Россия это я (ROSSIYA ETO YA)

When I think about Russia, a thousand thoughts go through my head. They come to me as images of Swan Lake, Stravinsky, Borodin, Rachmaninoff, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov and Gagarin along with the famous faces of Russian history which is large and rich just like Mother Russia. Large and rich... but cold.

Russians are the largest Slavic group (followed by Ukrainians and Polish). They are most similar to the Ukrainians and still enter with them in various controversies like those - who founded Kiev Russia in the 9th century. 

After the Russians accepted Christianity, and after the disintegration of this state in the 12th century there were created three nations: Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians.

If we look back at the recent turmoils that erupted in Ukraine because of the conflict of the EU and Russia (both have an interest towards Ukraine), we can conclude that Europe has, in this case, lost the game because Russia has literally bribed Ukraine. However this is not the first time that Russia recruits Ukraine by her side. Ukraine suffered for it's whole history a Russian dominance, allowing it to destroy it's history and to seize all it's merits for itself. During the Russian Empire in the 17th century, Ukraine was fighting for autonomy within the Russian Empire, but declared independence only in 1991. I guess that more than 300 years under Russia was a good reason for Ukraine not to take any risks with Europe. Or is she just greedy for money?

I FOLLOW THE MOSKVA DOWN TO GORKY PARK…

If we exclude politics, Russia is a wonderful country with a rich cultural and historical heritage. If you go to Moscow, you’ll always need an hour more, especially if you are traveling from the airport. The crowds are huge. I can¢t think of anywhere we traveled to be so crowded as in Moscow. Also be prepared for expensive prices. The taxi from the airport to town cost € 50 in one direction. But to see this fairytale town again, I wouldn't  regret a penny.

There are lots of things to see here - must visit - the famous Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, which seems to have fallen out of a fairy tale, Gorky Park, Lenin's Mausoleum, Theatre of the Bolsheviks and many other.

Russian culture is a blend of various Germanic, Scandinavian, Byzantine and Oriental elements, but also the ancient Slavic - Russian heritage.

So today's Shubara, babushka, balalaika, Snjegurochka and borscht belong to specific Slavic culture. Russian culture has experienced a boom during the reign of Peter I the Great, who moved Russia closer to the achievements of the West. In the 20th century, a new art genre called social realism took place in this country. After World War II it became the official ideology of art in the Soviet Union. The artist needed to promote new ideas from contemporary political practice. Ideology has become more important than aesthetics, and art has become a medium of political propaganda.

Although the Russian aircraft has a bad reputation(the most dangerous), because it recorded the highest number of accidents, we did not get that kind of impression. Moreover we highly recommend the Russian airline Aeroflot, which offers great prices and quality service during the flight.

If we imagine Russia as a person, in short, its description would be: arrogant manipulator with severe inferiority complex whose whole history is the history of warfare, concluding alliances, countering, manipulating, brutal scooping of the land, and only to prove to West - "if you can do it, I can do it even better." The entire Cold War between the United States and the USSR was competition. Who will gather more weapons, who will build more spacecraft, who will have more spies, who will be first to drive another crazy, who will be first to psychologically manipulate another. Why? What for? Lenin would say, "Can a nation be free if it oppresses other nations? It cannot!" Period.

A society that does not have the courage and ability to learn the truth about herself  is not a healthy society.

Lenin

Do I need to mention who was Vladimir Ilyich - Lenin?

He was a man who managed to succeed something that no one before him succeeded. Not only that he rejected achievements of the West of that time, but he also opposed the West by establishing a completely new ideology - communism - "in Russia. After this, nothing remained the same. The Soviet Union began to devour the entire eastern hemisphere and West did the same with western hemisphere - with the one and only goal - to wipe out communism. Lenin was against colonial policy of the Western powers, he was against the annexation, he wanted to build fair and democratic peace based on equality. Unfortunately pressure from all sides was too great and this system proved weaker in front of western block. USSR collapsed completely in 1991. But as always, there will remain two sides - to ones Lenin will always be a hero, and to others he’ll remain villain. – as well as Tito in our countries.

Today's Russia, with its announcement of the establishment of the Eurasian Union, has shaken the entire European Union. Giant of the East is again up to something. The EU only hopes that they are not planning to bring the USSR back from the deaths. Another secret is which countries will enter inside (maybe Ukraine). And while the "emperor" of Russia Vladimir Putin publicly and proudly declares: " Russia is the most powerful country in the world," Alexander Pushkin responds to him:

 “ Woe to a country, where only slaves and flatterers are near to the throne. And the poet, chosen by heaven, stands silent looking at the ground.”