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How Russia is helping Asian space missions THIS APRIL, RUSSIA CELEBRATES THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF YURI GAGARIN’S SPACE TRIP

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A Thai view of life in Russia First-hand accounts of two Thais studying in St Petersburg.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

April 23, 2016

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SYRIA

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Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad patrol the streets of the historic city of Palmyra.

Russia and US must cooperate The recent liberation of Palmyra by the Syrian army and the successful actions of Kurdish units on the way to the de facto Islamic State (ISIS) capital Raqqa are the result of coordinated efforts of Russian servicemen and the American-led anti-terrorist coalition, despite the absence of official agreements concerning such coordination. Russian politicians and

experts believe that the US does not wish to admit that it is cooperating with Russia for political reasons.. Pyotr Vodolatsky, deputy chairman of the State Duma Defence Committee, said that the American military is cooperating with the Russian military in Syria, despite the absence of official agreements. “The American administration has demonstrated

pragmatism. The US may not admit the coordination but their coalition is fully interacting with the Russ i a n a i r fo rc e ,” s a i d Vodolatsky. “Everything that concerns transportation and our strikes and the fly zones is carried out under joint management.” The close coordination between Russian and American servicemen in Syria is, however, not being admitted on an official level. “From the very beginning we proposed to coordinate our military actions on the ground” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in February.

“We wanted a joint, honest process, but were always met with a refusal. Our only accord was a memorandum on the prevention of incidents in the sky.” However, observers say that the course of combat activities paints a different picture. On April 7, Bloomberg wrote that the actions of the Syrian army and the Kurds are increasingly resembling a well-planned operation whose aim is to trap ISIS forces and cut them off from Iraq. Russian experts point to the fact that without close interaction the sides would have inevitably launched attacks on each other, since not only their air forces are operating in Syria but also their special forces, something that has been openly declared on many occasions. “Within that agreement on the prevention of incidents some kind of mechanism for exchanging information must function, communication channels must always exist and through these channels other activities can also be discussed,” says Vadim Kozyulin, a professor at the Academy of Military Sciences. “There is an objective necessity for RussianAmerican cooperation in solving the Syrian problem.”

BILATERAL TIES

China to move plants to Far East

YURI SMITYUK / TASS

China has come forward with an initiative to transfer production facilities in 12 industries, including chemical and metallurgy, to the Russian Far East, the Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East said following a visit by its head Alexander Galushka to Beijing. Galushka was accompanied by senior officials from the ministry. The possibility of the export of production facilities was brought up during talks between Rustam Makarov, the Far East ministry’s investments department director and Zhou Jianping, head of China’s Department of Northeast Revitalisation. “The talks concerned a possible transfer of Chinese enterprises to the [Russian]

Alexander Galushka supports the Chinese initiative.

Far East, provided that it complied with the environmental requirements established in Russia,” the ministry said. According to the statement, China has taken on the initiative to“export pro-

duction facilities in 12 priority sectors of the economy.” These sectors include the construction industry, metallurgy, power engineering, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, chemical in-

dustry, textile industry, cement industry, telecommunications and agriculture. China is “willing to actively involve private and public companies to implement” such projects, Jianping said during the talks. A representative of the Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East, in turn, confirmed Russia’s readiness to cooperate.They noted that new businesses created in conjunction with priority development areas and the Free Port of Vladivostok receive significant tax benefits and administrative preferences. “We are ready to accept Chinese enterprises and to establish joint export-oriented production facilities in the territory of the Far East,” Makarov said.

Businessmen IN BRIEF help set tone Far East calling for Thai PM’s Artists from the Asia-Pacific have been invited to Russia visit take part in the first Far Several agreements will be signed when Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha visits St. Petersburg in May. GLEB FEDOROV RBTH

Following up on talks held in Moscow in February during the visit of Thai Deputy Prime Ministers Prawit Wongsuwan and Somkid Jatusripitak, a large Russian delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alexei Likhachev visited Bangkok in April. In addition to officials from three ministries, the delegation included representatives of large companies such as Gazprom, Russian Railways and Rostec, and executives from small and medium-sized businesses, whose interests are represented by Business Russia. Business Russia is a Russian non-profit organization. The sides discussed the possibility of government incentives for bilateral investment projects, as well as state support for projects in the oil and gas, power engineering, machine building, railway transport and banking industries. The parties also discussed the modalities of a new trade agreement that will be signed between Russia and Thailand when Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha visits St. Petersburg in May. In addition, the parties agreed to start talks on a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Sergey Malofeikin, Business Russia’s Ambassador in Thailand said these visits helped to strengthen Russian-Thai business relations and led to progress in large and small projects alike. Business Russia has created a Russia-Thailand Trading House, which is in the process of implementing several new projects, including the sale of electro buses with Kamaz engines in Thailand. Another project involves the development of technology for secure access to the Internet across Thailand.

Eastern International Festival, Valery Gergiev, Art Director of the festival said on April 11. Gergiev, who is also the art director or the Mariinsky theatre in St. Petersburg, added that the classical music festival will be held in the city of Vladivostok from July 30 to August 10.

Roofers conquer Lotte FROM PERSONAL ARCHIVES

Russian roof climbers have uploaded a seven-minute video on YouTube that documents their ascent of the Lotte World Tower skyscraper in Seoul. Viewers of the video were surprised that the roofers managed to get inside the compound, which has guard dogs, security officers and monitoring drones. Vadim Makhorov and Vitaly Rascalov are known for their love of conquering tall buildings in exotic locations abroad.

Siberian ﬂour in Thailand VLADIMIR SMIRNOV / TASS

Altai Mills, an enterprise based in the Altai Territory in Siberia, has begun exporting wheat flour to Thailand. The flour will be used to make noodles. A test batch was shipped in early March, the Altai Territory’s Department for Food Processing said. Flour exports from the territory increased by 60.8 per cent year on year in 2015. Asia is the main market.

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Experience A Thai student talks about her life in Russia

Chidpong Poonpeng likes the cool weather in St Petersburg as well as the city’s efficient public transportation system. NATALIA PADORINA RBTH

“Thais are not too keen on museums. But, of course, I would advise my friends to go to the Hermitage and Peterhof. “I really like metro stations in St Petersburg. For example, Admiralteiskaya is very interesting. It is the deepest station, I like the long escalator, and mosaics on the wall are very beautiful. “ I a l s o o ft e n wa l k through the streets, but I don’t remember their names. “I enjoy walking in residential areas of St Petersburg, at the ends of metro lines, such as the Komendantsky Prospekt Metro. It is not like in the centre and is not for tourists. I think this is real life. It doesn’t look like Thailand at all. There are a lot of tall buildings, while we have mostly simple, small houses.”

People “Sometimes I think that the nature and the thinking of Russian people is somewhere between Asia and Europe, just like the geographical position of their country. Russians are very different. Many tourists say that Russians are gloomy,

but I do not think so. I have many Russian friends and they often help me, especially to say something in Russian, since I have problems with the Russian language. I like the Russian language, I think it sounds like murmuring music. There is a lot of “rrrr” in speech, it reminds me of a fast current.”

Food “The Russian dish I like most is pilaf, I’d love to go to an Uzbek restaurant, but so far I have no time. Sometimes I eat borshch and cutlets in the dining hall of our faculty. During the Maslenitsa celebrations, our teacher made pancakes with banana, I also tried them with sour cream and jam; it’s very delicious! “My other favourite Russian item is vodka. They make very good vodka in Russia, it is better and cheaper than in Thailand.

Other cities “Last year, I went to Pskov to visit friends who study there. We were in the Pskov State University. It was beautiful, but not very big. It is a light-toned building, with columns and a monument to Vladimir Lenin at the entrance. And if you go through the park, you can find a monument to (another Soviet leader) Sergei Kirov. “Russians remember their history, including fa-

mous revolutionaries. We also walked around and took pictures on the main street of Pskov. But the most beautiful and interesting building in this city is, of course, the Pskov Kremlin. I think that every tourist should visit this city, it is very clean, and the people are very kind there. They always helped us when we did not know where to go. I will certainly go to Pskov again some time.”

Differences with life in Thailand “In Russia, it is very difficult to get food! I always want to eat, and in Thailand, you can buy food in every corner. And here I have to take it with me. I usually carry dried fruit and nuts. And pepper! When I eat in the dining hall, I always pepper my dishes. But there are very cheap berries here. I love strawberries. You can buy them in almost any supermarket for little money. “Another unusual thing for me in Russia is transport. We don’t have trolleybuses and trams in Thailand. Although the metro is similar to the BTS in structure, it is completely different. It is beautifully designed, and the stations, architecture, statues and images are exciting to see.” rbth.com/578965

FROM PERSONAL ARCHIVES

‘I enjoy walking in residential areas of St Petersburg’

“Many tourists say that Russians are gloomy, but I do not think so.”

Thai impressions of St Petersburg Patra, a third-year student at the Faculty of Philology of the St Petersburg State University, talks about her love of the city’s museums. NATALIA PADORINA RBTH

“My favourite museum in St Petersburg is the Hermitage. I was particularly impressed with the Greek and Egyptian halls. When I was little, I had read many books about the ancient world, and to get acquainted with this culture was just a fairy tale. “I was amazed when I saw a mummy in the Egyp-

tian Hall! I could not imagine that they would be in display outside Egypt. “I also really liked the General Staff Building. I fell in love with the paintings of the Impressionists, such as Claude Monet. It was my dream to see works of these artists. I really wanted to go to the Louvre for this reason. I was happy to learn that it was not necessary to go to France – here they are, next to me, and I can look at them at any time after my classes. Another museum that I would advise to visit is the house of Peter I. This mu-

seum is not very popular, and there are few people there, but it is very interesting. “This is the only house that has kept its original interiors since the early 18th century! For this, it was even included in the Unesco list.“And I was very surprised that such a great Russian tsar lived in such a small and modest house. That’s impressive.”

Suburbs “Most of all, I liked the park in Pavlovsk. You have very fresh air and greenery there with a real forest. I associate this place with the film “Onegin”, with the scene where the main characters are in a forest.” rbth.com/582057

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CONQUERING OUTER SPACE 55 YEARS AGO, THE SOVIET UNION SENT THE FIRST HUMAN BEING INTO SPACE. NOW IT HELPS ASIAN COUNTRIES WITH THEIR PROGRAMMES

RUSSIAN SPACE PROWESS Russia’s status as a space power with several launches and good scientific capabilities is in sync with the space ambitions of Asia. RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA SPECIAL TO RBTH

Russia has sent more nations into space than any other space power. The first (non-Russian) Asian in space was Pham Tuan, aVietnam Air Force pilot. On April 1, 1979, he flew aboard the Soyuz 37 space station as an Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut, and was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1990, Toyohiro Akiyama became the first person of Japanese nationality to have flown in space. He was known as the“Space Journalist”in Japan. India got its first cosmonaut in 1984 when air force pilot Rakesh Sharma rocketed into space on a Soyuz rocket. Other Asian countries which got their first – and so far only – glimpse of space on a Russian rocket include Mongolia and Malaysia.

It was during the Soviet era that Moscow launched its space partnership programme in competition with the US for the hearts and minds of peoples in the region. Close allies such as Vietnam and Mongolia had cosmonauts before European nations got a lift on an American Space Shuttle. Russia is closely engaged in space cooperation across Asia. It is working with Malaysia and Japan on manned space flight programmes, assisting South Korea in installation of rocket launching facilities, and carrying out commercial space launches for India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea. Since 2011 Russia has been operating GLONASS – Global Navigation Satellite System with 24 satellites and a wide network of land stations ensuring global coverage – and is discussing cooperation on its joint use with China, India and Indonesia.

China’s long march Although China has never got a ride on a Russian rocket, it is the country that has gained most from the

opening up of Russia’s space sector. Due to the collapse of the Soviet economy in the 1990s, Moscow held a sort of firesale of the crown jewels of its space industry. From space suits to re-entry vehicles and satellite technology, everything that was offered was gratefully grabbed by the Chinese.

The first Korean rocket, launched in 2013, consisted of a Russian-built first stage The flood of Russian technology allowed China to surge into space with a manned space flight in 2003. Today, both Russia and China work closely together on space-related projects. “Through its space cooperation with Russia, China is able to gain valuable knowledge from one of the world’s top space powers to advance its own space technology development,” says a 2015 report by the USChina Economic and Security Review Commission.

“Future cooperative activities in space could include joint rocket engine development and a joint RussiaChina space station.”

South Korea: Giant leap South Korea is known as the home of Samsung and LG, but in the coming decades it is destined to be a major space power. Seoul can thank Moscow for help in charting its space journey. South Korea’s space ambitions gained traction after North Korea’s attempted launch of a satellite from its Taepodong I missile in 1998. Three years later, Seoul sought to acquire liquid-fuel boosters but failed to reach a deal with the US mainly because of US export controls. In 2004, Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) inked an agreement with Russia for the purchase of a large liquid-fuel Angara booster to serve as the first stage of its planned Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV) I. Russia agreed to assist KARI in the development and construction of a space-launch facility on an island in South Jeolla province. The 1000-acre

FACTS FOR THE ASIAN SPACE FAN

In the 2000s, China obtained Russian technical assistance in producing a heavy lift booster, capable of placing 20,000kg into the Earth’s low orbit.

Yi So-yeon became the first South Korean woman to travel to space. In 2008, she travelled in a Soyuz spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and together they spent 10 days in the International Space Station.

In September 2000, Russia helped put a Malaysian remote Earth sensing mini-satellite into orbit. That year, fires raging in the jungles of Sumatra and Kalimantan at regular intervals turned into a common disaster for Southeast Asia. Data from the satellite helped assess the scale of the environmental disaster and search for ways to counter it.

The mystery of the Romanovs’ untimely demise romanovs-mystery.rbth.com

Read other RBTH special long reads at rbth.com/long_reads

Naro Space Centre in Goheung was built by the SP Korolev Rocket & Space Corporation Energia of Russia. Moscow also provided Seoul with astronaut training and a flight to the International Space Station. The first successful Korean rocket, launched in 2013, consisted of a Russian-built first stage and a South Korean upper stage.

Malaysia: Like a prayer The first Malaysian in space rode into the final frontier on a Russian rocket on October 10, 2007.When Sheikh Muszaphar, a 36-year-old medic, arrived at the International Space Station, the antariksawan – cosmonaut in Malay – had to spend time going through an instruction manual on daily religious rituals provided by Malaysian mullahs. Vyacheslav Urlyapov of the Moscow-based Centre for Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania Studies, RAS Institute of Oriental Studies, sums up the cosmonaut’s experience: “The 11-day flight overlapped in part the holy month of Ramadan. Muslims had

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IN BRIEF

History Women passed tough tests

Russia plans a lunar base

Training the first woman for a space mission

Russia may build a base on the Moon by 2035, the country’s federal space agency Roscosmos said in April. The base is likely to house a scientific laboratory, the agency said, adding that it was pondering over manning the base using the ISS model.

In 1963, a Soviet cosmonaut blasted off into the history books. RBTH looks back at the programme that put Valentina Tereshkova in space. ANDREI KISLYAKOV

Toyohiro Akiyama, left, was the first Japanese to have flown into space.

been in orbit before him, but it fell to Muszaphar to comply with the detailed instructions written for him by Islamic theologians (ulema) to remain a true believer in space, too.” It isn’t known whether it was the Russian space station crew or the Malaysian space bosses who overruled the ulema, but Muszaphar’s mission set a benchmark for future Muslim space travellers.“A resulting publication,‘Guidelines for Performing Islamic Rites at the International Space Station’ was published by the Malaysian government, suggesting that each Muslim figure out the best way according to each one’s ability.”

Vietnam: Baby steps After the spectacular flight of cosmonaut Tuan,Vietnam and Russia settled down to more mundane – and more productive – matters. In the

1980s Russia helped Vietnam build a ground satellite station and joined Vietnamese scientists in the

The first Malaysian in space rode into the final frontier on a Russian rocket on October 10, 2007 study of photography from outer space. The Russian Science Academy (RSA) oversees joint Vietnam-Russia projects developing satellite telecommunications and earth research from outer space, known respectively as Vinasat and Vinzor. The Vinasat project is underway with the involvement of a number of Vietnamese and Russian institutes. Vinasat will allowVietnam to study, produce and launch telecom satellites serving radio and television broad-

casts as well as telephone and Internet links.

Future flights There are more than 55 government space agencies in the world, with Asian and Asean nations being the most competitive and serious of the lot. The region’s edge can be attributed to three main reasons. One, the economically booming Asian nations can afford to undertake such expensive missions. Two, they have large pools of engineering talent.Three, heavy infusion of Russian technology plus mentoring by Russian scientists have helped them leapfrog into the space age. However, not all partnerships are about Russia helping countries lagging in space technology. It can also be a joint partnership.

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Scientists from Tomsk State University have called for destroying asteroids in orbit by using nuclear weapons, the use of which is currently banned in space. To avoid radioactive contamination, they suggest to eliminating asteroids that are moving away from the planet.

Green light for space tourism Roscosmos has approved the country’s first private space tourism project. KosmoKurs plans to conduct 15-minute space rides for tourists from 2020. Tickets will cost around $250,000, A space capsule will accommodate a group of six tourists and one pilot.

RBTH

The Russian space industry has always been a predominantly male preserve. Nevertheless, Russian female cosmonauts do have a history that goes back half a century. After Yuri Gagarin’s successful voyage into space in 1961, Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev set out to send a woman into space. Out of the thousands of candidates who applied to be cosmonauts, five women were shortisted: engineer Irina Solovyova, mathematician and programer Valentina Ponomareva, weaver Valentina Tereshkova, teacher Zhanna Yerkina, and secretary and stenographer Tatiana Kuznetsova. To test their resistance to high temperatures, they were kept inside a heat chamber at 70 degrees Celsius with 30 per cent humidity, dressed in full flying gear, until their body temperatures climbed 2.5C and pulse rates hit 130 beats per minute. The sea trials, which were designed to train the cosmonauts for a splashdown (a method of landing a spacecraft in the sea using a parachute), were also no walk in the park. Having successfully completed the general training, the female unit was officially presented to Sergei Ko-

Nukes to save the world?

Tereshkova was the first woman to fly into space.

rolyov, head of the USSR’s space programme, who was said to be unhappywith the group. On June 16, 1963, Tereshkova was selected to be the first woman to enter space, with Solovyova as her back-up. After successfully orbiting the Earth 48 times in the Vostok 6 spacecraft during her three-day flight, the whole unit waited at the launch pad with baited breath, on June 19 Tereshkova and herVostok 6 spacecraft descended separately by parachute and landed safely within three miles (5km) of each other. However, during the flight Tereshkova suffered from nausea and could not complete all the mission tasks. The female unit was eventually disbanded due to “lack of utilisation” in 1969. Only Tereshkova stayed at the Cosmonaut Training Centre. She was there in an official capacity until 1997.

T RAV E L B E YO N D YO U R I M AG I N AT I O N Gems: • Kostroma: the home of Russia’s Snegurochka, the snow maiden • Yakutia’s frozen heart: mammoths, chilled vodka and the lord of coldParis, Berlin, Leipzig and other • Russian villages

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Destina tio • Five U ns: nbe Watch th atable Locatio ns e Sunse • Siberi t on Lak to a’s n e sands, ta orthern desert Baikal : hot • Russia iga and mosq uitoes ’s most spectac resorts ular ski

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Nuclear tragedy 30 years after accident, survivors struggle to cope with life in a town near the Ukraine border

Effects of Chernobyl plague town GLEB FEDOROV RBTH

If you ever happen to pass through Novozybkov, a town that is almost on Russia’s border with Ukraine and Belarus, you are likely to see normal hinterland. Like many places in Russia there are bad roads, half-deserted villages, overgrown fields and old, Soviet-made buses. No signs suggest that the town has been in an evacuation zone for the last three decades. Nothing warns visitors that the southwestern part of the Bryansk Region is the Russian area that is most affected by the 1986 Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is around 200 kilometres away from Novozybkov.

In the evacuation zone In the late 1980s, several hundred settlements in the southwestern part of the Bryansk Region were included in the evacuation zone, but the population was not forcibly resettled. However, those who wanted to leave were assisted in their efforts by the authorities. There were a few reasons behind a lackadaisical approach from the authorities and the public when it came to resettlement. Firstly, before Chernobyl, the Soviet Union had neither the experience, nor a monitoring system, nor the proper methodology for assessing radiation damage in large areas. Hence this

work dragged on for years. No one understood the real magnitude of the disaster. Secondly, since the disaster and mitigation activities date back to the last years of the Soviet Union and the 1990s, the government simply had no money to decontaminate the areas and resettle people. Local legend has it that BorisYeltsin himself came to Novozybkov in the 1990s and decided not to resettle inhabitants of the town, but decided that removing the contaminated soil would be enough. The soil was removed only from the town and not the surrounding areas. The third point is no less importan: The bulk of the people did not want to resettle. Most remained, even if they knew the danger. Some left, but many returned. Accurate statistics are not available. Viktor Strelkov, 40, comes – just as his parents and ancestors– from the Old Believer village of Svyatsk, 30 kilometres away from Novozybkov. Instead of a blossoming village with two churches and hundreds of homes as it was 30 years ago, there is now a young forest. Residents left. What is left of their homes is in the woods. The radiation dose is at an average of 0.6 microsieverts per hour. Such landscapes are usually shown in apocalyptic movies. The liveliest place in the area is an old cemetery on the outskirts of the village, where burials are still conducted, mostly of old people. There is also a chapel that Strelkov built on the site of the burnt church. Svyatsk residents moved to different parts of the coun-

from the forests in September 2015 and brought for examination showed a radiation level of 100,000 becquerels per kg (2,500 is normal). Despite this, the number of settlements in the Bryansk Region to be resettled was reduced in 2016 from 226 to 26. A list of places officially declared safe for living include Novozybkov. Along with the list, compensation payments were halved to 1,000 rubles a month on average.

Benefits and economics GLEB FEDOROV

Thirty years after the nuclear power plant accident, RBTH visited Russia’s most radioactive area.

Older residents of Novozybkov have no intention of moving to another part of Russia.

The bulk of the people did not want to resettle. Most stayed, despite knowing the danger. The greatest danger to the population comes from small doses of radiation from local foods. try, but Strelkov was only away briefly. His family left immediately after the accident but returned to neighbouring Novozybkov after some time. Now his parents are buried in the cemetery, and Strelkov has cancer.

Anomalies In 1986, Galina Sviridenko was a 16-year-old. Her son Denis, who is now 16, was born without ears.The boy’s spine and bones are curved,

and he is mentally retarded. He underwent eight surgeries. It took three years for Sviridenko to prove the connection between radiation and her son’s health problems. Apart from Denis, seven children with Down syndrome were born in Novozybkov in 2000. According to statistics cited by Lyudmila Komogortseva, a former deputy governor of the Bryansk Region and now a well-known environmentalist, the proportion of children suffering from chronic diseases, increased from 8 to 80 per cent after the Chernobyl disaster, while the region’s per capita cancer incidences are more than two and a half times the national average. The greatest danger to the population comes from small doses of radiation, which enter the body mainly through local food products, says Viktor Khanayev, a surgeon from the

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Radiation is everywhere The local people are so accustomed to the radiation that they avoid the topic, even though radionuclides have poisoned everything that grows or is produced in the area. – soil, water, wood, animals, mushrooms and berries. However, the forest and vegetable gardens are the main sources of livelihood due to low salaries. “We’ve been eating local products for 30 years and never had a problem,” say many locals. However there still is a problem. An employee of a local radiation control laboratory says even food grown in cleaner soil emits as much radiation as it did in 1986. Dried mushrooms that were picked

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Novozybkov district hospital. Over the years, the cumulative radiation can lead to cancer and affect not only the person but also his or her progeny.

It is easy to the blame the government, which could invest more in the rehabilitation of the residents. However, the paradox lies in the fact that residents, actually, do not want relocation, but insist on the reinstatement of full benefits. Benefits that range from 2,000 to 6,000 rubles are a significant asset in the region, where there is little work and a salary of 10,000 rubles is considered a good amount. “We don’t care about what the zone is called,” says Dr Khanayev.“We need real compensation.” He adds,“One can live here, by observing radiation safety regulations. What is required is the cleaning of forests, clean food delivery and special fertilizers. The state should help in this, but it does not.” Oksana Inashevskaya, chairwoman of the Novozybkov Mothers’ Council, says people are ready to cope with difficulties, but do not see any economic prospects. “The economic development of these areas ended with Chernobyl,”she says.

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BIOLOGY NEW TECHNOLOGY MIGHT END THE WORLD’S DEPENDENCE ON OIL

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WHY A RUSSIA-WEST SHOWDOWN IS BAD

WHY RUSSIA AND JAPAN SHOULD IMPROVE THEIR BILATERAL TIES

PYOTR TOPYCHKANOV

ANTHONY RINNA

JOURNALIST

ANALYST

ust when it seemed that relations between Tokyo and Moscow appeared to be moving in a positive direction, Russia announced on March 25 that it planned to deploy missile defence systems and military drones on the Southern Kuril Islands by the end of the year. It is precisely these islands

IORSH

t seems clear from recent high-level statements that political leaders from Russia and the West don’t trust each other. Sanctions, talk of a new Cold War, and the ongoing sabre-rattling exacerbate the problem. However, there is one area where Moscow does agree with Washington and Brussels – the desire to keep nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction away from terrorists. That’s one big difference between now and the Cold War. Today there is a universal understanding of common security threats, although their interpretations may be different. In short, the rise of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) has re-centred the focus of Russia and the West on the risks of nuclear proliferation. Russia may not agree with the US on how to deal with either North Korea or Iran, but the Kremlin and the White House have found common ground on addressing the nonproliferation challenges and threats posed by these countries. For example, the Kremlin and the White House succeeded in resolving the Iranian nuclear problem and signed the Iranian nuclear deal. Likewise, Russia and the US were able to agree on sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear test-

ing and attempts to acquire nuclear technologies. Russia and the West continue to share a common understanding of key challenges to the nonproliferation regime. The Russians,

Confrontation between Russia and the West weakens international collaboration the Americans and the Europeans do not want new states to acquire nuclear weapons. And they especially do not want non-state actors to have access to weapons of mass destruction. Russia and the West seem to have accepted the idea that they cooperate when it comes to nonproliferation

while, at the same time, they may be confrontational on other issues.. The danger is that the confrontation between Russia and the West weakens international nonproliferation collaboration. The fact that Russia and the US can agree on the Iranian or North Korean challenge doesn’t mean that their nonproliferation effort is going to work . Moreover, lack of understanding between the US and Russia could derail the international nonproliferation effort for a couple of major reasons. First, the US-Russian nuclear disarmament partnership is frozen, which sends worrying signals to both nuclear and non-nuclear states worldwide. Some may interpret this to mean that it is high time to arm, not to disarm.

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Second, mutual accusations about the violation of the 1987 IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces Treaty lead to questions raised by other members of international community about the responsibility of Russia and the US, their adherence to their commitments, and their ability to negotiate effectively. Despite several success stories , Russia and the West are creating conditions for new proliferation threats to be born, and leave themselves with limited instruments to anticipate these threats clearly, as well as to stop them. Petr Topychkanov is an associate in the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Nonproliferation Programme. Read the full version on russia-direct.org

Japan will require nimble manoeuvring to balance ties with Russia and the US that have been the focal point of tensions between the two countries ever since the end of World War II. What remains to be seen is how the latest move impacts relations between Moscow and Tokyo. For Russia, any attempts to forge better relations with Japan should be seen as part of its “Pivot to the East”. Russia’s strategy not only seeks to enhance its presence in the Asia-Pacific, but also to avoid limiting its list of partners in East Asia to China. Japan and Russia have sought to increase their economic ties, which are particularly important for the development of the Russian Far East.

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One potential reason for Tokyo’s desires to shore up ties with Moscow is the prevention of the possible development of a China-Russia axis. Then there is the question of Tokyo’s ties with Washington. While the containment of China remains the primary purpose of the Japan-US defence apparatus, US strategic containment of Russia also continues to be an important factor in the Japan-US alliance, which comprises one key flank of the American strategic posture in Asia. Washington also seeks to limit potential Russian military influence in East Asia. As Japan and Russia seek a greater level of rapprochement and cooperation, a major factor in Tokyo’s defence relationship with Moscow is Japan’s alliance with the US. If the government in Tokyo sees it as being better for Japanese interests to build a closer defence relationship with Moscow, its efforts may be hamstrung by its commitment to the US, and will require delicate and nimble manoeuvring on Japan’s part. Anthony V Rinna is a Russia and Eurasia analyst for the SinoNK scholarly research group. Read the full version on russia-direct.org

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RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Cuisine

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Culinary Delight A stuffed pie with an open hole in the centre is an all-time Russian favourite

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Rasstegai is a large oblong filled pastry made from yeast dough and distinguished from other filled pies by the large hole in its centre. This distinctive element is not a mistake on the part of the cook — the hole is used to add broth to the filling. Rasstegai can be stuffed with a wide variety of fillings; some of the most popular are meat or liver with eggs, rice with mushrooms and vegetables and herbs. The classic pie, however, is stuffed with fish. Salmon, sturgeon and burbot liver are the most traditional fillings for rasstegai. Rasstegai was one of the most popular types of pies in Russian homes and inns during the Tsarist times. Innkeepers in St Petersburg and Moscow competed with each for the right to call their rasstegai the best. Muscovite rasstegai were different from their northern cousins not only in taste, but also in form – they were round and big enough to cover an entire dish. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the rasstegai of Moscow were

by far the most popular and were even frozen and taken to St Petersburg! In Moscow during that era, the Prague restaurant, owned by merchant Semyon Tararykin, was especially proud of its “Rasstegai half-and-half”,which contained equal parts of two types of sturgeon. Vladimir Gilyarovski wrote about the rasstegai in “Moscow and the Muscovites”, his encyclopaedia of Russian life at the turn of 20th century: “This is a round, pie stuffed with minced fish and notochord [the nerve chord of a sturgeon] which takes up the whole plate, the middle is open and in there on a slice of sturgeon is a piece of burbot liver. A gravy for the pie was served for free in the boat...” Rasstegai are often served with soup. Traditionally a fish rasstegai is served with ukha (fish broth) and a meat rasstegai with a meat soup, while rasstegai with rice, carrots and egg may be served with any soup.

Ingredients for the pastry 400 grams flour 1 tablespoon of fresh yeast or 2 tsp of dry yeast 170ml Milk 2 eggs

The classic rastegai is usually stuffed with fish and served with Ukha (fish broth). Discover Russia’s rich culinary traditions in our special section. SHUTTERSTOCK/LEGION-MEDIA

NATALIA ALEXANDROVA

LORI/LEGION MEDIA

Rasstegai: A popular treat of the Tsarist era

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Innkeepers competed to make the best Rastegai.

2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp sugar A pinch of salt 1 egg for the egg wash Ingredients for the filling 500 grams salmon fillet (or another type of fish) 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp cream ½ onion 1 bunch of parsley A pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation: There are two stages in the

preparation of rasstegai: making the pastry and making the filling. 1 First prepare the dough. Gently heat the milk and dissolve the yeast in it, add the sugar, 100g of flour, stir and leave to sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. 2 Add the egg, salt and softened butter to the resulting mixture and mix well. 3 Sift the remaining flour,

make a well in it and put the dough in the indentation. Then, carefully knead the dough, roll it into a ball, place into a bowl, cover it with cling film or a linen towel and leave it for an hour in a warm place. After about 30 minutes, knock down the dough to remove the air. 4 While the dough is rising, prepare the stuffing. Cut the fish into small cubes or thin strips. Finely

chop the onion and fry it in butter until golden brown. Mix the fish with the onions, add the milk, finely chopped parsley and the salt and pepper. 5 Form the dough into balls and then roll them into flat rounds (the size can vary according to your preference. Place the stuffing into the centre. Pinch the edges of the pastry together, making a boat shape. Do not forget to leave a small hole in the middle. 6 Cover a baking sheet with parchment and brush butter over it. Place the rasstegai on the sheet and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius (350 fahrenheit). Serve your rasstegai with fish broth, pouring the broth into the hole in the middle of the pie right before eating.

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