Russia. Ukraine. It's been a year since the beginning of the conflict and a tsunami of information has been flooding our feeds, whether it be on Instagram, Twitter or even Tik Tok. We see the horrific images from Ukraine and read about the unfolding tragedy, but what about the other side. What goes on behind the recreated Iron Curtain? Does Russia continue to exist? The tragic conflict has forced Russia to be again dragged into a misnomer of an evil empire seeking to dominate Eastern Europe. A rich history of literature, music, art, and sport all being cancelled in front of our eyes. Over the Christmas break I embarked on a journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Not exactly in the steps of Radischev but to see what life is like in a country at war.
Getting to Russia isn’t a walk in the park anymore but rather a 12-hour affair – a 3-hour flight, a 2-hour wait, and a 7-hour bus journey unless you can afford to lose an arm and a leg to fly through Turkey (an 8-hour trip). We flew to Helsinki, and from there we took a bus to the beautiful St. Petersburg – the former capital of Imperial Russia. Upon arrival there was no sense of doom and gloom but rather, life carrying on as normal. It wasn't until I took out my phone to check Instagram that I started to feel the sanctions. Instagram is banned, and so are all other Meta platforms apart from WhatsApp but this is easily fixed by a VPN. This scare got me craving for a juicy Big-Mac and a cool can of Coke, perfect to match the freezing temperatures of a Russian winter (at one point dropping to -28C!!!). We rushed off to the nearest McDonalds, but were met with a strange sight, there are none! Later we saw that even what used to be the largest McDonalds in the world on Pushkin Square in Moscow is McDonalds no more. But not to worry, all McDonalds restaurants have been replaced by: Vkusno-i-Tochka (It’s Tasty, Full stop), the McDonalds of the East.
Yet there is another issue: no Coke (!), and it doesn’t end there. Sprite, Fanta, Pepsi, 7-Up etc all gone from supermarket shelves. I thought this was it, but again, not to worry Dobriy Cola had me covered. In some restaurants I even encountered some untapped stock of Original Coca Cola or even real Coca Cola with labels printed in Georgian language – parallel import at work! It is as if Russia has managed to replace every single western product with its own iteration, and, after trying them all, no worse are these iterations than the western versions. It is astonishing to see how a culture that was seemingly so dependent on western amenities can so quickly replace them with their own, a telling example of how others might do the same sometime in the future.
Following the short pit-stop in St. Petersburg, I continued my journey to Moscow on the stately Grand Express. We booked the tickets online well in advance as by the time we got there they were all sold out. We showed our passports to the conductor, and we were on board the overnight sleeper train. Thank you, automatic electronic registration – no need for paper tickets! The car inside is covered in red velvet with golden tassels and the compartment plush sports bunk beds with white linens ready for you to fall asleep on. All evoking cinematic “memories” of travelling in Imperial Russia. Then the sight of a LED TV in the compartment snapped me back to the 21st century. Not being in the mood for an early night, we went to the luxury restaurant car with traditional Russian dishes such as Olivier salad, herring, beef stroganoff, blinces, caviar and more. It is 8:30 am the next day and we are on time at the Leningrad station (the name has not changed since Soviet times) in the centre of Moscow – breakfast is served!
Moscow shopping malls shine like diamonds with New Year (Christmas) lights and decorations surrounding the stampede of shoppers and diners. Restaurants and bars are packed. Galleries such as the famous Tretyakov Gallery in central Moscow are open and full to the brim with people, eager to indulge in the beauty of paint on canvas. The 15th Kontinental Hockey League (The Russian NHL) season is in full swing. Fans create a phenomenal atmosphere while walking around in the most ridiculous New Year (Christmas) costumes and their team jerseys to immerse themselves in the holiday and sport spirit at the same time. Whether it is The Nutcracker in Bolshoi or a Shakespeare play (in Russian) at the artsy Fomenko theatre-studio you want to see, good luck getting tickets – the theatres are at full capacity. Life is as busy as it could be.
New Year! At the strike of the twelfth hour, friends and neighbours in our village gathered in the snow-covered playground to share some Russian zakuski (starters) and a glass of champagne or a traditional Russian vodka (if that is your taste) and to set off the fireworks. The New Year to Christmas celebrations is a 10-day affair in Russia – state holiday runs from 1 January past Russian Orthodox Christmas on the 7th of January. Then there is an Old New Year (Julian Calendar) – 14 January. This is a story for another time - I had to return to Eton.
Through the 4-hour speed train to St. Petersburg, a 7-hour bus to Helsinki, and a 3-Hour flight to London I was wondering how different life is in today’s Russia. Out there we were all united in a hope for the war to end as soon as possible. Throughout the centuries Russians have seen their share of upheaval and destruction yet the people preserved the culture and the eternal hope for a better tomorrow. Ordinary people in Russia showed their friendliness and creativity and it filled me with optimism. During this visit I was reminded of Russia’s broad and rich culture, a country full of history and heritage, a country not to be cancelled.
