russia
Catching up with Krussia, New York's Best Russian Rapper
For this week's Mahal, I hit up Russian rapper Krussia's 2 AM performance at CMJ's international show. Over the last few years, I've ran into Krussia from time to time as shredded the streets of New York on his bike. Here's a live video from his CMJ...
Kyrgyzstan Is the Latest Victim of the Global Heroin Trade
Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kyrgyzstan has been a preferred route for drug traffickers sending heroin from Afghanistan to Russia. This has led to widespread addiction and an epidemic of organized crime.
This Week's Bad News in a Thousand Words or Less
Who remembers Dogmageddon, the weekly round-up of news about organized religions ruining the world? I'm back! Except this time, instead of examining religion, I’m recapping the news a.k.a. a wide swath of terrible people doing terrible things for no...
Why Are the Russians Taking Greenpeace's "Pirates" So Seriously?
A pirate is typically one of two things: either a sailor with bad dental hygiene whose likeness is occasionally used to market rum, or a Somali with an RPG and a predilection for robbing the crews of international cargo ships. They are not normally...
Why Does Vladimir Putin Keep Giving His Watches Away to Peasants?
Nothing says, "I'm the undisputed power in this country and can do whatever I want" like literally throwing away baubles worth thousands of dollars.
Moscow's Real-Life Fight Club Looks Insane
It will surprise approximately zero people that Russia took the film Fight Club really fucking seriously.
I'm a Russian Lesbian Pretending to Be Straight to Avoid Persecution
Almost every day, the Russian government releases new laws and government statements that make queer Russians’ lives more and more difficult—if not next to impossible. Right now, I’m a Russian lesbian visiting relatives in Russia. To survive the past...
The Best of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the Clown Prince of Russian Politics
When he ran for prime minister, Zhirinovsky's campaign promises included free vodka for men and better underwear for women. He’s throttled newscasters and state officials, told world leaders to suck Russian dick, and pontificated about enslaving the...
Cyber Criminals Hate Brian Krebs So Much They Sent Heroin and SWAT Teams to His Home
If you have the right kind of knowledge, enough free time, and a penchant for misanthropy, the internet can provide the means to make someone's life really fucking miserable. A perfect example is last week's case of internet security journalist Brian...
These NSFW Russian Party Photos Might Send a Guy to Prison
Anton Ilyushchenko is a 27-year-old blogger from Omsk, Russia. Last April, he reposted some photographs taken in a nightclub in his hometown. I guess they'd be fairly shocking to someone who's never used the internet before, and the people in them are...
Russia’s Silent but Deadly AIDS Epidemic
HIV infection rates are dropping throughout the world, but not in Russia, where poor sex education, ignorance, and harsh government policies have resulted in a toxic environment where disease sufferers are stigmatized, shunned, and don't receive help.
An Interview with a Gay, Russian Neo-Nazi
As you might recall from being within spitting distance of any history textbook ever, the Führer and his Third Reich buddies weren't too keen on either Russians or homosexuals. But minor historical details like rampant persecution and horrific...