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From the great literary tradition that exists in Russia comes disappointing news:
I would say today’s situation is the bottom line: about 60% of Russians do not buy books on a regular basis and do not borrow them, 70% of households do not have more than a few books. Over the decades, the [...]

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Recently, the Russian Orthodox church, which has been experiencing a great revival in post-Soviet Russia, has set its sites on the ex-Soviet republics.  On January 16th, the Patriarch of the church, Kiril Frolov,aimed to visit Astana, Kazakhstan.  However, due to fog blocking the airplane, he was rerouted to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s commercial center.
Whether it was [...]

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Headlines like this, “In a City of Over Ten Million, Only Five-Star Hotels Are a Near-Safe Bet “ point to Moscow’s dismal position as a tourist town.
Russia Profile reports that Russia, unlike Paris or London, has an over-demand for hotel rooms and not enough hotels to satisfy tourism:
Many travelers, both foreign and non-foreign, find [...]

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Back in the 1970s when the Soviet Union was interested in expanding its sphere of influence in African countries, in addition to backing African freedom movements, it brought many African students to study at Russian universities, most notably Patrice Lumumba.
Shubin emphasises the wide spectrum of Soviet support of liberation
movements in Southern Africa, ranging from [...]