Leo Tolstoy
Beyond bare necessities of EU-Russia summit
On 7 December a bear is coming to Brussels. This bear has come to speak to ‘THE 27’ face to face. This bear has been through some hard times: she lost an empire in a few months, she jumped into capitalism without any life floats where for several years she’s been dozing in its steppes, only to regain her pride with a strong leader. This bear is large and sensitive, although her main weapon is her secret: is president Medvedev the boss of her former boss or just another puppet? What about the North Caucasus and other frozen conflicts? Whither leads the flirtation with totalitarianism? From the univerisities of Ukraine and a Chechen exile to a good dose of Russian culture, we windscreen wipe the reality window of one of the most mysterious countries in the world
- Read the special edition Beyond bare necessities of EU-Russia summit
- Achmed Sakajew: ‘Chechnya is the only place in Europe devoid of law’
- Roland Lipp on Moscow, the dirtiest city in Europe
- The parallel (and enigmatic) life of Russian cinema
- The Gulag Archipelago now compulsory reading for 16-year-old Russians
- Ukrainian students fight uncertain future
- December Belarus elections: protests as absurd as the president
- Conversation with Leo Tolstoy on centenary of his death
Film review: The Last Station
The pre-Bolshevik biopic of the Leo Tolstoy's life stars a British cast and was shot in Germany rather than Russia. A Spaniard reviews the drama, which was released in the UK in February 2010 - the centenary of the great writer's death
leo tolstoy, russian federation, culture, cinema, culture calendar, film review
