The war in Donetsk – end of a post-Soviet taboo? | Johnson's Russia List

The war in Donetsk – end of a post-Soviet taboo? | Johnson's Russia List

What crisis? Moscow marks 868th birthday with glam metal and plenty of make-up | Johnson's Russia List

What crisis? Moscow marks 868th birthday with glam metal and plenty of make-up | Johnson's Russia List

KGB Poison found at Alnwick Gardens

When the KGB are not poisoning dissidents with green tea laced with Polonium-210 or Ricin coated pellets fired from umbrellas (OK, I know that was the Bulgarians - but they were helped by the KGB), their tipple of choice is Gelsemium Elegans - according to the guide showing me around the deadly plants growing in the Poison Garden - this is a fenced-off section of Northumberland's Alnwick Garden containing many intoxicating and poisonous plants.

I was at the Alnwick Garden on Saturday when the guide presented this information as if it were a well known, frequent and, more importantly, current practice of the Russian "KGB" when wishing to rid themselves of troublesome "dissidents". Now there was much to take issue with here, but my mind was struggling to make sense of what the guide was actually referring to; e.g. was this poison used by the KGB in Soviet times or did he mean the current Russian security service - the FSB; and against whom was / is the poison used?  Did he mean Soviet dissidents who had emigrated from the Soviet Union or those Soviet dissidents who had not emigrated and were not incarcerated in labour-camps or psychiatric hospitals?  Or was he referring to some other, more recent events?

I am not trying to be flippant here or suggesting that none of it was true, rather, I am offering an excuse as to why I didn't ask the guide to clarify what he meant. Anyway, we moved on to the star attraction in the garden - cannabis - before I had a chance to form a coherent question, so I thought I would just look it up on the internet on my return home.

It turns out that Gelsemium Elegans had recently been in the news (August 2015) at a pre-inquest hearing into the death of  Alexander Perepilichny, an exile living in the UK.  There was a suggestion that this poison had been used to kill the Russian businessman, and "whistleblower" into a massive tax fraud in Russia, who died in 2012 after collapsing when out running.

Nevertheless, it was a very interesting but brief tour of the deadliest plants in Alnwick Garden, I was taken aback by the fact that many of the plants in the garden were not necessarily rare or exotic plants, but some very mundane and common varieties found in the UK.  For example, Rhubarb leaves can induce a particularly horrible death if ingested.

http://www.alnwickgarden.com/

Ukraine, Russophobia & The Death of Neutrality

I recently came across an interesting article by security and organised crime expert (and Moscow Times Columnist), Mark Galeotti, on his blog https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/.  In this article, he talks about, among other things, the death of neutrality.  The heightening of tensions in relations between East and West,  US, NATO vs Russia, an apparent return to Cold War footing and rhetoric,  has made it more difficult for objective analysts such to present themselves, or be accepted as truly disinterested parties. In particular, when considering the events in Ukraine - the article struck a chord with me.

"The death of neutrality. It is increasingly difficult not to be on one side or the other. We’ve already seen this over Ukraine (I’ve been castigated as a Kremlin stooge for not using the word “terrorist” to describe the rebels, and a Western shill for claiming that Russian troops are present, all for the same article!), but I think it’s also happening with Russia. Not to regard Putin as a murderous mafioso-fascist-tyrant-kleptocrat who kills for the hell of it is to be an apologist. To refuse to believe the State Department is actively trying to install Navalny in the Kremlin makes you a tool of Western “colour revolution.” Analysis increasingly, I’m sorry to say, takes second place to assertion of the world as the observer “knows” it to be." Mark Galeotti

I'm no apologist for the Putin regime, and have been supportive of UK and US policy, perhaps in the naive belief that Western democracies, led by the US, have generally been a benign, positive  force in the world, but I have been astounded at the outcomes we have managed to achieve over the last decade or so foreign policy adventures. I think this echoes the sentiments of British Journalist and Author, Peter Hitchens, who said this recently in his Sunday Mail blog:

"Perhaps, after years in which I genuinely believed that our Government and the Americans were a pretty straightforward force for good, I now find it harder to accept, having seen the wrong and foolish things we do in the Middle East and now also in Ukraine."

I have no axe to grind on this matter, but what we are being told about Ukraine and Russia is a crock of shit.  The US and EU stirred things up in Ukraine, encouraged the opposition movement towards a 'color revolution',  and played some kind of shadowy role in the overthrow of Yanukovich's regime in Ukraine - an apparent masterclass in "hybrid" warfare.  The result - a failed state, a collapsing economy, political turmoil and civil war - right on the borders of a nuclear state, Russia.

But those that assert this or question what what the mainstream media is presenting,  are branded a "useful idiots", deluded pro-Putin members of the awkward squad, Russian internet trolls,  or RT propagandists.

The rampant Russophobia, the anti-Putin and anti-Russian sentiment in the mainstream media of the West  has crowded out any kind of objective and measured analyses of the situation or, for that matter, alternative viewpoints.  As a consequence of this, the tragedy unfolding on Europe's doorstep, in the Donbass, and the Ukraine regime's substantial role in this, has largely been ignored by the mainstream media.  

Omar Sharif: Dr Zhivago dies aged 83

Egypt-born Omar Sharif who played the title role in David Lean's 1965 epic epic Doctor Zhivago, has died of a heart attack.  Based on Boris Pasternak's book of the same name, Sharif played the part of Yuri Zhivago - a married physician who falls in love with another woman, Lara.  Their lives are disrupted in the turmoil and upheaval of the Russian Revolution.

Yuri Dolgoruky watches over Yuri Zhivago in the laboratory

For the part of Yuri Zhivago, a Siberian, the actor had to disguise his Egyptian looks with a regime of hair straightening and skin waxing, as well as having to wear a wig to hide a band which pulled back the skin around his eyes to make them look more Slavic.  Sharif won a Golden Globe for this performance, as he did 3 years earlier in David Lean's 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia.

Your own home - by your own hands!

I'm not sure of the exact translation of this poster is, or what exactly the viewer is being exhorted to do  "GIVE (help) MZhK! Moskovski Zhilikh Kvartali (Moscow Apartments) Your own home by your own hands".

I bought this poster back in 1989 from the huge book shop  - Dom Knigi - on Kalinin Prospekt (now Novy Arbat) in Moscow.  I had it on my bedroom wall for while when I lived at my parents, but probably chucked it out when I moved into my own place.  

I had a few other Soviet propaganda posters as well, but this was my favourite.  I had forgotten about it for 26 years until last month when my mate Steve, with whom I went to Russia in 1988 and '89, was having a clear out at his house and found this very poster.  He was going to throw it out, but fortunately he asked me if I would like it.  Well, I refuse nowt!  So it is now hanging in my kitchen. For how long - I don't know - but I'm sure it'll be gone soon if wor lass gets her way!

Weird, Bizarre, Innovative Soviet Russian 8-wheeled Car

Weird, Bizarre, Innovative Soviet Russian 8-wheeled Car

Here are some more . . ..

https://hague6185.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/top-ten-oddest-cars-from-russia/

Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov at Science Museum London

Alexei Leonov, is in London Today at the Science Museum.  The 80 year old retired Cosmonaut, most famous for being the first man to walk in space, was at the museum's announcement of a forthcoming exhibition on Soviet / Russian space travel "Cosmonauts".  This year marked the 50th anniversary of his pioneering space walk: http://blog.therussiahouse.net/2015/03/1st-space-walk-50-years-ago.html

Leonov also took part in another famous space expedition - 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission – Soyuz 19 – the first joint space mission between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The Science Museum's exhibition "Cosmonauts" opens in London on 18th September 2015.  This is the blurb from their website:

In 1957 Russia launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into space and just four years later sent the first ever human – Yuri Gagarin. Discover the dramatic story of how Russia turned the dream of space travel into a reality and became the first nation to explore space in this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.

Cosmonauts will reveal the most significant collection of Russian spacecraft and artefacts ever to be shown in the UK. Come face-to-face with Vostok-6, the capsule flown by Valentina Tereshkova, the first ever woman in space, and examine the fascinating gadgets cosmonauts need to live in space, including a shower, toilet, medical instruments and survival kits for crash landings. 

Explore the historical, cultural and spiritual context of Russian space travel, shaped especially by the turbulent early decades of the twentieth century. See poignant testimonies and memorabilia belonging to some of the biggest names in spaceflight and discover the deeply personal stories of the pioneers who kick-started the space age.

Opens 18 September 2015

Exhibition will be open until 22.00 every Friday 

McDonald's sanction busting restaurant opening

McDonald's has opened its 500th restaurant in Russia, 25 years after the company opened its first fast food restaurant in the Soviet Union.  The restaurant in Russia's 4th largest city, Yekaterinburg, takes the number of McDonalds to 12 in city close to the Ural mountains.

Obviously if you are a big enough US company, you can be exempt from the sanctions your country is imposing on Russia.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/520702.html

Its probably a good job, given the hard time McDonald's has been having in Russia of late.

http://blog.therussiahouse.net/2014/10/ten-mcdonalds-restaurants-closed-in.html

Following the closure (temporary or otherwise) of a number of McDonald's in Russia, arising from failed hygiene inspections, the company has permanently closed a restaurant for the first time in its 25-year history in Russia.  

TASS reported in April 2015 that a McDonald's restaurant in the Belgorod region to the south of Moscow, was closed after they were unable to agree on rental payments with the property's owner.

Happy 70 Years Victory Day - s Praznikom Pobyedi

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Victory against Nazism and Fascism in Europe.  The Soviet Union and the Allies defeated Nazi Germany and a formal surrender was signed on 8th May 1945 (9th of May Moscow Time).

Race for Berlin - a Soviet Soldier raises the Hammer & Sickle over the Reichstag

To mark the occasion in my own small way, I bought a St George Ribbon from eBay.

Western Rejection Rains on Russia’s Victory Day Parade | Johnson's Russia List

Western Rejection Rains on Russia’s Victory Day Parade | Johnson's Russia List



In this article, the contrast with the celebrations a decade ago is striking.  Putin driving President Bush in a Soviet Era vintage GAZ car, a pro-Western president in Ukraine, close co-operation with the EU.



"Putin signed a statement on the creation of a Russian-Ukrainian intergovernmental commission with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who had been brought to power after a series of pro-Western public protests in Kiev just months before the celebrations."  

This begs the question: why didn't the pro-Western protests and the installation of a pro-Western President lead to civil war in Ukraine (and the creation of pro-Russian separatist movements) in 2004/2005 as it did in 2014?

NATO-Russia: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. An Expert Opinion

"A quarter century ago (1991), the bipolar system (which brought NATO into being) ceased to exist. However, the alliance, as is evident from last year’s events, still regards Russia, the legal successor to the USSR, as a force to be combated."

Other news of the day

08/04/2015 NATO-Russia: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. An Expert Opinion FENENKO, Alexei NATO is strengthening its force in East Europe, where the US is redeploying additional contingents. It is also holding large-scale military exercises near Russian borders and is planning to double the strength of its rapid response.

Russian Ships Invade Newcastle

Royal navy frigates have been scrambled to intercept Russian ships which been spotted sailing up the river Tyne this morning.  

Unlike the Russian bombers which have flew close to UK airspace, testing our defences, these Russian ships have penetrated deep in UK territorial waters and have actually berthed on the Tyne at Newcastle's Quayside.

The Russian ships are here on the request of Durak Aprelski, the leader of the Russian separatists who occupied Newcastle last year, as reported here:

http://blog.therussiahouse.net/2014/04/russia-to-annex-newcastle-upon-tyne.html

Ok, I admit it, these pictures were taken in 1986 during the Tall Ships Race in Newcastle.

BNE: Support for Ukrainian government plummets | Johnson's Russia List

BNE: Support for Ukrainian government plummets | Johnson's Russia List

BOOK REVIEW: “Mr Putin: Operative in the Kremlin” – an updated version | Johnson's Russia List

This is a compelling and authoritative book on Vladimir Putin by Fiona Hill and Clifford G Gaddy from the US Brookings Institute.



BOOK REVIEW: “Mr Putin: Operative in the Kremlin” – an updated version | Johnson's Russia List



I have a hard back copy and a Kindle version of the original edition of the book.  Surely, I'm entitled to receive the updated version for free!?



It's well worth a read as its cuts through all the crap spouted by Western Media, amateur psychologists, would-be Putinologists.

Fascinating World of Iron Curtain Shop Windows

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/fascinating-world-of-iron-curtain-shop-windows/517911.html

Fascinating stuff.  Just ordered the book mentioned in this Moscow Times article: David Hlynsky's "Window-Shopping through the Iron Curtain" 

Soviet Cosmonaut tube food

Some great photos of Soviet Cosmonaut food on EnglishRussia site here:

http://englishrussia.com/2015/03/23/food-of-soviet-cosmonauts

News Today 19 03 2015 Putin sings national anthem at Red Square Crimea c...

1st Space Walk - 50 years ago

On March 18, 1965, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to take a spacewalk when he, attached to a tether, spent 12 minutes floating outside the Voskhod-2 spacecraft. 

Happy International Women's Day

It is a throwback from Soviet times but it remains a national holiday in Russia today.  It is the day when women are celebrated - with wives, girlfriends, daughters, mothers, mother in laws, grandmothers, aunts, etc, receiving flowers, chocolates and cakes from the men in their lives.  

I've been in Russia on two occasions when when this holiday has been celebrated.  Flower sellers on every street and metro entrance; Men carrying cake boxes with string handles and bunches of flowers wrapped in copies of Pravda; and people greet each other with 'S praznikom' (happy holiday, i think) - it is a happy occasion which is widely celebrated.

But as women say in Russia "1 day for women, 364 days for men" bemoaning the fact that their menfolk do very little the rest of the year to contribute to the household chores. Even on International Women's day they can get a raw deal - I was walking around Red Square on a bitterly cold night of 8th March 1988 when I spotted two women shoveling snow on to the back of a truck - back-breaking work; meanwhile, sitting in the warm cabin of the truck, was their male co-worker relaxing with a cigarette!