Windows to Russia

We started at this station in Moscow, Russia! The Kiev Station…

It was late: so I tucked Svet in Bed and as you see it was very cold…
Two sheets and three wool blankets!
She is so cute!

Early Morning Station in Ukraine as the sun is starting to rise…

Sun Rise in Ukraine…

These are two Black Americans and one Ukraine they had no idea that someone would or could be around that could understand English. (At the Rail station McDonald’s) I could and so could Svet and they were having a vivid discussion about their contacts and getting their illegal activities done before their train leaves. The one looking at the camera phone as the picture being taken was beat up three hours later… (Druggie Dummy’s) Love that cell phone camera…
Picture altered slightly to protect the innocent!

Svet and I left the Dummies at McDonald’s and went on an excursion to a Monastery…

Holy Water, You can drink it and I did, got terrible heart burn…

Kiev Train Station…

This is how you travel Russian / Ukraine style…

Hello,

Here in Moscow, Russia it is nothing new for someone to be shot, just like all big cities in the world. But usually there is a motive of some sort behind the shootings in Moscow. Be it paid killing or just removing the competition. That does not ever make it OK to kill – But…

Do you ever stop and wonder what happens to a person when they just start shooting people for no reason what so ever. Does the little voices that are in their head get to them or what?

This has been a prevalent American phenomena until this year, but now with the boy in Germany a few months ago and then a Police Officer in Moscow.

Watch this video – This Police Officer is calm and collected as he loads his weapon in front of a camera and then proceeds to shoot anyone he sees. As he leaves the screen on the first camera watch closely and you will see the gun appear at the bottom left as he pulls the trigger at just a stranger in the store.

Follow the film and you can see the various different areas of the store as he walks toward the back and leaves. Shooing at people as he walks calmly out the back door. Remember this happened after he shot the taxi driver who was driving him to the store.

I have to stop and wonder about someone who does this and would like to understand what goes through their head as they put a gun sight on an innocent bystander and pull the trigger in cold blood. He is a young man and rumorers are that he was having wife problems. He has been arrested and will most likely be found insane.

I hear that Medvedev has fired the Officers Chief for not dealing with the man after the police force he was on, found out sometime ago that he was a loose canon.

Sad…

Windows to Russia!
Kyle & Svet

Additional Video from Russia Today:

Siberian vets fight to save rare tiger hit by car:
Vets are working to save the life of a Siberian tiger hit by a car in Russia’s Far East, a regional conservationist group said on Tuesday.

Latvia wants $712 mln from Russia for Soviet-era pollution:
Latvia intends to demand some $712 million from Russia as compensation for environmental damage allegedly inflicted on the Baltic state during the Soviet era, the country’s NRA newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Russian Armed Forces to acquire new drones in 2010 – Popovkin:
Russia’s Armed Forces are to be equipped with new domestically-produced drones in 2010, a deputy Russian defense minister responsible for military procurements said Tuesday.

Russia to axe top military personnel over lack of skills:
A large number of senior Russian military officials are to be discharged over a failure to pass an aptitude test, Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Tuesday.

Russia requests extradition of deserter from Georgia:
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has officially issued Georgia with an extradition request for Jr. Sgt. Alexander Glukhov, a Russian soldier facing desertion charges, a prosecutor spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Russian tanker thwarts Somali pirate attack:
The crew of a Russian tanker has successfully repelled an attack by pirates off the Somali coast, the Russian maritime journal Sovfrakht reported.

Russia to conduct five tests of Bulava missile in 2009:
The Russian Navy will conduct at least five test launches of the new Bulava sea-based ballistic missile in 2009, the deputy defense minister for procurement said on Thursday.

Russian consulate in Mexico suspends work over swine flu fears:
The consular section of Russia’s embassy in Mexico has suspended its work until May 4 due to the swine flu outbreak that has claimed 149 lives in the country.

Russia-U.S. START talks to be held in Moscow in May:
The first round of full-format Russia-U.S. talks on a new strategic arms reduction treaty will be held on May 18-20 in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Hello,

The big news in Russia today is: “MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) – The chief of Russia’s military intelligence (GRU), Gen. Valentin Korabelnikov, has been relieved of his post by President Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin press service said on Friday. Link)

Now normally I do not really worry about issues like this because Medvedev knows what he is doing. But I have to bring this up because of the emblem for the GRU organization.

I grew up with Batman and he was an important part of my younger years as well as my older years. So when I saw this official symbol of the GRU.

The GRU is Russia’s largest intelligence agency. It gathers human intelligence through military attaches and foreign agents. According to some sources, GRU has six times as many agents in foreign countries as the SVR, which is the KGB’s foreign intelligence successor. It also maintains significant signals intelligence and imagery reconnaissance and satellite imagery capabilities.

The GRU was created on October 21, 1918. This date leads me to look and see when Batman was created…

Batman was created by Bob Kane in 1939 as a comic book hero: 21 years later – Which leads me to who was first?

I can not find anything on an original GRU symbol except that the one I show has always been in effect since 1918. This symbol is embedded in all their buildings and tile work.

If that is true? Why would you want to backdrop a “Rich American, Capitalist Type” character like Bruce Wayne with a symbol of Lenin’s Russia? Interesting twist of the past.

Batman works for the GRU in Russia! That is cool. 🙂

Windows to Russia!
Kyle and Svet

Hello,

We are just sitting here drinking our morning cup of coffee and tea – glad to be home.

We just got back from a visa run to Ukraine. It was fun as always and the changes in Kiev in the few months that we have been gone, are numerous. Not always good changes but regardless many changes.

One thing that has not changed in 4 trips is the visa process. Other business and other issues have changed drastically but the visa part, thank goodness has stayed the same.

Items necessary to get a 3 month dual entry business visa:

1. Telex of Letter of Invitation! (very very very important)

2. one (1) photocopy of passport

3. two (2) passport size photos. (35mm x 45mm)

4. two (2) filled out applications to Consulate of Russia in Ukraine.

5. one (1) photocopy of Ukraine migration card stamped at border crossing.

6. $100 to $400 dollars according to time frame you want to wait. ($100 dollars – 10 days to $400 dollars – same day.)

What you do:

Get to the Consulate of Russia at 10 am and fill out applications. They will have you paste your pictures to the applications. Then you will sit at the desk in the lobby and wait for your turn. Then you go to the visa approval office. They look everything over that you give them and then they grumble at you. 🙂 Then they ask you about how soon you want visa. You politely say today please. They grumble some more and tell you that it costs 400 American dollars. You then nod affirmative and say Spasiba (thank you). Then they give you all information back and two slips of paper and tell you to go to cashier. Once at cashier you pay you money and they give you two slips of paper. One for picking up the visa the other for use to tell the local cops that your visa is in the consulates hands at this moment. (I make a suggestion at this point to have a photocopy of your passport in your pocket for help if the cops need a little extra information.) The Consulate of Russia keeps your passport to paste in a visa.

You do not need a HIV certificate nor a business letter but you must Telex a Letter of Invitation to them. Do not mail, Fed ex or hand deliver. You must have it Telexed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and nothing but Telex. That is a key part of the transaction.

For same day visa you can pick them up between 3 – 4 pm and do not be late because after 4 pm they say Het!

Another tidbit of information is to get to the consulate at 10 am because after 11 am I have been refused service. (They open at 10 am)

Ukraine visa run to get a visa for Russia has become a fun trip for us and it has been a good excuse to travel. We always take the train and every train ride is a new experience. I will be posting about what we saw and the train ride in the next few days. Svet and I took an excursion around Kiev this time and it was really neat.

We want to add the Consulate of Russia in the Ukraine is a fantastic Consulate. They have always been helpful and courteous. Thanks again…

Windows to Russia!
Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome!

This is an old Soviet era train engine that has been made into a monument.

A monastery that we visited.

Part of the same Monastery. Their garden!

The hotel that we always stay in. (The Hotel Slavutich)

My sweetie taking pictures of all the beautiful sights. Everything in bloom!