Odessa: A City Born Again and Again
As the third largest city in Ukraine, Odessa has a rich and eclectic history. Located on the Black Sea, about 450 km south of Kiev,…
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Turkmenistan: A Rich, Desert Land
Turkmenistan consists mostly of sparsely-inhabited desert, but has still found itself contested between civilizations throughout history. Over the past century, it has been particularly associated…
South Ossetia: Old Territory, New Problems
South Ossetia is one of the world’s newest independent states according to Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and the microstates of Tuvalu and Nauru. According to all…
Tbilisi: The Immortal City
These days, a visitor to Tbilisi might be struck by the calm, southern European atmosphere that pervades this hilly capital. The old city of Tbilisi,…
Georgia: New State, Deep Roots
The Republic of Georgia, a small nation in the South Caucasus, covers territory which has seen the rise and fall of many empires and kingdoms…
Bishkek: “A Place Below the Mountains”
Bishkek is capital of one of Central Asia’s poorest countries. However, it is also a modern, dynamic, and constantly evolving city with a rich history…
Abkhazia: Grandeur to Ruin… and Back Again?
Abkhazia: Grandeur to Ruin… and Back Again? With its precipitous mountains, subtropical climate, and pristine beaches, one would expect Abkhazia to be the Black Sea…
Kazakhstan’s Capitals: Two Cities of History and Modern Business
I. Almaty – The Old Capital Almaty is a beautiful city perched among the mountains in Southern Kazakhstan. Its name comes from the Kazakh word “alma” which…
Kyrgyzstan: A Small Country with a Big Stick
Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked, economically poor, and highly mountainous country in Central Asia, keeps an unassuming profile. It lacks the oil and gas wealth of Uzbekistan,…
Moscow State University Library
Perhaps one of the most important things to know when studying at a university is where its library is and how to utilize it. The…
People’s Front: Party Platform
People’s Front is a new political party in Ukraine, founded in March 2014 by Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and former Parliament Chairman Oleksandr Turchynov. Yatsenyuk…
Bloc of Petro Poroshenko: Party Platform
Bloc of Petro Poroshenko is united behind President Petro Poroshenko’s goals for Ukraine. The party’s primary objectives include Ukraine’s membership in the EU, a peaceful…
Sochi: Russia’s Summer Capital
Nestled between the Black Sea and the steep Caucasus mountain slopes, the city of Sochi and its surrounding area occupies a critical part of the…
Russian MiniLessons: Санкции России -Russian Sanctions
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…
Alexei Navalny: Mayoral Platform for 2013
Alexey Navalny is probably the most viable opposition politician to emerge in Russia in the last decade. His supporters point to his efforts to create…
Coming Soon: The Moscow Ring Railway
The Village is a Russian-language publication in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kiev that seeks to inform locals about their various cities, upcoming events, urban changes, and history. One of the…
Agriculture as the Basis of a New Russia
An Open Letter to the Authorities Boris Akimov is a man of all trades. Until 2010 he worked as a journalist for Afisha and Snob,…
Russian MiniLessons: Крым: хронология событий – A Crimean Timeline
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…
On the Eve of Crimean Independence
The day before Crimea voted in its independence referendum, The Village, a Moscow-based publication with editions in St. Petersburg and Kiev, asked residents of various…
Russian MiniLessons: Civil War in Syria
The <strong>сирийский</strong> <strong>кризис</strong> (Syrian crisis) is a conflict between <strong>п</strong><strong>овстанцы</strong> (rebels) who are seeking to <strong>свергнуть</strong> <strong>правительство</strong> (oust the government) and <strong>проправительственные</strong> <strong>силы</strong> (pro-government forces)….