…large bribe; thousands of young men hide from the authorities, becoming дезертирыdeserters. At sixteen all young men in Russia have to становиться/стать на учётregister. At seventeen, the районный военкоматregional draft…
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…striking major collaborative deals in the past, but Syrian instability always looms ominously, endangering long term plans. Syria’s reserves are dwarfed by many of the surrounding countries, and certainly by…
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…participants were beaten by protesters and arrested by police. Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov said recently that Gay Pride parades “may be acceptable for some kind of progressive, in some sense,…
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…leader was Grigorii Semenov, head of a deadly band of Cossacks who fell under no one’s authority. Although Semenov occasionally worked alongside the Czech Legion and Admiral Kolchak’s forces, his…
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…слышен, роль при определении судеб страны недостаточно заметна. Today, the middle class is already a real social force; it is the social strata that has been called upon to play…
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…by the independent Levada Center, 80% of Russians view television as their primary source of news. The same Levada poll, however, shows that only 41% trust the news as an…
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…brought the influences of several civilizations through Central Asia. Conclusion: Understanding Central Asia The partially-enclosed geography shared by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan has led to a shared history…
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…also served a cultural diplomacy purpose as well – broadcasting Russia’s prefered image of itself as an internationally important country favoring multilateralism and generally willing to meet with any country…
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…seats. In May 2013, the Liberal Party suffered an internal power struggle between Ghimpu and Ion Hadârcă, former president of Moldovan Popular Front. Seven Liberal Party deputies split with the…
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…of personality,’ which enabled Stalin’s tyrannical reign. Effectively, Khrushchev’s primary agenda as the new premier of the Soviet Union was to ‘de-Stalinize’ the state by gradually democratizing the Party and…
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…and Ingushetia have been allowed to reach their agreement without formal federal action. There are multiple other territorial disputes between Russia’s federated entities and disputes between territories and the federal…
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The following articles have been chosen for discussing the political, diplomatic, military, social, and economic causes and potential effects of the current crisis on the Crimean Peninsula. Note that many…
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…ideology, often treading a middle path. Although described by university classmates as exceptionally passionate about Communist ideals when she joined the Communist Party in 1985—even receiving honors from Communist organizations—while…
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Often called the Pearl of Siberia, Lake Baikal is a natural wonder that almost defies description. Its 1600 meter (almost 1 mile) depth holds 20% of all the freshwater on…
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…for your bags and heavy winter coats. Then, immediately to the right of the window is a ticket counter. Here you can purchase a day pass or year-long pass. The…
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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 its English translation. Nearly all…
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…the protest, policemen lined the streets. I could not believe how many policemen (and some police women!) there were. They were standing only inches apart from each other all the…
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…to English-speaking audiences, there is perhaps no better commentator than Stephen F. Cohen. A professor emeritus of Russian studies at both Princeton University and New York University, Cohen has long…
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…aimed at forming non-traditional sexual orientations, the attraction of non-traditional sexual relations, distorted conceptions of the social equality of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations among minors, or imposing information on…
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…the library. Although it would have been possible to go on foot, instructions had clearly been given to go by car. It was sprinkling lightly, and I was glad that…
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