Pyotr Fyodorov is a popular Russian actor who is often called the “Russian Colin Farrell.” Looking at this pair one can understand why: He shares the same expressive eyebrows Fyodorov is 35 years old - only six years younger than his Western double Popular Russian singer Dima Bilan is often compared to the Hollywood star by his fans – especially when he grows a trendy beard You might have seen this Russian celebrity in the Eurovision Song contest – he represented Russia in 2006 and won in 2008 Russian and Soviet actor and director Veniamin Smekhov bears a striking resemblance to American actor Al Pachino Smekhov is most loved among Russians for his role as Athos in the Russian version of the "Three Musketeers" (1978) Another interesting pair is Russian celebrity actor and TV host Garik Kharlamov and American movie star Matt Damon.  Don’t they look like brothers but you wouldn’t guess it at first sight A People’s Artist of Russia (1998) and star of many Russian movies Larisa Udovichenko resembles another outstanding actress – American Meryl Streep both share the same ability to take on the hardest and sometimes secondary roles despite their well-established status Many in Russia have noted the similarity between American actress Grace Kelly and Russian actress and TV presenter Julia Vysotskaya both women are also similar in the way their marriage has influenced their lives Kelly became part of the royal family when she married the Prince of Monaco while Vysotskaya became part of the Russian elite class after marrying the renowned Russian film director Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky British actor Tim Roth and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich are both very talented in what they do In 2013 Roth played a Russian oligarch in the film “Mobius” – where he looks exactly like Abramovich both share a love of London where Abramovich has a home and Roth was born One of the most striking for us – the Russian President in his early days is very similar to Macaulay Culkin most famous for his child role in the family comedy “Home Alone.” Just imagine if Putin himself had starred in this movie The pictures of an ordinary guy from Russia’s city of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia have been turning up on the Internet ever since he started wearing glasses a few years ago Many even speculate if he has taken the Polyjuice potion because he looks exactly like the star of the Harry Potter series Nikolai works in retail and it is becoming difficult for him because many people come in asking for a selfie and girls flood him with messages online A Russian lookalike of Leonardo DiCaprio was discovered by the media in 2016 Burtsev also received a few commercial offers: Over the past year he starred in a vodka TV commercial re-enacted Titanic scenes in shopping malls attended office parties and taken part in a TV reality show Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war Isabel joined Newsweek in 2021 and had previously worked with news outlets including the Daily Express You can get in touch with Isabel by emailing i.vanbrugen@newsweek.com or by following her on X @isabelvanbrugen either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content A staunch ally of Vladimir Putin lamented the destruction of the Black Sea Fleet dealing the Russian president a double blow as his Navy was forced to hold a muted annual parade on Sunday In a rare admission of Russia's military failures Yevgeny Fyodorov from the ruling United Russia party complained that Ukraine has disabled such a large proportion of Putin's prized Black Sea Fleet that it is essentially "gone." Roughly a third of Putin's prized Black Sea Fleet has been disabled by Ukrainian forces Russia has been forced to relocate many of its warships from annexed Crimea to Novorossiysk in Russia's Krasnodar region and its naval port in Feodosia further east on the annexed peninsula due to relentless Ukrainian attacks Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment via email A clip of Fyodorov's remarks was shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday by Anton Gerashchenko a former adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs "The Russian fleet as an operational mechanism in the Black Sea does not exist but in terms of its actual combat presence This is a fact," the State Duma deputy said "Where is the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation? It's gone! This is a fact of victory of the enemy. This is the fact of defeat, as with Kherson! Because the enemy is stronger than us!"An excellent statement by Yevgeny Fedorov, a State Duma deputy from United Russia.He… pic.twitter.com/v0HOHaSwon And the fact that the ships are still there somewhere But they do not exist in terms of a strategic combat unit they do not control the Black Sea," Fyodorov went on referring to Ukraine's partially occupied southern Kherson region the British Defence Ministry noted Ukraine's success in disabling Russia's Black Sea Fleet throughout the war "At least one-third of Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been sunk And the remaining Russian fleet has been pushed east fleeing persistent Ukrainian attacks," the ministry said "Ukraine's success was partly made possible by their innovative naval technology: Neptune their homegrown anti-ship missiles; Sea Baby their domestically produced unscrewed surface vessel; Magura V5 their own multi-use unscrewed surface vessel," it added In May, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said its Magura V5 maritime drones had caused $500 million worth of damage to Russia's naval vessels throughout the war The Magura V5 drone is the "main and best weapon available to Ukraine" to target the Black Sea Fleet Putin was dealt another blow on Sunday as his Navy held a notably muted annual parade to mark the Day of the Russian Navy there was also no parade held in the Black Sea or in Novorossiysk "for security reasons" Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all Three women have accused exiled Russian rapper Oxxxymiron, whose real name is Miron Fyodorov of grooming them and sending inappropriate messages when they were underage The women, one of whom previously made the allegations on social media came forward in a four-episode podcast hosted by investigative journalist Anastasia Krasilnikova.  The podcast begins with the story of Vera Markovich Fyodorov’s former girlfriend and manager They met in England while Fyodorov was studying at Oxford University and moonlighting at an agency that assisted Russians preparing for entrance exams Fyodorov became close to her and then forced sex on her when she turned 16.  This is how she describes the incident: “The mattress was all the way up under the ceiling I remember that it felt very strange because I wasn’t moving this person felt the desire to have sex with someone who wasn’t moving.” The two later started dating when they both moved to Moscow Markovich gradually became Oxxxymiron’s manager but they broke up after he repeatedly cheated on her Markovich saw a girl in a school uniform coming out of Miron’s apartment in the morning.  Markovich went to Montenegro following their breakup. Oxxxymiron immediately released a track with the lyrics: “I futilely sort through allegories / Meanwhile my love is f***ing someone in Montenegro.” Markovich was outraged and cut all contact with him He later wrote another track about her “F***ed Up Girl” (Devochka pizdets). In an earlier version he referred to her as “little girl.” The newer version of the song became one of the standout hits from his album “Gorgorod.”  Markovich’s story continued in 2021, when Oxxxymiron released "Who Killed Mark?", in which he revealed that he had been the victim of a bullying scheme orchestrated by the rapper Roma Zhigan. This prompted Vera to share a social media post about their relationship, accusing Fyodorov of “psychological violence” and grooming The post was later removed by Instagram after an influx of reports from the rapper’s fans Fyodorov publicly apologized and met with Vera after which she made another post where she specified that sex occurred when she was already 16 it’s stressed that Fyodorov always made sure that his victims turned 16 The age of sexual consent in Russia is 16 years Two other women said they began chatting online with Fyodorov while they were still in school said she met Fyodorov in person when she was 16 years old and had intercourse with him after one of his concerts “He made clear that he wasn’t violating the law because grooming a 13-year-old child for three years before having sex with her is rape,” Kuchak said in the podcast said Fyodorov had sent her sexually explicit content solicited her nude photos and repeatedly invited her to have sex after his shows when she was 15 years old but she claimed other women have said that the rapper had forced them into group sex and other sexual acts Fyodorov declined to be interviewed for the podcast She published a screenshot of her unanswered message sent to the rapper in December At least one of the three women who came forward in the podcast has already filed a legal complaint against Fyodorov Krasilnkova’s podcast The Bandit's Daughter (“Doch Razboynika”) has been at the forefront of the fight for women’s rights since its first season where she investigated abuse in ride-share taxis like Yandex and Citimobil Krasilnikova and her team went on to address other issues including the grooming of female students at the elite Moscow school No Each season gets extensive coverage by both opposition and mainstream media The podcast's latest series on Oxxxymiron sparked a debate on social media about whether what Fyodorov did constituted a crime said they were deeply disappointed by the revelations Some pro-government bloggers called for a criminal investigation into the rapper's actions.  Last year, Russian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Fyodorov for violating the country’s “foreign agent” laws. The Justice Ministry designated him as a “foreign agent” in October 2022 Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression during a particularly harsh Russian winter a pauper died of pneumonia on a trunk he had rented in a room full of destitute strangers yet in life he was celebrated by Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky and by a devoted group of disciples – one of whom is credited with winning the Space Race for the Soviet Union He has become an icon for transhumanists worldwide and a spiritual guide for interplanetary exploration and Yuri Gagarin who became the world's first cosmonaut" Fyodorov lived an ascetic lifestyle – sustained only by bread, tea and water – but he inhabited an exhilarating intellectual milieu. As librarian of the Rumyantsev Museum opposite the Kremlin and his devotees referred to him as "the Socrates of Moscow" Dostoevsky was in awe of "this great thinker… his ideas have enthralled me: when I read them and understand what they mean I feel as if they are completely part of me The novelist spent hours discussing Fyodorov's theories with the philosopher Vladimir Solovyov who regarded Fyodorov as a Christ-like figure while Tolstoy described Fyodorov's worldview in a letter to a friend: He has devised a plan for a common task for humanity the aim of which is the bodily resurrection of all humans it is not as crazy as it sounds (don't worry but I have understood them enough to feel capable of defending them against any other beliefs of a similar material nature) because of these beliefs he leads the purest Christian life.. Tolstoy and Fyodorov shared a similar creed while the poor remained at the mercy of droughts and floods universities had become nothing more than "the backyards of factories and army barracks serving industrialism and militarism" Both men wished to divert war's destructive energies into ecological renewal ("A civilization that exploits cannot have any other result than the approach of its own end," wrote Fyodorov) he opposed the idea of books as private property When his few written works were compiled for publication posthumously they were accompanied with sticker stating: "Not for Sale" so it is imperative that we reach into space to settle on new stars where the resurrected can live harmoniously the more we will need to revive ("All matter is the dust of ancestors") – so the only solution is radical life extension: the death of death itself Despite his focus on lost ancestors, Fyodorov's legacy was to inspire new generations. His most brilliant protégé, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, was also defined by a traumatic childhood event. At the age of 10, Tsiolkovsky caught scarlet fever and became almost completely deaf: schools barred him from entry so for three years he studied at the Rumyantsev under Fyodorov's guidance There he became fascinated with the colonisation of space which he came to believe would liberate humankind and lead to the perfection of the species "The pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere then conquering the whole of solar system." are associated with an intellectual movement called "Cosmism" which made a significant impact in philosophy in both pre-revolutionary Russia and the Soviet period Although averse to Fyodorov's Orthodox Christianity senior Soviets admired his critique of consumerism – the "toys" that divert our attention and imagination – and his emphasis on collective salvation ("not for oneself and not for others one group took Fyodorov's ambitions to stratospheric levels announcing their split from the Anarchist-Universalists They advocated the galactic liberation from statehood called for the urgent establishment of cosmic communication and made two "basic" demands: freedom of movement in interplanetary space; and the right to live forever so that instead of continuing as idle passengers around the sun's orbit we become "the crew of our celestial craft" the chief designer of Sputnik 1 and Gagarin's rocket Vostok 1 had been profoundly influenced by TsiolkovskyIn 1922 the founder of the Petrograd chapter of the Biocosmists wrote a 14-page poem in praise of "anabiosis" – the process of cryonic suspension used two years later to preserve Lenin's body During the early years of the Soviet Union but they were soon circumscribed by his successor Stalin was hostile to the religious roots of their scientific outlook and many had been publicly supportive of his rival Trotsky The vast majority of Cosmists were jailed or sent to labour camps (like Svyatogor just in time to counter American efforts to launch satellites into orbit had been profoundly influenced by Tsiolkovsky a youthful Korolev wrote: "I left his house with just one thought: to build rockets and fly in them I have one goal in life – to get to the stars." Korolev oversaw the design and construction of Sputnik 1 in just one month: it was launched on 4 October 1957 – the same year in which he published The Practical Significance of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's Proposals in the Field of Rocketry Russia is second only to the United States in its uptake of cryogenic procedures Yet the Russian Immortalist movement draws a sharp distinction with American Transhumanism whose emphasis is secular and generally more libertarian dream of extending infinitely the productivity of their workers) cryonicists began by preserving their parents and grandparents reflecting Fyodorov's emphasis on kinship Some Fyodorovians even object to this process entirely on the basis that it is selective: Fyodorov's vision was one of universal salvation ("a union of immortal beings") not a division between the rich elect and the poor damned This brave new world seeks to meld space and cyber-spaceNonetheless, a portrait of Fyodorov sits alongside one of Arthur C Clarke in the Church of Perpetual Life Now numerous American futurist thinkers acknowledge their debt to Fyodorov These Cosmist schemes are replete with ethical anxieties, and it seems fitting that Fyodorov was fascinated by the figure of Faust who once wrote a short story about a thousand-year-old man who kills himself to escape the tedium of eternal life A surfeit of being robs us of the essence of being – and death by giving us a limited window in which to act and to love Fyodorov would argue that this critique merely reflects a failure of our imagination a "manifestation of our infantilism" As his own student Tsiolkovsky wrote: "Earth is the cradle of humanity but one cannot remain in the cradle forever." Join one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or Instagram If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “The Essential List”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife, and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.  The image that changed our view of the Universe foreverIn 1995, the Hubble Space Telescope sent back incredible image data that would change the world of astronomy. Astronaut Peggy Whitson: How space changed my bodyPeggy Whitson has spent 675 days in space, more than any other American. Here's how it affected her body. See Nasa's spectacular new images of JupiterThe photos created by citizen scientists using Nasa's data have contributed to new discoveries about Jupiter. The science behind the 'mini moon' entering Earth's orbitAn asteroid is going to circle our planet for two months this autumn before going on its way. New Nasa sonifications: Listen to the sound of the UniverseNasa has released new 'sonifications' of the Universe on the 25th anniversary of Chandra, its X-ray Observatory. Are inflatable habitats the future of life in space?As the reality of civilian space travel closes-in, engineers explore inflatable habitats. We're about to witness a once-in-a-lifetime star explosionAn extremely rare stellar explosion is about to happen and we will be able to witness it with the naked eye. This is why Venus is bone dryVenus once had oceans of water but today, it's bone-dry. Now, researchers know why. Why space isn't as colourful as photos make it seemThe James Webb Telescope sends back stunning photos of our Universe. But are the vibrant colours real? Eclipse 2024: What makes it so special?Astrophysicist Erika Hamden explains why this time it's different. The eclipse that proved Einstein rightOn May 29, 1919, the sun disappeared for 6 minutes and 51 seconds, changing science forever. Three unsolved mysteries of the MoonMore than fifty years after the Apollo mission, there's still a lot that we don't know about the Moon. The age of the Universe might be drastically wrongA new study has put the age of the Universe at almost double what has long been believed. Fermi Paradox: Are we alone in the Universe?Will we ever make contact with alien life, and if not, what does that say about life on Earth? Vladimir Komarov: The cosmonaut who fell to EarthDid cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov climb aboard the Soyuz 1 spacecraft knowing he might never return to Earth? The 'Great Moon Hoax' that fooled the worldFor a time in 1835, lunar man-bats, unicorns and giant beavers were believed to be living on the moon. Why Mars-bound astronauts may go to Iceland firstIceland's rocky and icy landscape has many similarities to the other worlds humans may visit. Three women who changed the way we see the UniverseHenrietta Swan Leavitt, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin and Vera Rubin changed the way we view the Universe. The man who 'killed' PlutoHow Mike Brown's discovery of a larger object threatened Pluto's 75-year status as a planet. The objects that show physics we don't understandAn astronautical engineering expert on the unanswered questions in the US government's UFO report. BY Arianna Cantarelli POSTED 06/04/2018 12:39 AM Nikolay Fyodorov painted by Leonid Pasternak Russian Orthodox Easter and themes of the Russian Cosmism seem to somehow chime together some of the readers still remember the year when the Orthodox Easter fell on the Cosmonautics Day and everyone was commenting on this remarkable coincidence it is not so chance a coincidence that the religious ideas of the general Resurrection and venturing into space are closely interconnected within the remit of  the Russian religious and secular philosophy had been inspired by the philosopher Nikolay Fyodorov (1829 – 1903) the founding father of the Russian Cosmism (and subsequently He inspired Konstantin Tsiolkovskiy (1857 – 1935) to think of making manned flights into space possible He was the first to suggest that humanity should search life on other planets in order to move the surplus of  humans from Earth to other inhabitable planets he was taking care of all these generations of human beings he had been planning to resurrect — the whole myriads of people who had ever tread upon the planet Earth view as a rather unexpected predecessor of Elon Musk presents her own view on the philosophy of Nikolay Fyodorov there is no doubt that Russia has produced some of the most important and fascinating intellectuals of the recent centuries It is perhaps the literary giants that most rapidly spring to mind: figures such as Lev Tolstoy who famously inspired Mahatma Gandhi with his philosophy of passive resistance; Fyodor Dostoevskiy who packed his novels with Christian ideals to the extent that we feel his moral agenda constantly pressing upon us to question society’s status quo through his hard-hitting realism one name seems to have gone largely unnoticed among the plethora of Russian pioneers of culture of a man whom both Dostoevskiy and Tolstoy themselves knew well and greatly idolised: Nikolai Fedorovich Fyodorov Born in 1829 as the son of a Gagarin Prince and peasant woman Fyodorov grew up to become one of the most influential thinkers for Russian modernity his philosophical Utopianism led him to become the first person to envision and devise mankind’s exploration of the cosmos one of his most loyal disciples was none other than Konstantin Tsiolkovskiy the most important figure for the development of Russian rocket science whose writings successfully flew Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961 He was primarily motivated by the belief that it was man’s God-given destiny to establish paradise on earth he is often recognised as one of Europe’s most creative and enigmatic thinkers due to his unusual synthesising of traditionally opposing ideologies in his project to lead humanity forth towards enlightenment Fyodorov combined scientific rationalism and religious moralism which even today are often considered mutually exclusive But these two aspects were not the only two brought together: Fyodorov went on to integrate altruism in egoism unite conservative slavophilism and anarchic populist ideals tinge Orthodox Christianity with mystic pagan undertones his work even has a Marxist flavour in its emphasis on proactivity for immediate and palpable change despite his aversion to socialism Fyodorov was a true believer in the potential of the human race His ability to recognise merit in every idea and combine a multitude of notions to create an integral and functional philosophy is remarkable to say the least His work functions as proof that the world is never really black or white when it comes to ideology; rather it is a fascinating spectrum of colours which we simply need to learn to harmoniously blend together So what was Fyodorov’s great plan for restoring Eden on Earth there was only one major evil threatening humanity Fyodorov firmly believed that it was mankind’s fear of death that fractured and created disunity in our world He was convinced that death broke up communality straying us away from practicing love and compassion Fyodorov believed that all other mundane evil And so the only option was for man to overcome death in a complete transgression of nature Fyodorov had a precise and clear solution: resurrection this great plan — called The Common Task — appears eccentric to say the least Yet Fyodorov firmly believed that the physical resurrection of every single one of our ancestors was not only possible but absolutely necessary in order to abolish death and find fulfilment in earthly paradise after so many years of suffering many of his contemporaries were fascinated by this philosophy but failed to comprehend how it was achievable this was due to Fyodorov being a technological prophet of his time He believed that by combining the human gifts of science knowledge and spirituality man would be able to develop technology that could regulate nature and finally embody the God-like image he was created in He devised electric rings to circumference the earth that would control temperature and precipitation through electricity in order for optimal living conditions to be provided for all He envisioned space travel for the collection of our deceased ancestors’ atoms so that they could be sewn together and abolish the detrimental force of death harmony would be found in re-connectedness and immortality Fyodorov complained that current scientific knowledge was being wasted under the dark shadow of capitalism He considered human intellect to be consumed by industrialisation and the production of useless ‘toys’ that only distracted distract men disconnecting them from their social duties And he was equally critical of socialism too for he believed that human resources were being similarly misdirected towards a political hoax that promoted unity based on materialism and wealth rather than what really mattered: morality and kinship However outlandish and utopian Fedorov’s vision may be there is nonetheless so much that we can learn from his ideas today In what direction are we focusing the development of our technology What are we prioritising to benefit from scientific research How can we make use of all the innovative creativity and ever-evolving knowledge that exists is today in order to create a better future Perhaps resurrection is too much of an extreme answer but there is one element of Fyodorov’s thought is certainly applicable to our increasingly divided world the participation and collaboration of every person — regardless of class wealth or beliefs — was essential; separation and rivalry were futile and not by looking to past but towards our eternally dawning future All we need to do is realise that we already have the means to create change and make the world a better place but we are hindered by our inability to come together as one Fyodorov’s example of philosophical collage serves us as more than just a starting point What Latvia’s Oscar-winning animation ‘Flow’ tells us about the world today Rachmaninoff reimagined by Teodor Doré – a tapestry of symphonic energies and spirits Hidden stories of migration What is the heart of Europe? <  April | June  > © Copyright 2011-2024 Izba Arts ksenia.kazintseva@gmail.com ShareSaveCommentMoneyMarketsMaking Resurrection More Than a Metaphor: Mystics, Futurists, & ‘The Philosophy Of the Common Task’ByRobert Hockett Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights 11:41am EDTShareSaveCommentThis article is more than 2 years old.Promised Land Stage design for the theate play "Mystery-Bouffe" by Vladimir Mayakovsky More in the Collection of State Central Literary Museum (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images) Resurrection as metaphor seems to be salient all around us right now as it raises itself from the death that was over a ‘Century of Humiliation.’ Russia is likewise attempting a rebirth in this case from the mire of three decades’ post-Soviet humiliation of its own Presidents Xi and Putin alike are explicit about their nations’ restorative missions the US looks to be ‘great again’ or to ‘build back better’ after decades of deindustrialization and decay that would be were the nation as capable of contemplative self-examination and non-delusional humility as are China and Russia All the while Erdogan seeks to revive Ottoman glory the upshot of which inquiry was that we would do well even if not condoning revanchism and irridentism at least to understand the role justifiable feelings of humiliation play after eight ugly decades of Wall-Street-cum-Washington triumphalism-cum-hegemony is what strikes me as an opportune time to propose an ambition and concerted human action in the cause of that ambition that might actually serve to bring unity to human striving worldwide in a cause that seems genuinely worth pursuing I mean something that presupposes yet moves well beyond that … ‘A typical cross-product of fin-de-siècle millenarianism and general Russian weirdness,’ you might think But hear them out and you might come to find that the Cosmists had a point a saintly Russian Orthodox philosopher-saint-theologian not to say ‘futurist,’ who swore-off possessions while both working at and living in a library during the late 19th and early 20th centuries (He is said to have slept only on old newspapers.) The Prophet Elijah in the Wilderness with Scenes from His Life Fyodorov was of a sort that seems to be found only in Russia an altogether unexpected figure combining altogether unexpected qualities and imbuing the mix with a rich mix of deep piety Fyodorov seemed to discern two salient features of human life that struck him as prompting all of the chaos and destructive violence that were the world of early modernity One was the universal dread of inevitable human death while the other was the lack of any singular telos or purpose to order human striving or guide human life make the defeat of death itself our common purpose Surely the universality of dread of death would itself suffice to get literally everyone on board and humanity then could unite around this one great purpose the point of the Gospels of Jesus themselves He was something of a natural scientist and engineer as well all the time keeping abreast of new developments in medical technology He saw no reason why humankind could not one day not only colonize space and conquer the deaths of the living but also even resurrect all who had previously died recollecting and reconstituting the very atoms of which they’d been made This is of course where many will be tempted to chortle and get off of the train concluding that Fyodorov must have been mad you will find yourself furtively looking again at the train shortly after each time you exit The same reactions are known to have characterized Berdyayev’s and a host of other intellectuals’ responses to Fyodorov And it wasn’t just writers and philosophers aeronaut Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (founder of the later Soviet space program) Vernadsky were but a few of the ‘hard scientists’ additional to Fyodorov himself who took Fyodorovism seriously Fyodorov was well ahead of his time not only in respect of healthspans and lifespans He was also a very early pioneer of both biological and ecological engineering This in turn likely played a role in his early advocacy of renewable energy space travel and universal science education The surprising fusion of Promethean striving with universal homemaking and human fraternity render Fyodorov unlike anyone other than other Yurodivy or ‘holy fools,’ of the great Russian and Ukrainian science-as-religion traditions But that should not disqualify him as prophet for us there was one period prior to our own when Fyodorovianism held sway over substantial numbers of ‘people in high places’ … France and defeated Germany (what else could have made allies of such recent mutual belligerents?) brought the first Soviet experiment to an end It is something of a cliché nowadays to think ‘dark Found in the collection of Museum of Russian Art But what is forgotten is just how vital early Soviet society was in the 1920s and you will be hard-pressed not to feel astounded by what we discarded in destroying the first Soviet Union once we finally do begin to deploy public finance in the cause of a truly global ‘Common Task,’ the first fellow we resurrect - be it figuratively The first ever Slavic ABC appeared in the 16th century and was written by Russian Gutenberg Ivan Fyodorov The main goal of the pioneer book printer was to publish religious books including the Bible but he also published an alphabet book in 1574 and even made a revised edition later During the 17th century there was also several attempts to invent new ABC books while since the 19th century the contemporary more progressive phonemics method was used when words were learned not from the letters they consist of but from sounds Following Ivan Fyodorov's traditions Vasily Burtsov was one of the first to add illustrations in an ABC book Konstantin Ushinsky's 'Native word' / Archive Photo In 1864 Konstantin Ushinsky made a revolution in alphabet learning and issued the first mass textbook for children to learn reading, using the methods of both phonemic and an explanatory dictionary. As a pioneer of pedagogy he also added a guide for teachers on how to use his book. This book with several new editions was used until 1917. It’s still available online.  Leo Tolstoy was an incessant learner and tried to learn something new everyday. He was a famous educator as well as writer and believed that educating children was vital and had notes for teachers about how to use the “Azbuka.” The first edition of the book was slammed by critics so Tolstoy reworked it and the new version was recommended by the state for all schools In Tolstoy’s estate Yasnaya Polyana he arranged a school for peasant kids where he and his elder children taught using the book he wrote a new regime came to power and the alphabet also changed Revolutionary poet Vladimir Mayakovsky authored one of the first ABC books issued with the new rules in 1919 It was a satiric alphabet in verse (B for bolshevik) with caricature images of each letters The main audience of the book was workers and Red Army soldiers 'Down With Illiteracy' by Dora Elkina / Archive Photo Until the Russian Revolution of 1917 there was no compulsory education Of course many enlightened and middle class people made their kids study either at schools or with private governors But a massive campaign to eradicate illiteracy both for children and adults kicked off only in the Soviet Union The ABC book “Down With Illiteracy” by Dora Elkina in 1919 explained letters through Soviet ideology: “We are not slaves“ or “freedom to all the nation.” It was illustrated with scenes of proletarian everyday life and work One of the most widespread ABC was a book by Sergei Redozubov for city schools (rural schools often used different books) with poems and easy interpretation of Russian tales after the end of WWII it contained scenes from a peaceful life and didn’t push propaganda like the early Soviet books Redozubov also created a Braille writing system ABC for blind kids Alexandra Voskresenskaya's ABC / "UChPedgIz" publishing house rural schools used other books – one of the most popular was an ABC by Alexandra Voskresenskaya Vseslav Goretsky's ABC / Prosveshchenie publishing house One of the most popular books in the late Soviet Union was an ABC by Vseslav Goretsky first issued in 1971 His ABC and other learning and note books for kids are still widely printed and Mayakovsky and is illustrated with children’s favorite cartoon characters Nadezhda Zhukova's ABC / EKSMO publishing house Currently the best-selling ABC book is Nadezhda Zhukova’s one The author is a logopedist with 30 years experience The book teaches children how to read in a fun way It also warms kids about making grammatical mistakes Roman Fyodorov was trapped in the basement of a ruined house somewhere on the frontline as Ukrainian forces pounded the invading Russian troops with artillery and other weaponry Judging from comments made in an interview he narrowly made it out alive The 37-year old officer has been an active participant in Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine And he is proud of his achievements in the aggressive and bloody war he was awarded the order Hero of Russia in a ceremony organised by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu Fyodorov commanded units that killed more than 230 Ukrainian soldiers 6 armoured fighting vehicles of foreign manufacture two self-propelled artillery installations Fyodorov also took part in the building of defensive installations that helped stave off 20 Ukrainian attacks, Minister Shoigu said in the ceremony that took place in the Ministry of Defence’ National Command Center in Moscow None of the information provided by the Russian Defence Ministry and the reported figures and comments are likely to have been carefully redacted and be of misleading character Roman Fyodorov grew up in a tiny village in Altai, local news media in the far east Russian region informs His father was a driver and his mother a bookkeeper and he reportedly already as a small boy dreamt of a future in the military He enrolled in a military school and later graduated from a military academy he was transferred to the 200th Motorised Rifle Brigade in Pechenga only few kilometres from Norway and Finland he took over the command of the brigade following the death of his predecessor Denis Kurilo the colonel that was killed outside Kharkiv in the early phase of the Russian full-scale invasion Fyodorov moved on to become Commander of the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade the powerful Northern Fleet marines based in the nearby settlement of Sputnik The Brigade is branded as the ‘Kirkenes Brigade’ because of its engagement in the expulsion of German Nazi troops from the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes in October 1944 the war in Ukraine resembles the Second World War “The only difference is the technology,” he says in the interview “The similarity is that we are fighting a regular army not some kind of militia as sometime reported by the media but against a similarly well prepared regular army.” He adds that it is also a ‘cleansing war.’ I have in mind all the celebrities that have run from Russia — these are people that have betrayed their country Fyodorov argues that the enemy is not Ukraine and Ukrainians as such but “the Nazis that run everything in Ukraine” as well as “the Western government that stand behind the Nazis.” the new commander of the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade says “Now it has all come out and become very clear: the NATO block is our main enemy And Russia now understands this and therefore we wage a savage war with them.” The brigade commander does not mention nearby neighbours and NATO members Norway and Finland The distance from the base of Sputnik to the Norwegian border is only about 15 km Moscow has launched several verbal attacks against Finland following its inclusion in the alliance. In December 2023, the Russian Foreign Ministry underlined that it would take “necessary measures to counter the aggressive actions of Finland and its NATO allies.” Since the start of the full-scale onslaught on Ukraine, Russia has lost hundreds of thousands of men. The two brigades in the Pechenga region are alone believed to have lost several thousand of its warriors Among them are a number of high-ranking officers the commander of the 200th Motorised Rifle Brigade the general that was in charge of several of the most powerful military units in the Kola Peninsula Zavadsky was reportedly killed by a mine on the 28th of November 2023 near Izyum in occupied parts of Kharkiv region Roman Fyodorov is now leading the training of Russia’s Arctic marines and he will send hundreds of more men to the death fields in Ukraine his soldiers are now better prepared to fight it was honestly quite hard and not very understandable We entered the territory of Ukraine and the monuments were kind of Soviet and people were speaking in Russian and in principle they would have torn down [the monuments] had they been hardcore Fascists.” “But when the summer campaign of 2023 started it all became clear: where are the Bandera supporters and Azov fighters and the system of management,” he explains Fyodorov argues that the Russian units currently deployed in the area are better capable of fighting independently also without the involvement of the commanders of the brigade And he underlines that he has no belief in a peaceful settlement We must have a fundamental victory and show our character Published by: The Independent Barents Observer AS About us The Barents Observer follows the Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press and the document Right and Duties of the Editor We report under full editorial independence and have no external interference Donate to our independent journalism Støtt oss via Vipps: 105 792 - Det betyr mye newstips@thebarentsobserver.com atle@thebarentsobserver.com thomas@thebarentsobserver.com☏ +47-905 73 143 denis@thebarentsobserver.com georgii@thebarentsobserver.com liza.vereykina@thebarentsobserver.com olesia@thebarentsobserver.com Privacy policy Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker One of the most inspiring things about history is that even under the most horrible regimes one can always find people who oppose the system There are many examples: SS officer Kurt Gerstein and Japanese diplomat Sugihara Chiune who risked their careers to save people from the Nazis Private Newton Knight who took up arms to free slaves from the Confederacy South African judge Richard Goldstone who used his power to fight against apartheid Soviet officer Georgiy Fyodorov was one such good man As a lieutenant colonel in Stalin’s army after World War II he used his position to call out the mistreatment of Japanese and Koreans in the Soviet occupation zone on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update Fyodor Tertitskiy is a lecturer at Seoul’s Korea University. He is the author of "Accidental Tyrant: The Life of Kim Il-sung" and several other books on North Korean history and military Internet Explorer is not compatible with this website Microsoft ceased supporting IE 10 and older in 2016 Microsoft cyber-security chief Chris Jackson has been urging users to stop using the browser since February 2019 Join the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reporting Don't have an account? SIGN UP For more pricing options, click here. Already have an account? SIGN IN Please enter your username or email address You will receive a link to create a new password via email Don't have an account? SIGN UP by January 20, 2022Source: YouTube "I live to fight." Well Go USA has revealed the a new official US trailer for The Pilot, originally known as Лётчик (Letchik) in Russian. This opened in Russia last December, and is one of three new Russian movies from the last few years made about pilots during World War II surviving after crash landing. We posted the trailer for V2 Escape from Hell last year During a mission to stop the enemy advance Ahead of him is a relentless trial of severe physical and mental endurance evading packs of wolves and detachments of Nazi soldiers out to find him the wounded Komlev finally nears the homefront Another action packed story about how heroic it is to fight for your country Here's the official US trailer (+ poster) for Renat Davletyarov's The Pilot, direct from YouTube: Find more posts in: Foreign Films, To Watch, Trailer The Russians claim to have shot down ten times as many fighters as the Germans ever built New comments are no longer allowed on this post Add our RSS to your Feedly +click here+ Latest posts now available on Bluesky: Get the latest posts sent on Telegram Want emails instead?Subscribe to our dailynewsletter updates: A member of Russia's State Duma has submitted a bill to the country's parliament to repeal the recognition by the USSR of Lithuania's independence on Wednesday saying that such a move could allow Russia to push NATO out of countries that joined after 1999.The bill was submitted by Yevgeny Fyodorov a deputy of the State Duma and a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party The law was sent by the chairman of the State Duma to the State Duma Committee on International Affairs on Thursday afternoon.In the explanatory note on the bill Fyodorov claimed that the decision by the State Council of the USSR to recognize the independence of the Republic of Lithuania in 1991 was "illegal." He argued that the State Council itself was a body of state power which was not provided for by the USSR's constitution making it unconstitutional.console.log("2390 BODY2 CatId is:"+catID);const urlParams2 = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);let anyClipParam = urlParams2.get("anyclip");const subDomain = new URL(document.URL).host.split(".")[0];const isAnyClipEnabled = true;if(anyClipParam){ let anyclipScript = document.createElement('script'); anyclipScript.src = "https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js"; anyclipScript.setAttribute("pubname" "jpostcom"); anyclipScript.setAttribute("widgetname" "0011r00001lcD1iAAE_M12286"); let anyclipContainer = document.querySelector('.divAnyClip'); if (anyclipContainer) { const caption = document.createElement('p'); caption.innerText = 'JPost Videos'; caption.style.fontWeight = 'bold'; caption.style.marginBottom = '8px'; anyclipContainer.appendChild(caption); anyclipContainer.appendChild(anyclipScript); }} else if (catID === 69) { if(isAnyClipEnabled){ console.log("2390 BODY "jpostcom"); anyclipScript.setAttribute("widgetname" "0011r00001lcD1iAAE_M12286"); let anyclipContainer = document.querySelector('.divAnyClip'); if (anyclipContainer) { const caption = document.createElement('p'); caption.innerText = 'JPost Videos'; caption.style.fontWeight = 'bold'; caption.style.marginBottom = '8px'; anyclipContainer.appendChild(caption); anyclipContainer.appendChild(anyclipScript); } }console.log("2390 BODY YES for anyclip script catID == 69"); }else if(catID === 12 ){let widgetid = "60fd6becf6393400049e6535";var script = document.createElement('script');script.src = 'https://static.vidazoo.com/basev/vwpt.js';script.setAttribute('data-widget-id' widgetid); const container = document.querySelector('.divVidazoo'); if (container) { container.appendChild(script); }console.log("2390 BODY YES for vidazoo script catID == 12"); }else if (catID !== 12) { let anyclipScript = document.createElement('script'); anyclipScript.src = "https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=119709"; anyclipScript.setAttribute("pubname" "jpostcom"); anyclipScript.setAttribute("widgetname" "0011r00001lcD1iAAE_M12286"); let anyclipContainer = document.querySelector('.divAnyClip'); if (anyclipContainer) { const caption = document.createElement('p'); caption.innerText = 'JPost Videos'; caption.style.fontWeight = 'bold'; caption.style.marginBottom = '8px'; anyclipContainer.appendChild(caption); anyclipContainer.appendChild(anyclipScript); } console.log("2390 BODY Added AnyClip script for catID not in catID != 69 && catID != 12 "); } Fyodorov additionally argued that recognizing Lithuania's independence violated a law passed by the USSR in March 1991 which established that not a single state body in the USSR was authorized to make decisions either on the withdrawal of republics from the USSR nor on the termination of the existence of the USSR as a single state.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy Latvian President Egils Levits and Estonian President Alar Karis pose for a picture before a meeting 2022 (credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)The Russian politician pointed out in the explanatory note that according to an amendment to Russia's constitution approved in March 2020 the Russian Federation is considered the "legal successor of the USSR."Fyodorov stressed that a referendum on secession from the USSR was not held in Lithuania before the recognition of its independence and a transitional period was not established to consider all "controversial issues."Lithuanian FM: We must respond accordinglyIn response to the proposed bill Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis warned that Lithuania must respond accordingly and be ready to defend itself together with its partners on Wednesday according to Lithuanian National Radio and Television.“Only a state ruled by beasts could start a war like the one Russia started I am not surprised that in politics they do not behave according to human standards." “Only a state ruled by beasts could start a war like the one Russia started I am not surprised that in politics they do not behave according to human standards," said the foreign minister "We must respond accordingly - be ready to defend ourselves both by ourselves and together with our partners diplomatic or other means."The Lithuanian presidential press service refrained from commenting on the bill saying "We will not comment on the absurd."Lithuania's fight for independence from the USSRDespite Fyodorov's claims an independence referendum was in fact held in Lithuania on February 9 1991 (months before the recognition by the USSR's State Council) with 91% of those who voted expressing support for the country's independence The referendum was held after violent and deadly confrontations between the Soviet army and Lithuanian civilians pushing for independence.Lithuania had declared independence from the USSR already in March 1990.In March 1991 Latvia and Estonia both held similar referendums for themselves with over two-thirds of voters in both countries expressing support for independence All three states had enjoyed years of independence before being forcibly annexed by the USSR in 1940.The USSR's State Council also recognized Latvia's and Estonia's independence in September 1991 Russia aiming to push NATO out of eastern EuropeFyodorov told the RTVI network on Wednesday that the reason he was suggesting revoking the recognition of Lithuania's independence is because this would lead to the nation being involved in a territorial dispute Montenegro and North Macedonia.'A complete redistribution of borders'Vladimir Evseev the head of the Caucasus Department of the Institute of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Countries told MK.ru that by rejecting the USSR's recognition of Lithuania's independence the Russian Federation could then reject its recognition of Lithuania's borders."We have a lot of claims against Lithuania with regard to the rights of the Russian-speaking population," said Evseev there is a scenario according to which we will have to enter its territory in order to provide a corridor to Kaliningrad."Evseev stressed that due to tensions in the region the link between the Russian Federation and Kaliningrad could be blocked and Kaliningrad could be put under pressure or invaded."In the event of a real military threat to the Kaliningrad region the Russian Federation will be forced to create a land corridor to the region through the territory of Lithuania," said the CIS Institute member."A complete redistribution of borders may begin...no one can guarantee anything." Charles Stross recently claimed that he had found some roots for transhumanism in the relatively obscure Russian Orthodox writing of the idiosyncratic Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov Transhumanism: rationalist progressive secular theory or bizarre off-shoot of Russian Orthodox Christianity And should this affect our evaluation of its validity I would be more cautious than Stross seems to be about claiming any discernible intellectual influence here and those (along with the striking differences) can illuminate some of the perennial aspirations that transhumanism builds on at the very least turning our attention away from questions of mere technological feasibility.In that vein I just finished a novel from 1884 that contained the following passages: artifice was considered by Des Esseintes to be the distinctive mark of human genius has had her day; she has finally and utterly exhausted the patience of sensitive observers by the revolting uniformity of her landscapes and skyscapes … what a monotonous store of meadows and trees what a commonplace display of mountains and seas!In fact there is not a single one of her inventions that human ingenuity cannot manufacture….There can be no shadow of doubt that with her never-ending platitudes the old crone has by now exhausted the good-humored admiration of all true artists and the time has surely come for artifice to take her place whenever possible The book is Joris-Karl Huysman’s à Rebours, translated (not very literally) in the English version from which the above quote is taken as Against Nature It is considered one of the minor classics of French Decadence I’d be surprised if any transhumanist luminaries had actually been influenced by this book but the underlying similarities hardly need to be belabored Nor do I think they are intellectually accidental.The Decadents seem to have believed in the unrelieved grimness of human life Where the Decadents thought culture was at a standstill In a decaying world where everything was permitted the Decadents found it hard to find anything worth doing (including eating drinking and being merry).Transhumanists have a more crusading mentality but it points in the same direction as Against Nature For the fictional Des Esseintes abandons civilization (that is Paris) and undertakes a series of strange and refined aesthetic experiments on the assumptions articulated above to achieve the ideals he has set for himself just as transhumanists would have us work hard to be the very best we can imagine ourselves (if we have selves) to be.Here’s the bad news from the transhumanist point of view Des Esseintes is a broken man by the end of the book eight years after writing this minor classic of the Decadent genre Contempt for nature can lead in unexpected directions Who knows what is in store for our transhumanist friends Can't it be said of most Christian theology that it thinks human life is pretty grim or at least full of inescapable sin and suffering the protagonist of their book is also a broken man by the end It looks like Russian religious ideas have not only inspired transhumanism but also parts of transfinite mathematics Blogs About Contributors Contact Donate Fans of the Star Wars spinoff series “The Mandalorian” now have the chance to visit a life-size copy of the spaceship featured in the show. All it takes is traveling to…the remote Far East Russian city of Yakutsk.  Cosplayer Ayaal Fyodorov and his friends built the replica of the Razor Crest, the gunship used by the show’s titular bounty hunter, during the coronavirus lockdown. It now sits at a local park where fans can take photos with it — costumes optional. Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от JUST CREATE (@just.ayaal) Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от JUST CREATE (@just.ayaal) The futuristic military spacecraft’s replica is 14 meters long and weighs just over 1,000 kilograms The impressive structure was designed and built using pictures found online and was mostly funded by the creators themselves.  “When we decided to add more precise details to the cockpit, we realized that we didn’t have enough money but also didn’t want to abandon everything halfway in,” Fyodorov told the state-run TASS news agency.  “Our Instagram followers helped us. When we called for assistance, they helped us raise the needed funds. The Yakutsk IT park, a [local] private company, helped us rent a hangar, the only place where the structure could fit.”  According to Fyodorov, the Yakutsk replica is the first of its kind and was built to show that even the seemingly impossible can become reality.  Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от JUST CREATE (@just.ayaal) Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от JUST CREATE (@just.ayaal) Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от JUST CREATE (@just.ayaal) The series’ title character Din Djarin was already spotted inside the Yakutian spaceship alongside his companion, The Child (better known as Baby Yoda).  Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от JUST CREATE (@just.ayaal) The Siberian replica of the spacecraft also has a Baby Yoda-sized car seat, ensuring a safe and comfortable passage through space for the beloved miniature alien. Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от JUST CREATE (@just.ayaal) Sputnik3.5 out of 5 StarsDirector: Egor AbramenkoWriter: Oleg Malovichko Andrei ZolotarevStarring: Oksana Akinshina SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) —Synopsis: In 1983 two cosmonauts returning from an orbital mission are attacked by a creature just as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere but his ability to quickly heal from his injuries raises suspicion the cosmonaut is closely studied by scientists and military officials Review: Like most 2020 films, “Sputnik” was intended to be experienced in a cinema, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the movie to make its debut on a variety of Russian streaming services where it was watched by more than one million people Those numbers made the movie the most-streamed title in Russia in the past two years but in this case the public’s enthusiasm is mirrored by the film’s use of sci-fi tropes Cold War era politics and an effective amount of horror but those scenes are among the film’s most unforgettable The most memorable being a mix of “Alien” and a David Cronenberg body horror films from the 1970s (which seem to be a major source of influence on contemporary horror/thrillers right now) others by a desire and willingness to work outside of what is traditionally allowed or considered ethical They each incorporate a “means to an end” policy with varying and an often-evolving senses of morality Their actions seem motivated and plausible I found a subplot that takes place in an orphanage to be an unnecessary bit of misdirection but it is primarily just a distraction that slows the momentum of the main narrative I initially thought it was a translation error If you like a mixture of horror and sci-fi with a different political subtext This article appeared in the Obituary section of the print edition under the headline “Boris Fyodorov” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents The most open-minded pope for many years died on April 21st—Easter Monday—aged 88 The Peruvian novelist and liberal died on April 13th, aged 89 The Bletchley Park “secretary” died on March 31st, aged 101 The two-time heavyweight champion of the world died on March 21st, aged 76 The KGB officer who spied for Britain died on March 4th, aged 86 Egor Abramenko adds to the “Alien”-wannabe genre with the Soviet-era science-fiction thriller “Sputnik.” It’s a welcome addition “Sputnik” definitely shares DNA with Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic abetted by writers Oleg Malovichko and Andrei Zolotarev changes things up by considering what happens when the extraterrestrial makes its way down to Earth - two went up it turns out to be a public relations nightmare threatening the Soviets’ space-race efforts against its Cold War rival in 1983 Cue the team of scientists descending upon a heavily guarded remote facility in Kazakhstan to poke shake and stir their way to figuring out what the heck is up with that slimy critter All they know initially is that it’s violently expelled nocturnally through the mouth of amnesiac cosmonaut Konstantin (Pyotr Fyodorov) unfolding from the perspective of Tatiana (Oksana Akinshina) an expert in neuropsychiatry summoned by a suspicious-looking military official (Fedor Bondarchuk) to evaluate Konstantin She quickly discovers the “hero” cosmonaut is being held against his will behind a large glass enclosure Dana Barbuto may be reached at dbarbuto@patriotledger.com or follow her on Twitter @dbarbuto_Ledger.  (Unrated) Cast: Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov. In Russian with English subtitles. Available in select theaters, drive-ins and on demand Friday, Aug. 14. Grade: B billionaires are rushing to colonise space create new forms of artificial intelligence and extend lifespans But these ambitions and ideas are nothing new an early-20th-century movement based on the ideas of the 19th-century Russian philosopher Nikolai Fyodorov Cosmism: Images From a Future Gathering at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam will explore how artists were influenced by these ideas almost zombie apocalypse thought experiments had so much influence on artists,” says the exhibition’s co-curator “This continued during the Cold War with the conquering of space Now people are freezing their bodies again because they think they might get resurrected [It is now] for the happy rich few [unlike] in the 1920s [when it was presented as an idea] that would unite all humanity in their struggle against death So it has become something quite different.” He adds that he has not yet seen billionaires buying up Cosmist art Almost half the works in the show are by the Russian artist Vasily Chekrygin (1897-1922) an early proponent of Cosmist philosophy known for eschatological religious imagery and illustrating the philosophies of Fyodorov Chekrygin was born in the Kaluga region of Russia and was a protégé of the artist Mikhail Larionov “The main thing you see in [Chekrygin’s] works is the theme of the resurrection of the dead,” Schweiger says you see them sort of screaming in despair.” According to Cosmism the resurrected would live on other planets The Chekrygin works are on permanent loan to the Stedelijk from the Nikolai Khardzhiev collection Khardzhiev was born in Ukraine and lived in Moscow where he put on shows of Chekrygin’s work in the early 1960s before moving to Amsterdam where he died in 1996 has since been digitised and the originals handed over to Russia’s state literary archive A more recent addition to the Stedelijk is the work of the Ukrainian artist Fedir Tetyanych (1942-2007) sent by his son following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Schweiger says he first saw Tetyanych’s works which often explore interplanetary colonisation at the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kyiv in 2017 and was alerted from an Instagram post to the threat posed to them by the Russian invasion The show will also include Kazimir Malevich’s drawings of extraterrestrial structures and sketches by Natalia Goncharova made for the futurist opera Victory Over the Sun Other artists from the early 20th century include Elena Guro Separate sections will feature two recent installations by contemporary artists: a Cosmist Reading Room by Anton Vidokle and Ruler of the Stars by Yelena and Viktor Vorobyev a series of photographs showing a figure seemingly poking stars in the sky • Cosmism: Images From a Future Gathering, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, until 3 March the centrepiece of a new two-part exhibition is titled after a 1950s anti-war song by the folk singer Pete Seeger preview29 May 2018Solaris-inspired show in Florence sheds light on 'Soviet Renaissance'Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli hosts exhibition of Russian nonconformist artists in first foreign venture by Moscow’s AZ Museum Oxxxymiron added to an updated list alongside four journalists and Dmitry Glukhovsky The Russian justice ministry has declared one of the country’s most popular rappers to be a “foreign agent” a legal designation that has been used to hound Kremlin critics and journalists was added to an updated list of foreign agents alongside four journalists and Dmitry Glukhovsky The rapper has called the Kremlin’s Ukraine offensive a “catastrophe and a crime”. He cancelled a scheduled Russian tour in protest at the invasion, subsequently left Russia and gave a series of concerts in Turkey, Britain and Germany entitled “Russians Against The War” authorities said they were investigating his work under the country’s anti-extremism laws material designated “extremist” is effectively prohibited The term “foreign agent” subjects those listed to stringent financial reporting requirements It also obliges them to preface anything they publish with a disclaimer stating they are foreign agents Oxxxymiron, whose lyrics are strongly political and who attended rallies backing jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was one of Russia’s prominent rappers before the war enjoying wide popularity in a country where hip-hop is a popular genre Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov praised his work in an interview as “astonishing in its depth” Popular Russian science fiction writer Glukhovsky – who also denounced the offensive and was put on a wanted list for “discrediting” the Russian army – was also labelled a “foreign agent” The author of a 2002 post-apocalyptic fiction novel was put on the list after a Russian court ordered his arrest in absentia for his criticism of the offensive Feminist politician Alena Popova – who has long campaigned for domestic violence legislation in Russia – and a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Liberty Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing b.cole@newsweek.com or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole A Russian lawmaker called for Lithuania's independence to be repealed submitting a draft bill claiming the Baltic republic illegally left the Soviet Union more than three decades ago The proposed legislation was submitted to the Russian lower house a member of the ruling United Russia party Lithuania became the first republic to announce it intended to restore its independence from the disintegrating USSR under whose control it had been for five decades after the Soviet army occupied it in 1940 The Soviet authorities initially tried to stop the move demanding it be canceled and imposing an economic blockade on the country Mass protests ensued and the Soviet army invaded the capital eventually adopted Lithuania's independence decree on September 6 by which time the Baltic republic's new status had already been recognized by 50 countries But Fyodorov said this decree was "illegal" because it was adopted "by an unconstitutional body," which was in violation of the USSR constitution He said that under article 67.1 of the Russian constitution the Russian Federation is the legal successor of the USSR on its territory this meant that the recognition of Lithuania's independence taken by the USSR State Council was subject to cancellation he also said that "there was no referendum on secession" of Lithuania from the USSR and "no transitional period was established for consideration of all contentious issues." "Just another day in the State Duma... United Russia MP Yevgeny Fyodorov has tabled a bill to revoke recognition of Lithuania's independence," tweeted Russia watcher Francis Scarr from BBC Monitoring "Fyodorov's views are extreme even by the standards of Russian lawmakers so I don't expect this to go anywhere," Scarr added A spokesperson for the Lithuanian foreign ministry told Newsweek "One should not be too surprised at such absurd statements," adding "let's not make a mountain out of a molehill." we have to understand the Russian regime with which the world is dealing tries to scare us and wages its war," the spokesperson said in a statement "However unconvincing Russia's attempts to question the statehood or territorial integrity of its neighbors may seem to us This is part of the Kremlin's aggressive propaganda aimed at intimidating everyone Fyodorov's draft bill comes at a sensitive time for the Baltic states, which are at the forefront of NATO's help for the Ukrainian war effort against Russia and are worried about President Vladimir Putin's future intentions raised the prospect on state television channel Russia-1 of Moscow seizing the Baltic states in response to NATO's role in Ukraine Just another day in the State Duma... United Russia MP Yevgeny Fyodorov has tabled a bill to revoke recognition of Lithuania's independence(Fyodorov's views are extreme even by the standards of Russian lawmakers, so I don't expect this to go anywhere)https://t.co/WXjk59dRZv Lithuania shares a border with Russia's enclave of Kaliningrad and along with its Baltic neighbors, has been the scene of alliance drills to prepare for any Russian aggression. Last month, Lithuanian citizens raised nearly $5 million to purchase an advanced military drone for Ukraine Fyodorov claimed that Russia´s acknowledgment of the independence of the Baltic states was illegal and spurred an investigation into the issue by the Russian state prosecutor described the Moscow probe questioning his country's legitimacy as an "absurd provocation." ET: The story has been corrected to state that Lithuania has a border with Russia EDT: This article has been updated with a response from the Lithuanian foreign ministry The concept of this editorial was the sensitivity of a modern man “Very often we are afraid to show what’s hidden deep inside us and I believe the garments we are wearing can help to open our inner selves and give peace “The initial idea was to capture a muscular man delicate and uncertain from the inside and confident on the outside I believe our team achieved everything with perfection as planned.” The equipment used was a Canon EOS R with a 17-40mm lens and it took place at the In-House studio Limitee PR Text edited by Adrian Gomis @adriange_ The coronavirus pandemic once again showed that a doctor is not just a profession Recently the President of Russia supported an initiative to name city streets after medics the capital already has places that bear the names of real heroes who stood on guard of people’s health and lives throughout the time The mos.ru publication narrates about ten of them Formerly a no-name passage connecting Dmitrovskoye Motorway with Beskudnikovsky Boulevard was named after the famous eye doctor and micro surgeon in 2017 The S.N.Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Research Centre is situated near the new street Svaytoslav Nikolayevich Fyodorov (1927–2000) contributed to the progress of several groundbreaking areas that make up modern ophthalmology It was he who successfully performed the first eye-lens implant surgery Later Fyodorov began to implant corneas as well the famous ophthalmologist performed the world’s first surgery of early-stage glaucoma Fyodorov’s method of treating this disease was subsequently used around the world.  Svyatoslav Fyodorov became head of the eye diseases department and an artificial eye-lens implant laboratory at the Third Moscow Medical Institute the Eye Microsurgery Institute was set up on the basis of the laboratory Khamovniki DistrictThe streets used to be called Bolshaya and Malaya Tsaritsynskaya streets in honour of the nearby courtyard of Peter I’s first wife Yevdokia Lopukhina they were renamed in memory of Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov (1810–1881) Pirogov was a doctor in the field army in the Caucasus There he used a gypsum bandage for the first time in history It spared many soldiers and officers from limb amputation Nikolai Pirogov performed surgeries under ether narcosis in field conditions The doctor’s management talent appeared quite fortuitous too – during the 1854 Siege of Sevastopol when he oversaw nurses’ training and performance the former Dolgy Pereulok turned into Burdenko Street It was here where Nikolai Nilovich Burdenko (1876–1946) He served as a medic during the Russo-Japanese war Soviet-Finnish war 1939–1940 and the Great Patriotic War He was wounded multiple times while on the frontlines Burdenko suggested new surgery methods for treating battle wounds and used antibiotics for the first time to combat the spread of infections The famous surgeon also devised methods for treating cancers of the central and autonomous nervous system and cerebral blood circulation He managed to launch the surgical treatment of brain tumours on a large scale Before Burdenko such surgeries were only performed sporadically around the world a lane between Ostozhenka Street and Prechistenka Street was named in honour of psychologist and physiologist Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov (1829–1905) who used to reside there It was he who discovered that the brain reflexes are the foundation of the higher nervous function Ivan Sechenov was the first to give a detailed description of the fundamental principles of central nervous system activity: central inhibition summation of excitation and after-discharge Censors repeatedly tried to ban the publication of his Reflexes of the Brain educational essay for allegedly challenging the fundamentals of Christianity In his book Sechenov shows that psychic phenomena are rooted in physiological processes which can be studied by objective methods.  The doctor devoted a great deal of time and efforts to teaching including the development of women’s education Two passages bear the name of Sergei Petrovich Botkin (1832–1889) as does a hospital nearby They were named in 1952 on the 120th birthday anniversary of physician and founder of the scientific clinic of internal diseases in Russia.  Sergei Botkin was a pioneer of a theory of the brain’s crucial role in the course of all diseases and predicted many 20th century discoveries in neurology He also studied the run of such diseases as plague Sergei Botkin was the first to point out the viral nature of hepatitis A and came to the conclusion that contaminated foodstuffs may be the source of infection Another name for hepatitis A is Botkin’s disease The scientist was committed to making healthcare in Russia available to the majority of the population Charity hospitals providing free medical care were opened in Moscow and St Petersburg at his initiative The street appeared in the mid-1970s when the 9th residential neighbourhood Here the residential area borders on Tyoply Stan landscape reserve the city’s new transport thoroughfare was named after Academician Alexander Nikolayevich Bakulev (1890–1967) one of the founders of cardiovascular surgery in Russia.  He was the first in the USSR to perform surgeries on hearts with congenial and acquired diseases and to remove a thoracic aorta aneurism Alexander Bakulev also performed lung and invented and applied a number of new methods.  The street was named in 1965 in honour of Vladimir Mikhailovich Bekhterev The researcher was the first to describe a number of nervous system diseases (one of them was named after him) and suggested methods to treat them.  Bekhterev was the founder of a new science – Reflexology a branch of psychology that treats psychic activity as a combination of reflexes He studied and treated many mental disorders and syndromes including with the use of hypnosis The scientist also studied the neuro-psychic development of children and stressed the importance of educating a person beginning in his childhood.  14 is now situated on Bekhtereva Street named after the great researcher.  Since 1975 the square between Chongarsky Boulverd Artekovskaya and Yaltinskaya streets bears the name of Alexander Vasilyevich Vishnevsky (1874–1948) Vishnevsky’s anaesthesia (procaine block) became the most widely used in Soviet surgery.  While using local anaesthesia for a number of years the academician was able to prove that novocaine (procaine) has a positive effect on tissue regeneration New methods of anaesthesia and wound treatment proposed by Vishnevsky during WWII helped save thousands of lives Balsamic liniment (Vishnevsky ointment) was successfully used for treating combat wounds A no-name passage near the Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station bears the name of the famous Russian-German philanthropist doctor since 2017 Fyodor Ivanovich Gaaz (Friedrich Joseph Haass 1780–1853) was born in a small town of Bad-Munstereifel The doctor worked in three hospitals and also treated some officials and members of the artistic community Doctor Gaaz did not ask for a fee for this treatment and helped beggars and the poor.  Fyodor Gaaz made a considerable contribution to fighting a trachoma epidemic (an eye disease caused by Chlamydia) participated in the organisation of the Moscow eye hospital the world’s first specialised ophthalmologic clinic He also contributed to containing epidemics of typhus and cholera in Moscow Fyodor Gaaz spent all his earnings on charity – on shelters and to help the sick For many years he fought for the easing of conditions of the arrested and exiled Doctor Gaaz was called a saint doctor in Moscow for his humaneness Fyodor Gaaz was the prototype of the “old general” in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel The Idiot The writer does not give the doctor’s name but points to his German roots and describes his help to criminals in prisons.  a street in the capital’s northwest was named after one of the founders of the Russian and Soviet microbiology and epidemiology Nikolai Fyodorovich Gamaleya (1859–1949) He was the first to develop bacteriology in Russia After studying the nature of rabies at the Louis Pasteur laboratory in Paris Gamaleya and biologist Ilya Mechnikov arranged Russia’s first outpost in Odessa to combat rabies plague and other severe contagious diseases He was the first in Russia to inoculate people against rabies which significantly decreased rabies mortality.  Nikolai Gamaleya was deeply involved in the study and prevention of typhoid fevers It was he who proved that camp fever is transmitted by lice.  The Gamaleya National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology is situated on this street in Moscow Roman Fyodorov headed the 200th Motorised Rifle Brigade in Pechenga before he recently took over the command of the nearby 61st Naval Infantry Brigade in Sputnik he was awarded the order Hero of Russia for his participation of the onslaught on Ukraine Judging from comments made in an interview he narrowly made it out alive Fyodorov also took part in the building of defensive installations that helped stave off 20 Ukrainian attacks Minister Shoigu said in the ceremony that took place in the Ministry of Defence’ National Command Center in Moscow Roman Fyodorov grew up in a tiny village in Altai local news media in the far east Russian region informs Moscow has launched several verbal attacks against Finland following its inclusion in the alliance the Russian Foreign Ministry underlined that it would take “necessary measures to counter the aggressive actions of Finland and its NATO allies.” Since the start of the full-scale onslaught on Ukraine Russia has lost hundreds of thousands of men The two brigades in the Pechenga region are alone believed to have lost several thousand of its warriors Zavadsky was reportedly killed by a mine on the 28th of November 2023 near Izyum in occupied parts of Kharkiv region Canada: Norway committed to keeping Arctic Council as leading forum on North says ambassador Denmark: Danish policy prioritizes low-conflict Arctic amidst Russian tensions Finland: Finland expels nine Russian diplomats Greenland: Growing focus on Arctic puts Greenland at higher risk of cyber attacks: assessment Iceland: Iceland to suspend embassy operations in Moscow as of August 1 Norway: And in Between, There Are Doors’—Europe, the Arctic, and shared spaces Russia: Moscow expels five Swedish diplomats, orders closure of Consulate General Sweden: Blinken to visit Luleå amid Arctic fighter jet exercise United States: U.S.set to open sole diplomatic post above Arctic Circle—Location? Tromso, Norway For more news from the Barents region visit The Independent Barents Observer and website in this browser for the next time I comment PETERSBURG — Musician Yevgeny Fyodorov who disbanded his celebrated  rock band Tequilajazzz last year despite the new name and new members Petersburg-based German drummer Marc-Oliver Lauber it has since been expanded to feature Vadim Sergeyev and guitarist Dmitry Zilpert of the Moscow indie rock band Tinavie "We must reassert our musical credibility — the fact that we're qualified heirs to Tequilajazzz Fyodorov announced the split of Tequilajazzz on the band's web site last July The news came as a shock to fans who had grown used to the band being one of the staples on the indie rock scene since debuting in 1993 it's like when you live with a girlfriend for a long time You are forced to go and visit parents together We were very good at pretending," Fyodorov said of the group's unhappy dynamic Fyodorov first met Lauber some 10 years ago in Cologne when the drummer played with the German version of the psychobilly band The Meantraitors Petersburg frontman Stas Bogorad lived in Germany from 1999 to 2008 and we found each other in a miraculous way and launched a band with him as a duo in September We didn't plan to expand for some time but wrote a lot of songs straight away and now we have material for a full album." The new band's name is reminiscent of that of the Soviet spy Richard Sorge who operated in Japan during World War II under the cover of being a journalist "I like books about spies — John le Carre for instance — and I like spy movies a lot The life of a spy — a person immersed in an environment that is foreign to him — is the most extreme expression of loneliness on this planet." the band's material sounds not unlike Tequilajazzz "This is modern guitar music that has been seriously influenced by all the music that has existed in the world before it including punk rock and new wave and art rock," Fyodorov said Fyodorov said he was no longer afraid of describing his work as "art rock." "We take pleasure in using certain things that were relevant for 1970s art rock bands It seems that their time has returned — but without knights in cloaks or any Tolkien nonsense," he said "We're about music and a normal balance between various musical trends You should not get fixed on rock 'n' roll just because you play the electric guitar The electric guitar has many more possibilities than people usually think." "What we're doing now is much more experimental than what my previous band had been doing for the past few years …  Here we're talking not so much about radicalism of music as such but about serious reconsidering of traditional forms of music playing within the rock idiom Zorge will play Feb. 18 at 9 p.m. at 16 Tons, 6 Presnensky Val. Metro Ulitsa 1905 Goda. Tel. 253-5300, www.16tons.ru We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The largest fan group of Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg have demanded the club refrain from buying black and gay players following turmoil surrounding the acquisition of Brazil striker Hulk. "We're not racists but we see the absence of black players at Zenit as an important tradition," Zenit fan club Landscrona said in a letter, called the "Selection 12 manifesto", posted on its website (http://www.landscrona.ru) on Monday. "It would allow Zenit to maintain the national identity of the club, which is the symbol of St Petersburg." Zenit have been the only top club in Russia to have never signed an African player while the northern city of St Petersburg is known to have a strong right-wing nationalist influence. The fans said they want more home-grown or European players in the team. "We only want players from other brotherly Slav nations, such as Ukraine and Belarus as well as from the Baltic states and Scandinavia. We have the same mentality and historical and cultural background as these nations," the letter said. They also expressed their opposition to having "sexual minorities" in the team and demanded that each player would give "101 percent effort" in every match. Several prominent black players have turned down lucrative offers from the wealthy club over the past 12 months after receiving death threats from Zenit fans, local media reported. A Zenit spokesman said on Monday the club would not comment on the fans' letter. Former Zenit and Russia striker Alexander Panov said the fans have no right to influence the club's selection policy. "If we don't have enough good players from St Petersburg, then what should the club do?" the St Petersburg native was quoted as saying by local media. "All clubs around the world have black players. If they are absent from Zenit - it's Zenit's problem. I don't think fans should demand the club buy or don't buy certain players. The fans have the right to go to the stadium or stay home." Zenit have been in turmoil for the past few months with several senior players unhappy after the wealthy club splashed out more than $100 million on Brazilian Hulk and Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel just before the transfer deadline. Zenit demoted Russia skipper Igor Denisov to the reserve team in September after he refused to play, issuing an ultimatum to renegotiate his contract in line with what Hulk was making. Denisov was later allowed to rejoin the first team after making an apology. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies The TimesA Russian hip-hop star who graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English literature has prompted a national debate about Russian culture after starring in an online rap “battle” that gained millions of views is one of Russian popular music’s biggest names He recently took part in a long-awaited verbal joust with another rapper whose name translates as “The Rotting One.” The two exchanged colourful rhyming insults in an hour-long rap showdown that included references to George Orwell the Soviet secret police chief Lavrenty Beria and academic works on comparative mythology who splits his time between Russia and Britain for missing recent anti-government protests in Moscow Duma deputy Yevgeny Fyodorov claimed that all 14 republics seceded from the former union allegedly illegally and Russia would “sooner or later have a conflict or war” with them Three deputies of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis reacted to his claims based on fake and conspiracy theories Russian State Duma deputy Yevgeny Fyodorov made a false claim that the separation of the post-Soviet states from the USSR was illegal and predicted that sooner or later a conflict or war would arise between Russia and them “From the point of view of scientific theory sooner or later all the republics that illegally left the Soviet Union will have a conflict or war with Russia This applies to Armenia as well,” Fyodorov said Russia can prevent military conflicts through diplomatic dialogue with the former Soviet republics referring to international law and the laws of the USSR taking into account the international law and the laws of the Soviet Union we will reach an agreement with them again on their current status which was violated in 1991,” the Russian deputy said Two deputy speakers of the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis and the chairman of the “Yuksalish” movement responded to Yevgeny Fyodorov’s statement the chairman of the “Milliy Tiklanish” party such approaches of Russian politicians “will go to the head of Russia” Time will tell if we will benefit from this We will take measures against the fire and watch it coldly...” Qodirov said Another deputy speaker of the parliamentary lower house described Fyodorov’s statement as “very original” “The representative of the people pretended to be a mature specialist in geopolitics and brought up all kinds of “theories” unknown to anyone He said that all the republics left the Soviet Union illegally It seems that Fyodorov does not understand that the Constitution is above all laws Article 72 of the USSR Constitution states: “Each union republic retains the right to freely leave the USSR,” Odiljon Tojiev wrote on his page all institutions of the Russian state power who worked on behalf of the Russian Federation had illegal relations with these republics cultural and other spheres based on sovereign equality) relations and multilateral formats contracts (from the CIS to various Shanghai agreements) were illegal it is possible to declare with confidence to the whole world that Russian institutions of power operating in such an illegal legal space are inherently illegal call for the dissolution of all institutions of state power in the Russian state for their illegal relations “He’s probably joking,” the politician said the chairman of the “Yuksalish” nationwide movement called the author of the statement from Moscow “another fantasist” and emphasized that his claims are “not a product of common sense” “We believe that there is no need to take any serious approach to the words of the Duma deputy who believes that Russia is a colony of foreign powers and promotes conspiracy theories Uzbekistan is a country with strong sovereignty and strong statehood are based on friendship and mutual respect Azamat Musagaliyev performed the song “Fantazyor” by Yaroslav Evdokimov in a new arrangement,” Bobur Bekmurodov said Yevgeny Fyodorov is a representative of the ruling “Yedinaya Rossiya” party in Russia a member of the State Duma from 1993 to 1996 and from 2003 until now and a member of the State Duma Committee on Budget and Tax Issues Fyodorov is also the coordinator of the political association “National Liberation Movement” in Russia This association has been advocating a return to Russia’s 1945 borders and an investigation into the events leading up to the collapse of the USSR another Russian deputy Konstantin Zatulin made a wrong statement based on the baseless interpretation of the speech of the President of Uzbekistan at the Martyrs’ Memorial Square in the Russian media Alisher Qodirov and First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Uzbekistan Sodiq Safoyev responded to him Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser. Copyright THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Miron Fyodorov is an Oxford graduate who specialises in pre-Chaucerian English – and a rising star on Moscow's hip-hop scene The artist better known as Oxxxymiron tells Shaun Walker about his unlikely route to fame Over the past six months, Miron Fyodorov has gone from a part-time rapper with a small internet following to one of the most talked about artists in Russian rap. He was named Discovery of the Year at the Russian GQ awards, and his latest music video, "Lie Detector", has over a million hits on YouTube, as his fan base grows to include everyone from angry impoverished teens in Siberian tower blocks to the hipster class of central Moscow. The 27-year-old has a boyish face and closely cropped mousy hair; during an interview with The Independent in a central Moscow bar this week, he wears a grey T-shirt that only half-covers tattoos on his forearms, and speaks in perfect English that has hints of both Russia and east London in the accent. Born in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, he moved to Essen, Germany when he was nine, as his physicist father found a job there. In 2000, the family moved again, this time to Slough. Speaking a strange brand of English, learnt in Germany and from voracious reading, he started at the local secondary school. "Slough was pretty horrendous, but I liked the UK more than Germany," he says. "It's much more like Russia – not as clean, more chaotic, and less anal." Despite never having been taught in English before, he did surprisingly well at school. "I didn't know much about Britain to be honest. When my history teacher told me I should think about applying for Oxbridge, I thought he said Uxbridge," he laughs. "I knew there was a college there, and I was disappointed that I was doing so badly." He surprised himself by getting into Balliol College, Oxford, to read English literature, where he focused on pre-Chaucerian English, learning High German and Old Norse. "I think that came from the same place as my rap – I'm interested in words. But I don't have an academic mind at all." He had to take an extra year to complete his degree, after he was temporarily kicked out and forced to resit exams, and then ended up with a third-class degree after his finals. Rap had been part of his life since he was a teenager, but it was not much more than a hobby at this point. "I used to get drunk at Oxford and freestyle, and a few people who knew Russian would get it, while other people would just laugh their heads off." Suddenly, a lot more people are getting it. Despite having no manager or producer, and little marketing or promotion, his rapping has been gaining an ever-bigger fan base, culminating in a 13-city tour when he was playing to crowds of 2,000 people. "It's not bad given last year I was living on a council estate in Canning Town," he says. "I could never have imagined it could have grown this quickly." According to Michael Idov, the editor of Russian GQ magazine, Oxxxymiron is "in a class of his own" on the Russian rap scene. "The first thing that jumps out at you is the technique," he says. "It's right there at the level of early Eminem, with amazing wordplay and compound rhymes. His speciality is couplets in which every syllable rhymes." "I don't like any other Russian rappers," says Fyodorov. "Until now it has either been a cheap imitation of 'blackness' in a kind of Ali G way, or a completely absurd attempt to be different and Russian without respecting the art form – it oscillates between these two extremes." Given that he does not admire any of his countrymen, he has instead modelled his sound on the UK "grime" scene, honed during four years living in London after he left Oxford in 2008. Some of his tracks, like "Russian Cockney", deal with his double life as a Russian living in London, while others focus on more universal human dilemmas. As his fame began to spread on the internet, the erudition and intellect in the lyrics won him friends among Moscow's intellectual class, and he played at a top Moscow festival this summer. "He's erudite but it's not a showy erudition like you get with some rappers," says Idov. "It's a genuine expression of who he is." Despite the growing fame, he is not in a hurry to sign up to a major label. "Russia tends to monopolise everything, whether it's politics or culture, and there are only one or two major labels; I have no desire to co-operate with them at all." The most dramatic incident of his rap career so far came when Fyodorov and a former rap partner were effectively taken hostage by a group of men who threatened them with a gun and forced them to apologise for insulting Roma Zhigan, a nationalist rapper who has written eulogistic lyrics about President Vladimir Putin. Oxxxymiron does not see himself as an "opposition rapper", unlike Noize MC, a well-known Russian singer who became popular among protesters against Vladimir Putin for a number of acerbic raps that lambasted Russian authorities for corruption and impunity. "I like Noize but I think any kind of art is devalued if it becomes political," claims Fyodorov. "Maybe it's even worse to be pro-Putin than to be anti-Putin but I don't like it either way." He occasionally writes in English, but says does not want to record it, as he does not think it is good enough to stand out among the plethora of talented London grime artists. More importantly, he has to decide now which city he should call home – St Petersburg, Moscow or London. The British capital feels most like home, but with his rap career taking off so quickly, he feels it would be a lost opportunity not to stay in Russia. What about his personal identity; is he more British or Russian? "I have no idea, mate," he shrugs. "What am I? I was born in Russia, grew up in Germany, studied in England. And on top of that a Jew. I'm a nomad, I guess. Time and money will decide where I end up." A stunned dogwalker discovered a “Mowgli family” living in an abandoned house in one of the world’s coldest regions Four children were living with their dad and a dog huddled around an open fire in the bleak city of Chita were “half-naked” despite the freezing temperatures - having been cut off from a normal life since before last summer “There was a 'fireplace' in the middle of a big room covered with all sorts of rubbish,” said the man who found the family dirty children - three boys and a little girl aged three - were around it “A shaggy man in dirty clothes was sitting next to the fire “Old clothes were piled on the floor in the corner of the room The Soviet-era ruin was near the edge of the city and open to the elements in a temperature of minus 30C said the family had run way after social services had threatened to take the children away The mother called Elena Vasileya had vanished after finding the gruelling conditions too harsh The children stayed with their father in the hell-hole on the edge of the city Last year they had lived in a tent but other homeless people had destroyed it This is when they moved into a disused building with no water or electricity and broken windows the dog-walker reported the family to an anti-homeless campaigner Evegeny Fyodorov and the authroties rapidly stepped in with the children taken into care “The father has a bunch of outstanding criminal charges and he has been forced to say goodbye to the kids,” said Ivan Katanayev children’s ombudsman in TransBaikal region He was allowed to help them wash and clean up in a care centre before he was taken away by police They hugged him before he was separated from them and taken into detention He said: “The children are now neat and clean” - but they are undergoing medical and psychological checks The authorities are searching for the missing mother “If she's left children in such a dangerous situation what sort of mother is she?” Demanded Ayagma Vanchikova and will also establish whether damage to health has been inflicted.” Law enforcement officials said the “Mowgli family” had hardly any winter clothes and minimal food The children did not attend school or kindergarten and had entirely slipped through the social services net A criminal investigation has been launched Officials could be punished for failing to search for the children when they went missing early last year.