official statistics as to the number of stray cats and dogs in Rus-

7 REASONS TO SEE RUSSIAN WOODEN CHURCHES BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR travel.rbth.com/2025

sia and experts are not sure either: “There are millions and millions of them…”Although the number of Russians who, like Olesya Moskovskaya, adopt their pets from shelters is growing, the number of stray animals in the streets is not decreasing. That is because new animals are thrown out into the streets all the time, experts from the Vita cent-

er for protecting animal rights explain. Having said that, the total number of stray cats and dogs is not increasing either, they add.

Projects for stray animals

Space Want your pet to be famous like Belka & Strelka?

1. TeddyFood: in this application, a user can select an animal, order a treat, a service or an accessory for it and monitor online what use their selected animal is making of their gift. Each animal is kept in a separate comfortable doghouse fitted with an automatic feeder and a video camera; 2. DogDating: a service for finding company for walking dogs from a shelter. The service works with seven shelters in large Russian cities; 3. Sheremetyevsky shelter in Moscow: it seems to be the only dog shelter in Russia for fighting breeds. Animals do not stay here long because they soon find new homes.

Dog hunters In post-Soviet Russia, various attempts have been made to regulate the population of stray animals through humane means, for instance, with the use of

compulsory sterilization, or introducing a ban on putting animals down. However, none of these initiatives have been completed.

Since the authorities have been unable to resolve the problem, people have tried to address it themselves. As a result, dog hunting emerged. This practice, which is common in Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria,

is where activists and volunteers unite to rid the streets of their towns and villages of stray animals (not only dogs but also rats, crows and cats) by killing them. Often dog hunters use methods that may harm domestic pets too, for example, they leave poisoned food in parks.

According to a poll conducted by the Public Opin-

Seven signs your dog is ready for a space mission Find out if your pet qualifies to follow in the footsteps of famous Soviet dogs Belka and Strelka.

VICTORIA ZAVYALOVA RBTH

Fifty-five years ago, in August, 1960, the Soviet Union’s heroic dogs, Belka and Strelka, became the first living creatures to fly into outer space and return alive.

Here are some signs to watch for if your pet dog is also ready for a space mission.

1. Your dog is so used to noise that it no longer reacts to it. At the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow, Belka and Strelka were trained to remain in a confined and noisy space for a long time.

2. Your dog eats anything. The food that space dogs ate was a jelly-like mass intended to fully meet their nutritional requirements.

3. Your dog has lost a lot of weight. The preliminary selection for the space mission was done on the

basis of special requirements. The dogs had to weigh no more than six kilos; their height had to be under 35cm; and their age had to be from two to six years old.

4. Your dog pays more attention to its looks. Belka and Strelka had to look pretty, bearing in mind future media appearances.

In addition, they had to be light in colour to make it easier to see them on monitors.

5. Your dog has suddenly started to respond to a

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Raising awareness The president of a Legal Animal Protection Center, Irina Novozhilova, points out that the issue of stray animals has become more visible in Russia, though there is still not enough social advertising. Changes for the better have been picked up by volunteers working at animal shelters, too.“Five years ago, nobody spoke of the issue of stray dogs. When we began speaking about the problem of stray animals, started holding exhibitions, people were very much surprised. Now the situation has, of course, improved considerably,” says Natalya Chaplin, the founder and head of a Moscow volunteer project, “Sign of Faith”.

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Russian name. Few people know that Belka and Strelka were originally named Albina and Markiza.

However, the commander in chief of the Strategic Missile Troops, Mitrofan Nedelin, demanded that

Help from NGOs However, volunteers’ efforts alone are not enough to tackle the problem, experts are convinced. What is needed is cooperation with the state. According to a member of the Russian Public Chamber, Anton Tsvetkov, Russia needs to set up a dedicated body that would involve tested NGOs. It should have a board of trustees that would exercise control over officials.

For her part, the president of the Legal Animal Protection Center, Svetlana Ilyinskaya, says that priority attention should be given to combating the prevalent myth that “putting an animal down is cruel, whereas leaving it in the street is humane because it is their natural environment”.According to Ilyinskaya, in fact the opposite is true. Ilyinskaya believes it is necessary to reinstate the practice of catching stray animals through all possible means.

However, the head of the Vita centre for protecting animal rights, Irina Novozhilova, is convinced that efforts should be focused not on tackling the consequences but on dealing with the cause – the unchecked breeding of animals.

Scan to see photos of 10 popular dog breeds native to Russia asia.rbth.com/ multimedia/391103

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Training Every dog must be trained; here are seven fundamental rules

Canine training tips from an expert A professional dog trainer and an expert in handling hunting dogs, tells RBTH about the fundamental rules dog trainers in Russia use in their work.

MARINA OBRAZKOVA RBTH

In Russia, dog-training is stricter than abroad, explains AnnaVavilova, a professional dog trainer and an expert in handling hunting dogs. These are the main rules that professional dog trainers in Russia recommend using: 1. Consistency. If a dog is allowed to do something, then it should be allowed to do it at all times; if it is not allowed to do something, the ban should be consistent too. A dog has no way of understanding that on Sundays it is allowed to jump into the master’s bed but not on Mondays. While it can be explained to a child after a certain age, say, that they are not allowed to put their feet on the table when there are guests in the house, but are free to do it when just them and their parents are present, a dog will not understand this. But a dog can comprehend a difference in outside conditions.

“For example, mine is a hunting dog and it has been

those foreign-sounding names should be changed to authentic Russian ones.

6. Your dog barks at American satellites. When Nasa’s first communications satellite Echo 1 was flying above the Soviet Union’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, Belka and Strekla were flying onboard the Sputnik-5 spacecraft.

For some reason, at this very moment they began barking together.

Staff who were watching them on the monitors at the Mission Control got the impression that the dogs were barking at the American satellite.

7. Your dog spends days and nights doing vibration and centrifuge training.

Now, this looks positively odd. Most likely your dog already sees stars in its

TASS

ion foundation in January 2013, only 9 per cent of Russians support dog hunters, while 72 per cent are against them. An overwhelming majority of respondents (48 per cent) said they do not approve of dog hunting because they love animals. However, according to Vita activists, most Russians decide to have a pet not out of charitable feelings but for the sake of prestige or entertainment.

Hence the never-ending replenishment of the ranks of stray cats and dogs: Owners treat their pets as playthings and have no qualms about throwing them out into the street once they are bored with them.

09

In Russia, dog-training is stricter than in other countries.

trained that it is not allowed to chase ducks on a pond in the city, however, when we are near a swamp in the country, there is no stopping it, it will be looking for a duck until it finds one.

It does not understand the difference between a domesticated and a wild duck, but it does understand the difference between a city pond and a forest lake,”Vavilova explains.

2. Persistence. If a command has been issued, it is necessary to get the dog to perform it, even if it does it rather badly. Otherwise, the dog will think that a command does not have to be obeyed.

sleep and is ready for its first spacewalk.

If your dog exhibits all of the above, you can rejoice.

For 50 years, Belka and Strelka have been heroes. After their return from space, they were doing tours, and meeting children at schools and kindergartens.

Several months later, Strelka had puppies. One of them, a bitch called Fluffy, was presented to Jacqueline Kennedy by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

Both dogs, now stuffed, are on display at the Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow, but their life continues to inspire artists, authors and animators.

In 2010, to mark the 50th anniversary of their flight, a 3D animated film,“Space dogs,” was made.

3. Objectivity. It is important to assess one’s own strength and resources and to understand the implications of getting this or that type of dog. It is important

If a dog is allowed to do something, then it should be allowed to do it at all times to remember that a puppy will soon transform into a beast. Even when a dog is treated like a child in a family, it is necessary to realise that it has teeth.

4. Timeliness. A dog must

be trained straight away, from a very early age. A month of puppy life is approximately equal to a year of human life, i.e. a monthold puppy is like a year-old baby who is learning to walk. People tend to forget that all games when a puppy bites are not a joke but are its first steps to protect its territory. Unless you want your dog to bite you later on, this should be nipped in the bud. The animal must know that it cannot use teeth against a human being.

5. Dominance. It is necessary to show who is in charge. Otherwise, the dog may establish its own rules and the humans will have just to step aside in order not to get on its nerves.

6. Ignoring. A dog can be punished not only via the use of force – ignoring it can be a very powerful means of training. This method works particularly well with emotional and attention-seeking dogs.

7. Size does not matter.

Small dogs, which people sometimes treat as a harmless accessories, must be trained too. They must not be allowed to show aggression and must be taught what is allowed and what is not. Any dog must be trained, irrespective of its size.

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Opinion

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IORSH

PRAGMATIC TIES NEEDED WITH EU Vladimir Chizhov AMBASSADOR

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oday, amidst geopolitical upheaval in our common neighbourhood, Russia and the EU find themselves in a situation very much reminiscent of those older times. Once again there is a pressing need to arrive at a mutually acceptable equation, one that would reconcile regional security with modernity and progress.

Are Russia and the EU still able to negotiate and come to agreements in good faith? Absolutely yes. The recent deal on the Iranian nuclear programme is clear proof of that.

However, what is at stake today in our relations is, I believe, of far more immense proportions than

even the Iran question. It is about the future of the European continent, of which both Russia and the EU are part. The Ukraine crisis has finally confronted us with the decisive question of whether Rus-

Even today Russia remains the EU’s third-biggest trade partner and No 1 energy supplier sia and the EU are genuinely able and willing to construct an indivisible pan-European security and economic architecture that would pursue cooperative “win-win”scenarios, or, instead, whether we are doomed to going about our separate ways.

As for the European

Union, since the beginning of the 1990s we have strived to achieve a mutually beneficial and interdependent relationship. In spite of many setbacks, we have come a long way. Prior to the onset of the Ukraine crisis, Russia and the EU used to trade at a level of 1 billion euros a day, the volume of our trade having tripled between 2002 and 2012.

Even today Russia remains EU’s third-biggest trade partner and No 1 energy supplier.

Obviously, I am far from trying to idealise the relationship. It was increasingly subject to systemic flaws and limitations.

First of all, the relationship should become a genuine partnership of equals, ensuring that mutual concerns are systematically and thoroughly addressed.

Secondly, economic co-

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operation between Russia and the EU, into which we have invested a lot of time and effort, remains an important “safety cushion”.

Not only does it provide jobs and growth across the European continent, it also insulates our countries from political tensions.

Thirdly, the relationship must become less ideological and more pragmatic.

The relentless anti-Russian rhetoric in the Western media, which, sadly, is reenacted in some EU institutions, can hardly be qualified as a strategy in relations with Russia. It is merely a feeble substitute.

And last but not least.

Russia and the EU need to jointly deal with the manifold crises unfolding in our so-called “common neighbourhood”.

In Russia’s view, the disastrous turn of events in the region of the so-called “Arab spring” as well as in Ukraine has a lot to do with the attempt to inject the notion of the supremacy of Western values into highly complex regional environments.

Obviously, being both a European and Eurasian power, Russia will not blindly turn away from the EU. Cumulatively the European Union will for the foreseeable future remain its key trading partner and investor. Nevertheless, the world around us is changing fast. In pondering the future of the Russia-EU relationship and the choices we face together, I believe, we should think pragmatically and realistically, but also strategically.

Vladimir Chizhov is the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the EU Full version at asia.rbth.com/49045

CHINA-RUSSIA TRADE TARGET OUT OF REACH Sergei Alexashenko ANALYST

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he $200-billion bilateral trade target that Russia and China set for 2020 is out of reach, on account of several economic factors, including low oil prices.

The sharp devaluation of the ruble in late 2014 and early 2015 resulted in an obvious reduction in Russian imports.

However, Russia may not have adequate resources to cater to a Chinese demand Total imports to Russia fell by 38.5 per cent in the first half of this year. In the same period, China’s exports to Russia fell by 36 per cent.

The rapid growth of bilateral trade from 2004 to 2015 was based on three factors: A significant improvement in Russia-China political relations, rising energy and commodity prices, as well as the signing of a number of oil and gas supply agreements.

As a result, China’s share in Russia’s imports tripled from 2003 to 2013 – from 5.8 to 16.9 per cent.

On the contrary, Russia’s share in Chinese imports slightly decreased over these 10 years – from 2.3 to 2 per cent, which was due

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to the fact that Russian exports comprised mainly of raw materials.

For Russia to achieve its export target of $100 billion to China by 2020, annual growth of 25 per cent is needed.

A similar growth rate of Russian exports to China was recorded in 2004-05 and in 2010-11, but in both cases, the rapid export growth was short-lived and was based on the growth of Russian oil exports to China and a rise in global oil prices.

Even with slower economic growth in China, there will be a demand for additional volumes of natural resources.

However, Russia may not have adequate resources to cater to a growing Chinese demand.

The current rate of Chinese economic growth (7 per cent per year) will inevitably increase China’s share in global GDP, while the stagnation or very low growth rates of the Russian economy may lead to the reduction of Russia’s share in the global economy.

The author is the head of the Analytical Group Centre for Development at the Higher School of Economics.

Full version at asia.rbth.com/48629

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11

Aviation The story of the leading maker of attack helicopters and its contribution to the air force

Alongside the achievements of the famous Mil plant, the Kamov factory was to become the other twin pillar of the industry.

The idea was simple and ingenious: Two screws or props are placed on one drive shaft but rotate in opposite directions.

PRESS PHOTO

Kamov — a driving force behind sector’s growth ALEXANDER VERSHININ SPECIAL TO RBTH

Scan to read about the top five Russian helicopters in service PRESS PHOTO

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While Nikolai Kamov ‘s helicopter design bureau was in some ways eclipsed by the work of the Mil plant under engineer Mikhail Mil (the brain behind classics like the Mi-8), Kamov became the other driving force in the sector’s massive growth from the 1940s.

A native of Siberia’s Irkutsk Region and the son of a teacher, Kamov was regarded as a down-to-earth man of the people. But nothing foretold his rise as one of the largest helicopter manufacturers in history.

In 1929, the 27-year-old engineer built the first Soviet autogyro. Although of no immediate practical use, it soon attracted attention as a potential game-changer in aviation technology.

Kamov gyros were used in agriculture, particularly in mountainous areas where conventional aircraft were ineffective.

In 1938, his aircraft took part in a prominent expedition to rescue Soviet polar explorers drifting on an ice floe, and in World War II they were used for reconnaissance and the transpor-

tation of people and goods, having the critical advantage of being able to take off and land without a runway.

Driven by ingenuity The seeds of the renowned helicopter plant’s meteoric growth were first sown in 1940, when a separate design bureau was set up under Kamov. Only then did he understand that his aircraft had a future. He was the engineer who named the design vertolet in Russian, which roughly translates as “twist flyer”. The idea was simple and ingenious: Two

screws or props are placed on one drive shaft but rotate in opposite directions.

The technique balances the motion created by each screw and affords the pilot better maneouverability and handling.

In 1948, the Kamov design bureau emerged as a full design and production unit.

The bureau first specialised in the production of helicopters for the navy. Its first Kamov prototype, the Ka-8, proposed in 1944, was intended for navy communication and reconnaissance. But the techni-

Read more at asia.rbth.com/36883

cal innovations of this first aircraft proved so successful that they provided the basis of a whole range of new helicopters – the Ka-10, Ka-15 and Ka-18.

H o w e v e r, t h e r e a l breakthrough was the famous Ka-25, the first Soviet helicopter specifically assigned for combat use, with its specialty the complex operational tasks of the detection and neutralisation of enemy submarines. The Ka-25 was the first aircraft to have allround visibility, which made it ideal for finding submarines.

From sharks to alligators In the 1980s, the Kamov factory developed far beyond its original scope. The design bureau was put to developing assault helicopters, the most famous of which, the Ka-50 or“Black Shark”,could carry various cannons and machineguns, guided and unguided missiles, and a regular bomb payload.

However, the design had one major drawback: The cabin only held one pilot who could not adequately fly the helicopter and detect and strike targets si-

multaneously. One idea was for the Ka-52 to be used in pairs, sharing the range of operational tasks, but the impracticality of the idea soon became apparent.

The series then saw the launch of its twin-seat Ka-50 modification, the Ka-52 Alligator.

Today, Ka-52 is the mainstay of production at the Kamov plant and provides the foundation for the plant’s future. By 2020, the Russian air force plans to field 145 Ka-52, supporting the plant’s development.

M A K E I T PA R T O F Y O U R S T R AT E G Y in the Armed

by Russia Special Section rbth.com/armed_by_russia

The Moscow helicopter factory that put the ‘Mil’ in military aviation

The T-55 tank: From the school of hard knocks to local conflict veteran

Sevmash: The home of the USSR’s underwater giants

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Nuclear race Data gathered from the US helped Soviet scientists avoid mistakes in developing their own weapons

The making of the Soviet N-bomb On August 29, 1949 the Soviet Union tested its first atomic weapon, detonating the RDS-1 nuclear bomb.

Intelligence agents played a key role in the success.

US and Soviet arsenals

ALINA POROSHINA

The Soviet Union surpassed the United States in terms of its number of nuclear missiles in 1969, and outnumbered the total number of US warheads in 1977. The American nuclear arsenal peaked at 31,255 warheads in 1967, while the Soviet arsenal reached its peak at about 45,000 in 1985.

The nuclear arms race began over 60 years ago, and according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute today there are about 15,850 nuclear warheads shared by the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. An estimated 1,800 of the total warheads are on high alert.

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SPECIAL TO RBTH

A blinding flash The Soviet Union entered the nuclear club on August 29, 1949 when a blinding flash lit up the Semipalatinsk test site area, followed by a loud crackle of electric wires that quickly died out leaving only silence. The test of Soviet Union’s first atomic bomb, the RDS-1, was successful.

Engineers began working on the project in 1943 after Soviet intelligence agents in the UK acquired classified scientific information on nuclear energy. Several spies had also infiltrated some of the US nuclear research facilities.

“The data on the American plutonium bomb obtained by our agents made it possible to avoid several errors during the development of the RDS-1 device,

Nuclear warheads by country

ALENA REPKINA

helping to reduce time and costs,” Professor Valentin Kostyukov, head of Russia’s Research Institute of Experimental Physics, told RBTH.

A security priority Since the early 1940s the US, the UK, and the Soviet Union were racing to create a nuclear weapon. At the end of 1941, the Amer-

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The exclusive nuclear club Officially, eight states possess nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union conducted 715 nuclear tests from 1949 to 1990.

The US detonated more than a thousand nuclear devices from 1945 to 1992, and is the only country to have used such weapons in war. Apart from the USSR and the US, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea are also recognised members of the nuclear club. Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons, but it refuses to say so officially. In total, more than 2,000 nuclear weapon tests have been conducted in history.

ican government allocated huge funds for nuclear research, and the result was “The Gadget”,an implosiondesign plutonium bomb, detonated on July 16, 1945 in New Mexico as part of the Trinity test.

Now was the time for a demonstration of power.

The US wanted the world, and the Soviet Union in particular, to see their newly acquired destructive capabilities.

Japan, an ally of Nazi Germany, was selected as the target for the strike to end the Pacific War. The atomic bombing of the two Japanese cities was a shock to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The development of nuclear weapons promptly became one of Moscow’s top national security priorities. The USSR’s best and brightest began working on the project.

A triumph of Soviet science and intelligence The data gathered by Soviet agents saved a lot of time. “It was clear from the very beginning that many of the technical solutions implemented in the American prototype were far from perfect,” said Professor Kostyukov.

“The work done by our scientists in the 1940s was a real masterpiece, considering how primitive their equipment was,”saidVadim Simonenko, deputy scientific director of Russia’s Scientific Research Institu-

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Peace through superior paperwork American officials were confident that Moscow would not be able to make a functioning nuclear weapon earlier than 1954, but the Soviet Union conducted its first successful atomic bomb test in 1949.

The events that occurred at the Semipalatinsk test site put an end to the US monopoly on nuclear weapons.

The news about the Soviet atomic bomb shocked the US government. So, in July 1949 the Americans formulated a nuclear war plan, Trojan, calling for the atomic bombing of 70 Soviet cities.

“Had the Soviet Union not developed an atomic bomb, it would have eventually been destroyed or, at best, subdued by the United States,”believes Alexander Vdovin, professor of Moscow State University’s Faculty of History.

In 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons entered into force, with 190 states currently being signatories.

In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which has not entered into force due to non-ratification by some states. Only India, Pakistan and North Korea have conducted nuclear weapon tests since the adoption of the treaty.

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‘THE IDEAL POSITION ITION TER IS FOUND!’: OUTER AT SPACE CHIT CHAT rbth.com/48549

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MYSTERIOUS CHILD MUMMY FOUND AT THE SITE OF AN EXTINCT SIBERIAN CIVILISATION

te of Applied Physics in the city of Snezhinsk.

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UNLIKELY SOLUTION POTENTIALLY DISCOVERED TO CLEAN UP NUCLEAR WASTE

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Science

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Chemistry New element might be named moscovium

Later this year, a new element with the atomic number 115, which might be named moscovium, might be recognised in the periodic table.

vium – in honor of the Russian capital, but that’s just one of the possible names,” Andrei Popeko, deputy director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at JINR, told RBTH.

VICTORIA ZAVYALOVA RBTH

Scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna near Moscow hope the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) will accept their discovery of the periodic table’s 115th element by the end of this year.

The 115th element was temporarily called ununpentium, which is Latin for oneone-five, and scientists will be able to give it a permanent name only when the discovery is officially recognised by the IUPAC. “We might call it mosco-

What’s so special about this element?

The new element’s nucleus contains 115 protons and neutrons. It is a super-heavy substance, and therefore one of the last ones in the periodic table. The element, Popeko noted, can be created on Earth only in a particle accelerator, and only one atom per week.

On Earth, we know of just 98 elements that occur naturally. Some of them are very unstable and found in extremely small amounts.

Those elements that come before fermium (atomic

number 100) can be obtained in nuclear reactors, while the heavier elements are synthesised in particle accelerators. According to Popeko, it’s possible that element 115 can be found in space.

And while the element exists in the laboratory for about a tenth of a second, the isotopes in the universe may be long lived.

“The discovery of this element is important for the understanding of the processes occurring in the universe,” Popeko said.

Human-created elements can also help to develop a better model of the atomic nucleus.

“All current models are incomplete,”Popeko noted.“In order to understand the atomic nucleus, we need to move away from the well known.”

Element 115 pervades

©BORIS BABANOV/ RIA NOVOSTI

The 115th element: What’s in a name?

The IBR 2 pulse reactor in the town of Dubna.

science fiction, video games, and conspiracy theories because scientists theorise that some isotopes of this element may exist on the so-called Island of Stability.The theory is that if we can cram in a certain “magic number” of protons and neutrons, these elements will suddenly become very stable.

What’s involved in recognising a new element

Element 115 was originally created by Russian scientists in 2004.

For an element to be officially discovered, however, a second group must replicate the work.

Scientists at Lund University in Sweden did so in 2013. In addition to element 115, the scientists at JINR claim priority for the discovery of three more elements – 118, 117 and 113.

The discovery of element

113, however, is debatable since researchers at RIKEN Nishina Centre in Japan claim they made the discovery.

The Russian scientists created a similar element in an experiment to produce atoms of element 115.

However, so far they have been unable to prove their right to priority due to the lack of a proper explanation for element 113’s decay chain.

Cancer This discovery has the potential to launch new and highly effective treatments to combat cancerous cells

After years of research, a new anti-cancer agent that occurs in sea sponges off the coast of Far Eastern Russia has been found.

DARYA KEZINA RBTH

Russian and German scientists have extracted a unique anti-tumour compound, Monanchocidin A, from the sea sponge, Monanchora pulchra, which lives along the coast of Russia’s Kuril Islands in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The substance differs fundamentally from

most known anti-cancer agents because it causes socalled autophagy or “selfdigestion” of cancer cells.

Scientists from the Elyakov Pacific Institute for Bio-organic Chemistry (PIBOC) inVladivostok, and the Experimental Oncology Laboratory in Eppendorf, Germany have been conducting the research for five years, but the exciting results were discovered only recently.

“We have identified a new compound which opens possibilities for creating

new groups of anti-cancer medicines,”PIBOC director Valentin Stonik told RBTH. Sea sponges are already known to be sources of anti-cancer drugs. In 2014 researchers from Leeds University in the UK obtained the drug Eribulin, which is used to combat breast cancer, from the sponge Halichondria okadai. This substance, however, doesn’t cure cancer completely as shown during clinical trials on 1,800 patients, but it extended patients’ lives for an average of five months.

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Sea sponges on the front line fighting dreaded disease

Sea sponges are known to be sources of anti-cancer drugs.

The new findings show that cancer cells’ resistance to some drugs, such as Cisplatin, can be overcome.

Trials were conducted and it turns out Monanchocidin A is capable of killing tumour cells resistant to traditional drugs.

Researchers consider it too early to speak of how much more effective and safer Monanchocidin A is than existing drugs, and additional research is necessary. Additionally, while tests so far were only conducted on individual types of tumour cells, it is necessary to test the substance on animals.

RUSSIA’S NOT JUST A EUROPEAN COUNTRY See Russia’s relations with Asian nations through the eyes of our bloggers Lo o k i n g E a st asia.rbth.com/looking_east

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RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

History

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Autobiography The life of Pu Yi

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China’s last emperor’s life as a prisoner in the USSR

Pu Yi even won favour with Mao Zedong, who encouraged him to write his autobiography.

Pu Yi, China’s Last Emperor, spent five years as a prisoner of war in the Soviet Union. In an autobiography he vividly described his life there.

AJAY KAMALAKARAN RBTH

On August 18, 1945, Pu Yi, China’s Last Emperor, who by that time was reduced to being the emperor of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, renounced his throne and prepared to flee northeastern China along with the defeated Japanese Army.

In ‘The Last Manchu: The Autobiography of Henry Pu Yi, Last Emperor of China,’ he dedicated a chapter to his time as a prisoner in the USSR. There is very little information in the Russian

public domain about PuYi’s life in the country, making this book an important source of information about this little-known part of history.

According to the book, right after his plane landed in Siberia, PuYi was put in a sedan and driven for hours before the car stopped. He feared for his life when someone told him in fluent Chinese that he could step outside and urinate if he wanted to.“In the darkness, I became frightened,” he wrote. “The voice made me think that some Chinese had showed up to take us back to China, and if this were true, I would without doubt be killed.” The man who spoke in Chinese turned out to be a Soviet Army officer of Chinese descent.

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YEARS OF THE SOVIET ERA THEME PARK

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The emperor fled China in 1945 and then spent five years as a prisoner of war in the USSR.

Not only was PuYi’s life not in danger, but as he described in the autobiography, he lived in Chita and Khabarovsk over the next five years in relative comfort.

His first stop in Russia was a Soviet sanatorium or resort near the Siberian city of Chita, which was famous for its mineral springs. The Soviet authorities provided him with books, board games and a radio. He also took regular walks, enjoying his life in Chita.

In 1945, it was still unclear as to whether the Nationalists loyal to Chiang Kai Shek or the Communists would win the Civil War in China. This was the main reason why the USSR was in no hurry to return the former emperor back to China. Pu Yi was also not aware of the global geopolitical situation that was developing at that time.“Not long after our arrival, I developed the illusion that since the Soviet Union, Great Britain and the United States were allies, I might be able to move eventually to England or the United States, and live the life on an exile,” he wrote.

The former emperor had enough jewellery and art objects to live out the rest of his life in the West.

He believed that the best way to achieve this goal of living in the West was to make sure that he could initially remain in Russia. The former emperor even wrote to the Soviet authorities thrice to seek permission to live in the country permanently. Convinced that both the Nationalists and the Communists in China wanted to kill him, he tried in vain to convince the USSR to let him stay for good.

PuYi was later moved to

the city of Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East. From his own description, the conditions were not as good as they were in Chita, but he still lived a privileged existence. He seemed irked that the other prisoners

After 10 years in a prison, Pu Yi worked in the Peking Botanical Gardens Pu Yi would live for another 17 years, and even witness the beginning of the Cultural Revolution Despite his attitudes towards doing things himself, Pu Yi cultivated a passion for gardening could no longer call him “Emperor”or“Majesty”and stuck to calling him “Master Pu.” Despite his attitudes towards doing things himself, PuYi cultivated a passion for gardening and started growing vegetables in a plot of land that was allotted to him.“My family and I raised green peppers, tomatoes eggplant, beans, and other vegetables, and when I saw how these green plants grew daily, I was most impressed,” he wrote.

A love for gardening was something he would carry with him to China. After he was released from a Chinese prison, this was his profession of choice.

For Pu Yi and his co-prisoners, the only sources of

news from China were their interpreters and a Chineselanguage newspaper published by the Soviet Army in Port Arthur called Trud.

Going by the former emperor’s descriptions of his life in the USSR, the authorities did not demand too much from him. They offered Soviet Marxist and Leninist books, but he was bewildered as to why they would want him to read the books if he was not going to be allowed to stay permanently in the country.

In 1946, the Soviet authorities took him to Tokyo to testify at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.“I accused the Japanese of being war criminals in an utterly direct and unreserved way,” he wrote.

“However, whenever I spoke about this period of history, I never discussed my own guilt.”

PuYi eventually donated some of his jewels and treasures to the Soviet authorities, claiming that he wished to support their post-war economic reconstruction. “Since the Soviet Union was the deciding factor in my life, it therefore was best to be nice to the Russians and seek to gain their favour,” he wrote.

In August 1950, PuYi was sent back to China, temporarily separated from his family and accompanied by Russian officers. The Last Emperor would live for another 17 years, and even witness the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.

After 10 years in a prison, where he was declared reformed, Pu Yi worked in the Peking Botanical Gardens. He even won favour with Mao Zedong, who encouraged him to write his autobiography.

RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Culture

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Royal Boris Tischenko’s masterpiece, Requiem Aternam for Princess Galyani, turned out be his last composition

A Russian tribute to a Thai princess Russian composer Boris Tischenko wrote the Requiem Aternam as a tribute to Princess Galyani Vadhana, who was a patron of the fine arts in Thailand.

ALEXANDER KORABLINOV SPECIAL TO RBTH

© RIA NOVOSTI

SCHEDULE

Russians at the festival Sept 24, 25 - Swan Lake, The Novosibirsk Ballet Sept 26 - Gala-concert, ballet, The Novosibirsk Ballet Sept 28 - La Bayadere, The Novosibirsk Ballet Oct 2 - Prince Igor, Samara Opera Theatre Oct 4 - Tosca, Samara Opera Theatre Oct 5 - Symphony concert, Samara State Symphony Orchestra

AFP/EASTNEWS

The late Princess Galyani Vadhana, the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) and His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), was the Royal Patron of the Bangkok International Festival of Dance & Music.When she passed away in 2008, the festival’s chairman, JS Uberoi, commissioned noted Russian composer Boris Tischenko, to compose the Requiem Aternam.

For Tishchenko, it was an interesting commission. It required him to do extensive research on not only Thai musical culture but also Princess Galyani herself. He had to first understand the reverence with which the Thai people regarded the princess and keep in mind her work in promoting the arts in Thailand. After that he began the task of composing his masterpiece declaring it a “very emotional journey”.

This was to be his last composition. Later in 2010, when Tischenko passed away, his memorial service at St Petersburg ended with a poignant rendering of Requiem Aternam for Princess Galyani. The Requiem, performed by the Russian Symphony Orchestra, Ufa, pre-

JS Uberoi commissioned noted Russian composer Boris Tischenko, to compose the Requiem Aternam.

For Tishchenko, it was an interesting commission. It required him to do extensive research on not only Thai musical culture but also Princess Galyani herself

miered in Bangkok in September 2008. The premiere was followed by a series of concerts in four major Russian cities: St Petersburg, Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk.

In St Petersburg, the concert at the Philharmonic Hall, was conducted by St Petersburg Academic Philharmonic Orchestra with the St Petersburg State Cappella Chorus. The history of the St Petersburg Cappella Chorus goes back more than 500 years. It was the first-ever professional musical group in the country, founded in 1479 as the Choir of Tsar’s Singing Clerks. In 1703, the choir was renamed the court choir and took part in the ceremonies held at the founding of St Petersburg.

I n M o s c o w, a t t h e Tchaikovsky Hall conductor Yuri Simonov led the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic Orchestra and its famous chorus to a mesmerising performance.

The concert series then moved to Yekaterinburg where at the State Opera Theatre, Conductor Fabio Mastrangelo led the Yekaterinburg Symphony Orchestra along with the Chorus of the Yekaterinburg State Opera. Novosibirsk was the last stop where at the Novosibirsk at State Opera Theatre Andrei Danilov led the Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of Novosibirsk State Opera into a resounding performance.

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RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Travel

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Sakhalin The natural wealth of this island in Russia’s Far East makes it the perfect autumn holiday destination

For summer’s end, soak up the sun in Isle of Sakhalin Although known as an economic hub thanks to its oil and gas wealth, the island of Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East is blessed with pristine natural sights.

AJAY KAMALAKARAN RBTH

The warm sunny days of early autumn are the best time to experience Sakhalin’s diverse marine wildlife.

September is migration season for the endangered Western grey whale, a species that is believed to be 30 million years old.

The whales, which grow to a length of almost 15 metres and weigh around 40 tonnes, can be spotted from the eastern coast of the island.

Experts believe that there are only about 100 Western grey whales on the Asian side of the Pacific, and this month, visitors can catch a glimpse of the cetaceans as they move n orth to feed on shrimp and small fish.

During the winter months, they will return to the eastern Pacific to breed.

A whale-watching excursion, a pleasant day trip, is only a short drive away from Sakhalin’s capital,YuzhnoSakhalinsk.

If pursuit of the elusive grey whales sounds too difficult, visitors can go to Seal Island, just off Sakhalin’s southern coast. The island, which is just 1.6 kilometres long and 19 metres wide, is

SHUTTERSTOCK/LEGION-MEDIA

a nursery for northern fur seals which cover the island.

The seals, which are among the most sociable of marine species, can also be spotted off Sakhalin’s eastern coast and often swim up to the boats.

Seal Island also houses a bird colony made up of a variety of sea birds. In late summer, visitors can glimpse common murres and kit-

tiwake, crested auklets, Siberian rubythroats, red-necked stints and narcissus flycatchers, among other species.

Although Sakhalin has some 16,000 lakes spread across its 948-kilometre length, only the lakes in the southern part of the island are warm enough to swim in.

Tunnaicha Lake, about 30

km away from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, is surrounded by mountains and is one of many tranquil spots near the capital.

Izmenchovoe Lake is separated by a narrow stretch of land from the Sea of Okhotsk.

Sakhalin natives believe that the land around the lake contains minerals, so they often take some soil back with them to use as fertilizer in their garden plots.

Southern Sakhalin has several lakes and lagoons that are popular with fishermen including Busse, a lagoon known for its delicious scallops.

In summer, the area of lakes in southern Sakhalin known as the Warm Lakes is great for camping and swimming.

Visitors interested in Soviet history should not miss a visit to one of the largest marine collective farms in the former Soviet Union.

The Kirov collective farm, located near the town of

Nine venues in Moscow will take part in the annual Circle of Light Festival. Some of the world’s best light designers will present videomappings projected against some of the city’s most iconic buildings in 2D and 3D installations and multimedia shows as part of the event.

THE RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY ON THE FRUNZENSKAYA EMBANKMENT

From September 26 to October 4 MOSCOW

Artists from Russia, France, the UK and the UAE will display their work on the buildings belonging to Russia’s Defence Ministry and also on the Andreyevsky Bridge over the Moscow River.

lightfest.ru

THE BOLSHOI THEATRE The facade of the Bolshoi will become a canvas for variations on the opera “Carmen” and the ballet “Swan Lake.

VDNKH The revamped VDNKh park and exhibit center will host a light show that includes figure skaters. Light installations will greet visitors at the park entrance and accompany them along the main promenade.

THE CENTRAL CHILDREN’S STORE Amazing stories about fantastic creatures and a parade will turn the facade of the country’s biggest children’s store into a fairytale village.

PATRIARCH’S PONDS The location memorialised in Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov’s mystical novel “Master and Margarita” will feature projections of the novel’s characters.

THE MOSCOW RIVER Boats projecting light and multimedia shows will run from the House of Music near Paveletskaya railway station to the Luzhnetskaya Embankment. Projections from the boats will be visible on both sides of the river.

Korsakov, was established in May 1959.

The farm, which was formed by uniting 15 fishing cooperatives, is one of the rare collective farms that survived the demise of the Soviet Union.

Visitors to Kirov farm can buy salmon, pollock, cod, flounder and herring, as well as other varieties of fish and seafood. Famous for its seafood, Sakhalin’s local cuisine reflects its richness of its marine produce.

In the island’s markets, it is easy to find shrimps, crab, oysters, scallops, crabs and various types of fish.

September is one of the best months for watersports.

Busse Lake is popular for kayaking and canoeing, while fishermen wearing diving suits row to the centre of the lake in canoes to catch scallops.

The warm weather in Sakhalin stretches on usually until the beginning of October, making the island an ideal place to enjoy the last days of the Russian summer.

CHISTYE PRUDY (CLEAN PONDS)

T R AV E L 2 M O S C O W. C O M

The Life in the City light installations will take place in this favourite haunt of young Muscovites.