Category: Russia

Russia: Nobel-prize winning Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has died at the age of 89!


Solzhenitsyn

Solzhenitsyn...

Nobel prize winner Solzhenitsyn dies at 89 – The Nobel-prize winning Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has died at the age of 89. He passed away in Moscow in the early hours of Monday. It is believed he died of a stroke.

Solzhenitsyn’s books were the first to tell millions of people across the world about the Soviet prison system and Stalin’s repressions.

Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev expressed his condolences to Solzhenitsyn’s widow and sons.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid his respects by calling Solzhenitsyn one of the greatest Russians of the 20th century.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Windows to Russia!

Always Trying to Find the Dirt on Putin…


Everyone is always looking for dirt on Putin. The Russian blogging scene is always flying rumors at a furious pace and the Western press likes to pick up on those rumors…

Well this is a video from the Telegraph in the UK. They like everyone else take a simple video about the Putin and his wife answering the questions on the census that is going on in Russia now…

Medvedev has been all over the news because of the same census but only Putin gets smeared all over the Western press…

Expressed by the Telegraph:

In a stilted interview, the Putin’s allowed themselves to be filmed in a sitting room at the Russian prime minister’s official residence in Moscow.

Dressed in matching beige and seated on a beige sofa, they were shown fielding questions about their backgrounds, income, and children from a government official helping compile a new Russian census.

Ludmila Putina looked distinctly uncomfortable during the interview, while Mr Putin showered his attention on his black Labrador Koni, who was curled up on the sofa, rather than his wife.

The show of marital bliss failed to convince Russian bloggers who dredged up long-standing rumors that the couple is actually divorced.

So I watched the video and could not see what they were trying to claim…

Oh well we make what we want out of anything…

Windows to Russia

Putin Talks Chicken…


Russia can do without poultry imports in 2011Russia can do without poultry imports in 2011 – Putin19:51 19/10/2010 Russia does not need to import poultry in 2011 as it has already amassed the required volumes and has increased domestic production, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.>>

The chicken deal is still a raging issue in Russia. Sveta and I have seen with our own eyes the huge new chicken farms being raised all over the place. Russia has been working overtime at several things. The things that I see happening is that waterlines are being laid to irrigate the fields, new farm equipment is being delivered all over the place, old abandoned farms are being put back on line and last but not least, animal production has taken a huge step forward…

The last trip we made I saw hundreds of John Deer tractors and combines being delivered South of Moscow around the

John Deere...

400 to 500 km distance. One point we had 15 trucks loaded with 2 tractors each pass us. I was all excited to see good ole John Deere green,  it looked pretty in the fields…

This is all very obvious as you drive the country side of Russia…

Windows to Russia!

Day Of Moscow!


I was thinking over my morning cup of coffee and was remembering what my wife said was going on this weekend.

Day Of Moscow! The first Sunday in September, this means lots of fun things going to be happening in Moscow this weekend. So my wife and I will be taking pictures of the happenings.

In preparation for this day, Moscow has painted all the trees along the sidewalks and along the roads. They are hanging flags all over the city. This is a big day for Russians in Moscow. My wife is excited and can’t wait to use her new camera.

So this weekend is a huge festival and Muscovite’s will be partying hardy. Many have already started! :))

So I will give you an update on Moscow day next week after I take some good pictures this weekend.

Kyle

comments always welcome.

Windows to Russia!

Coffee Thinking’s in Russia…


Boza During the "Wax on - Wax off..."

This morning it was -5 degrees and brisk outside. The little puddles from this last weekends rains had frozen solid last night. The air was clear and the sun had peeped from behind a pillow of a cloud. It was a perfect morning and I was really looking forward to my cup of coffee…

I was doing some thinking‘s while drinking that cup of coffee and they encompassed these last few weekends…

Sveta and I have had some major projects to accomplish and we have gotten them done. One of the projects was to wax our Volga (Sammy) and get her ready for winter while we were at the village this last time. That was a huge job and Sveta was a trooper and helped every step of the way. Sveta had never seen a car waxed before, much less do it herself. The car had never been waxed in its life, so the first time is a doozy. (It still seems strange to me that owning a car in Russia is still a luxury to most people’s way of thinking.) Sveta learned how to “Wax on – Wax off!” 🙂

So that waxing project brought me to when we went to the village this last time and while at the village we created a issue that had to be fixed this last weekend…

So now my thoughts turned to this weekend. Sveta and I had to put a new exhaust Y-pipe on the Volga. Sveta and I had taken a new way home that turned out to have a section of road that had potholes the size of our car. Yes literally…

I was easing into these potholes full of water that looked like mortar shells had bombarded the road way during a war and we came upon one pothole much deeper than all the others. By the time I realized that it was too deep, I had done the damage. I had cracked the Y-pipe on the car…

Potholes...

So this last weekend that we just finished. Saw Sveta and I looking around for a new pipe and then finding a suitable place to have it put on. I would have done it but I do not have the lift to get under the car and I would need to purchase several tools also. The total cost of me doing it would most likely have been equal or more than just getting it put on…

Somethings I have had to learn to not do, because of my health and laying on the ground in -0 degree weather would not do my conditions any good. That is what Sveta tells me and I have to follow the boss… 🙂

Next Sveta and I decided on Sunday to tackle going to a mall in Moscow. Now this is not something to take lightly in Moscow. Going to a mall like “Mega Mall” is an experience that can only be matched in America by the shopping day after Thanksgiving. Everyday shopping in a mall in Moscow is like the day after Thanksgiving in America. In fact my favorite three sayings every time I go shopping in a big mall is, “What – Is it Christmas? or Where is the fire that everyone is going too? or Who taught these people to drive a shopping cart?”…

The fact is that Russians are as dangerous pushing a shopping cart as they are driving their cars. And that people, is a scary thing to experience. The undertaking is flabbergasting at times and you really have to be in the right mood to experience a babushka pushing a shopping cart, hell bent on running over everyone in her way…

I have to smile at what Sveta said the same day as we had been shopping, “Oh No! There is a babushka driving that old van!”…

I at first thought so what. American grandmas drive all over the place. Then the mall of terror came into my mind and I thought about a Russia full of car driving babushkas, hell bent on running over everyone in their way…

I will stay home! 😉

Windows to Russia!

Russians and Visa Travel…


Russian external Passport
Russian Passport…

I try to keep information posted on visa free travel for Russians. This is important to Sveta and I because as we travel we like to only go to places that allow Russians to freely cross borders…

So as of June 2010, holders of the ordinary International Russian passport for traveling to other countries abroad as tourists:

Russians may visit at least (?) 54 countries visa-free and an additional (?) 34 countries with a visa-on-arrival. As of now agreement are in various stages of development with Turkey, Panama, Uruguay, Mongolia and Chile to scrap visa requirements and they are expected to enter into force in the nearest future…

The charts below will give you an idea of who, what and how countries are in conjunction with Russia on visa’s…

Africa

Country Acceptable passport types
Internal For travel abroad Length
Angola No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Benin No Pre-issued visa required. A 2 day transit visa (extending) may be available unofficially on a case-to-case basis at land border crossings 90 days
Botswana No 90 days (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)
Burkina Faso No 30 day visa on arrival (10 000 CFA francs) 90 days
Cape Verde No In most cases visa on arrival is possible Yes
Comoros No 2 week visa on arrival
Djibouti No 10 day or 1 month tourist visa on arrival
Egypt No 1 month visa on arrival for $15; free 15 day visa on arrival for southern Sinai Peninsula only 90 days
Ethiopia No 1–6 month visa on arrival 90 days
Guinea No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Kenya No 90 day tourist visa on arrival ($50) visa required
Madagascar No 30 day visa on arrival for free; 90 day visa issued on arrival (with return ticket; 140 000 Malagasy ariary or $66) visa required
Mauritius No 60 day visa on arrival (with return ticket and letter of invitation or tourist voucher) visa required
Morocco No 90 days (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)
Mozambique No 30 day visa valid for one entry issued on arrival at the airport only for $25 (extension up to 60 days is possible) visa required
Namibia No 90 days
Sao Tome and Principe No Visa on arrival (arrangements should be made by the carrier up to 24h prior to flight departure; $100) visa required
Seychelles No 30 days
Swaziland No 30 days visa required
Tanzania No Visa on arrival (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means; $50) visa required
Tunisia No Visa not required if one travels in a group or individually on a tour organised by a travel agency, and holds a hotel voucher. Otherwise must apply for visa in advance. visa required
Togo No 7 day visa on arrival (10 000 CFA francs) visa required
Uganda No Visa on arrival ($30) visa required
Zambia No Visa on arrival (single for $50, double for $80, multiple for $160) visa required
Zimbabwe No Visa on arrival ($30–$55) Yes

Americas

Country Acceptable passport types
Internal For travel abroad Length
Antigua and Barbuda No 30 days
Argentina No up to 90 days every 180 days
Bahamas No 90 days (tourism only) visa required
Barbados No 28 days (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means)
Bolivia No Visa is granted upon arrival for a fee of US$51 90 days
Brazil No up to 90 days every 180 days
Chile No agreement for visa-free travel signed on 24.9.2010, but it is not in force yet
 90 days
Colombia No 90 days
Costa Rica No Must apply for a visa in advance (but holders of U.S., Canada or EU visa valid for at least 3 months can stay for 90 days without a visa) 90 days
Cuba No 30 days
Dominica No 21 days (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means, and hotel reservation or tourist voucher) visa required
Dominican Republic No 30 day tourist card issued on arrival for $10 90 days
Ecuador No 90 days
El Salvador No 90 days
Grenada No 90 days
Guatemala No 90 days
Guyana No 90 days visa required
Haiti No 3 month visa on arrival ?
Honduras No 3 months 90 days
Jamaica No 30 day visa on arrival (with return ticket, hotel reservation, and proof of sufficient monetary means) 90 days
Mexico No Must apply for a visa in advance
Multiple entry visas for 5-10 years available via the internet application form: Iniciar solicitação de visto
From May 2010 holders of a valid US visa is visa exempt for a max. stay of 180 days		 90 days
Nicaragua No 90 days
Panama No Must apply for a visa in advance (but holders of used U.S., Canada, Australia or EU visa can purchase a Tourist Card upon arrival and stay for 30 days). Agreement for visa-free travel under negotiation 90 days
Paraguay No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Peru No 90 days tourism only (with return ticket) 90 days
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines No 30 days visa on arrival (with return ticket) visa required
Turks and Caicos Islands No 30 days (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means) ?
Uruguay No Must apply for a visa in advance. Agreement for visa-free travel under negotiation 90 days
Venezuela No 90 days

Asia

Country Acceptable passport types
Internal For travel abroad Length
Abkhazia Unrestricted access for Russian citizens via Psou/Adler Checkpoint or railway; Russia-Georgia transit is prohibited
Armenia dual 90 days
Azerbaijan No 90 days
Bahrain No 14 day visa available on arrival for BHD 5 visa required
Bangladesh No 90 day visa available of arrival for $50 visa required
Cambodia No 1 month tourist visa on arrival (with photograph; $20); 3 month business visa on arrival (with photograph; $25) Yes
China No Must apply for a visa in advance, except for Russians from the regions bordering with China and Sakhalin. Hainan Island is visa-on-arrival. visa required
East Timor No 30 day visa on arrival ($25) visa required
Georgia No 360 day visa on arrival in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Batumi airports and at some land and sea border crossings; 100 GEL visa required
Hong Kong No 14 days
India No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Indonesia No Visa on arrival (with return ticket; 30 days for $25; extension of extra 30 days is possible) 14 days
Israel No Tourism: no visa required up to 90 days every 180 days visa required
Iran No 14-day tourist visa issued upon arrival at any international airport. Fee 60 EUR 30 days
Jordan No 1 month visa issued on arrival for 10 Jordanian Dinar, can be extended for up to 6 month visa required
Kazakhstan Yes
Kyrgyzstan Yes
Laos No Tourism: no visa required up to 15 days 30 days
Lebanon No 1 month visa on arrival, free at the airport, USD 17 at the land crossings with Syria visa required
Macau No 30 days visa on arrival (with return ticket, proof of sufficient monetary means; 100 Macanese pataca) Visa on arrival for 30 days
Malaysia No 30 days[1]
Maldives No 30 days visa on arrival (with return ticket) visa required
Mongolia No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Myanmar No 28-day visa on arrival in Yangon and Mandalay International Airport (with 2 photos 4x6cm, return ticket and proof of financial means; $30, $18 for a 24-hour transit visa)[32] 90 days
Nepal No Visa on arrival (with 2 photographs; $30 for 15 days, $40 for 30 days, $90 for 3 month) 90 days
North Korea No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Pakistan No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Philippines No 21 days 90 days
Singapore No 96 hour transit only 30 days
South Korea No 15 days ONLY if having visited South Korea 5 times in the past two years or 10 times in total. 30 days for visiting Jeju Island only. 90 days
South Ossetia Unrestricted access for Russian citizens. This country can’t be used in Russia-Georgia transfer because Georgia refuses the visa
Sri Lanka No 30 days, return ticket required visa required
Syria No Men can usually get a visa on arrival ($20). Women are recommended to apply for a visa in advance. 30 days
Tajikistan 90 days + visa-free Russia-Tajikistan train
Thailand No 30 days tourism only 90 days
Turkmenistan No either pre-issued visa or invitation letter by MFA stating visa will be stamped at airport needed 30 days
United Arab Emirates No Must apply for a visa in advance. Russian citizens qualify to apply for an online 30 days visa if flying with Emirates visa required
Uzbekistan Yes
Vietnam No 15 days
 90 days

Europe

Country/Territory Acceptable passport types
Internal For travel abroad Length
Albania No Yes, from 30 May to 31 October [35]. Visa-free for Schengen visa holders. 90 days
Austria No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Belarus Russia and Belarus form a Union State; citizens of Russia and Belarus have the right to reside and work in either country without a visa or immigration procedures
Belgium No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Bosnia and Herzegovina No 30 days (travelling with an organised tourist group or holding letter of invitation) 90 days
Bulgaria No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Croatia No 90 days from 1 April to 31 October (at other time original letter of invitation or tourist voucher required) Yes
Cyprus No Must apply for a visa in advance (online e-ProVisa 90 days). Visa-free for Schengen visa holders. 90 days
Czech Republic No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Estonia No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Finland No Must apply for a visa in advance No
France No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Germany No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Greece No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Hungary No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Italy No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Kosovo No 90 days; tourists only need a hotel reservation; business travelers need to inform Kosovo authorities in advance ?
Latvia No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Lithuania No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Luxembourg No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Republic of Macedonia No Temporary visa-free entry for all Russian citizens until 15 October 2010. At other times, visa-free entry for Schengen visa holders. In other cases, getting a visa in advance is required. In practice, one can get a visa on arrival (with letter of invitation, tourist voucher and “poslovno” or “podelovno” stamp). 90 days
Malta No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Moldova No Yes
Montenegro No 30 days (hotel reservation and proof of sufficient monetary means occasionally required) 90 days
The Netherlands No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Poland No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Portugal No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Romania No Must apply for a visa in advance 90 days
Russian Federation Russian citizens/nationals have right of abode.
Serbia No 30 days 90 days
Slovakia No Must apply for a visa in advance Yes
Slovenia No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Spain No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Sweden No Must apply for a visa in advance No
Turkey No Visa on arrival for 60 days (fee: 20 USD). Visa-free agreement signed (30 days only), but not yet in force. No
Ukraine Yes. Internal passport is valid only to cross Russia-Belarus and Ukraine borders. The citizens can’t cross external borders unless they show foreign passport to enter. Some border crossings require registration in adj. regions, at some others Russian or Belarus citizens are allowed

Oceania

Country Acceptable passport types
Internal For travel abroad Length
Cook Islands No 31 days (with return ticket, hotel reservation or tourist voucher, and proof of sufficient monetary means) ?
Fiji No 4 months (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means)
Federated States of Micronesia No 30 days tourism only visa required
Niue No 30 days (with hotel reservation) ?
Northern Mariana Islands No 45 days (with confirmed non-refundable return ticket and sufficient funds) ?
Palau No 30 day visa on arrival (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means) ?
Samoa No 30 day visa on arrival (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means or tourist voucher) visa required
Tonga No 31 day tourist visa on arrival (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means) visa required
Tuvalu No 1 month tourist visa on arrival (with return ticket, hotel reservation or tourist voucher, and proof of sufficient monetary means) ?
Vanuatu No 30 days (with return ticket and proof of sufficient monetary means) ?

Well that is fairly up to date and is data is compliments of Wikipedia…

Have a nice day! 🙂

Windows to Russia!

Adoption and Childbirth in Russia in a Changing Pattern…


Russian Ministry of Education…

The Russian Ministry of Education and Science said on Monday that foreigners have adopted 50 percent less Russian children in the last 5 years. But the number of children adopted by Russians, however has increased by 27 percent over the same 5 years.

“In 2007, we [the Russian Ministry of Education and Science] permitted foreign nationals to adopt 4,536 children and 3,815 children in 2009. This is a 27% decline over the past two years and around a 50% decline over the past five years,”…

The issue of Russian child adoptions by foreigners has been in the public focus recently as a result of a number of highly publicized incidents and this has caused a huge upswing in Russians adopting Russian children…

So I expect the next set of numbers that come from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, to be even more of a change in adoption patterns by Russians…

This seems to be coinciding with a jump in childbirths that I am seeing all over Moscow. In fact even in the smaller villages and cities that we travel to and from, seem to be showing an obvious increase in children. It is now a must, to be careful when driving through villages on our way to our village. The children are riding bikes everywhere on the main roads…

It was common 4 years ago to see no one at many villages but now, as of these last few trips we made. It has become a normal sight to see even toddlers in diapers running around. As for our playground near our flat, the children are a “dime a dozen” so to speak…  🙂

Just some tidbits of information for those that care…

Windows to Russia!

Russia: The Stock Market Gained so Fast that they had to Close Again!


Seems the Russian Stock Market is a real roller coaster…..

“Trading on the RTS and Micex was halted on Friday morning with the indices jumping phenomenally in the first hours trade. Friday is the first days trade after the RTS and Micex were closed on Wednesday to allow regulators and the exchanges to reconcile a repo backlog, triggered by a major share slump on Monday and Tuesday. During this time the government announced a $45 Billion liquidity injection into the financial system, and announced additional measures to underpin the stock market.

The RTS key index gained more than 12 per cent and the MICEX index rose by more than 15 per cent, and at 11.05 Moscow time (07.05 GMT) both Russia’s major stock exchanges suspended trade in all shares.” (Link)

I studied the responses the last few days from the Kremlin. Seems that all the companies in Russia are looking to buy their own stock back cheap, very cheap!

I understand their thoughts and I think that they are on to something. The market opened at 10:30 am and due to the fact that everyone in the world knows that the stocks are very, very, and very undervalued in Russia, by 11:00 am Moscow shut the doors again to stop the 12% increase and ensuing calumnious results. In a half hour the best deal in stocks on earth were getting ready to flame again but in the opposite direction that was happening two days before.

Seems that a lot of business people outside the Russian borders (USA) did the usual panic and run. Now they are trying to get back in the door after realizing that they messed up. The Russian financial system is sound, strong and out of debt. Unlike the American financial system that is broke, unsound, $10,000,000,000,000 dollars in debt and prints money for any reason.

I myself hope that Russia is careful who (internationals) they allow to play in Russian finances. Seems like this is a good time to clean out the undesirables.

Windows to Russia!

Sveta Drinks Tea and I Drink Coffee…


A photo of a cup of coffee.
A Good Cup of Coffee…

As of October 10th, 2010 I have been officially in Russia 4 years. I have known Sveta at least 5 years. I remember well that First October 10th 2006 in Russia…

I was very weak still from the last of my 6 heart attacks and it showed when I got to Russia. I literally collapsed and was extremely sick for two weeks…

That is when I learned that Russia had a lot better medical system than you realize. A doctor came to our flat and checked me out there. There was none of this trying to drive, walk or take a bus to see the doctor. The doctor came to me…

I remember stating that 40 years ago in America the doctor would have come to me then also. But that is a thing of the past in America…

Of course that started my excursion into the medical system of Russia. I found out that what Sveta told me was true. Russia had good doctors. In fact Russia had better doctors than in America. Now it is true and without a doubt that the American medical services are much better equipped and staffed. But a doctor does a fancy stethoscope not make…

But I regress and the post is about Sveta drinks tea and I drink coffee…

I guess what I am getting at in this post is that when I came to Russia, Sveta drank tea and I drank coffee and 4 years later we still drink the same tea and coffee…

That simple statement above is profound to me because I have found a world that is comfortable and safe that does not demand me to change myself to fit into that world. Russia is a very forgiving and pleasant place to live. Sveta is like the icing on the cake so to speak. She makes Russia heaven…

We seem to be two peas in a pod. The same in many ways but yet different as two sides of the world that we came from…

Maybe my past gave me the ability to accept a Russia that so many people want to hate and despise. Maybe my past allows me to see through the veils that we all have around us and see what is correct…

I many times shake my head in sadness as I watch a Russia become more Americanized everyday…

Once again I regress…

The post is about Sveta drinks tea and I drink coffee! It looks like to Sveta and I, that we will be drinking tea and coffee together for a long time coming… 🙂

“God willing and the Creek don’t rise“…

Windows to Russia!

Venezuela and Nuclear Power – is a Right Says Russia…


Huga and Medvedev...

Russia and Venezuela this Friday (10/15/2010) have agreed to build Venezuela’s first nuclear power station! This was after talks  between Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Hugo Chavez in the Kremlin were concluded for the day…

Then after Medvedev and Hugo agreed on details the Russian nuclear agency chief, Sergei Kiriyenko and Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Nicolas Maduro each signed a proposal on “The construction and use of an atomic power station on the territory of Venezuela” …

Medvedev hinted that Venezuela’s adversary, the USA, might not like the deal, but Medvedev made it clear that it was a peaceful situation.

“A deal in the atomic sphere has just been signed. I already know that it will make someone shudder. The president (of Venezuela) told me that there will states who will have different types of emotions about this.” Medvedev said.

“I would like to underline that our intentions are clean and open: we want our partner the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to have the full range of energy choices, to have energy independence,” Medvedev said.

The Western Press has gone plum crazy

Hummm says the little birdie 🙂

Looks like a game of chess to me…

Windows to Russia!