Russian

The Olivier Show (Оливье Шоу) is an annual variety show broadcast on Channel One Russia on New Year’s Eve. It premiered in 2010 and was originally based on the Soviet classic holiday program, The Little Blue Light which featured popular Soviet artists and figures, including Heroes of Socialist Labor and cosmonauts, all of whom gathered at TV […]

Originally known as the Gnessin Institute, the Gnessin State Musical College (Государственный музыкальный колледж имени Гнесиных) is an elite music school in Moscow’s Arbat District. In additional to its academic prestige, it’s known as a factory for producing pop stars, including the legendary Philipp Kirkorov, one of Russia’s best-selling and most popular artists, Olga Arefyeva, […]

Seventeen Moments of Spring (Семнадцать мгновений весны) is a 12-part Soviet war drama that first aired in 1973. The series recently came back into the news when Vladimir Putin cited it as an inspiration for wanting to join the KGB in his youth. According to his personal assistant, Leonid Brezhnev was also a devoted fan […]

Korchma Taras Bulba (Корчма Тарас Булба) is a chain serving Ukrainian cuisine in an atmosphere rich in Ukrainian culture. They currently have locations in Moscow, Kyiv, and New York City. Korchma Taras Bulba was founded by Yury Beloyvan in Moscow in 1999. At the time, most dining in Moscow was either fast food or five-star. […]

Sergei Chigrakov (Сергей Чиграков, also called Chizh / Чиж) is a Soviet and Russian singer, songwriter, poet, and guitarist best known as founder and frontman of Chizh & Co (Чиж & Со). He has also participated in Different People (Разные люди), The Colonel and Fellow Soldiers (Полковник и Однополчане), and Shiva (Шива). Born to a […]

Philipp Kirkorov (Филипп Киркоров) is a Russian pop singer, actor, producer, and TV personality that has been nominated by the World Music Awards as the Best-Selling Russian Artist in 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, and 2008, and is currently the second-highest paid Russian singer with an annual income of $7.4 million in 2017. Born April 30, […]

Valeriy Meladze (Russian: Валерий Меладзе, Georgian: ვალერი ძე მელაძე) is a singer and pianist, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, and People’s Artist of the Chechen Republic. Born June 23, 1965 in Batumi, now the the second largest city in Georgia, Meladze was considered a disobedient child while his brother and songwriter, Konstantin (Russian: Константин, […]

Mystery of the Third Planet (Тайна третьей планеты) is a 1981 animated Soviet feature film based on the children’s sci-fi novella Alice’s Travel by Kir Bulychov (Кир Булычёв), from the Alice (Алиса) book series. The year is 2181, and Alice Selzynova (Алиса Селезнёва), along with her father Professor Selznyov (профессор Селезнёв) and their trusty compadre Captain […]