Russian For Wonks: Elections and Voting
Political scientists studying a foreign country must be able to understand its politics at a local level. How do elections function? What motivates voters? What…
Read MoreArticles by Andrei Nesterov
Andrei Nesterov leads SRAS' Research Services, performing remote archive research and consultations for researchers around the globe. Andrei graduated from Ural State University (journalism) and Irkutsk State Linguistic University (English). He also studied public policy and journalism at Duke University on a Muskie Fellowship and taught Russian at West Virginia University. As a journalist, he has reported in both Russian and English language outlets and has years of archival research experience. He has travelled Russia extensively and penned many stories on the “real Russia” which lies beyond the capital and major cities. Andrei also contributes news, feature stories, and language resources to the SRAS Family of Sites.
Russian for Wonks: International Relations and Related Issues
In international relations (IR), language is more than a tool. Language, along with culture and history, is central to most national identities. Demonstrating genuine engagement…
Russian for Wonks: Travel Documents, Infrastructure, and Lingo
Russian remains in wide use across the Eurasian space, although its role varies. Each country has its own language in wide and proud usage. However,…
The Russian State Lenin Library: A Guide
The Russian State Library (Российская государственная библиотека), also often known as The Lenin Library, was founded in 1925 on the basis of the book collection…
Foreign Policy Archive of Imperial Russia: A Guide
The Archive of the Foreign Policy of Imperial Russia [Архив внешней политики Российской империи] in addition to the information on the foreign policy of the…
Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History: A Guide
The Russian State Archive of Social and Political History (Российский государственный архив социально-политической истории) was created in March 1999 by combining the Russian Center for…
Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Federation: A Guide
The Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Federation (Архив внешней политики Российской Федерации) was originally founded as The Foreign Policy Archive of the USSR in…
The Russian State Archive of Literature and Art: A Guide
The Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (Российский государственный архив литературы и искусства) is Russia’s largest repository of materials on the history of Russian…
An Introduction to Russian Archives
Russian archives are an essential resource for anyone seriously studying Russia. Unfortunately, today, travel to Russia is not advisable. The US embassy is largely closed…
National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg
The National Library of Russia was founded in 1795 by Catherine the Great to advance public education and preserve the empire’s intellectual heritage. Based in…
State Archive of the Russian Federation: A Guide
The State Archive of the Russian Federation (Государственный архив Российской Федерации) is the legal successor of the Central State Archive of the October Revolution and…
Russian for Wonks: Demographics and Childbirth
Russian demographics have been a major policy issue for the Russian state since its formation in 1991. As the population continues to age and fertility…
Russian for Wonks: The Geopolitics of Summer Camp
For many Russian children, summer camp is a cherished rite of passage—an escape from school routines into a world of bonfires, games, and shared songs….
Bayalinov Children’s Library in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
The current building housing the K. Bayalinov Library for Children and Youth was built in 1984. It’s located at Ogonbayeva Ataya, 242, near the National…
Renting in Russia: Language, Legalities, and Culture
The word for “landlord” in Russian is actually the same as the word for “host” – . Renting in Russia, whether apartments or rooms, comes…
Russian MiniLessons: Холодная война – The Cold War
The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal…
The Dacha in Modern Russian History and Legislation
The Russian word “дача” is often translated into English as “summer residence” or “cottage,” but the best translation is simply a transliteration to English: “dacha.”…
Putin and Pompeo Meet
This issue presents Russian news broadcasts on issues of policy and politics with full transcripts and full side-by-side translations. It is aimed at providing vocabulary…
Major Forum Held on Implementation of National Projects
This resource looks at Russian news broadcasts and presents each with rhetorical and contextual analysis as well as a brief vocabulary list aimed at intermediate-level…
International Summit On Municipal Infrastructure
This resource looks at Russian news broadcasts and presents each with rhetorical and contextual analysis as well as a brief vocabulary list aimed at intermediate-level…