Russian Relations with Eastern Europe: Where Current Events Impact Historical Interpretation

During the recent International Holocaust Remembrance day, Poland's Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna discussed Auschwitz and used the occasion to praise the Soviet Ukrainian Army's role in liberating  the concentration camp. The Russian Foreign ministry saw this as an insult to the Red Army and the many fallen Soviet Russian soldiers.

This spat happened almost simultaneously alongside St. Petersburg's decision to expel the Polish consulate from its city.

As we approach the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, I expect these diplomatic jibes will only increase. Russia views itself (or rather its Soviet legacy) as the heroes of the Second World War and the single-handed defeaters of Nazi Germany. Poland views the Soviet role in the War as responsible for, and inseparable from, its Soviet occupation until 1989. While Ukraine and Russia remain at war, nations worldwide will continue to take sides and interpret history to benefit one or the either.

As a history major, I find it highly fascinating when interpretations of historical events directly impact current relations between nations.

Here's the link to the full article: Russia, Poland argue over World War Two anniversary

Cats for Hire!

I recently discovered that there is a museum in Russia that 'hires' cats as rodent and pest exterminators! When looking more into it, this is what I found!

"The State Hermitage Museum in St.Petersburg ‘hires’ cats to protect its artworks against rodents. The so-called ‘guard cats’ go unnoticed as they dwell in the attics and basements, away from the tourist eye. The museum administration has been ‘employing’ these highly skillful ‘guards’ ever since the museum was founded in 1764. Even though nowadays rats and mice can easily be exterminated using chemicals, the museum cannot do without cats who have become its living legend and mascot.

The first cats were introduced for ‘public service’ in the 18th century. Tsar Peter I was the first to provide shelter for a big cat he had brought from Holland at the then wooden Winter Palace. Later on, Empress Elizabeth ordered a batch of rat-catching cats from Kazan because she was scared of small rodents.

Cats acquired the status of palace guards during the reign of Catherine II. Under Catherine the Great, they were divided into chamber cats (the Russian Blue breed), and backyard cats who chased rats and mice guarding Her Majesty’s peace of mind.

The State Hermitage Museum started as a private collection of Empress Catherine II, who acquired 220 works by Dutch and Flemish artists through her agents in Berlin. At first, most of the paintings she had acquired were placed in the secluded parts of the Winter Palace which became known as the “hermitage”, or a “retreat”, in French.

Hermitage-employed cats survived the October Revolution and continued their service under the Soviet government. However, they didn’t survive the siege of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. After starving people ate all the cats, the city was infested by rats. But as soon as the blockade was over, two carriages with cats arrived in Leningrad (now St.Petersburg) from Russia’s central regions making the backbone of a new squadron of rat-eating cats.

Cat numbers rose to an unprecedented high in the second half of the 1960s. As cats invaded basements, museum rooms and corridors, the museum administration was ordered to get rid of them which they did. However, several years later, the ‘tailed guards’ were ordered back as the museum found it too hard to do without them in its struggle for the preservation of cultural values.

Since then, Hermitage cats have been taken good care of. Each so-called “hermit” carries a passport with a photo certifying that he is qualified to pursue the difficult task of protecting the museum basements against rodents. The cats are well looked after, fed properly, attended to if ill and respected for their hard work. Museum employees know all male and female cats by their names, and the name for each cat is picked carefully, to suit his or her character.

The team of tailed guards consists mainly of alley cats, and like in the imperial times, the cat community hinges on strict hierarchy. The cats fall into aristocrats, the middle caste, and the low caste. Each group operates within a certain designated part of the building. The cat staff cannot exceed 50-60 cats, not because they’ll be difficult to look after in terms of cat food. If the number of cats exceeds 60, they start cat fights and neglect their duties. For this reason, from time to time, the museum has to look for people who would adopt extra cats.

The museum’s basements have specially designated areas for storing cat food and attending to ailing cats. The roadway near the museum has road signs warning drivers about cats’ presence and urging them to be careful and slow down. Road accidents are the most frequent cause of deaths among Hermitage cats.

The Hermitage’s budget stipulates no funds for cats’ keeping. The cats live on donations from the public or museum workers. Hermitage Cat Day which is marked annually on March 28th is on the museum’s memorable date calendar. Prepared by the museum’s employees, it features a large number of informative exhibitions and exciting contests."
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/radio_broadcast/2249159/75927890/

Want a Free Subway Ride? Squat Down and Give Me 30!

    So.... in a fit of wasting time after a final, I came across and article concerning train rides in Russia I found both absolutely genius and hilarious at the same time! Apparently, in an effort to promote both the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi and living a healthier lifestyle, the Moscow metro set up a special vending machine that offers travelers one free ticket in exchange for performing 30 squats.

In order to gain the free ticket, subway riders had to perform the squats in front of the machine as well as all of the curious bystanders, AND do them in under two minutes.  The machine remained at the Vystavochaya station in the west of the Russian capital until Dec. 3.  Although the period of time that this was there has passed, I think it is something that if it were to be kept around and implemented in more places than just Russia, it would seriously promote healthier living, and allow people who perhaps could not afford the transportation otherwise to have a means of obtaining transportation!

http://www.latimes.com/nation/shareitnow/la-sh-russia-subway-squats-free-ride-20131113,0,5641815.story#axzz2nIq3GJKu

Хеталия: Россия

Now we [Taylor Takoushian & Katherine Fanning] know probably none of you in this class watch anime, but thankfully one exists that we can relate to this class: Hetalia: Axis Powers. Originally a webmanga/webcomic by artist/author Hidekaz Himaruya, this anime recently became ridiculously popular, starring the personified countries of the world playing out their cultural stereotypes and histories with satirical humor.

 

And of course, there is glorious Russia.

 Glorious, downright adorable Russia.

You just wanna hug him, don't you?

Believe it or not, Russia is portrayed as a very split character! He is introduced as sweet, soft-spoken, and filled with positive intentions, but it is rapidly shown that due to the strain of his bloody history, he has partially snapped. Russia frequently exhibits an intimidating aura. Russia is completely aware of his volatile personality, and generally has all of the innocence and cruelty of a small child.

Russia's character design depicts him with a slightly prominent nose, beige-blonde hair, blue-ish eyes and has him rather tall, about 182cm, and he is usually clad in a standard beige, winter trenchcoat adorned with a military medal, a scarf given to him by the character Ukraine (his "big sister" whom he misses dearly), and is seen holding sunflowers, vodka, and/or a faucet pipe. Sunflowers, because Russia hates the cold and longs to live in a sunny place filled with such flowers, vodka for obvious reasons, and the faucet pipe...... well, who knows.

In the profiles of the published manga, he is described as a large young man who is seemingly bighearted and innocent, but is in reality childishly cruel. He comes off as intimidating without even saying a word, his gentle smile and disposition only intensifying the aura of dread which seems to constantly hang over him. He is often described as gentle and naive, and not malicious, but insane. Though he is capable of being incredibly cruel-minded, Russia himself is unaware of it.

Russia hates the cold mostly because every year he is attacked by General Winter. However, General Winter is his most powerful ally in the face of war.

His given human name is Ivan Braginski, or Иван Брагинский, and in fan-works the diminutive "Vanya"/"Ваня" is sometimes used.

Himaruya, the author/artist, has also created various female versions of the characters, Ivan included. as you can see below.

Isnt she a cutie? The female version of Russia does not have an official given name at the current time.

 Below, there's a video clip from the English-dubbed version of the show, here we get to see BOTH SIDES OF RUSSIA. (and a really freaked out France) 

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We hope you enjoyed this little expose on Hetalia's Russia.

Stay tuned for more blogs about him, his sisters, and his foreign relations with the other Nation people~!

До свидания~!

Jehovah's Witnesses - Their Dilemma in Russia (Tito Feliciano Portfolio Post Unit 1)

The Jehovah's Witnesses, a christian group of an estimated 7 million members, has been subject to legal persecution in Russia for many years now, and as of 2004, they were banned from practicing their religion by law. This was due to the fact that the political leaders in Russia thought that the Jehovah's Witnesses were "it encourag[ing] younger members to disown families and neglect civic duties".

This ruling was taken to the European Court of Human Rights and it decided that the ruling "to dissolve the Moscow branch of the Jehovah's Witnesses was illegal" and "was based on insufficient grounds".

The result was that, for a while, the court's decision went unchallenged. However, on the 9th September, 2010, Russia officially challenged the unanimous decision by the ECHR, requesting "that the case be referred to the Grand Chamber."

"The unanimous decision of the ECHR made clear that the liquidation and ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses was in violation of fundamental human rights guaranteed by the European Convention, including freedom of religion and freedom of peaceful association. Reversing the ban on the Witnesses and restoring their status as an officially registered religious association in Moscow would be an important step forward for Russia regarding freedom of worship. However, the Russian government’s request for a rehearing of the matter by the Court’s Grand Chamber delays Russia’s compliance with the Court’s ruling and adds fuel to an already heated environment of religious intolerance against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia

The Moscow ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses, based on a June 16, 2004, ruling of the Moscow City Court, has been systematically used by officials to justify a campaign of hostility with the aim of banning the Witnesses throughout Russia. Since then, a series of negative court rulings in Russia threaten freedom of worship. In particular, the December 8, 2009, ruling by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation regarding the literature of Jehovah’s Witnesses has led to a dramatic increase in the number and intensity of incidents against Witnesses. There have been arson attacks on their places of worship, physical attacks on individuals, and unwarranted arrests. These and hundreds of other documented acts of religious intolerance, either instigated or condoned by the Russian government, continue unabated.

Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide look to the European Court either to allow the present ruling to stand or to reinforce it by an affirming ruling from the Grand Chamber."

Dialogues: David Kinkaid posted our dialogues on a blog post of his.

Sources: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2010/06/10/Court-supports-Russian-Jehovahs-Witnesses/UPI-57201276218114/

http://www.jw-media.org/rus/20100914a.htm