Alternative Asset AdvisoryHeightened regulatory concerns and vigilance have led to increased demand for independent expert advice Portfolio ValuationKroll specializes in assisting clients with the valuation of alternative investments specifically securities and positions for which there are no "active market" quotations the chief sergeant of the 110th Mechanized Brigade he decided to return from Sweden to defend Ukraine as part of the Armed Forces Read about the evacuation of civilians from the occupation and the strong family ties in the brigade in the RBC-Ukraine article below At the beginning of the full-scale invasion The first thing he felt then was a lack of understanding of how a Russian invasion could be possible “My colleagues at work told me: you're done They will destroy you in three days,” Moisei recalls their words But the man immediately decided to return to Ukraine and help in defensing The head of the company immediately paid him his entire salary It was then that he first felt what war was like I went down to the subway and saw the horror in people's eyes I realized that I had to do something,” he says The military recruitment office did not immediately want to take him Having assessed the seriousness of his intentions the recruitment office promised to call him back in a few days and Moisei eventually got into the 401st rifle battalion In the first days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine Moisei decided to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces and now serves in the 110th Mechanized Brigade (provided to RBC-Ukraine) Since the man could not defend his homeland with arms from the very first days he decided to at least help in any way he could he decided to help civilians with evacuation We used these four cars to evacuate people Then the volunteers asked us to go beyond Kryvyi Rih and we were not yet so prepared to repel them in every direction,” the man says the men hurried to take the women and children away as quickly as possible because there was information that the Russians would soon occupy the settlement But they did not manage to get out before the invaders arrived From the windows of the houses they saw enemy vehicles the Russians immediately went to a large house where a local farmer lived and dragged him and his wife outside The group of Russians consisted of 7-8 Buryats who began to rape his wife in front of the farmer Neither Moisei nor his comrades could prevent this - they were unarmed and had to wait in another house They managed to put four children and four women in four cars and planned to leave in the direction of Kryvyi Rih They set up an improvised checkpoint and pulled up equipment Moisei and his comrades decided to take a chance and drive right through it the Russians were already drunk so heavily that when men drove by in cars they did not even have the strength to say anything they managed to take more than 30 people out of the occupied village Photo: Soldiers of the battalion destroying the enemy in the hot spots of the front (facebook.com/110separatebrigade) The children and women ate that whole pallet of bread in about 20 minutes There was only one desire - to destroy them (Russians - ed.) it was enough to see it all with your own eyes,” the defender recalls Moisei does not hide his joy at being assigned to the 401st battalion the battalion was attached to the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade and at the moment the formation has become a full-fledged 2nd Rifle Battalion within the 110th “I remember those first attacks in Bakhmut this is the core,” the soldier shares his impressions some of his comrades are already of mature age This was especially evident in the battles near Bakhmut Moisei also praised its leadership and commanders for their military work They live at command posts around the clock That's why we would even be ashamed not to work and that's why we have such a strong officer staff and the officers went into battle together with their comrades every company commander and platoon leader was in combat Officers went into battle alongside all other defenders of the front (facebook.com/110separatebrigade) “Even the headquarters and the support groups were at ground zero Because going there the second time is certainly harder than the first time,” he adds he thought about his call sign 'Moisei' for a long time but in a day he came up with a common denominator He said that few people would understand the true meaning and the reference to Ivan Franko's poem "Moisei" Its main idea is the reluctance to live in slavery The 401st battalion initially took part in the battles near Andriivka but the company commander made a rather unconventional decision that stunned the enemy In order not to go through the landing and get hit by mines he ran out of the landing and stormed the open road The enemy units simply did not expect this this was the battalion's biggest advance into the Russians' depths at that time If the support of neighboring units had been more effective Andriivka would have been liberated at that very moment the battalion was withdrawn for recuperation and eventually transferred to the area of the village of Terny in the Lyman direction the commander personally participated in battles Moisei recalls that after moving to their new positions they had to dig an 18-meter-long trench for almost a day the battalion waited for the assault command and officers from the headquarters were going to the third assault Photo: The 401st battalion took part in battles for some time in the area of Andriivka south of Bakhmut (facebook.com/110separatebrigade) they (the Russians - ed.) were still pushed back,” the soldier recalls one of them rushed into battle even though his fingers were broken by a bullet wound Moisei also praised the medics who do their job professionally and save the lives of soldiers in combat Serving as a battalion sergeant major is primarily about building communication within the unit And the key to success is the attitude towards people Mosisei is also engaged in training the personnel I still have a lot of other tasks assigned to me by the commander I have to treat them (subordinates - ed.) like men but as men with whom you eat bread at the same table When you sit at the table with him and eat bread or drink coffee Then he accepts you,” the soldier explains Thanks to the understanding of each soldier it is possible to build a well-coordinated team that can perform combat missions so mutual support is very important to them The fatigue is noticeable not so much physically as psychologically And the best rest is a trip home to the family and friends says the defender (facebook.com/110separatebrigade) Moisei has been home only once during the war But his current vacation is connected with an important event in his life - he is going home to get married But this is the kind of person (referring to his beloved - ed.) I have known for a long time Moisei asked the commander to give him the much-anticipated leave he will return to the front line to defend Ukraine and continue to build a close-knit team of comrades within the battalion Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff driving his yacht ‘Senar’ on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland Aram Khachaturian’s ballet ‘Gayane’ on the stage of Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theater in the Armenian SSR The dance with sabers is performed by ballet dancers V Composer Igor Stravinsky in the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory Composer Sergei Prokofiev with his wife Mira Mendelssohn Violinist Yehudi Menuhin rehearsing before a concert on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the United Nations in Paris Pianist Van Cliburn performing at the First International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow Opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya with her kids Composer Dmitry Shostakovich with his wife Irina Shostakovich ‘Lezginka’ State Folk Dance Ensemble of Dagestan performing a choreographic composition Composer Rodion Shchedrin and ballerina Maya Plisetskaya Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet ‘Romeo and Juliet’ staged by the Bolshoi Theater Rehearsal for the gala concert on the Red Square dedicated to the opening of the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia (pianist Denis Matsuev at the piano opera stars Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov on the left) Vladimir Volkov performing at the Volkov Manifest Jazz Festival The ‘Objective About Music’ photo exhibition will be on display at the Russian National Museum of Music in Moscow from March 13 to June 8 Moisei Bondarenko is a Ukrainian musician and violinist who is one of the 10 finalists of Vidbir 2023 the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Moisei joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine but brought his favorite violin with him Moisei continued playing the violin and posted some of his work on YouTube Moisei will compete in the Ukrainian national selection December 17th with the song “I’m Not Alone” We had the pleasure to meet him ahead of the show and talk to him about his musical career and his song for Vidbir Hello Moisei and thank you for taking the time to answer our questions We are very excited to welcome you on our page and to find out more about you I have been living with music since my childhood and always expressed my emotions and experiences with it And living this war with Russia for 9 months I wrote the first full song with words that convey my state and which I would like to sing and play to the world now Eurovision is an event that makes it possible to do this You got famous on YouTube for playing the violin while serving in the Ukrainian army – How did you get the idea to make these videos It all started when I started playing for my brothers-in-arms in order to relax and distract myself a little Then I played our national anthem and posted it online to support people encourage them and thank them for their support Later I found a small bomb shelter where I could play for myself and little by little I filmed something and shared it with people to keep in touch with them and make everyone happy Then we went to the trouble spots and there the violin played in a special way and I wanted to show it to people Will you also play the violin on the Vidbir stage Let the whole performance be a surprise 🙂 What else can we expect from your performance Can you tell us more about “I’m Not Alone” I wrote this song in that small bomb shelter when I was in a very difficult state the emotions I was experiencing then and how I worked with my psychological state my favorite is Gjon’s Tears -Tout l’Univers Why are you the right artist to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest I want it very much and will do everything for it I am ready to represent my country at Eurovision It is my childhood dream to perform for the whole world I also hope for an evening walk with my beloved and a couple of glasses of beer 🙂 What is your personal goal for the upcoming event Sharing my work with everyone is all I want do you have a message to our readers from all over the world Thank you very much for such support of our country and people Thank you so much for participating in the interview We are so excited to see you on the Vidbir stage on December 17th and wish you the best of luck for the competition Tell us what you think about Moisei’s song “I’m Not Alone” in the poll and on our social media profiles and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Open in Spotify to get all the Eurovision news as they happen BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 04/12/2018 6:52 PM of Moisei Ginzburg’s Style and Epoch (1924) and the ongoing restoration of seminal Constructivist building – Narkomfin (Moscow) – of which Alexei is chief restoration architect was the architect’s key work; it became the philosophical basis for the Constructivist group of architects This facsimile edition follows on from the successful publication of the author’s 1934 work Dwelling also published by Ginzburg Design with Fontanka (2017) Architect Alexei Ginzburg is currently working on the restoration of his grandfather’s famous Narkomfin building in Moscow (completed in 1932) Ginzburg Design has initiated the publication of Moisei Ginzburg’s four seminal publications on architecture and the built environment 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 “As the world’s largest independent valuation advisor I am excited to join the Kroll team to support our clients in Luxembourg as they navigate this dynamic market,” commented Elena Moisei discussing her new role as managing director within Kroll’s portfolio valuations practice in Luxembourg Elena Moisei has joined Kroll as managing director to lead the Luxembourg portfolio valuations practice enhancing the firm’s valuation advisory services in the Europe a provider of global risk and financial advisory solutions announced the appointment of Elena Moisei as managing director within its Luxembourg portfolio valuations practice on 23 January 2024 This move forms part of the firm’s strategic expansion in the Europe Moisei will lead the firm’s efforts in Luxembourg focusing on serving alternative investment fund managers across private equity infrastructure funds and real estate fund managers Her expertise encompasses a range of valuation engagements including those related to financial reporting managing director and EMEA portfolio valuation leader at Kroll noting her extensive experience in portfolio and business valuations as well as her understanding of the Luxembourg market He indicated that Moisei’s addition would enhance the firm’s valuation advisory services in Luxembourg Moisei was a senior manager in the valuation Her previous experience includes roles in deal advisory corporate finance and valuations at various large accounting firms Moisei is also a member of the business valuation board of the International Valuation Standards Council and holds positions as a founding committee member and board member of the Luxembourg Valuation Professionals Association BY Russian Art & Culture POSTED 02/01/2018 12:38 PM This event will be a celebration of the first ever English publication of Moisei Ginzburg‘s Rhythm in Architecture (1922) and Dwelling: Five Years’ Work on the Problem of the Habitation (1934) and the ongoing restoration of seminal Constructivist building – Narkomfin – of which Alexei is chief architect Dwelling was the third of four groundbreaking works written by the Soviet Constructivist architect Moisei Ginzburg (1892-1946) published by Ginzburg Design and Fontanka Publishing is a fascinating account of the ideas and philosophy behind Soviet architecture at the high point of Constructivism Starting with a broad survey of habitation in different cultures and traditions a leading member of the Constructivist movement describes the ways in which he and his colleagues tried to adapt and apply architectural solutions to the demands of a new society This includes a detailed analysis of his famous Narkomfin building in Moscow where many experimental socialist ideas of the early Soviet state were manifested; a description of his work on the commune house (dom kommuna); and the theories behind two major housing projects: Magnitogorsk and Zeleny Gorod Ginzburg’s theory and practice was read and evaluated by leading architects of his time who used Ginzburg’s ideas in his Unitè d’Habitation Also being presented is an English translation of Ginzburg’s Rhythm in Architecture (1922) Ginzburg writes in his introduction: ‘In the Parthenon and the Palazzo Pitti and all other monuments which differ in terms of their formal qualities we see the eternally effective principle of rhythm The present book is an attempt to bring to light this true essence of architecture.” They plan to translate and publish Ginzburg’s two remaining books Style and Epoch and The Sanitorium in the coming year Alexei Ginzburg will give a short talk about the architectural theory expressed in Dwelling and Rhythm in Architecture and go on to bring the audience up to date with the ongoing restoration of Narkomfin Copies of both books will be available to purchase the state’s public procurement website announced that contractors were invited to bid on a project to modernize and repurpose the “Rodina” cinema located in Murmansk at 26 Leningradskaya Street The municipal budget would allow 22.2 million rubles (about €300,000) for the documents for the project and the contractor was required to conduct a full analysis of the building and its supporting structures and networks as well as provide estimates and architectural planning solutions which were subject to a number of conditions Among these conditions was that the cinema hall had to be converted to an actor’s theatre with at least a 400 person capacity and that a recording studio and a new elevator had to be installed The 1000 seat Rodina cinema has been around since 1930 but has stood basically unused for the last 30 years But the building’s decay accelerated significantly in 2007 after being leased to Shahin Karimov’s “Moisei” real estate development company city authorities denounced the developers as “destroyers of the historic building” and that they had failed to do any restoration work as promised The city then began the process of terminating the lease agreement From the press releases of that time it followed that “the floors and entrances had been destroyed the basement demolished to the foundation and the external walls needed to be repaired” almost everything inside the building was unsalvageable According to the Engineering Center’s survey two thirds of the premises of the building could no longer be used as a theatre and just over a thousand square meters had simply ceased to exist another report prepared by the “Regional Construction Valuation Center” JSC stated that restoring the cinema back to its former glory would cost €5.4 million Kerimov reappeared claiming that his signatures had been forged in the lease termination agreement the city initiated inspections of the Kerimov’s “Moisei” and “Pharaon” shopping centers and Kerimov found out that the first one had an illegal extension on the sidewalk and the second had supporting structures in the basement of the adjoining apartment building the Oktyabrsky District Court’s decision to annul the 2008 lease contract between the MUP “Murmansk Film Production Company” and “Moisei” LLC became official the tenant company had failed to restore the cinema a building of significant cultural heritage as per their contract and had instead left it in catastrophic disrepair the tenant could not be held liable as the “Moisei” company it is difficult to place all the blame on Shahin Kerimov He had built his business with the help of his three brothers but they were not around to help with the theatre the second received a serious prison sentence for a relapse with drug trafficking and the third had a run in with the law when after his Lexus was taken in lieu of outstanding debts he tried to get it back with the help of several friends with weapons built by Murmansk pioneers to provide simple pleasures This story is originally posted on the Blogger51.ru and translated and re-published as part of Eyes on Barents a collaborative partnership between news organizations and bloggers in the Barents region 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 You are blocked! Please contact our admins. Moisei Solomonovich.(Heritage Images/Getty)How is it that a Russian poet continues to exert her appeal today—50 years after her death inside the barrier of what was then a fairly robust Iron Curtain Robyn Ravlich explores how the once-silenced poet Anna Akhmatova became an icon.So sure was she of her future life as a poet the young Anna Akhmatova shed her family name and feminising its ending in the Russian manner like Mexican painter Frida Kahlo—emblematic of a trailblazing "If you'd like to continue your creative activity Akhmatova went on to become one of the most acclaimed poets in the Russian canon she is making a fresh stir in London—with the inclusion of her portrait by Olga Della-Vos-Kardovskaia in Russia and the Arts: The Age of Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky at London's National Portrait Gallery and with drawings of her by Italian artist Amadeo Modigliani going on show in Modigliani—A Unique Artistic Voice Akhmatova and Modligiani's love affair Modligiani's nude studies of Akhmatova were not of an artist's model as Alena Mankova told me on a tour of the museum in St Petersburg As we looked at a sketch of Anna hanging on the wall of the apartment in which she lived for 30 years I learnt that it was one of her most treasured possessions 'They got acquainted during her honeymoon trip to Paris with her husband 'The first restaurant was marked with that romantic meeting of Anna and Modigliani—they looked at each other and his red scarf just captured her attention and poor Nikolai Gumilev had to wait until the conversation was over But I think it wasn't over for about seven years.' and spent much of her time with Modigliani—visiting antiquities at the Louvre such as the Kneeling Blue Caryatid and Standing Nude in Profile with Lighted Candle poised and possessed a beautiful profile with an aquiline nose and fringed hairstyle 'He couldn't forget her,' Mankova remarks At the time of their intimacy—captured in the drawing displayed on her bedroom wall Woman Reclining on a Bed—fame was in front of them 'Akhmatova's friends said that this portrait was drawn by Modigliani when he hadn't been Modigliani yet and Anna Akhmatova had not been Anna Akhmatova yet,' Mankova says 'Not one of the paintings were painted not one of her poems were published.' Anna's early works were published in Apollon the journal of the Acmeist poetry movement dedicated to craft excellence and 'world culture' co-founded by Nikolai Gumilev and their fellow poet and friend the first of five riveting collections over nine years This was during St Petersburg's acclaimed Silver Age of dazzling creativity in literature With her gorgeous dancer and actress friend she performed her poems at the Stray Dog Cabaret winning and breaking hearts in between marrying her first and second husbands—as seemed to be quite common in their circle where love entered and exited stage in different combinations She was said to have given women their voice Akhmatova's poetry from this period is intensely lyrical speaking intimately of worldly love and ethereal spirituality It was especially savoured by young lovers who didn't know where to place her verse this would be used by state apparatchiks as a vicious smear decrying her as a corrupting influence on youth leading to a ban on publishing her work and withdrawal of her status as a writer What brought the unconventional Silver Age to a halt was the combination of Russia's involvement in World War I followed by the Bolshevik Revolution—initially liberating for many before its ever-restrictive and destructive aftermath Akhmatova remained passionate about her Russian homeland and culture feeling it her duty to stay when others fled in exile in the 1920s including dancers from the Ballet Russes and Olga Glebova-Sudeikina Life became very serious and difficult—accommodation was reassigned and shrank under a policy of 'condensation' people imprisoned on trumped up charges and sent to far-off camps It's quite a puzzle as to how Akhmatova became so revered and considered one of the greatest of 20th century Russian poets given that publication of her poetry was so restricted and unknown to several generations Her reputation and her poetry survived underground who held the regime to account in her surreptitiously written poems of witness Out of official favour and without a publishing forum as enigmatic and silent as the two granite sculptures of Egyptian sphinxes that stand watch over the Neva River Later she autographed a photograph of herself Brodsky was one of legions of new fans attracted to Akhmatova during a partial thaw in the Khrushchev era which restored her right to travel to receive an honour at Oxford and allowed selected writings to be published in the few years before her death in 1966 for her dangerously critical poems to be fully published in Russian for her reputation to be restored and her fame to spread you can find skirts and bags decorated with some of those stunning photographs of Akhmatova in her twenties to be worn by current fans hoping to channel her spirit set to music and performed by American alt-country singer and musician Iris DeMent on the album The Trackless Woods She wanted to do something expressive of her adopted daughter's Russian homeland to give her back something of what she'd lost which she stumbled on in an anthology of Russian verse Their intense musicality made her task easier De Ment says: 'Anna's gift of song is so strong about all I had to do was get really quiet.' 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Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience The Narkomfin apartments are a model for urban living that shames most of our current efforts a friend who had just come back from Moscow pulled a little chunk of concrete out of his bag designed in 1928 by Moisei Ginzburg and Ignaty Milinis a blueprint for Modernist living – Le Corbusier saw it and adapted its layouts for the Unité d’Habitation – has for decades been the world’s most famous Modernist ruin it seemed likely it would eventually just wilt and collapse But now a restoration by Ginzburg’s architect grandson Alexey is finally happening and its blocked-in pilotis are being revealed the first part of a conjuring act to bring this model of socialist housing back to its original appearance – for a private client with the attached ‘social condenser’ gymnasium/kindergarten/library/café block opening as a public café we’ll finally be able to find out what this place really was: a model Ginzburg has been publishing English translations of his grandfather’s books presents the ideas of Narkomfin in as pure a way as possible sweeping away various misinterpretations that western historians have made of it over the years The book presents ‘five years of research in housing’ and has a disclaimer from the Party press editors insisting that it ‘does not include a Marxist-Leninist analysis of the development of culture and habitation’; this is Ginzburg’s grandson’s view as well pointing out the viability of Moisei’s spatial ideas in a capitalist context But Dwelling begins with a richly illustrated analysis of how social factors – family structures rural and urban economies – have influenced the development of housing which is here a teleological development from huts in Cameroon via Bukhara to the Renaissance from the capitalist tenement to the reformist Modernist estate culminating in communal apartments in Moscow to the imagined socialist city of the future Dwelling argues that Narkomfin is not part of that city of the future but a means of getting to it – a ‘transitional’ work between the capitalist city and a new ‘socialist dwelling culture’ and only a partial success; residents took their meals from the communal block to their rooms He laments the ‘Prussian barracks’ approach to collective housing and argues that Narkomfin was meant to be a voluntary without skimping on space standards – reduction of which would mean in words that could be well applied to Patrik Schumacher’s latest proposals ‘a serious reduction in man’s overall vitality’ without space for the ‘development of the socialist personality’ So Ginzburg ended his book not with Narkomfin as a model in which individuals or ‘associations of comrades’ could decide where to put their ‘prefab timber-framed houses’ among the trees: much more Walter Segal than Le Corbusier The Narkomfin building is clearly still a viable model for urban living with a balance between private and collective There are few apartment buildings today which can compare with its abundant social space or its lofty double-height interiors The future he imagined can’t be lived in today Tags Old buildings and places can create a rich setting for new development… The space between buildings and homes doesn’t just connect places; it defines… the Secret Architect has at last succumbed to watching The Brutalist commissioner of the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale,… It looks like I am now officially old enough to be in the archive where you will find my AR campaign piece from 2005: https://www.architectural-review.com/rethink/campaigns/outrage/outrage-state-modern/10023968.article?search=https%3a%2f%2fwww.architectural-review.com%2fsearcharticles%3fqsearch%3d1%26keywords%3drob+gregory+Narkomfin We’ve already written about the most prominent contemporary female writers to pay attention to and now it is time to look at the history of Russian literature and see what place women occupy in its pantheon.  Gippius tried to break both gender boundaries and stereotypes about women She loved to shock the public by showing up in masculine dress and she would talk about herself in masculine terms But at the same time she would wear stunning feminine dresses.  and became one of the ideologists and bright proponents of Russian Symbolism in poetry “I love myself as God,” she scandalously wrote in her poems focusing on individualism.  Petersburg was the mecca of the city’s creative intelligentsia where they continued to be bastions of Russian culture uniting their compatriots who also had to leave their homeland Gippius's decadent poems weren’t published.    Read more about Gippius here Tsvetaeva's genius was largely influenced by her environment She was born in Moscow into a creative family professor and founder of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts; her mother was a talented pianist Perhaps that’s why Tsvetaeva's poems are very musical and creativity is inseparable from her life.  Her biography is full of tragedies: Tsvetaeva's daughter died of starvation during the Civil War and her other daughter spent 15 years in the Gulag and exile broken lines featuring a constantly tossing and suffering person her stanzas are filled with a stunning frankness of feeling and passionate love.  “I like that you are not sick of me” is set to music and can be heard in the popular Soviet-era New Year's comedy film Read more about Tsvetaeva here Tsvetaeva stands alongside Akhmatova in greatness they formed the poetic language of an entire century Akhmatova's early poetry is also about dramatic love feelings though later it became more lyrical and focused on the fate of the Russian people and the country Akhmatova suffered through the state repression of her husband, poet Nikolai Gumilev, and the arrest of her son, historian Lev Gumilev She survived the Siege of Leningrad and the long years of a ban on the publishing of poetry reflected desperate Soviet women standing clockwise in a line to the office of the secret police and trying to learn about the fate of their arrested sons and husbands.  Akhmatova’s unusual profile became her hallmark and her portraits were painted by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin Nathan Altman and many other artists of the era.   Read more about Akhmatova here. Ginzburg was born in Moscow into a Jewish family studied at Kazan University and worked as a journalist she was arrested for alleged participation in a terrorist organization As “father and mother of an enemy of the people” her parents were also detained.  After spending ten years in various prisons and camps and almost the same many years without being able to return to her native Moscow Ginzburg wrote one of the first accounts of the atrocities of the Soviet penal system and repressions is shocking with the descriptions of how women were treated in prison and the real stories of why women were jailed during Stalin's time (for example for simply “not denouncing” a neighbor).  The book was first published in Milan in 1967 and it only appeared in Soviet publications after the author's death saw the book printed in their homeland.  Her almost century-long life included many incredible twists and turns. Berberova was born and raised in St. Petersburg. One of her husbands was the prominent Silver Age poet Vladislav Khodasevich the couple left Russia and lived for a long time in Paris where they were at the center of Russian emigre cultural life During the Nazi occupation Nina lived in a village near the French capital.  began publishing an almanac about the Russian intelligentsia and taught Russian language and literature at several American universities.  Berberova's main literary legacy is her autobiography a treasure box of documentary evidence of the era and contemporaries Berberova wrote several novels and one of the first biographies about the life of Tchaikovsky where she spoke openly for the first time about his homosexuality.  Iron Woman is Berberova's book about Baroness Moore Budberg the triple agent of the intelligence services of the USSR who was the mistress of Maxim Gorky and then Herbert Wells.  Read more about Berberova here Shared living spaces and the emancipation of women from domestic drudgery were at the forefront of the Narkomfin’s groundbreaking design So why was this building rejected almost as soon as it was completed In the shadow of one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters skyscrapers in Moscow’s Presnensky District an unkempt park gives way to a trio of yellowing buildings in varying states of decay The crumbling concrete and overgrown wall-garden don’t give much away but this is the product of the utopian dreams of a young Soviet state – a six-storey blueprint for communal living Designed by architects Moisei Ginzburg and Ignaty Milinis in 1928 the building represents an important chapter in Moscow’s development – as both a physical city and an ideological state Built to house the employees of the Narodnyo Kommissariat Finansov (Commissariat of Finance) Narkomfin was a laboratory for social and architectural experimentation to transform the byt (everyday life) of the ideal socialist citizen In the years following the 1917 Russian revolution living conditions in the newly established Soviet Union left much to be desired Newcomers moving from the countryside with the promise of a new life arrived in an overcrowded and underdeveloped Moscow with very little infrastructure or housing Architects were tasked with developing a solution for the housing shortage – and a framework to support the changing face of Russian society an idea developed by the Organisation of Contemporary Architects who spearheaded revolutionary ideas of collective living through standardised Stroikom units confining private amenities to a single cell while facilities like kitchens and living space were communal the Narkomfin building appears as one long apartment block connected to a smaller communal structure by a covered walkway and a central garden space will begin only where and when an all-out struggle begins .. While the organisation’s architecture was set to transform the byt of the domestic soviet He spoke of architecture as being able to harness the activity of the masses and to “stimulate but not dictate” their transition into a “socially superior mode of life” Yet the communal and feminist values behind Narkomfin went stale almost as soon as the building was completed in 1932 and only a handful of such projects were completed before Stalin’s Five Year Plan halted the experiment the communal and emancipatory values the architecture intended to inspire were quickly rejected as “leftist” or Trotskyist and Narkomfin’s communal spaces fell in disrepair Residents illegally installed makeshift kitchen units into their homes and the recreation space originally planned for the building’s rooftop was instead dominated by a penthouse apartment for the commissar of finance with the remaining 10% owned by individual occupants) Senatorov began working with Alexei Ginzburg The project fell flat after the 2008 financial crisis, however. The unique split-level units were then let to artists at a nominal fee, but more recently, rental hikes have been forcing tenants out They have been replaced by commercial establishments including a falafel shop shisha lounge and yoga studio – and heightened security “These days it is more inviting to hipsters than historians,” says Natalia Melikova, a Moscow-based photographer and founder of the Constructivist Project Warned of the security guards’ aversion to snoopers I entered Narkomfin by reciting a rehearsed request to visit the sixth-floor shisha lounge quizzed – “who gave you information about us?” – and eventually taken up to the rooftop where In the place where Milyutin’s penthouse once stood, the Healthy Space yoga studio now takes classes outside when the sun is shining against a backdrop of Stalin’s ominous Kudrinskaya Square skyscraper Inside, “illegal repairs” have been carried out by Senatorov, who plans to spend around $12m (£7.7m) on a renovation project carried out by Kleinewelt Architects a mini-hotel and a small museum of constructivism Inside an apartment-turned-falafel shop on the fifth floor I spoke to a resident who told me that he values the collective mentality of the occupants of the building for whom rental hikes and hasty evictions loom large the building has been temporarily filled with artists and trendy businesses but the ghost of the communal living experiment lingers in the hallways of Narkomfin new shopping centres are appearing – not such junk” whose Constructivist Project aims to promote the preservation of the city’s avant-garde architecture is hoping for a sensitive restoration of the building: “The changes are irreversible and Narkomfin’s authenticity is at stake young raccoons have been moved into an enclosure The enclosure is home to six-year-old Moisei they were kept together for several months the animals’ reaction to their raccoon dog neighbours was rather aggressive The previous group of raccoons was temporarily taken inside So far tree access has been blocked for the animals It’s also infamous for how long it takes to make the light is warm and two women chat over coffee Ecaterina Moisei is behind the cash register with a broad smile There are five shelves of pastries and sweets sweetened with honey and with a light mouthfeel It is also infamous for how long it takes to make From start to finish it takes Ecaterina between four and five hours to prepare the cake She works around all the other tasks on her schedule “Depending on how it’s the flow of the day.” Ecaterina Moisei has run the cafe in Phibsboro She was eight the first time she made a honey cake “I was really young and I was just playing Running her own business was a long-standing dream “This coffee shop is 100 percent my passion I started thinking of having my own business,” she said She topped that up by studying culinary arts in Chișinău But they were happy to stay through the challenges “It provided the opportunity to meet really good people and enjoy life.” Layered honey cakes are popular in Eastern European countries and the former Soviet Union It’s the cake she would ask for at birthdays growing up Cooking the batter for the four layers takes time “It takes one and a half hours to boil until it’s brown.” mix it together and again you leave it to cool,” says Ecaterina What started as a batter firms into a dough “Then you make small balls and start to roll them,” she says It’s a hard dough that needs to be worked fast Each layer then has to be baked separately I make it because if I don’t a lot of people would ask “I think all of my regular customers have tried it at least once.” You've successfully subscribed to Dublin InQuirer Check your email for magic link to sign-in the financial landscape has witnessed a significant shift with the rise of semi-liquid funds so-called evergreen and innovative fund structures enabling broader access to private investment opportunities for retail investors These funds can have a lower minimum investment of around EUR 25,000 which offer a blend of liquidity and long-term investment opportunities have become increasingly popular among investors seeking higher returns without the constraints of traditional illiquid assets their emergence has brought unique valuation challenges particularly in the realm of alternative assets these so-called Level 3 assets lack a transparent market price The introduction of semi-liquid funds has exacerbated these challenges as alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) must balance the need for accurate regular valuations with the liquidity demands of investors Striking this balance often requires sophisticated valuation models and a deep understanding of the underlying assets One of the most notable trends accompanying the rise of semi-liquid funds is the retailisation access to private market investments was limited to institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals semi-liquid funds have opened the doors to a broader range of investors allowing retail investors to participate in opportunities previously out of reach This democratisation may enhance portfolio diversification and returns for everyday investors but it also underscores the importance of robust valuation practices to protect these new market participants meaning more frequent valuations and solid fund operations management A particular fund structure is the European Long-Term Investment Fund (ELTIF) 2.0 which is not considered a “true” evergreen fund Although ELTIF 2.0 is classified as a closed-ended structure the ELTIFs are frequently traded with regular subscriptions and redemptions robust procedures for regular valuations are necessary for ELTIF 2.0 as well The trend towards semi-liquid funds necessitates more frequent valuations which presents operational challenges for fund managers The need for regular and accurate valuations can strain resources and increase the complexity of fund management The Limited Partners are asking for unbiased assessment of asset values and transparency and fairness in the valuation process AIFMs are essential in ensuring that the valuation function remains independent and transparent with mechanisms in place to detect any potential valuation errors The emergence of semi-liquid funds represents a transformative shift in the investment landscape independent valuers will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of semi-liquid funds and their impact on the broader financial ecosystem by maintaining credibility with investors through the life of a fund Kroll is a market leader in providing portfolio valuation services and fairness opinions to the alternative investment community working with more than 600 leading fund managers and investors globally top to bottom: Benjamin Franck (Deloitte Luxembourg) Daniele Arcidiaco (KPMG Luxembourg) and Talat Kadret (PwC Luxembourg) were panellists during the valuations event held on 28 February 2023 Photos: Deloitte Luxembourg At a webinar co-organised by the Luxembourg Private Equity & Venture Capital Association and the Luxembourg Valuation Professionals Association on 28 February experts from the Big Four talked about valuations and the new guidelines from the IPEV The International Private Equity and Venture Capital valuation guidelines aim to establish “best practice where private capital investments are reported at ‘fair value’” and “to help investors in private capital funds make better economic decisions,” as described in its December 2022 publication “A key purpose of the revised edition of the IPEV guidelines is to provide a framework for consistently determining valuation for the type of investments held by private capital funds,” explained Antoine Boggini vice president of the LVPA and moderator of the webinar Almost four years have passed between the two editions of the guidelines--the previous guidelines were published in 2018--and part of the aim of the webinar was to “consider what has happened during those four years.” but also dislocation of the public and private markets and the significant development of early-stage venture capital companies “The intention today is to focus on these edits to the guidance provided by the IPEV guidelines and not to comment or to discuss about the overall guidelines,” said Boggini the changes were divided in six categories considerations should be given to performance--at and how close is an exit and who would be the potential buyer,” said Boggini So how is it possible to get “comfortable” with a fair value strategy and transactions senior manager at EY Luxembourg when one is analysing or evaluating a startup there are two important things to determine The first is what stage of development the company is in--valuation methods and key performance indicators (KPIs) will differ It’s also important to pay attention to the “structure of a capital,” she noted Is a company financed only by its founders or have different investment rounds been financed by external investors mentioned the importance of setting qualitative and quantitative milestones “and then at every single measurement date you also assess where you are with this milestone whether you have reached your objectives or not and then consequently impact your valuation positively or negatively.” “Known or knowable information pertains to facts or observable information which exists as of the measurement date and is available to the valuer or would reasonably be available to the valuer through routine inquiry or due diligence,” said Boggini Could the spread of the pandemic be reasonably available to value but it’s not only covid that raises this question--the question could be applicable to many other situations corporate finance partner at KPMG Luxembourg These could include “a market which is changing these are all items which could potentially impact the evolution of the financials of a company,” he said “But the valuation date is really the point in time at which a potential valuer would have considered acquiring this asset,” said Arcidiaco So it’s important to refer to identifiable quantifiable information as at valuation date that could impact the value of the company saying that “especially in a volatile environment it’s very important to fix on a valuation date,” and not to deviate On the topic of ESG and its integration into valuation Arcidiaco sees two trends: attempts to create a common framework and quantification ESG might seem “pretty easy,” but implementing it in valuation is “not an easy exercise,” Moisei cautioned It’s important to avoid giving a “double premium or a double penalty.” the discount which was applicable to a contractual restriction applicable to security was removed,” said Kadret but “any specific legal or government restriction is still applicable.” “the FSAP [Financial Sector Assessment Program] has taken the same direction as the IPEV in removing the application of discount for a contractual restriction applicable to security.” This means there’s a “convergence” between the IPEV and the FSAP though Kadret also noted that there’s “still the possibility” to apply a discount under IFRS 13 [International Financial Reporting Standards] Something that has happened more frequently over the past four years is market dislocation But there could be “some subjectivity” around what can be seen as “highly or excessively volatile.” So what does it mean to talk about market dislocation we define a dislocated market where there is a lot of volatility and uncertainty in relation to potential future development,” replied Arcidiaco starting from the normal condition.” It’s a “very challenging” situation that requires a lot of “professional judgement.” But valuation should follow a few steps to ensure that fair value is “defendable,” said Arcidiaco The first point is that fair value is not a “fire sale.” Instead value creation should be monitored during the long run “different companies in different sectors behave in a different way under a crisis” so it’s important to focus on the company in the context of its sector And the third point is related to “the selection of the appropriate valuation methodology,” he concluded The webinar concluded with a brief discussion on data--the “raw materials,” as Boggini called it senior manager in the valuation department at Deloitte Luxembourg emphasised the importance of spending more time to gather the information necessary for the valuation process Check if you already have access from your company or university With a MRW subscription you’ll get access to: Talat Kadret and Benjamin Franck (not pictured) will participate in the webinar on valuations on 28 February Hear from experts from the Big Four in Luxembourg on valuations and new guidelines During this webinar co-organised with the Luxembourg Valuation Professionals Association (LVPA) vice president of the board of LVPA will be joined by Elena Moisei (EY) and Talat Kadret (PwC) to discuss valuations and new International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation (IPEV) guidelines Find more information and register for the Zoom webinar