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Last week we ended on a sad note regarding the fate of the Hermitage’s famous cat population during the siege of Leningrad, so on to more positive circumstances. Reestablishment To compensate for their absence after the Great Patriotic War (World War 2), cats were once aga...

In 1745 the cats of Kazan had something of a reputation for their prowess as rat catchers -and dispatchers of mice too. Word of their expertise had duly reached the royal ear in St.Petersburg, so when Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine 1st, sought a...

In this third and final instalment of the bear-thing, we won’t mention bears at all (except there). Instead, there are more interesting things to discover about Moscow’s wild dogs, a fascinating example of survival and ongoing co-existence. Choose your weapons The evolution of...

Last week, we took a look at the mythologised and often tragic human/bear relationships that Russia is stereotypically famous for here in the west. That’s the bear ‘thing’ – an assumption that exasperated (though amused) Russians still expect to hear from us. Yes, that’s...

The bear ‘thing’ is one Russian stereotype that I joke about when speaking with Russian friends and acquaintances. From both sides of the compass, it’s occasionally proved to be a warm piece of nonsense (when presented as such) that we could share and enjoy  -rather than a joke...

Here, in this second and final part of “Anomalous Zones” we go further out than before and into a fascinating, mystical system of belief. Here, among the portents; the knowledgeable interpret the land and its features as supernaturally significant – to either positive or...

There’s a marked connection between Russian people and the mysterious; I’ve certainly noticed a tendency that we in the west don’t seem to share to the same degree. You could replace the word “mysterious” with “paranormal” – or even “magical”. We may regard such issues as...

The Russian mindset is a very deep subject, connected inextricably to the ‘Russian Soul’ – a term that the Russians themselves use self-referentially. I’ve no idea where a mindset ends and a soul begins, but I suspect there’s a sliding grey-scale between the two. Last week...

Although nearly 30 years in its grave, the Russian Communist system still affects much of the ‘normal’ (ie: acceptable) behaviour of modern Russian citizens. This takes the form of behavioural hang-overs and elements of a mindset taken from the previous era and passed down, as if...

In this final part of the series, ‘A’ -a Russian visitor to the UK- shares his thoughts on various places of interest, encountered during his stay here -in contrast to the surroundings (and inhabitants) back home. Seafarers “Your nation is a ‘sea nation’ -you like it!” so ...