Banking in Russia

I've never had a bank account in Russia (was paid cash and left to trust that it was all above board on the employer's part - Russia... what could possibly go wrong?!). I did have dealings with banks though for money transfers, currency exchanges and buying travellers cheques. If you only know British banks, those friendly places with smiling staff and complimentary tea or coffee, you're in for a shock...

Football: CSKA Moscow v Spartak Moscow (24/09/05)

I'd worked in Russia a year before I got to see my first match over there.

The Dinamo Stadium's imposing floodlights in the background.

Racism in Russia

Football-related incidents bring issues of racism in Russia to the attention of more people. But that sadly is not the limit of the problem's scope: according to the Levada Center, 28% of Russians feel hostility towards other ethnicities, 34% think that non-Russians hold varying degrees of responsible for Russia's problems, 45% have negative feelings towards people from 'southern republics' and 56% agree with fully or partially implementing policies of 'Russia for Russians'.

No to Halloween

With the end of October fast approaching and the accompanying annual festival, it is only appropriate that Russian politicians come up with some of their own appropriately creepy ideas. Russia Today reports on one such suggestion from the Public Chamber.

Photo of the month

I'll be uploading a photo every month - one that means something to me personally or somehow represents something about Russia.

I thought I'd begin with this one...

Strange connections

While waiting for the kettle to boil, I noticed the Russian bicarbonate of soda on our shelf and started reading the box, as you do,

Russian bicarb

and made the connection with

A match I went to in Khimki, near Moscow

Any guesses?

Animals in the streets

If you saw a cat or a dog in the street in the UK, you'd bet that it had a home to go to, even if it didn't have a collar. Not so in Russia.

No collar, no home