Society - Russia Beyond The Headlines

Georgia’s Stalin Museum reassesses its hometown hero

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:30:00 +0400

Plans to turn the shrine-like spot into a memorial to repression marks the end of an era in Gori, Stalin’s birthplace

Russia to fight smoking with price increase

Fri, 18 May 2012 18:29:00 +0400

Cigarette prices might increase fivefold by 2018

Opposition and Nashi unite over forest

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:32:00 +0400

The standoff over the Tsagovsky Forest brings together protestors from across the political spectrum

Russian and British veterans celebrate together on Victory Day

Thu, 10 May 2012 22:31:00 +0400

Last week London’s Russian and British communities came together to salute the bravery of the sailors involved in the Arctic Convoys of World War II

Jet crash caused by human error?

Thu, 10 May 2012 18:44:00 +0400

Sukhoi SuperJet 100 crash in Indonesia has experts debating over the human factor in the accident

We were soldiers once, and young

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:55:00 +0400

As Russia celebrated the 67th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, RBTH spoke to veterans about their memories of that time

Russia celebrates Victory Day

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:34:00 +0400

Russia held a parade in Red Square to mark the 67th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-45 Great Patriotic War

The honor of wearing the crimson beret

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:50:00 +0400

The Russian special forces must survive one of the world’s most difficult competitions to earn the right to wear the crimson beret, the symbol of their status

Russia’s innovative future becoming the present

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:43:00 +0400

Innovative Russia Week 2012 displayed technological novelties that hope to change people’s everyday lives

Retired soldier builds life-size models of World War II tanks

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:47:00 +0400

A retired military man in the Siberian village of Bolshoi Oyesh has set up a workshop that builds life-size moving models of World War II-era tanks and armored vehicles

Boris Drozdov: “There is no one to tell the young generation”

Fri, 04 May 2012 17:32:00 +0400

Moscow resident Boris Drozdov, 78, whose father and grandfather were repressed under Stalin, talked to Russia Now about his family’s survival

What Russians think about Stalin

Fri, 04 May 2012 16:29:00 +0400

In the West, Stalin is remembered for the terror he inflicted on his own people, while at home the collective memory is more complex

May Day celebrants take part in monstrations

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:40:00 +0400

The satirical "Monstration" May Day rallies continues to attract more participants across the country

Russia celebrates Labor Day

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:33:00 +0400

Russia celebrates a national holiday, the Day of Spring and Labor, on May 1, with trade unions and political parties set to hold rallies across the country

Moscow changes plans for the metro

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:03:00 +0400

With the relocation of government offices to the southwest of Moscow, the plan to expand the metro system has been revised

Is Russia's Far East overcrowded by Chinese immigrants?

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:27:00 +0400

One of the myths in Moscow is that Russia’s Far East is overrun with Chinese immigrants. Sergei Pushkarev, the former head of the Vladivostok regional branch of the Federal Migration Service talked to RBTH why this myth persists in the Far East

Russians around the world take dictation

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:24:00 +0400

A program aimed at promoting literacy among Russian speakers, brought together 15,000 people in 85 cities across the world for a writing exercise

Television for the elite

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:29:00 +0400

Is there any hope for Medvedev’s plan to create public television?

Making Russians laugh

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:21:00 +0400

In Russia, humor is a form of social therapy; it helps to expose social absurdity, unite people or reveal their identities

Mum’s the word for tip-top tuition

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:33:00 +0400

More and more parents are opting to educate their children at home believing it will be better for them than going to school

Who wants to be a millionaire?

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:56:00 +0400

Yachts and exotic islands epitomize the high life for most Russians but black caviar would not be on the menu

A class act when it comes to good causes

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:33:00 +0400

Two Russian actresses will soon have their outstanding fund-raising work for sick children recognised on the international stage

Stalin notebooks: Internet meme, or provocation?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:31:00 +0400

School notebooks depicting Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin touched off a public scandal

The Russian Orthodox Church won't be silent

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:45:00 +0400

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for Relations between the Church and Society, spoke to RBTH's Marina Darmaros about ecumenism, his attitude towards contemporary art, the punk band Pussy Riot and liberals

Moscow faces the global challenge of the local architect

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:38:00 +0400

Russians are voting for the best project to develop the site of the demolished Rossiya Hotel near the Kremlin. The contest will run through April 20. One of its participants - architect Alexis Gaden of Lyon – explains why he wants to work in Moscow

Pensioners shake up the blogosphere

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:12:00 +0400

The largest segment of Internet users may be young people, but increasingly the web is a tool for older people to engage with society

Patriarch Kirill’s missing watch raises heated debate on the internet

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:59:00 +0400

After claiming earlier in the week to be under attack by unspecified “anti-Russian forces,” the Russian Orthodox Church now faces a scandal that has grown to international proportions

Protests had an impact

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:01:00 +0400

Rallies are losing their appeal because protesters feel they are unable to change the political situation. But this doesn’t mean the authorities can be complacent

Airliner crash kills at least 31

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:02:00 +0400

A passenger plane has crashed early Monday in Russia's Tyumen region. The country’s Emergencies Ministry says at least 31 people out of 43 were killed

The best news is fake news

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 23:21:00 +0400

Russia has seen the appearance of a group of satirists hoping to imitate the success of the American spoof news agency The Onion

Pussy Riot prank in cathedral has Russians divided in their assessments

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:19:00 +0400

Russian feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot became popular overnight after it staged an unsanctioned performance in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior

A new class of farmers emerges in Russia

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:08:00 +0400

As consumers become more concerned about what they eat, farmers and supermarkets try to supply this demand

Not ready to throw in the towel

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:58:00 +0400

Medvedev revives commitment to fighting corruption, discusses new policy roadmap

Made-to-order employees

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:57:00 +0400

More and more firms – both Russian and foreign – place instructors in Russian universities to make sure that graduates are prepared for the workforce

State companies to transfer 1 percent of innovation budgets to Skolkovo

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:09:00 +0400

The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology plans to establish Russia’s biggest endowment fund, projected at 16.5 billion rubles ($560 million) in 2012 alone

Long way to San Francisco

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:47:00 +0400

Preparations for the 2012 APEC summit are transforming Vladivostok’s skyline, but residents of this economically struggling city are worried about what will happen when federal funds run out

Skolkovo as a barrier to the brain drain

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:46:00 +0400

The Russian government believes that the Skolkovo Innovation Center is capable of slowing the brain drain problem which the country is faced with

Russia's young scientists get more exposure

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:02:00 +0400

The Theory and Practice (T&P) master classes are one of Russia’s most popular ways to share knowledge

New grants revitalize Russian science

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:41:00 +0400

The Megagrant project, an ambitious initiative of Russia's Ministry of Education, indicates that the authorities make an attempt to prevent the brain drain

Bringing Russia to the disabled

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:24:00 +0400

Two women in St. Petersburg have established a travel company for people who cannot get around independently

Curing Illness with Laughter

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:11:00 +0400

In the antiseptic world of the hospital, surprises and distractions are rare. For children suffering from serious illnesses, the laughter brought about by doctors dressed as clowns can be an effective remedy

From angry voters to sexual minorities

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:59:00 +0400

Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin chose a symbolic moment, the day of the Russian presidential election, to publish his annual report on human rights in the Russian Federation

Revealing details on one of the world's most freshwater sources

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:16:00 +0400

Polar explorers from Russia’s Antarctic station describe how they extracted water samples from the sub-glacial lake

Protest movement comes to an end?

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:23:00 +0400

The recent rally orchestrated by the opposition in central Moscow indicates that the post-election discontent is gradually coming to an end

A space for dialogue?

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:12:00 +0400

Society remains unhappy, but no one is really in the mood to fight. Where to Russia’s protestors go from here?

Women taking bigger role in business

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:24:00 +0400

On March 8, Russia celebrates International Women’s Day. In honor of the holiday, stories about the new role women are playing in Russian business

Catching up with Western standards of education

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:35:00 +0400

RBTH got in touch with former Minister of Education Vladimir Filippov to discuss how Russia has been adjusting to the Bologna Process

More or less a specialist?

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:53:00 +0400

Russia’s accession to the Bologna System has been a controversial process. The country is still facing some obstacles in adjusting to the World standards

Authorities cracked down the opposition

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:14:00 +0400

Police detained several opposition activists including vocal anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny and leftist leader Sergei Udaltsov during the rally in Pushkin Square in central Moscow

The voting intelligentsia

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:06:00 +0400

RBTH spoke to about a dozen cultural figures as they reflected on election day 2012