Russian

The Return (Хайтарма / Qaytarma) is a 2013 Crimean-Tatar (not to be confused with simply Tatar!) dramatic film. It was produced in Ukraine and is in both Russian and Crimean Tatar languages. The film tells the story of the events of May 1944, when over the course of a few days Stalin had the Crimean Tatars […]

Aminata Savadogo (she often goes by just Aminata) is a Latvian contemporary singer. Her music is influenced by her multiethnic roots—Russia, Latvia, and Burkina Faso—and displays a sound refreshing and unusual in today’s Latvia. She sings mostly in English, sometimes in Russian, and rarely in Latvian. According to her official biography, “her strong and unique […]

Treasure Island (Остров сокровищ in Russian; Острів скарбів in Ukrainian) is, among many other things, a 1988 Russian/Ukrainian/Soviet animated full-length film. Though it was produced by the Ukrainian animated film studio Kyivnaukfilm (Київнаукфільм), it’s entirely in Russian, as was common for the Soviet Union. It actually consists of two parts, “Captain Flint’s Map (“Карта капитана […]

Kruglyachok (Круглячок; sometimes also spelled Кругляшок in Russian) is a Ukrainian short animated film. Ukrainian and Russian versions were created in 1992 and 2002, respectively. The film is under 10 minutes long and was produced by Ukranimafilm (Укранімафільм), the studio that replaced the Soviet-era Ukrainian animation studio Kyivnaukfilm (Київнаукфільм). Kruglyachok is based on an old Ukrainian fairy […]

Evening Urgant (Вечерний Ургант) is a Russian late-night talk show, the (intentional) equivalent of American shows like Letterman and Jimmy Fallon. It began airing in 2012 and is often called the first Russian show of its kind. It airs every day, Monday to Friday, at 11:30 on Perviy Kanal (Первый канал). The host of the […]

Cossacks (Козаки) is a series of Ukrainian short animated films that appeared between 1967 and 1995. There are nine episodes, most about 15 minutes long. The films are about three Zaporozhian Cossacks. (Cossacks are historical ethnic Ukrainians known for their fighting prowess and are considered a major part of Ukraine’s proud cultural heritage. Zaporozhian Cossacks […]

Pozner (Познер) is a Russian talk show hosted by Vladimir Pozner (Владимир Познер). It’s been airing weekly since 2008: there are 9 seasons and almost 250 hour-long episodes. The show features Pozner interviewing major figures in Russian society: politicians, artists, athletes, scientists, and others. The guest discusses various topics, often contemporary events, with Pozner, and […]

Dr. Komarovskiy’s School (Школа доктора Комаровского) is a weekly Russian health/educational show. It is actually produced and filmed in Ukraine and airs in both Ukraine and Russia, but it is entirely in Russian. It has been on since 2010 and has more than 250 half-hour episodes. The host, of course, is Dr. (Yevgeny) Komarovskiy (Евгений Комаровский […]