Communists Urging Putin to Stop Healthcare Reforms

In Russia, a group of 50 Communist Party members of parliament, including the head of the Communist Party in the Russian Federation have asked President Putin to halt the current healthcare reforms because market-oriented optimization could allegedly boost mortality rates and lead to violations of basic Human Rights. 

They stated that the current situation of Healthcare in Russia was worsening and that in some areas, people had to be transported dozens of kilometers in order to see a doctor or wait up to 6 weeks for an ultrasound. 

According to official plans, by 2018 the Health Ministry intends to close 11.2 percent of hospitals and 7.2 percent of all clinics and dispensaries. Reports stated that in 2014, mortality rates increased by 2.2% compared to the year before. The MPs blamed the 'failing' healthcare reforms for the increase in mortality and decrease in hospitals across Russia. 

Russian Tea Perfume

As a SPREES student, I am obsessed with Russian tea. Naturally, I wanted to know more about it but when I googled it I did not find the origin story of the tea but I did find Russian tea perfume. This perfume supposedly has notes of mint, black pepper, raspberry, black tea, magnolia, everlasting flower, leather accord, incense, birchwood and labdanum. Below is a link to the site that reviewed it.


http://www.nstperfume.com/2015/04/27/masque-milano-russian-tea-fragrance-review/ 

Russo-Japanese War

Although the Russian started losing prestige at the end of the Crimean war in 1848, it was not until the Russo-Japanese War that they truly started to decline in the eyes of the western countries. For some time Russia was a major world power in the western world with strong victories, one even dismantling the Swedish empire in the Great Northern War.  Due to this Tsar Nicholas the second started thought nothing of the newly modernized Japanese army. After negotiations and land disputes went south between the Japanese and Russian empires, Japan declared war and besieged Port Arthur, which was soon taken. Nicholas believed the might of Russia would eventually win; however, after many naval defeats, the he surrendered  with a "humiliating peace". The two powers signed the treaty of Portsmouth with President Theodore Roosevelt as a mediator in Kittery, Maine. This loss was a shock to many in the western world, boosting the prestige of the Japanese Empire while diminishing Russia's. The picture below is the delegates from both countries meeting in Portsmouth,  New Hampshire.

Шашлы́к- Russian Kebaps

As the name suggests, this dish is a form of shish kebab, although the Russian version is served with chunkier portions of lamb, beef, chicken or salmon, and served with an unleavened bread, Russian pickles and a sometimes spicy tomato sauce. 

Шашлы́к Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Leg of lamb (de-boned)
• 1-2 Large yellow onions, or any sweet onion, Diced.
• 2-3 Lemons, just the juice.
• 3-4 Tablespoons Olive oil
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 Teaspoons of salt (or more to taste)
• 2 Minced cloves of garlic

Directions:

1. Trim most of the fat from the lamb and wash and dry it. Cube the meat into 1 ½ inch cubes
2. Place everything listed above in a large mixing bowl and give it a good stir.  
3. Put everything in a gallon zip bag and put in the fridge overnight.
4. Pull bag out an hour before you grill. Fire up your grill to HOT.  500+ degrees.
5. Put the meat on skewers with a little space between each piece so it will brown on all sides. Coat the grill with cooking spray or and oil soaked cloth first to prevent sticking
6. Depending on the heat, cook for about 5 minutes and then rotate until browned on all sides.
7. When they’re brown (10-12 minutes over high heat) , use a knife to check if they’re pink (not red) in the center.  
8. Get a thick metal or ceramic pot and pull the meat off the skewers and put them right in the pot and and immediately cover it to prevent the meat from becoming too dry.
9. Try to time this as close to the eating time as possible.  
10. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste  and dig in.

Rudolf Nureyev

Upon Googling for famous Russians, the stellar hat worn by Rudolf Nuruyev caught my attention:

Nureyev, one of the most famous male ballet dancers, fell in love with dancing after watching an opera as a young child. His family fled from Moscow to Ufa, Bashkir during the the USSR occupation. He started dancing at the age of 15 and at 17 was admitted into the Leningrad Ballet School. He toured throughout Russia and Europe, but rejected an offer to become director of the Royal Ballet in England. Later in life, however, he did become ballet director of the Paris Opera.

In short, this guy can dance.

Нарва, Эстония

Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus. 

It seems as the history had materialized in Narva in its architectural ensemble, uncommon in beauty and dramatic effect, that integrates the opposites and is unique in the whole Europe: two giants of stone towering in close vicinity to each other two opposite banks (at distance of an arrow flight or that of a musket shot) – the castle of Order of Germanic knights and the Russian fortress of Ivangorod. 

Heavy battles occurred in and around Narva in World War II. The city was damaged in the German invasion of 1941 and by smaller air raids throughout the war, but remained relatively intact until February 1944 However, being at the focus of the Battle of Narva (1944), the city was almost completely leveled. The most devastating action was the bombing of 6 March 1944 by the Soviet Air Force, which destroyed the baroque old town, built during the Swedish rule in the late 17th century.

Not far from the town is the Narva Waterfall, whose spillway capacity is one of the largest in northern Europe. From as early as the beginning of the 19. century it grew to become a favorite recreation place for the Saint-Petersburg aristocracy.

http://estonianworld.com/life/estonias-third-largest-city-4-reasons-to-visit-narva/

"Democracy"

No, this is not a post about Democracy in Russia, but rather a fun app to both practice some Russian language skills and mock Russia's governmental system. Available for Apple and Android, this is a fun game that has almost the same addictive qualities of Candy Crush. The best part is that it's all in Russian! From the online app description to all of the directions inside the game, not a word of English is to be found (besides the name of the game). While I'm still not entirely sure what the end goal is and I spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to not share my score on Facebook, this is a great way to brush up on Russian vocabulary and grammar.

Dogs!

As a huge dog fan I decided to write this unit's post on dogs from Russia.

The Black Russian Terrier, until 1957 this breed was only able to be gotten in Moscow's Red Star Kennel.  

Bolonka, these dogs were breed in the 18th and 19th century as companions for wealthy women. 


Borzoi is also know as the Russian Wolfhound








Caucasian Shepherd Dog originated in the Caucasus Mountains




Central Asian Shepherd Dog was used in traditional dog fighting.












Laika, was a hunting dog famous for its bark pointing method.






 The Russian Spaniel became an official breed in 1951.

The Russian Toy, was known only in the Russian area until the 1990s





Samoyed, was originally used as a reindeer herder and carting dog.








Siberian Husky, became a very well known after the diphtheria outbreak in Alaska where Balto and many other sled dogs became celebrities.

7 Russian Superstitions

"Russians are very superstitious and are attentive to various omens. The majority of these omens emerged in the pre-Christian era, and neither the traditional religions that arrived in Russia more than 1,000 years ago nor the ideologues of the Communist regime during the almost 70 years of Soviet rule were able to stamp out faith in them. If you’re going to live among Russians, you have to know what these superstitions mean and how to react to some of them." - Anna Varyonova

 SO if you find yourself in Russia, you should probably know the following (so as not to offend someone)....


1. Spit on and touch wood: Russians believe in the evil eye. So, anytime someone is discusses potential good things or success, they will spit three times over someone's left shoulder and touch wood. This superstition is said to keep the evil eye at bay. Sort of like knocking on wood!

2. Do not carry an empty bucket: This is considered a very bad omen. If you see someone walking with an empty bucket, it is believed you will have a bad day.

3. Never give scarves, clocks or knives as gifts: These are all considered bad omens. The scarf symbolizes tears, the clock the idea of leaving, and knives of enemies. If you get someone one of these gifts, do not be surprised if they give you a small coin in return. This helps them feel as if they "bought" the item, therefore getting rid of the omen.

4. Avoid the threshold at all costs: The thresholds between rooms in your house is considered to be a place of great evil. Nothing, no talking or handing of items, can happen across the threshold. If the delivery guy comes, you must go outside or he must come in.

5. Don't sit on a table: This is considered a foreshadowing of death and poverty.

6. Sit down before you go: Before leaving for travel, everyone in a Russian household must sit down right before they are about to leave. They must sit for one minute to ensure safe journeys.

7. Not that bench: Young women are scorned if they sit on benches outside if it is a cold day. This is derived from an old myth that sitting on a cold bench will jeopardize her fertility.

Dash Cams

Dash cams are an interesting phenomenon which is growing in popularity every day. However, in Russia, they are exceptionally more common than they are practically everywhere else - including America. There are tons of videos circulating around the internet from Russian dash cams.

http://imgur.com/gallery/ZE6Xj

These videos show a wide variety of hilarious things - making us exclaim "only in Russia," or something of the sort. Videos of cranes falling, the strangest accounts of road rage I've ever seen - in addition, apparently there is another one of a meteorite falling as well. All captured via the dash cam. The real question, however, is why do Russian's as a whole seem to have an exuberantly large number of dash cams? The answer, as some of the clips from the above link show you, is to protect themselves from scams and other types of auto-fraud. Common ones, funny enough, involve pedestrians jump into oncoming cars. Only in Russia, right? Apparently there is actually a developed "industry" in Russia where people purposefully get in accidents in order to get money from insurance companies.

Unit 7 - Illegal to drive Transgender?

Evoking comparisons to Saudi Arabia's policies against women, back in January the Russian government listed transgender and transexual people among those who would have their driving privileges revoked for "mental disorders" and specifically "sex disorders".

This move was supported by the Professional Drivers Union who wanted to crack down on the numbers of deaths on the road by eliminating those with "serious medical conditions."

BBC - Russia says drivers must not have " sex disorders"

After pressure from the international community and the World Health Organization, Russia ultimately rescinded their implication and specified that only those suffering prolonged health and mental conditions would be banned from driving, giving transgender persons the green light to stay on the road.

Reuters - Russia gives green light for transgender drivers to stay on the road

This is just one more notch in the fervent anti-LGBTQ sentiment that has been building in Russia in recent years. As a transgender American woman, I know I won't be visiting Russia anytime soon, if ever. Which is really a shame because there is much about Russian culture, history, art, and food that I really like and enjoy.

Russian Pancakes!!

Blini – The Russian Pancakes

Blini are thin pancakes made of yeast dough. They are the main component of Russian board at Shrovetide, served as a symbol of Sun and Spring. Blini are also popular throughout a year, being served with different fillings and topped with sour cream or butter. The Russian word for blini is блины and alternative spellings include blintzes, bliny and blinchiki. When talking about a single pancake the singular form блин is used – blin, blintz, or blintze. Below is the recipe for cooking delicious Russian blini.

Ingredients

• 3 cups wheat flour
• 3.5 cups milk
• 3 eggs
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 0.5 lbs. butter
• sour cream

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1 cup of warm milk.

2. Add another 2.5 cup of milk.

3. Add salt, eggs, butter, 3 cups of flour and mix until the mixture is smooth.

4. Cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm place.

5. When the batter becomes bubbly, begin to bake blini on a pre-heated pan. Try not to disturb the batter as you bake blini.

6. Spread the blini with melted butter.

Tips for Serving Blini

1. Serve the blini hot, topped with a spoonful of sour cream.

2. You may also serve the blini with red or black caviar instead of sour cream. But really you should use sour cream :D

Potato Riots

The potato riots of 1840-1844 occurred in the Russian Empire during the reign of Nicholas the First. These occurred after a widespread famine due to poor wheat growth. When Nicholas tried to impose the production of potatoes on the serfs there was a widespread revolt, mostly due to poor communication. Confused serfs refused to grow the potatoes and started the bloodiest riots of the time. The result, however, maintained that the serfs had to grow the potatoes. This goes to show how poor the communication was in imperial Russia. 

Соление

Соление, or pickling, is a very common tradition in Russia. Russia has a short growing season because of the climate, therefore, preserving foods is important. Pickling is done to cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, mushroom, and eggplant. These items are stored in either a salt water or weak vinegar. 

A very famous dish among Russians is pickled tomatoes with fried potatoes, or солёные помидоры. Below is a recipe for pickled tomatoes from http://www.sras.org. 

Помидоры солёные Ингредиенты: - 10 кг помидоров - 100-200 гр зелени укропа - 50 гр корня хрена - 100 гр листьев черной смородины - 100 гр листьев хрена - 20-30 гр чеснока - 10-15 гр красного острого перца - 10 л воды - 500-700 гр соли Приготовление: Всю зелень и помидоры тщательно промойте в проточной воде. На дно банок уложите половину укропа, перца, чеснока, листьев смородины, листьев и корня хрена. Наполните банки помидорами и уложите оставшуюся зелень. Приготовьте рассол из 10 литров воды и 500-700 граммов соли. Залейте банки холодным рассолом так, чтобы помидоры были полностью им покрыты. Накройте банки крышками и оставьте при комнатной температуре на 2-3 дня, после чего уберите в прохладное место.

Pickled Tomatoes Ingredients: - 10 kilograms of tomatoes - 100 – 200 grams of fresh dill - 50 grams of horseradish root - 100 grams of black currant leaves - 100 grams of horseradish leaves - 20 – 30 grams of garlic - 10 – 15 grams of red, spicy pepper - 10 liters of water - 500 – 700 grams of salt Preparation: Thoroughly clean all of the greens and tomatoes in running water. Lay half of the garlic, peppers, dill, currant leaves, horseradish leaves and root on the bottom of the jars. Fill jars with the tomatoes and add the remaining greens. Prepare the salt mixture from 10 liters of water and 500-700 grams of salt. Pour the cold, salt mixture into the jars, so that the tomatoes are completely submerged. Cover the jars with lids and store it at room temperature for 2-3 days, before moving it to a cool place.

  

To read more about Russian pickles and for more recipies, 

Visit http://www.sras.org/russian_pickles.

Russian Tea Cakes

Oddly enough the Russian Tea Cake is neither Russian nor a cake nor does it have anything to do with tea. A very basic pastry made out of flour, water, butter, and ground nuts, the spherical sweet is traditionally made in the Christmas season. Traditionally in the United States, that is. The type of nut varies from family to family, recipe to recipe and doesn't matter. Another name, snowball cookies, comes from the way the individual confections are rolled in powdered sugar. Interestingly, the recipe can be more easily traced to Mexico than Europe, although some people speculate that it came through European missionaries and nuns. 

Ingredients: recipe makes 3 dozen

 1 cup butter

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

 2 cups all-purpose flour

 1 cup chopped walnuts

 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Check All Add to Shopping List

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

Maslenitsa

Here in America, we celebrate winter coming to into spring simply by throwing all of our heavy clothes to the back of the dresser until the following year. In Russia, the celebration from winter to spring is a week long even known as Maslenitsa. It has both a pagan and christian history; in Pagan, Maslenitsa is celebrated on equinox; in christianity, it is celebrated the week before lent and is in preparation for spring.
In the christian religion, there is merrymaking happening all around, but one also must rid oneself of all meats, dairy, fish and eggs. This time is used to celebrate spiritual life and nothing more.

The Traditional Maslenitsa schedule looks on the line of this:

Monday-  The day of welcoming: The children assemble a Maslenitsa doll that is made of straw and women's clothing. They then place it on a pole and go dancing in khorovods. Afterwards, it is carried up to a snow hill and people then slide back down. "The rich start baking pancakes on this day, while the poor can only afford it doing it on Thursday or Friday. Traditionally, the first pancake goes to beggars to pay the tribute to the memory of deceased relatives. It was a common knowledge that if one doesn’t have as much fun as he or she could during Maslenitsa, they are doomed to grow old in loneliness and misery. Daughters-in-law are sent to their parents’ homes, with their husbands’ families joining them by the end of the day for a substantial holiday meal."

Tuesday- The day of fun and matchmaking: This day is full of fun and mischief. Children play in ice castles and eat tons of pancakes. Men kiss girls on the streets as if it means nothing and single guys rent sleighs to impress all of the beautiful girls. 

Wednesday- Visitation: Sons in law would pay to enjoy their mother in law's pancakes and the mother would then invite other guests over as well to enjoy the visitation. 

Thursday- Anger retreat: On this day, all work and merrymaking ceases and now violence begins. "On this day fist fights traditionally take place. Fist fighting is said to commemorate Russian military history, when soldiers supposedly fought each other in hand-to-hand combat. “Never hit a man when he is down”, states a Russian proverb, and its roots are found in this Maslenitsa."

Friday- Mother's day: Basically another day of family reunions and eating pancakes

Saturday- Sister day: "On this day young wives would invite their sisters-in-law for a feast to cajole them and win their favor. If husbands' sisters are single, young men are expected to attend the party. If they are married, she would invite all her married relatives along and the whole train would travel from one household to another.This ritual was of significance, since the relationship between the young wife and her sister-in-law initially was expected to be rather tense."

Sunday- Forgiveness day: On this day, presents are present to family members and/or sweethearts and forgiveness is asked for from those around them for all sins that had been committed in the year. This day is also when the doll made on Monday is burned and, once it was reduced to ashes, the young generation would walk over it, thus ending the festivities. 

http://russiapedia.rt.com/of-russian-origin/maslenitsa/

-Brooke Shepko

Sochi Guests shouldn't poop on Russia's Rug!

I had noticed on social media sites, there was a lot of complaint from western travelers in Sochi over accommodations in particular during the Olympics the past two weeks.  Despite the fact I am not Russian, knowing more about the culture as a whole has allowed me to recognize the complaints derive mainly from a lack of understanding of Russian culture and lifestyle/ situation, and or people taking joy in poking fun at the misfortune of others.  This article was written as a response to the extreme bashing of Russian lifestyle commenting on the fact that "You don't come into someone's house as a guest and then poop on their rug." It makes the point that just because a different country or place or people do not do things the way you expect or are used to, does not necessarily give you the right to use slander to damage a reputation because you disagree with the way something is.  As a population we ought to take into consideration the context and culture we are putting ourselves in, and if we fail to show ourselves approved, it looks much more foolish and inconsiderate on our part than on the hosts part.  We have a tendency to focus on the negative parts of an experience than on the positive parts, and we need to learn to recognize what is most important in a situation or visitation! We also need to be sensitive to the fact living conditions in another country may not be up to the standards of living int he western world, and instead of complaining profusely we ought to consider the effect those living conditions have on the native people and have more of a concern rather than an attitude about it!

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/sochi-guests-shouldnt-poop-on-the-russia-rug/494976.html

It Finally Fell!

How the Tsars of Russia held power not to mention obtained power over this gigantic and backwards empire until 1917 is amazing. If you look at Russia on a map you will see that in addition to the territory of modern Russia, prior to 1917 the Russian Empire included most of Ukraine, Belarus, Finland, Armenia, the Central Asian states, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, as well as many more nations. By the time Russia was revolutionized the size of the empire was about 8,600,00 square miles or almost 1/6 of the Earth’s landmass. One man was in charge of all of that. He had his advisors and different agencies but above all else he was in charge and executed final rule. In 1917 the year when the empire collapsed the Russian population was more than 150 million with more than 100 varied ethnic groups lived within the Russian Empire. The fall of the Russian Empire in 1917 was the end of over 400 years of imperial rule. From its initial creation until its fall, the Russian Empire was controlled by an absolute monarch known as the tsar, under an autocracy. This kind of rule is impossible in today’s world because of growing expectations for industrialization and citizens’ rights, but it existed in Russia for over 400 years and the more I learn about Russia’s past the more amazed I am that the Empire stood for as long as it did.

 

Сергей Зверев (He Kind of Looks Like the Russian Michael Jackson)

     Before getting into
my main topic, I would like to thank this awesome website called Russiapedia (www.russiapedia.rt.com) that I just found that I think will be very helpful for the rest of the semester!
     Now to the main event: I discovered a prominent young-ish (the "-ish" will make sense in a moment) Russian man who is a famous hairdresser and stylist, and recently a singer and showman. This man's name is Сергей Зверев or Sergey Zverev, he was born in the town of Kultuk which is a part of the Irkutsk Region of Russia. Сергей was born in 1972 but some sources say 1963 (ergo "young-ish"); Сергей carefully hides his detailed biography from the general public, allowing people to know only the facts he wants to share. For some reason this star is very superstitious about dates and numbers, believing that they have a fateful meaning, and often claims that “show business doesn’t bear a nationality or age.”  Сергей's father died in a motorcycle accident when Сергей was only 4 years old, and his older brother, Александр, died from an asthma attack at age 29. Сергей was left with only his mother, after the second death Сергей and his mother moved to Kazakhstan; Сергей considers his mother to be one of his closest and most loved companions.
      Сергей likes call himself “King of Glamour” and "Star of Shock" and Russia would agree for the most part. The public either adores Зверев’s professional skills and unique style, or loathes his narcissistic attitude and superfluous glamour, that apparently verges on the ridiculous. Mass media like to follow him closely and say that he is a star that “startles, exalts, entertains, annoys, admires, amazes and makes people love and abhor him.”
     After finishing secondary school, Сергей attended a hairdressing college in Ust-Kamenogorsk which is in the center of the East Kazakhstan Province of Kazakhstan, and he received a diploma in three specialties: hairdressing, decorative make-up and clothing design. In the '80s, Сергей did his obligatory military service, at one point he altered the soldiers' uniforms and made them look better. After his discharge he was noticed by a prominent hairdresser, Долорес Кондрашова, moved to Moscow, and opened his first salon in the early '90s. In 1996-1998 Сергей won a series of international competitions and became the European Champion and the World Champion of hairstyling, which I did not even know was a thing. Сергей's name has become synonymous with stunning show designs. He has established innovative trends in the industry of hairstyling and fashion, constantly demonstrating his revolutionary ideas and creativity. At the moment Сергей owns a prestigious beauty salon that bears his name in Moscow. Of course with his abundant amount of fame he charges large sums of money just get his advice on styling; his clients consist of pop-singers, celebrities and millionaires and their wives.
      A famous Russian singer named Алла Пугачева encouraged Сергей, who was her private stylist and hairdresser, to start his own career as a singer. Сергей devoted his first song, "Алла" to the pop-queen as his patroness and muse. For the most part Сергей's career as a singer is thought to be a mere whim of the rich superstar. You can judge for yourself whether or not he is good as a singer, here is a link to the song "вера Брежнева": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SONagIxldGc However, clearly he is an amazing stylist and hairdresser which is obvious through the images of himself I have included.        

Сергей as a child, adult before surgery, and adult after surgery.

    At one point in his career Сергей underwent a series of major plastic surgeries to completely alter his face which was seen merely as apart of his lifestyle and his work. The reasons for such an extreme transformation of his face are not entirely clear. Rumors say that in the late 1990s Сергей had an accident, which greatly damaged his face, and doctors did their best to save it, which sounds a lot like what happened to Michael Jackson. A more common rumor is that the he just wanted to look better and became a victim of bad plastic surgeons.
     Сергей has a teenage son who is also named Сергей, the date of the child's birth is unsure to the public and neither is the name of the mother; some say the mother died when young Сергей was little.The boy often accompanies his famous father at official events and parties, usually dressed in a style similar to Сергей Senior’s.

Сергей and Сергей Jr.

      Lastly, I wanted to mention what Сергей Зверев believes about his name, "Зверев means impossibly beautiful, impossibly fashionable and an impossibly big star. It is a colossal work to be a superstar, a king of glamour and to look like me.” This Russian star really caught my eye and I really wanted to share his life, he is such an interesting character that lives in our world today.

Moscow or Bust!

It is commonly accepted that, when in search of gold, one should make the arduous journey deep into the heart of metal-laden California…

Overrated.

The truth is that professional gold-diggers should be making the hike to Russia.

Russia, particularly Moscow, is reputed for having more billionaires per capita than any other city in the world. According to Forbes, the infamous capital is home to a record seventy-nine of the exceptionally wealthy individuals (a number that increased by twenty one during the 2010-2011 year).

New York reportedly comes in second, claiming fifty-nine billionaires, with London claiming third at forty-one.

How did the lucky Muscovites collect their vast fortunes?

Evidently, by hording the natural resources.

Three of the wealthiest individuals on the list preside over the majority of Russia’s steel and oil.

Were the billionaires in Moscow ever to combine their amassed wealth, it would total over $375 billion. Not enough to get the US out of debt, but still a pretty sum…

Seems like it pays to be Russian.

Check out what Forbes has to say:

http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/17/cities-with-most-billionaires.html