Help me figure out what was the green stuff, "zelionka," that was used on me as a kid when I had the Chicken Pox in Russia! [more inside]
posted on Jul 24, 2008 - 6 answers

What present should my mother get for her 13/14 year old nephew? Complications within. [more inside]
posted on Jul 15, 2008 - 11 answers

I'll be taking the Trans-Siberian from Beijing to Moscow, leaving next Saturday. I'd like to spend my five days on the train doing a cram course and learning as much basic Russian as I can. I already know the alphabet, and some very basic phrases (ie. "where is the metro?"). Are there any good online courses I can print out and take with me? [more inside]
posted on Jul 7, 2008 - 2 answers

I'll be taking the Trans-Siberian from Beijing to Moscow, leaving next Saturday. I'd like to spend my five days on the train doing a cram course and learning as much basic Russian as I can. I already know the alphabet, and some very basic phrases (ie. "where is the metro?"). Are there any good online courses I can print out and take with me? [more inside]
posted on Jul 7, 2008 - 2 answers

I'm trying to remember what the title of this movie was. I think it was made in the 1960's or 1970's in the U.S. I remember watching it on TV on the Sunday Matinee show in the 1980's. The plot involved this millionaire who wanted to attack the Soviet Union, he had a small force which was to attack Russia by driving trucks across the polar ice cap. All I can remember was that in the end of the film his plan is thwarted by the Soviets, who send planes to bomb the ice, and the trucks sink to the bottom of the ocean. Any ideas?
posted on Jun 27, 2008 - 3 answers

Does anyone have any experience or second-hand knowledge of volunteering with Cross Cultural Solutions? [more inside]
posted on Jun 7, 2008 - 1 answers

A friend and I are planning a trip to Russia this summer to visit a friend who has been working there for a couple years. My first question: Will this make getting a tourist visa more difficult (given we will not be staying in a hotel)? Secondly: We'd like to travel to a couple of other countries while we're there, but we're at a bit of a loss as to where... [more inside]
posted on May 14, 2008 - 8 answers

Best/accurate/easy to access sources of Central & Eastern Europe and Middle East / Africa (CEEMEA) news? Global newspapers or local? Which are best? [more inside]
posted on Apr 16, 2008 - 7 answers

I'm craving detailed information about the Russian Mafia/Eurasian Gangs that operate in Russia and abroad. I would appreciate any information no matter how small or large. [more inside]
posted on Apr 1, 2008 - 8 answers

Help me teach myself about the current political and social climate in Russia. [more inside]
posted on Mar 21, 2008 - 12 answers

Traveling CIS / Central Asia via train: romantic silk route journey or hell on an iron horse? [more inside]
posted on Mar 19, 2008 - 7 answers

I am trying to plan a 4 week trip back westbound on the Trans Siberian railway. I'm planning to travel through China via Shanghai from Osaka and then take the trans Siberian from Beijing. I'd love some advice on where I should stop over (I'm thinking maybe Mongolia, Irkutsk, Moscow and a stop in Eastern Europe) and what I should try and see and do in these places on my way back to London. Also, I'm on a budget of about $2000 is this enough?. I am arranging it all myself so any general advice/ experience would be very much appreciated.
posted on Mar 11, 2008 - 5 answers

Need cell phone advice for a trip to russia. [more inside]
posted on Jan 24, 2008 - 5 answers

Are there any popular Russian Christmas beers? Also, can you translate the label that's linked inside?
posted on Nov 26, 2007 - 5 answers

In the context of advertising and marketing in Russia, who are the opinion leaders and influencers for the 18 to 35 year old demographic? [more inside]
posted on Nov 26, 2007 - 9 answers

in '97 or so I saw a documentary about the crew that was stranded aboard MIR when the big political change in Russia occurred around 1990. It was titled something like 'Man out of time,' may have been made by a Czech director, and had as its' central thesis the idea that the guy who was stuck up there while the Soviet Union became Russia was a time traveler. What the hell is the exact name of this flick?
posted on Nov 18, 2007 - 6 answers

Proverb origins? Everyone knows the monkey, but the monkey knows no one. [more inside]
posted on Nov 3, 2007 - 6 answers

I'm trying to find current information on crime in Moscow and St. Petersburg. [more inside]
posted on Oct 12, 2007 - 2 answers

Are there any movies that match the campiness of Red Dawn from Russia? [more inside]
posted on Sep 27, 2007 - 8 answers

I have this book craving but I really don't know where to start, I just know what I want: urban, cold and miserable - and its set in Russia ( or some Eastern European State ). [more inside]
posted on Sep 13, 2007 - 33 answers

I need to review Russian badly (up to the speaking/writing/listening level of a minor in Russian). I have a semester (two is doable but pushing it) to devote to this. I need some kind of structured process to go about this--while I have textbooks and some materials from years ago it's not enough. Does anyone have any suggestions for other good tutorials? Syllabi? Quick-review websites?
posted on Sep 6, 2007 - 9 answers

If Russia gets to claim the North Pole as its own based on geological origins, shouldn't India automatically get Antarctica? [more inside]
posted on Aug 3, 2007 - 20 answers

How is life in Russia these days? Is it really as bad as some of the sources I've come across suggest? [more inside]
posted on Jul 24, 2007 - 19 answers

How do I send and receive SMS messages on the Internet or with my Sprint mobile to Russia and Kazakhstan? [more inside]
posted on Jul 9, 2007 - 9 answers

Can you provide context for a gas masked army of children? [more inside]
posted on Jun 29, 2007 - 16 answers

Why is Russia so expensive? [more inside]
posted on Jun 18, 2007 - 11 answers

Does anyone know a good (but fairly simple) recipe for Kvas, the delicious Russian soft drink made from bread? I tried some the other day and I'm addicted. I'm drinking gallons of it.
posted on Jun 11, 2007 - 11 answers

HomelandSecurityFilter: If you have visas/stamps in your passport from Communist or former Communist nations, can this prejudice your entry into the US? [more inside]
posted on May 29, 2007 - 12 answers

This travel advisory from the State Department website, dated 1998, states that the use of GPS units is highly regulated in Russia and that it is risky to bring one unless it is fully documented. Now, GPS units are a lot more common today than they were in 1998. Do I really have to worry about this? I am planning a multi-country trip and I could mail myself the GPS ahead of time to my post-Russia destination if I had to. I am an amateur photographer and I use the unit to tag the location of photos I have taken.
posted on May 11, 2007 - 9 answers

I'm looking for some books on European history during the 1800s. I'm specifically interested in Russia from the Decemberists to the 1917 revolution, and the French student revolution of 1848. [more inside]
posted on Apr 26, 2007 - 8 answers

Why was US currency difficult to use and exchange in Novosibirsk, Russia? [more inside]
posted on Apr 26, 2007 - 30 answers

In about a year, my father, brother and myself will be traveling to Russia, and I have a few questions. [more inside]
posted on Mar 9, 2007 - 5 answers

I am looking for books written by True-Believers in the old Soviet Union (published in English). I'm doing some research regarding the former Soviet Union and, obviously, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of books reviling the former Soviet Union. I have found only one defending the USSR and its system: the memoirs of Yegor Ligachev. Can anybody help with books written from a pro-USSR viewpoint (since the fall)? Many thanks in advance!
posted on Jan 9, 2007 - 11 answers

I'm scheduled to fly to Moscow on Saturday for work. No, I don't have a letter of invitation or a visa yet. How stupid would it be to just go on a tourist visa? [more inside]
posted on Jan 8, 2007 - 13 answers

What do you do when you're in St Petersberg (Russia) for a month with no understanding of the language and no local contacts? [more inside]
posted on Jan 2, 2007 - 13 answers

Help me understand the connection between "Traumerei" and Russia. [more inside]
posted on Dec 22, 2006 - 7 answers

Can you help me find a book which traverses Russian history from, well, as far back as possible up to the Russian Revolution of 1917? [more inside]
posted on Dec 17, 2006 - 10 answers

Can anyone identify this (possibly) Russian pin? [more inside]
posted on Nov 2, 2006 - 8 answers

I'm heading to Moscow soon. What is the best way to see the city properly during a few days stop-over? [more inside]
posted on Oct 30, 2006 - 6 answers

Is it common for Americans to incorrectly assume that Russian is only spoken in Russia but forget that it is also a common language in the former Soviet states? [more inside]
posted on Oct 18, 2006 - 37 answers

How safe is travelling around Russia by yourself if you don't speak Russian? What's the protocol for bribing? I'm thinking of visitting Moscow, St Petersburg, Tomsk, Novosobirsk. I do have friends in Tomsk. [more inside]
posted on Oct 8, 2006 - 10 answers

A russian James Bond? [more inside]
posted on Oct 3, 2006 - 4 answers

Are any of the old Soviet poster designers still working? [more inside]
posted on Sep 29, 2006 - 5 answers

While cleaning up my grandmother's attic, I came across a Russian medal which I'd like to know more about. [more inside]
posted on Sep 4, 2006 - 9 answers

What should I read in Russian and where can I get it? [more inside]
posted on Jul 15, 2006 - 11 answers

PYCCKO! To my Russian friends! What does this pin say, and what does it mean? [more inside]
posted on Jun 13, 2006 - 9 answers

TravelFilter: Tips/recommendations for Kaliningrad? [more inside]
posted on Jun 7, 2006 - 6 answers

Is alltunes safe? [more inside]
posted on Mar 31, 2006 - 25 answers

What was life like in Siberia circa the mid-1820s? Specifically, what was life like for Decemberists who were exiled there? I have heard that it was like the Wild West, only much colder. Are there any good books on this? I've found a couple of websites referenced, but, well, I don't speak Russian. Academic history papers are also appreciated. Any good authors, novels, histories, authorities would be a help. (As a corrolary— was there a concerted exploration and surveying movement in that area at the same time? What would it have been like to be on the frontier? How would it have been different from the American frontier of a similar time [which would have been around Ohio and Michigan]?)
posted on Mar 10, 2006 - 11 answers

I adore the white and red jackets Team Russia has been wearing at the Olympics, how could I get one for me? [more inside]
posted on Feb 24, 2006 - 8 answers