Cover Art
Motherland Calls
The impressive statue, “Родина-мать зовёт!” is loosely translated as “Homeland, Mother is calling!” The statue commemorates the Soviet victory against the Germans at the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII. The statue sits high on a hill in Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), Russia. There are 200 steps from the bottom of the hill to the base of the monument which symbolizes the long 200 day battle of Stalingrad. “Motherland Calls” was completed in 1967 and is, at 279 feet high, the tallest female statue in the world. Lead sculpture Yevgeny Vuchetich and engineer Nikolai Nikitin used over 8000 tons of concrete and 99 metal tension rods in constructing this complex design. The artistic composition of the statue with the wind blown hair, the stern expression, the call to her sons and daughters, the demand of her arm and the sword held high evokes feelings of power, family, determination and spirit — attributes that perfectly describe Russia and her people.
Chapter 1
The Dogs of Moscow
Komsomolskaya Station
The beautiful Komsomolskaya metro station is located in the central area of Moscow's metro. The station was originally designed with baroque themed architecture which was later infused with Stalinist flair by the addition of mosaics that feature historical military figures.
Moscow Metro
The Moscow metro opened in 1935. It has 229 stations and is 210 miles long making it the 5th largest metro in the world behind Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul and Shanghai. Over six and a half million people take the Moscow metro daily.
A Genius Doggy
Only about thirty of the nearly thirty five thousand stray dogs of Moscow have figured out the complex Moscow metro in order to ride from one station to another to visit friends or just catch a nap.
Malchik's Monument
Malchik, or "little boy" was a much loved stray dog and frequent passenger on the Moscow metro. After he was brutally stabbed, this monument was created in 2007 and placed in his honor at the Mendeleyevskaya station, a place where conductors, rail service personnel and thousands of passengers cared for him for years.
The Beautiful Metro Stations of Moscow
Chapter 3
Sin and Ink
Solovki Prison Camp
The Solovki Prison Camp was termed the "mother of the GULAG" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Originally a monastery established in 1436, the monastery was used in the days of Ivan the Terrible to exile unwanteds, especially threats to the czar's regime. The location on the extreme northwest corner of Russia insured prisoners couldn't escape. During the Stalinist era the prison became well known for its crimes against humanity including torture, starvation and murder. The Orthodox Church reestablished the monastery in 1992 and in June every year a "Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repression" is celebrated.
Location of Solviki Prison Camp
The Solovetsky Islands, or Solovki, are an archipelago in the White Sea region of Russia.
Prison Business Card
What is now a hip trend, tattoos during the time of the Gulag told the naked truth about one's life, loves and transgressions.
For some of the best Russian prison tattoo photos visit Russian Prison Tattoos by Sergei Vasiliev. Books available here Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia Vol. 1-3.
Chapter 5
The Second and Best Catherine
Catherine the Great
To the left, young Catherine when she arrived at court before her marriage. Above, one of many portraits of Catherine II, Empress of Russia.
Catherine in Later Years
Catherine aged about 65, two years prior to her death in 1796. Coincidentally, long before I took the Russian language class, I visited the London Museum in 2012 and took the special exhibit tour of Catherine the Great where I saw this blue silk overcoat.
Catherine & Husband Peter III
Catherine wins the approval of Empress Elizabeth and marries the heir to the throne, Peter III.
Count Grigory Orlov
Orlov was an early favorite of Catherine and with his help she was able to stage a coup and overthrow her husband. Peter III died while being held captive not long after Catherine seized power and became Empress.
Stanislaw Poniatowski
Poniatowski came to the Russian court in 1755 and soon became a lover of Catherine's. Later, with Catherine's help, he became the last King of Poland.
Grigory Potemkin
By all accounts Grigory Potemkin, the handsome, brilliant military leader and poet was Catherine's soulmate. It was rumored that they secretly wed and were together for about ten years.
Paul I
Son of Catherine the Great, he ruled only for five years before he was assassinated.
Chapter 7
Tears of the Sun
The Amber Room in Catherine's Palace
The Amber Room is located in Catherine's Palace in Tsarskoye Selo near St. Petersburg. The room was painstakingly recreated beginning in 1979 and was completed and open to the public in 2003 after the original room was stolen and lost during WWII.
Amber with insect
Amber is fossilized tree resin. There are many colors of amber and it is used to make fine jewelry. Ninety percent of amber is sourced from Russia.
Source of Amber
The largest deposit of amber is in Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia. It is mined or netted out of the sea.
Scroll through the Art of Amber
Chapter 9
900 Days
Siege of Leningrad
The word siege comes from the Latin word "to sit." It is an ancient war tactic where the enemy surrounds a city and prevents escape, entry, supplies or communications to the outside world. Two thirds of the people of Leningrad starved to death during the Nazi siege of their city.
Operation Barbarossa
When initial attempts to invade Leningrad failed, German High Command enacted a military siege preventing any food or fuel supplies to the city. As land access was blocked, supplies and people were sometimes able to cross over Lake Ladoga although passage was dangerous due to weather and enemy encampments. Leningrad was under constant bombardment during the Siege by Luftwaffe artillery, shells, bombs and torpedoes.
Death
Before WWIII Leningrad had a population in excess of three million. During the siege hundreds and then thousands of people died every day. The siege in Leningrad was one of the deadliest ever in recorded history. Only about 700,000 residents survived and over a million Soviet military soldiers were killed in defense of the city.
Defense
St. Isaac's Cathedral in Leningrad stands behind Soviet anti-aircraft weapons during the "Great Patriotic War."
Tanya Savicheva
Eleven year old Tanya Savicheva recorded the deaths of her entire family in a diary during the Siege of Leningrad. There are undocumented accounts that Tanya's diary was presented during the Nuremberg Trials by Allied prosecutors. Tanya died from tuberculosis in 1944.
Too Many Bodies
Frozen earth and thousands of corpses posed significant problems for burial during the siege. Bodies were moved daily to outposts for later burial in the spring.
T-34, the Soviet Tank that Won the War
Hitler expected to exterminate the "untermenschen," or "racially inferior" slavic people. Nazi armies however, were met with this superior tank which was heavily armored, had an excellent 76-mm gun and was faster than any tank on the planet.
Defenders of Leningrad
Soviet soldiers and plant workers meet on a bridge. Every citizen in Leningrad including women and children were involved in defending the city against the enemy. Most historians agree that the Soviet's ability to mobilize their people, resources and military led them to win the war.
Dmitri Shastakovich
Leningrad native and celebrated composter, Shastakovich escaped Leningrad during the siege and wrote the famous symphony that lifted the hearts of war torn Leningrad citizens and thousands of others worldwide, Symphony No. 7, Leningrad.
The Hotel Astoria
The Astoria Hotel, located in St. Isaac’s square in St. Petersburg opened in 1912. Luxurious and regal, its guests included friends of the Romanovs and later members of the Communist Party after the revolution. Hitler, convinced of a swift fall of Leningrad, had invitations to a Nazi celebration party in the hotel’s winter garden on August 9, 1942. Instead Leningrad musicians played Shastakovich’s symphony for the “city of the dead” that day.
Grand Hall of St. Petersburg Philharmonia
The Bolshoi Zal, or Grand Hall was built in 1839 and still hosts concerts today. Conductor Karl Eliasberg on a radio address the day of the famous symphony said, “…this performance is witness to our spirit, courage and readiness to fight. Listen, Comrades!”
Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad
The monument commemorates the victims and survivors of the Siege of Leningrad. The monument was completed in the 1975 and was built in “Victory Square.” The broken ring symbolizes the defeat of the siege.
Chapter 11
Star Men
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev
Korolev, known as "The Chief Designer" was the person responsible for putting the first human in space. His identity and accomplishments remained a secret during his lifetime as he was considered too valuable to lose during the Soviet Space race. Korolev's design, the R-7, was the rocket that sent the first human in space. Soyuz rockets from Korolev's design, are still in use today.
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space. Of the hundreds of initial candidates, it was slowly narrowed down to twenty men. Korolev had the final choice and some say it was because Korolev liked his personality, some say it was because he was short enough (only men under 5 ft 6 inches would fit in the capsule) but Yuri contended it was simply because he had a pleasing smile.
Scroll through the Soviet Stamps including Glushko, Sputnik and Tereshkova, the First Female in Space
Replica of Sputnik 1
Korolev's Sputnik 1 was the first manmade satellite to orbit the earth on October 4, 1957. This date marked the official "Space Race" between the USSR and the United States.
Replica of Sputnik 2 Interior
A stray dog from Moscow, "Laika" was the first animal in space in November 1957. Laika died shortly after the flight but was memorialized in 2008 with a monument in Moscow featuring her atop a rocket.
Time Magazine
Yuri Gagarin makes the cover of "Time Magazine" April 21, 1961.
Soyuz Spacecraft and Rocket
Soyuz rocket and spacecraft on a railcar going to Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan July, 2012. The Soyuz series spacecraft, designed by Korolev's group, is still in use today by Russia and NASA. Perhaps the series was aptly named as "soyuz" means "union."
Chapter 13
The Russian Spirit
Isidore the Monk
Isidore of Kiev is credited with the invention of vodka in the mid fifteenth century.
Chudov Monastary
The Chudov Monastery was founded in 1358 in Moscow. In 1441 Isidore was imprisoned here for three years. During that time he developed a new chemical distillation process that resulted in a purified alcohol. The Bolsheviks dismantled the monastery shortly after assuming power and the building was dismantled completely by 1929.
Biretta
The red biretta is worn by Roman Catholic clergy, most notably Cardinals. Isidore was promoted to Cardinal and made church Delegate in Lithuania, Poland and all of Russia.
Russian Orthodox Churches
Distillation methods from primitive to modern
Vodka Belt
Vodka is the preferred drink in northern and eastern european countries perhaps due to the climate; freezing climates prevent the cultivation of grapes needed for wine making. The vodka belt includes Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Vodka Brands
According to The Spirits Business, these are the top selling vodka brands for 2017 ranked from last to first: Krupnik, Zubrowka, Khortytsa, Absolut and Smirnoff. Smirnoff was founded in Moscow but is now owned by the British company Diageo. Worldwide, Smirnoff is the fifth best selling brand of liquor according to 2014 statistics.
Ingredients
Vodka is made from grain such as the sorghum featured in the photo above. Other grains used are corn, wheat or rye. However, vodka can be distilled from any plant starch or sugar rich source such as potatoes, fruit or plain sugar.
Drinking in Space
Russian Mir station cosmonaut, Alexander Lazutkin, explained that early in the Space Program cognac was allowed on board the spacecraft. NASA forbids alcohol on any craft unless it is part of a scientific experiment however the latest SpaceX launch included barley seeds to the International Space Station in order to prepare for beer production on Mars!
Chapter 15
War and Peace
Valisi Alexandrovich Arkhipov
Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov prevented World War III during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Arkhipov was the Flotilla Commander on a Soviet B-59 submarine deep in the Caribbean waters when intensive US depth charges caused the submarine’s Captain to initiate deployment of the sub’s “secret weapon,” a ten kiloton tipped nuclear torpedo. Arkhipov cooled tensions with reason and refused to cast his required vote for the nuke’s deployment. Arkhipov has been honored posthumously in October 2017 with the “Future of Life” award, a new American nonprofit organization that awards persons who were heroic in action despite great personal risk and who were not previously recognized.
Aerial Reconnaissance Photos
Proof of Soviet missile sites were found by US intelligence aerial photography. Analysis proved newly formed medium range ballistic missile installations on Cuba; missiles that were in striking distance to almost the entire United States.
Letter to Khrushchev from JFK, 10/22/62
"... since I have not assumed that you or any sane man would, in this nuclear age, deliberately plunge the world in to war which is crystal clear no country could win and which could only result in catastrophic consequences to the whole world, including the aggressor."
Fidel Castro
Charismatic, well educated and passionate about Cuban nationalism, Fidel Castro came to power in 1959 after overthrowing the corrupt government. Castro's regime was intent on instituting social justice and freedom while at the same time reducing interference by foreign imperialism - especially American.
Nikita Khrushchev, "Time's" Man of the Year 1958
Khrushchev led the Soviet Union after Stalin's death from 1953 to 1964. Dramatic and mercurial, he initiated the "De-Stalinization" of the Soviet Union, supported the Soviet Space program, promoted good relations with the West yet secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba.
U.S. President John F. Kennedy
On October 23, 1962, President JFK signs proclamation 3504, "The Interdiction of the Delivery of Offensive Weapons to Cuba." The document authorizes a US Naval Quarantine of Cuba.
A Dramatic Showdown of Power
After thirteen tense days in October of 1962, negotiations were made by the US and the Soviet Union. The US agreed to remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey and Italy while the Soviet Union agreed to dismantle the missiles from Cuba.
Chapter 18
The Seven Day Journey
Provodnitzas
The Conductress of the train is called a "Provodnitza." Their job is to check the tickets, give you your bed sheets, direct passengers, provide hot water in the "samovar," clean the bathrooms and corridors and generally take care of you while you journey.
Trans Siberian Railway Map
The Trans Siberian Railway is the longest railway line in the world at 5772 miles from Moscow to Vladivostok. There are offshoots on the line where you can travel to Mongolia, China or North Korea. The railway began construction in 1891 and was formally completed in 1916. It is one of the most ambitious engineering projects ever undertaken through harsh climate, treacherous terrain and was constructed with simple tooks such as wooden shovels. The line opened transport of people and goods between Western and Eastern Russia thus transforming the country in to a modern empire.
Rossiya #2
The modern "Rossiya #2" is the fastest train between Moscow and Vladivostok.
Moscow
Perm
Yekaterinburg
Irkutsk
Ulan Ude
Chita and Khabarovsk
Vladivostock
Chapter 20
The Game of Risk
The Game "Risk"
Risk is a board game of military strategy, war and luck of the dice. The objective is to conquer the world. Note Kamchatka in the green territory at the top far right.
The Land of Fire & Ice
Kamchatka is known as the "Land of Fire and Ice" because of the extremely cold northern temperatures and the ring of active lava spewing volcanoes. The Kamchatka Peninsula separates the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Peninsula is one part of the "Kamchatka Krai," which includes the Karaginsky Island area to the north and the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea. There are 160 volcanoes in the Kamchatka Peninsula and of those, 29 are currently active. The biggest active volcano in the northern hemisphere is found in Kamchatka with a height of over fifteen thousands feet.
Koryaksky Sopka Volcano
Located in Russia's far east of Kamchatka, the Koryaksky volcano last erupted in December of 2008 with a plume of ash the rose to 20,000 feet. Prior lava eruptions occurred in 1890, 1926 and 1956. Geologists have found evidence that Koryaksky has been active for over ten thousand years.
Kamchatka Brown Bear
The Kamchatka Brown Bear is one of the largest bears in the world with adult males weighing in at 1400 pounds -- they are second only in size to the polar bear. Although the species was once plentiful, numbers have been decreasing in recent years due to poaching, legalized hunting and habitat encroachment by mining and fisheries.
