Year: 2008

GUAM: Anti Russia Countries!

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & studying the GUAM group of countries. (Georgia,Ukraine,Azerbaijan & Moldova)

*The GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (Moldovan: GUAM; Azerbaijani: GUAM; Ukrainian: ГУАМ; Georgian: სუამი) is a regional organization of four post-Soviet states: Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. <---Link--->

All the GUAM folks have issues with Russia and those issues either fall into the category of frozen conflicts or aspirations to join NATO……
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Georgia calls itself the “beacon of democracy” among its neighbors. This of course is nonsense. Misha Saakashvili is simply a thug who claims to embrace democracy to impress his Washington friends. And even those friends now have doubts about Misha after cracking down on peaceful demonstrators last year and less than honest elections. Misha’s goal is NATO membership. That is his strongest card to keep Washington on his side, if grudgingly. And Misha wants his neighborhood to join him.

The Ukrainian president is listening…

Probably the greatest political failure in recent memory is Viktor Yushchenko. He won a contested election in what was called the Orange Revolution. Since then, he hasn’t had a clue about governance. His popularity and his party’s have plummeted. As a result the ‘Gas Princess’ Yulia Tymoshenko continues ill-advised populism. Her only goal is to become the next Ukrainian president. Her personal ambition puts aside Ukraine’s real interests. She will do what Washington asks in the end. Her willingness divides Ukraine – needlessly.

Azerbaijan is only really at odds with Russia because of the “frozen conflict” Nagorno-Karabakh – that is 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory. Fair enough. But the fact of the matter is the Kremlin is not really choosing sides – neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan. Whatever resolution the two can find will be acceptable to Moscow. All Russia really wants is to avoid conflict in the post-Soviet space. At the end of the day, Russia pays a heavy price for conflict in the post-Soviet space – events throughout the 1990s stands out as a glaring experience.

Azerbaijan also wants its own energy foreign policy. Again fair enough – every country does, including Russia. Russia’s Gazprom recently has made it abundantly clear that both can a win-win situation with their partners. And this applies to other partners in Central Asia.

Moldova didn’t show up at the anti-Russia venue for the second year in a row. Why? Is it that the Kremlin bought it off? Hardly. What is in play is pragmatic geopolitics. Settling the Transdniestr “frozen conflict” seemed almost impossible. But, there has been progress. Moldova looks to stay out of NATO and Transdniestr stays (autonomously) within Moldova.

Let’s face it; Moldova has left GUAM for good. This is as it should be. It got what it wanted – territorial integrity and better relations with Russia. And Russia played the all-important role to make this happen. <---Link--->
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This is a very unlikely group of countries to have any unity. They all have there own criteria & none of them have warm fuzzy feelings toward the other. So in the end you will see a collapse of this group that use to be GUAM but now is just GUA – M = GUA!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Stories from Soviet Childhood: MISHKA’S PORRIDGE (1)

Hello,

Today we continue reading stories from my Soviet Childhood. How I already told that is very important to know what books people read and what movies watched when they were kids. That gives us a clue to understand who these people are. Today we start to read next story by Noikolay Nosov, first it was published in the magazine for children “Murzilka” then in the book Rat-tat-tat (Тук-тук-тук), 1945. Many generation of Soviet people were brought up on this stories. And I’ll tell you a secret that I like them all but maybe “Mishka’s Porrige” is my favorite ;).

MISHKA’S PORRIDGE

(Part 1)
Last summer when I was living in the country with my mother, Mishka [a boy’s name] came to stay with us. I was very pleased to see him because I had been quite lonely without him. Mum was pleased to see him too.

“I’m so glad you’ve come,” she said. “You two boys can keep each other company. I have to go to town early tomorrow, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Do you think you can manage here by yourselves?”

“Of course we can,” I said. “We aren’t babies.”

“You’ll have to make your own breakfast. Do you know how to cook porridge?”

“I do,” said Mishka. “It’s easy as anything.”
“Mishka,” I said, “are you quite sure you know? When did you ever cook porridge?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve seen Mum cook it. You leave it to me. I won’t let you starve. I’ll make you the best porridge you’ve ever tasted.”

In the morning Mum left us a supply of bread and some jam for our tea and showed us where the oatmeal was. She told us how to cook it too, but I didn’t bother to listen. Why should I bother if Mishka knows all about it, I thought.

Then Mum went away and Mishka and I decided to go down to the river to fish. We got out our fishing-tackle and dug up some worms.
“Just a minute,” I said. “Who’s going to cook the porridge if we go down to the river?”
“Who wants to bother with cooking?” said Mishka. “It’s too much trouble. We can eat bread and jam instead. There’s plenty of bread. We’ll cook the porridge later on when we get hungry.”

We made a lot of jam sandwiches and went off to the river. We went in swimming and lay on the sandy beach afterwards drying ourselves and eating our sandwiches. Then we fished. We sat for a long time but the fish wouldn’t bite. All we got was a dozen or so gudgeons, teeny-weeny ones. We spent most of the day down at the river. Late in the afternoon we got terribly hungry and hurried home to get something to eat.

“Now then, Mishka,” I said. “You’re the expert. What shall we make?”
“Let’s make some porridge,” said Mishka. “It’s the easiest.”
“All right,” I said.
We lit the stove. Mishka got the meal and pot.
“See you make plenty while you’re at it. I’m good and hungry.”
He nearly filled the pot up with meal and poured in water up to the brim.
“Isn’t that too much water?” I said.
“No, that’s the way Mother makes it. You look after the stove and leave the porridge to me.”
So I kept the fire going while Mishka cooked the porridge, which means that he sat and watched the pot, because the porridge cooked by itself.

Before long it got quite dark and we had to light the lamp. And the porridge went on cooking. Suddenly I looked up and saw the pot lid rising and the porridge spilling out over the side.

“Hey, Mishka,” I said. “What’s the matter with the porridge?”
“Why, what’s wrong with it?”
“It’s climbing right out of the pot!”
Mishka grabbed a spoon and began pushing the porridge back into the pot. He pushed and pushed, but it kept swelling up and spilling over the side.
“I don’t know what’s happened to it. Perhaps it’s ready?”

I took a spoon and tasted a little, but the meal was still hard and dry.
“Where’s all the water gone?”
“I don’t know,” said Mishka. “I put an awful lot in. Perhaps there’s a hole in the pot?”
We looked all over the pot but there wasn’t any sign of a hole.
“Must have evaporated,” he said. “We’ll have to add some more.”
He took some of the porridge out of the pot and put it on a plate; he had to take out quite a bit to make room for the water. Then we put the pot back on the stove and let it cook some more. It cooked and cooked and after a while it began spilling over the side again.

“Hey, what’s the idea!” cried Mishka. “Why won’t it stay in the pot?”
He snatched up his spoon and scooped out some more porridge and added another cup of water.
“Look at that,” he said. “You thought there was too much water.”
The porridge went on cooking. And would you believe it, in a little while it lifted the lid and came crawling out again!
I said: “You must have put too much meal in. That’s what it is. It swells when it cooks and there’s not enough room in the pot for it.”
“Yes, that must be it,” said Mishka. “It’s all your fault. You told me to put a lot in because you were hungry, remember?”
“How do I know how much to put in? You’re the one who’s supposed to know how to cook.”
“So I do. I’d have it cooked by now if you hadn’t interfered.”
“All right, cook away, I shan’t say another word.”

I went off in a huff and Mishka went on cooking the porridge, that is, he kept scooping out the extra porridge and adding water. Soon the whole table was covered with plates of half-cooked porridge. And he added water each time.
Finally I lost patience.

“You’re not doing it right. This way the porridge won’t be ready till morning.”
“Well, that’s how they do it in big restaurants. Didn’t you know that? They always cook dinner the night before so it should be ready by morning.”
“That’s all right for restaurants. They don’t need to hurry because they have heaps of other food.”
“We don’t need to hurry either.”
“Don’t we! I’m starving. And besides it’s time to go to bed. See how late it is.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to sleep,” he said, throwing another glass of water into the pot. Suddenly it dawned on me what was wrong,
“Of course it won’t cook if you keep adding cold water,” I said.
“You think you can cook porridge without water?”
“No, I think you’ve still got too much meal in that pot.”
I took the pot, spilled out half the meal and told him to fill it with water.
He took the mug and went to the pail.
“Dash it,” he said. “The water’s all gone.”
“What shall we do now? It’s pitch dark, we’ll never be able to find the well.”
“Rats, I’ll bring some in a jiffy.”
He took matches, tied a rope round the handle of the pail and went off to the well. In a few minutes he was back.
“Where’s the water?” I asked him. .
“Water? Out there in the well.”
“Don’t be silly. What have you done with the pail?”
“The pail? That’s in the well too.”

…….

To continue read the story please click here.
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Previous stories:

ZIS


Cucumbers


THE CRUCIAN CARP

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Best wishes,

Svet

comments always welcome

Abkhazia Says Russia Only Choice!

26 Oct 1993, Senaki, Georgia — Georgian Zviadist rebels lie low at the edge of a road in Senaki as tanks roll past during the Georgian Civil War. President Edouard Shevardnadze’s troops captured Senaki from the Zviadists (forces still loyal to ousted President Zviad Gamsakhurdia) in October 1993 after troops were sent to defend the autonomous region of Abkhazia from the Zviadist forces in August 1992. — Image by © Patrick Robert/Sygma/CORBIS

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & reading an article about Abkhazia….
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The Georgian-Abkhazian conflict can only be resolved with Russia’s help, Abkhazian President Sergey Bagapsh said after a meeting with President Medvedev in Moscow on Thursday. He also said Abkhazia does not see an alternative to the Russian peacekeepers and there can be no other peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia.

Bagapsh stressed that Abkhazia rejects any attempt to oust Russia from this process.

“Abkhazia has made its historical choice – it is a rapprochement with Russia. We will not deviate from this path,” he added.

For his part, Medvedev urged Abkhazia and Georgia to honour a ceasefire signed in Moscow in 1994, as well as UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict.

Abkhazia’s push for independence from Georgia led to a bloody war in the early 90s.

Russian peacekeepers have since been in the region on a UN mandate, separating the conflicting sides.
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I see a war on the horizon if NATO & the UN keep playing games with Georgia! Abkhazia is a very determined little country that wants its rights back as a country, do not forget they only became part of Georgia because Stalin gave them to Georgia. (Stalin was from Georgia)

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russian News: July 1st. 2008!

RBC, 01.07.2008, Moscow 13:59:37.As of July 1, Russia’s Reserve Fund totalled RUB 3,056.52bn, or USD 130.3bn as denominated in dollars, the Russian Finance Ministry’s press office reported. On February 1, when the fund was formed, it stood at RUB 3.057 trillion (approx. USD 130.31bn).

RBC, 01.07.2008, Moscow 13:53:49.The investigation committee of the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that it has brought new charges against the former head of YUKOS Mikhail Khodorkovsky and former MENATEP chief Platon Lebedev. Specifically, the Russian businessmen were charged with embezzling 350m tonnes of oil and laundering sums of money amounting to RUB 487bn (approx. USD 20.8bn), as well as USD 7.5bn. The lawyers for Khodorkovsky have denied the charges, saying that these figures represented the entire amount of oil that YUKOS produced over six years of its operation. The prosecutors have made only minor amendments to the previous statement dated February 3, 2007, and the same contradictions and legally incorrect allegations remain there, the lawyers stressed.

RBC, 01.07.2008, Moscow 12:58:38.The Russian stock market is likely to fall between six and eight percent over the course of the next month, experts told RBC TV today. Russian stocks are expected to hover around their current levels today, analysts say, adding that, if the RTS index closes below 2,300 points, the downward trend will continue. Experts point out that Gazprom’s financial statement, which was released on Monday, failed to live up to market expectations, as its profitability and EBITDA proved to be lower than analysts had predicted. However, a big drop in Gazprom shares is highly unlikely today, according to market analysts, who say that its financial statement can be viewed as neutral.

RBC, 01.07.2008, Moscow 11:40:23.Duty on Russian oil exports is to be set at $495.9 per tonne from August 1, the deputy head of the Russian Finance Ministry’s customs payments department, Alexander Sakovich, told RBC today. The average price of oil stood at $123.36375 per barrel during the monitoring period of May-June, Sakovich explained. The duty will be set at $346.4 and $186.6 per tonne of light and heavy oil products, respectively.

RBC, 30.06.2008, Moscow 17:59:24.Russia is ready and willing to collaborate with the US on measures to deal with the global financial crisis, Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said during today’s meeting with US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The PM pointed out that Russia was one of the most ardent proponents of ensuring global economic stability. Nearly all the countries in the world are going through a hard time, primarily due to rocketing fuel and food prices, Putin noted, adding that Russia was prepared to meet these challenges.

RBC, 30.06.2008, Moscow 15:46:34.Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at the opening of today’s cabinet meeting that RUB 4.6 trillion (approx. USD 196bn) would be allocated from the federal budget for 2009-2011 for the implementation of federal target programs and the country’s investment program. Much needs to be done over the next three years to develop infrastructure and modernize the economy, Putin said. He added that, starting in 2009, greater sums will be spent on the development of Russia’s armed forces. In 2006, military development accounted for 30% of Russia’s military spending and 70% was spent on maintenance of the armed forces, whereas by 2015 this ratio would be inverted, he stressed.

RBC, 30.06.2008, Moscow 14:59:04.Russia’s government debt decreased 1.6 percent in January-May, reaching nearly RUB 2.364 trillion (approx. USD 100.8bn) as of June 1 compared to roughly RUB 2.403 trillion (approx. USD 102.4bn) as of early 2008, the Economy Ministry said in a monitoring report on Russia’s current economic situation. External government debt shrank 7.8 percent in January-May, from USD 44.88bn as of January 1 to USD 41.4bn as of June 1. In May alone, the figure decreased USD 2.663bn. Domestic government debt has been estimated at some RUB 1.381 trillion (approx. USD 58.9bn) as of late May, having risen RUB 11.89bn (approx. USD 507m), or 0.9 percent, in May and RUB 80.12bn (approx. USD 3.42bn), or 6.2 percent, during the first five months of 2008.

Russian / Americans: Speak Out About the Upcoming Election!

Is race still an issue for U.S. voters? The issue has reached to the Russian communities in America. Video from Russiatoday….

In Orlando, Florida, around 60 vehicles have been found spray-painted with hate messages directed at the U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Police are investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the issue of the presidential candidate’s colour is gaining momentum in the U.S.

This video gives another view point from Russians living in America.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Abkhazia: Wants Its Freedom Back!

An unbelievable Black Sea country!

Hello,

One of the most beautiful areas of the world is the little break away republic called Abkhazia! Attached to Georgia physically but not mentally. Abkhazia has it own freedom in mind & wishes that Georgia would go away. Keep in mind that this was a country that was forced to become part of Georgia back in the Stalin era…..
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After 15 years of being under blockade Abkhazia’s holiday resorts are preparing for the return of tourists. Sea links between the breakaway republic and Russia are set to be re-opened.

There was a time when the port of Sukhumi was about to become Abkhazia’s main passenger terminal. But it never happened. In 1992 Georgian troops entered Abkhazia starting a full-blown war.

Almost all of Abkhazia’s territory stretches along the Black sea coast. Back in the 1980s there were plane and passenger lines serving the millions of tourists visiting this region. The towns of Pitsunda, Gagra and Sukhumi have been very popular vacation spots since the 19th century, when Abkhazia was part of the Russian empire. The patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church had their summer residence in the town of Afon.

However, Joseph Stalin merged Abkhazia with his homeland Georgia – a decision that, after the fall of the USSR, caused a violent military conflict.

Russian peacekeepers and UN observers managed to put an end to the bloodshed. But most of Abkhazia’s infrastructure, including airports and marine facilities had stopped functioning. Strangled by international sanctions, the self-proclaimed republic suffered from the blockade for more than 15 years.

Recently Russia lifted the sanctions, including economic and political ones. Georgia objected since it considers Abkhazia part of its territory, but Abkhazians hope that as well as opening sea routes to Russia, they will be able to travel to other countries by sea. Planned routes include not only ones linking Sochi in Russia to Sukhumi and Gagra, but also a link with Trabzon in Turkey.
Link to RussiaToday
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When we traveled to Sochi this Spring we got a chance to see a little bit of Abkhazia. The only word that fits is: Beautiful!

Abkhazia just wants to go back to what they once were. I wish that Georgia would just leave it alone & let Abkhazia have peace….

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russia: Almost July and Wearing Coats!

Hello,

I was drinking a cup of coffee & thinking about the temperature here in Moscow.

So, here is a little tidbit of information: It got to a high temperature today of 15 degrees C. (that is 59 degrees F.) The sun rises at 4:45 am and sets at 10:15 pm! (it is light much longer than that though)

The temperature is fantastic and I love it!

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Beware Russia Is Growing – While you are looking the other way!

Looks like Europe will be Gas King!

RBC, 26.06.2008, Moscow 16:38:47.Russia’s natural gas reserves may grow to 700 trillion cubic meters, Vladimir Yakushev, the deputy head of the Gas Resources Center of on Russia’s scientific and technical progress. If the reserves reach 700 trillion cubic meters, then this would be enough for 500 years of domestic use and for 100 years if global demand is taken into account, Yakushev said. He added that the forecast allowed for gas consumption growth.

Russia’s proved gas reserves currently amount to 248.6 trillion cubic meters.
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RBC, 26.06.2008, Moscow 13:59:07.Russia’s gold and currency reserves stood at $558.7bn as of June 20, up $7.2bn, or 1.3 percent, from the previous showing. Combined with a $70.5bn rise over the previous 18 weeks, reserves have climbed a total of $77.7bn, or 16 percent, in 95 working days. The rapid increase in reserves can be attributed to the euro’s significant advance against the dollar on international exchanges, as well as a stepping-up in the Central Bank’s purchases of foreign currency on the domestic market. As a result, Russia has somewhat narrowed the gap separating it from China and Japan, the global leaders in terms of reserves, which exceed $1.75 trillion in China and amount to roughly $1.015 trillion in Japan.
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I have watched for over two years now. I do not see an end to growth…..

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Russian News: June 27th, 2008!

RBC, 27.06.2008, Khanty-Mansiysk 12:42:41.There are no big problems in Russia-EU relations that cannot be resolved, Russia’s Economy Minister Elvira Nabiullina said in Khanty-Mansiysk today. At the same time, Nabiullina added that the parties had a few differences in particular sectors, which needed to be discussed.

RBC, 27.06.2008, Moscow 12:18:47.Gazprom plans to send its European partners a proposal to work out a project for the creation of a joint gas station chain in Europe, the Russian energy holding’s CEO Alexei Miller said during today’s annual shareholders meeting.

RBC, 27.06.2008, Moscow 11:59:48.Gazprom has upgraded its natural gas production forecast for 2008 to 563bn cubic meters, an increase by 14.4bn cubic meters compared to the previous year, the Russian energy holding’s CEO Alexei Miller said during an annual shareholders meeting today. The company originally announced that it planned to produce 561bn cubic meters of gas this year. Miller also noted that Gazprom’s gas output reached 246bn cubic meters in January-May 2008, up 6.3bn cubic meters against the same period of 2007.

RBC, 27.06.2008, Moscow 10:58:02.Gazprom plans to increase annual investment in geological surveys 2.5 times to RUB 70bn (approx. USD 2.98bn) in Russia alone in 2008-2010, the energy holding’s CEO Alexei Miller said during an annual shareholders meeting today. Annual investment is expected to reach roughly RUB 90bn (approx. USD 3.83bn) until 2020. Miller reiterated that the company had raised its natural gas reserves by 592.1bn cubic meters thanks to conducting geological surveys in 2007. Therefore, Gazprom’s reserves grew more rapidly than gas production for three years running, in contrast to other global gas companies that did not even hit a 90-percent reserves replacement ratio.

RBC, 27.06.2008, Khanty-Mansiysk 09:33:49.President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev will open the Russia-EU summit in Khanty-Mansiysk. The summit will also be attended by European Commission Chairman Jose Manuel Barroso, Secretary General of the Council of the European Commission Javier Solana, Prime Minister of Slovenia which currently chairs the European Union Janez Jansa. During the top-level meeting, Russia-EU talks over a new strategic cooperation agreement will be opened, and after the summit the participants will hold a joint press conference.

RBC, 26.06.2008, Moscow 16:38:47.Russia’s natural gas reserves may grow to 700 trillion cubic meters, Vladimir Yakushev, the deputy head of the Gas Resources Center of VNIIGAZ, a Gazprom subsidiary, said during the sixth Petroleum and Gas Congress in Moscow today. However, Yakhushev stressed that the volume of the reserves depended on Russia’s scientific and technical progress. If the reserves reach 700 trillion cubic meters, then this would be enough for 500 years of domestic use and for 100 years if global demand is taken into account, Yakushev said. He added that the forecast allowed for gas consumption growth.

Russia’s proved gas reserves currently amount to 248.6 trillion cubic meters.

Stories from Soviet Childhood: THE CRUCIAN CARP(2)

Hello,

As you remember on Wednesdays we publish Stories from Soviet Childhood – stories on situations my generation was brought up, and generation of our parents was brought up and we tried to bring up our children by reading them good children book. Today we are finishing a story by Nikolay Nosov “The Crucian Carp”. If you did not read the first part please click at the little picture. To the right —->

THE CRUCIAN CARP
(Part 2)
…The boys stood watching the fish swimming back and forth in the jar. Seryozha was very pleased, but Vitalik felt a little sad. He was sorry he had given away his fish, and what is most important, he was afraid to tell his mother that he had exchanged it for a whistle.

“Perhaps she won’t notice that it’s gone,” he thought as he walked home. But as soon as he came home his mother asked him: “Where is your fish?”
Vitalik did not know what to say.
“Did Murzik eat it up?”
“I don’t know,” Vitalik mumbled.

“There you are,” said his mother. “He waited until everybody was out, fished it out of the bowl and gobbled it up. Look at all the water splashed about! The wicked cat! Where is he? Find him at once.”

“Murzik! Murzik!” Vitalik called, but Murzik was nowhere to be seen.
“He must have jumped out through the window,” said his mother. “Go outside and have a look.”
Vitalik put on his coat and went outside.

“Oh dear, what shall I do?” he thought miserably. “Now Murzik will get a hiding because of me.”
He was just about to go back and say he couldn’t find Murzik, when Murzik himself sprang out of an opening that led into the basement and ran over to the door.
“Murzik darling, don’t go home,” said Vitalik. “You’ll get a hiding from Mummy.”
Murzik purred and rubbed himself against Vitalik’s leg and meowed softly.
“Don’t you understand, you silly cat?” said Vitalik. “You mustn’t go in.”
But Murzik wouldn’t listen. He looked up adoringly at Vitalik, rubbing himself against his legs and pushing at him gently with his head as if begging him to hurry up and open the door. Vitalik tried to drag him away from the door, but Murzik insisted. Vitalik opened the door quickly, slipped inside and closed it before Murzik had time to follow him.
“Meow!” cried Murzik from the other side of the door.
Vitalik poked his head out: “Keep quiet, you silly. Mummy will hear and you’ll get beaten!”
He picked up the cat and started to push him back into the hole under the house. Murzik resisted with all four paws. He didn’t want to go back into the basement.
“Get in, silly,” muttered Vitalik. “And stay there.”
At last he managed to push the kitten through the hole, all except his tail which still stuck out. The tail wiggled angrily for a little, then disappeared inside. Vitalik was glad: he thought Murzik understood that he must sit tight in the cellar. But the next minute Murzik stuck his head out of the hole again.
“Where are you going, stupid!” hissed Vitalik, covering the opening with his hands. “Didn’t I tell you you can’t go home just now.”
“Meow!” cried Murzik.
“Meow yourself,” snapped Vitalik. “Oh dear, what shall I do with you?”
He looked around for something to cover the hole with. There was a brick lying on the ground near the cellar. Vitalik picked it up and stood it up against the opening.
“There,” he said. “Now you can’t get out. You stay there for a while. Tomorrow Mummy will forget all about the fish and then I’ll let you out.”

Vitalik went back into the house and told his mother he couldn’t find Murzik anywhere.
“Never mind,” said Mummy. “He’ll come back. I shan’t forgive him for this.”
At dinner that day Vitalik felt very miserable. He didn’t want to eat anything.
“Here I am having dinner,” he thought, “and poor Murzik is sitting there in the dark cellar.”
When his mother left the table, Vitalik took his portion of meat from his plate, hid it in his pocket and ran out to the cellar. He moved the brick aside and called softly: “Murzik! Murzik!”
But Murzik didn’t answer. Vitalik bent down and peeped through the hole, but it was too dark to see anything.
“Murzik! Murzik!” Vitalik called. “Do come out, there’s a good cat. I’ve got a nice bit of meat for you.”
But Murzik did not appear.
“You won’t? All right, you can stay there hungry,” said Vitalik and went home in a huff.
At home he felt very lonely without Murzik. Besides, his heart was heavy because he had deceived his mother.
His mother saw that he looked unhappy.
“Cheer up,” she said. “I’ll get you another fish.”
“I don’t want a fish,” he said.
He wanted to own up to his mother about everything but he hadn’t the courage, so he said nothing. Just then there was a faint scratching noise outside the window, followed by loud “Meow!”
Vitalik looked up and saw Murzik standing on the window-ledge. How had he got out of the cellar?

“Aha!” cried Vitalik’s mother. “There he is, the rascal! Come here, you bad cat!”
She opened the little window and Murzik came in. She tried to grab him, but he must have guessed that something was wrong because he darted under the table.
“Oh, the cunning little beast,” said Vitalik’s mother. “He knows he’s guilty. Vitalik, help me catch him.”
Vitalik crawled under the table. When Murzik saw him he fled for cover under the sofa. Vitalik was glad, and though he dutifully crawled after him, he made as much noise as he could so as to give Murzik a chance to escape. Murzik sprang out from under the sofa and Vitalik started chasing him round and round the room.
“Don’t make such a noise,” said his mother. “You’ll never catch him that way.”
Murzik jumped on to the window-sill where the empty fish bowl stood and was about to jump back through the window but missed his footing and fell into the fish bowl with a great splash! The next moment he was out, shaking himself furiously. Mother seized him by the scruff of the neck.

“Now, I’ll teach you a good lesson.”
“Mummy, Mummy! Please don’t beat him!” cried Vitalik and burst into tears.
“Now, don’t go pitying him. He didn’t pity the fish, did he?”
“He isn’t to blame, Mummy.”
“Oh, isn’t he? Who ate the fish, then?”
“It wasn’t him.”
“Then who was it?”
“It was me….”
“What? You ate the fish?”
“No, I didn’t eat it. I … I exchanged it for a whistle.”
“For a what?”
“For this.” And Vitalik pulled the whistle out of his pocket and showed it to his mother.
“You naughty boy, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”
“I didn’t mean it, Mummy. Seryozha said: ‘Let’s change,’ so I did.”
“I meant you ought to be ashamed of yourself for not telling the truth. I blamed it on Murzik. Is it nice to shift the blame on others?”
“I was afraid you would scold me.”
“Only cowards are afraid to tell the truth. How would you have felt if I had punished Murzik?”
“I’ll never do it again.”
“Well, mind you don’t. I forgive you this time because you owned up.”

Vitalik picked up Murzik and took him over to the stove to dry. With his wet fur sticking up all over Murzik looked more like a hedgehog than a cat. He looked skinny too, as if he hadn’t eaten for a whole week. Vitalik felt very sorry for him. He took the piece of meat out of his pocket and laid it on the chair in front of Murzik. Murzik ate it up with great zest and settled down on the chair to dry. After a while he climbed on to Vitalik’s lap, curled up in a ball and began to purr as loudly as he could. The sound of his purring made Vitalik somehow feel very happy. It must have been the purring because what else could it be?

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Previous stories:

ZIS


Cucumbers

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Best wishes and next Wednesday we will read next story!

Svet

comments always welcome