''Russian Life'', previously known as ''The USSR'' and ''Soviet Life'', is a 64-page color bimonthly magazine of
Russian culture
Russian culture ( rus, Культура России, Kul'tura Rossii, kʊlʲˈturə rɐˈsʲiɪ) has been formed by the nation's history, its geographical location and its vast expanse, religious and social traditions, and both Eastern cultu ...
. It celebrated its 60th birthday in October 2016. The magazine is written and edited by American and Russian staffers and freelancers. While its distant heritage is as a "polite propaganda" tool of the Soviet and Russian government, since 1995 it has been privately owned and published by a US company, Storyworkz, Inc.
History
In October 1956, a new English language magazine, ''The USSR'', appeared on newsstands in major US cities. Given the level of anti-communist sentiment at the time, it would hardly have seemed an auspicious name under which to launch such a magazine title.
The publication was edited by
Enver Mamedov (born 1923), a polyglot native of
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, who had the distinction of being one of the youngest Soviet diplomats when he was appointed the press secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Italy in 1943, and who had been the handler of the Soviet prosecutors' star witness,
Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) during World War II who is best known for his surrender of the German 6th Army (Wehrmacht), 6th Army during the Battle ...
, at the
Nuremberg trials #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials
{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...
.
["Я не совершал больших подвигов"]
("I did no great feats"), interview with Enver Nazimovich Mamedov. "Broadcasting. Телевидение и радиовещание", No. 4, 2005
(Enver Mamedov: "The war and our Victory are the most important events in life". Topic: 85th birthday of the legendary journalist Enver Mamedov)[ ]
Meanwhile, at newsstands in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
,
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
,
Kiev
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
and other Soviet cities, ''
Amerika'' magazine made its second debut. Amerika had been inaugurated in 1944, but in late 1940s the State Department began to feel that radio and the
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...
would be more effective propaganda tools and, in 1952, publication of ''Amerika'' was suspended. However, in 1956, the American and Soviet governments agreed to exchange magazines and ''Amerika'' was reborn and published in return for distribution of ''The USSR'' in the United States.
The simultaneous appearance of these magazines was the result of an intergovernmental agreement, one among several cross-cultural agreements designed to sow trust amidst the rancour of international politics. Still, there was never any question in anyone's mind that each magazine was intended as a propaganda tool for the government issuing and publishing it.
A few years later, ''The USSR'' changed its name to ''Soviet Life''. While never a blatant Soviet propaganda tool, ''Soviet Life'' did hew to the government line. Yet it sought to present an informed view of Russian culture,
history
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
, scientific achievements and the various peoples inhabiting the Soviet Union.
Under the terms of the inter-governmental agreement, the subscription levels of both magazines were restricted for many years to around 30,000.
In the late 1980s, with political and economic reform in the Soviet Union, there was a surge of interest in Soviet Life—readership rose to over 50,000.
Post-Soviet era
In December 1991, the
Soviet Union was dissolved and, subsequently, the Russian government could not find the money to finance the production of ''Soviet Life''. The last issue of ''Soviet Life'' was published in December 1991.
Just over one year later, in early 1993, through an agreement between
RIA Novosti
RIA Novosti (), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (), is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013, by a decree of Vladimir Putin, it was liquidated and its assets and workforce were transferred to the newly created ...
(the government press agency) and Rich Frontier Publishing, ''Soviet Life'' was reborn as ''Russian Life''. The magazine was re-initiated as a bimonthly (whereas previously ''Soviet Life'' had been a monthly magazine) and continued in that fashion, albeit with a sporadic publishing timetable, due to funding difficulties.
In July 1995, the privately owned
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
company, Russian Information Services, Inc., purchased all rights to ''Russian Life''. Initially published as a monthly, the magazine soon settled into a bimonthly schedule. RIS has published well over 100 issues of ''Russian Life'' since 1995. Today the magazine is a 64-page colour bi-monthly magazine, with stories of Russian culture, history and life.
In January 2020, the parent company changed its name from Russian Information Services to Storyworkz, to reflect its new, broader publishing and business activities.
In 2022, ''Russian Life'' condemned the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, calling it an "illegal, unjustified, unprovoked act that is in direct violation of international law".
References
External links
*
A few issues of The USSR - January–June 1961
{{Soviet Union–United States relations, state=collapsed
1956 establishments in the United States
Bimonthly magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1956
Propaganda newspapers and magazines
Propaganda in the Soviet Union
Propaganda in the United States
Visual arts magazines published in the United States
Magazines published in Vermont
Soviet Union–United States relations
World magazines
Magazines published in Washington, D.C.
Cold War propaganda