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Category Archives: Russia
One Hundred Years Ago, the female Robinson Crusoe only survived thanks to a cat – August 1923: Ada Blackjack
Four men. One woman. One island. –
The history of Arctic exploration, Russian expansion, and a dramatic story which explains why you should never travel without a cat. Continue reading
Mobilization in Russia
After the Russian government’s call for mobilization, many Russians, especially young men, spontaneously discovered their patriotic urge to become very mobile indeed. Considering that mobilization kicked off World War I, this is a bit disconcerting, though.
One Hundred Years Ago, Germany and Russia laid the Foundation for World War II – April 1922: Rapallo
Zur deutschen Fassung. Did you ever notice that the term “discovery” is only used when a white guy first steps onto some territory, where non-white folks have been living for a long time? And that fake explorer fame is even … Continue reading
Posted in Germany, History, Italy, Military, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, World War I, World War II
Tagged international law, Rapallo, Soviet Union
12 Comments
One Hundred Years Ago, a German Baron from the Baltics established a Kingdom in Mongolia – March 1921: Roman von Ungern-Sternberg
Zur deutschen Fassung. With the spectacular opening episode of this historical series, I wanted to point out that World War I ended neither with the armistice nor with the peace treaty. Shooting, fighting, conquering, occupying and liberating continued everywhere. The … Continue reading
Posted in China, History, Military, Russia
Tagged anti-semitism, Mongolia, Nazis, Soviet Union
13 Comments
More Exciting than a Thriller
Zur deutschen Fassung. It’s been months, if not years, since I last saw a good movie in the theater. On TV, they are showing “Outbreak,” “Pandemic” and cheap adaptations thereof every day. But fortunately, there is this Russian lawyer and … Continue reading
Posted in Human Rights, Politics, Russia
Tagged corruption, crime, criminal law, Human Rights, Putin
1 Comment
Wait, when was World War II again?
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. A strange questions, it seems, especially coming from someone studying history. But the more you travel in the post-Soviet world, i.e. in the countries that became independent after the end of the Soviet Union, the … Continue reading
Posted in Abkhazia, History, Military, Photography, Russia, Ukraine, World War II
Tagged Soviet Union
14 Comments
Film review: “Donbass”
Truth is the first victim of war, one could sum up the film Donbass, which confused me more than it educated me. But it did so in a memorable, partly unsettling, partly amusing way. In 13 episodes, Sergei Loznitsa portrays … Continue reading
Our Prisoner of War
Recently, I stayed with my father in Bavaria, where life is informal and one can put the feet on the table and smoke inside the house. We were both preoccupied with reading, my father with the newspaper and me with … Continue reading
Posted in Germany, History, Military, Russia, Travel, World War II
Tagged Bavaria, cigars, German history, Nazis, Soviet Union
5 Comments
“60 Degrees North” by Malachy Tallack
Good idea, good writing, but somehow lost me halfway on its way around the globe. Not that any particular idea is needed to set out and explore the world, but, as far as ideas go, circumventing the planet following the … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 