This thread is about Russia and any events, political or otherwise, that are or might be worth discussing.
Any news, links or posts pertaining to the situation involving Russia, Crimea and Ukraine must be put in the 'Crisis in Ukraine' thread.
Group of deputies wants Gorbachev investigated over Soviet break-up.
Above in the Guardian version.
Putin's war against Russia's last independent TV channel.
No discussion regarding nuclear war. As nuclear weapons are not being used by either side, nuclear war is off-topic.
Edited by MacronNotes on Feb 27th 2022 at 11:26:10 AM
Mayonnaise? Must be honest, there's better bits of the West they could have taken a liking to but it's their business I suppose.
Part of me desperately wants to visit this country of fuzzy hat wearing, mayo obsessed, Lada driving people but the rest of me feels like I'll be killed.
Oh really when?Suffice to say one doesn't visit Russia for the food. Go for the churches and the palaces, stay for the vodka.
That's really Eastern Europe in general, in my opinion. My mother's side of the family is very Polish and i can't stomach any of that stuff. Including Pierogies, which i should like by all rights (given how much i enjoy pasta).
I actually like pierogies, but I cant stand sauerkrat or beets.
That's not fair. I've had some outstanding meals in Russia. Including, bizarrely, draniki with sour cream and mushrooms from a trailer outside Pulkovo Airport. Weird old woman selling it. I do recall decent food being quite expensive, though.
Vodka, however, is a poor relation to single malt
Pierogi is class. Nobody does Christmas Eve like Poland.
A way to make pierogi more palatable to us ignorant Westerners is to fry them for a few minutes after boiling.
edited 21st Nov '14 8:37:11 AM by Achaemenid
Schild und Schwert der ParteiAn old woman who immigrated to the USA from the USSR in the 60's made some pretty good dishes for a church I used to attend. She made lots of simple but filling stews and soups featuring different combos of root vegetables and cabbage.
Interestingly, unlike "traditional" food in a lot of countries, traditional Russian food is actually fairly close to what the majority of historic Russians ate.
Schild und Schwert der ParteiUm... we make nice pies? And pancakes? And have a ton of chocolate? A toooon of chocolate.
I don't think I've ever had Russian chocolate. Now I want some.
Oh really when?
Draniki are the best thing ever. Shame visiting Russia is off-the-cards for the immediate future. I do plan to go back at some point though; I want to visit Kubinka Tank Museum before I die.
Nie! Buy Polish apples. Support Yurop.
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I like this food chat. Let's keep it going. Top 12 Russian sweets. Tula gingerbread FTW.
edited 21st Nov '14 9:44:42 AM by Achaemenid
Schild und Schwert der ParteiOh man, Alenka chocolate. So legendary.
I want chocolate, do they ship to the US?
Oh really when?You don't have chocolate in the US? O.o
Well we do but now I'm curious and my level of WASP is entirely too high to go to the local Russian slums and market and poke around.
Oh really when?
More seriously, the USA has looser restrictions on what you can legally call "chocolate", hence why US mass-market chocolate generally tastes grittier and sweeter than European chocolate - legally, it only has to be 10% cocoa solid, compared to 20% for the UK and higher numbers through Europe.
edited 21st Nov '14 12:16:38 PM by Achaemenid
Schild und Schwert der ParteiWell I didn't know that. Damn you Europe, universal healthcare and chocolate? Is there anything you don't have?
Oh really when?Huh. Only 10%? We have up to 90% easily available.
Ghiradelli is probably the only chocolatier from the US worth anything. Hershey is nonsense.
...would love to try European chocolate that isn't Belgian or Swiss (though I love Belgian and Swiss chocolate, its all that seems to be available here other than Cadbury)
I know this is an interesting discussion (and I'm a chocolate fan, as indicated by my relationship status), but we are going a bit off-topic.
We need a Russian culture thread, apparently.
Any notable news on Russian politics?
Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.Russia Cracks Down on Offshore Havens.
It's hard to criticize Russian entrepreneurs for wanting to save money. Let's start with the fact that low taxes in Russia are a total myth. The taxes on profits stand at 20% (compared to 10% in Cyprus). There is also an 18 percent VAT, and payroll taxes. Starting next year, taxes on dividends are going to go up. And those are just the "official" taxes. There are also the "unofficial" taxes, that also go up all the time: These are the charges levied by corrupt government officials or law enforcement officers who want to get "their piece of the pie."
Under these circumstances, it's not surprising that businesses move offshore, to protect themselves and manage the situation more effectively. Businesses of all sizes make the move offshore. There are up to 100 companies that are part of Gazprom's structure that are registered in offshore havens or countries that offer financial benefits. The three leaders in foreign investment in Russian in 2013 were Cyprus, Luxembourg and the British Virgin Islands.
Most of these investments are actually coming from Russian companies. This is because foreign companies in Russia have always been treated differently by law enforcement and government officials. They also don't have any tax responsibilities. Is it really surprising, then, that one-fifth of Russian exports in 2013 went through offshore firms, totaling $111 billion. That is a direct loss for state coffers, since taxes were not accessed on those exports. In addition to those exports, $50 billion in cash also left the country in 2013. The losses to offshore accounts in 2014 is on track double.
Correction or fleecing?
Last spring, the government first announced and then rescinded a new law that would have required all foreign companies owned by Russian citizens to be registered in Russia. The idea was abandoned because it would have caused both financial damages from potential demands that credit be immediately repaid, and because it would effectively outlaw holding companies.
Then there was an idea that any citizen who owned more than 1% of a foreign company would have to include that in his or her tax declaration, but that idea also died because of the very low ownership threshold (in the United States, taxpayers only have to declare companies in which they have more than 50% ownership).
The law adopted by the Duma last week established that citizens who own at least 50% of an offshore company will have to declare their ownership. After two years, the threshold for how much ownership an individual has to have in a company before reporting it on tax declarations will drop to 25%, and then to 10%. This includes owners of companies that are registered in "legal" zones, provided that the tax burden in the place where the company is registered is less than 75% of Russia's. Not a single recommendation from the business community was adopted.
The Russian government has made it clear that in this time of budget woes, dropping oil prices, a weak rouble and inflation, local businesses are just a cash cow. The sad thing is that they are being beaten by foreign competitors. According to estimates from Bank of America, the government's de-offshoring could add around $5-6 billion to the overall budget. That's about the same amount that was being reinvested in Russia annually from Cyprus, Luxembourg and the British Virgin Islands. So it seems like the new law might actually end up being an economic wash. Was it really worth all the fuss?
Wild. A sign of dissension between Putin and the oligarchs?
I suspect it's more populism mixed with financial issues. Although I'll admit I am not up-to-date with Russian government finances.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard FeynmanBBC: Ukraine crisis: Lavrov warns over Russia 'regime change' goal
Speaking to foreign policy advisers in Moscow, Mr Lavrov referred to calls for sanctions "that will destroy the economy and cause public protests".
On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow must guard against a "colour revolution".
Because Russia is more than an unfunny Ukrainian comedian, vodka, autocracy, and Танки: Understanding Russia's obsession with mayonnaise.
But for every crime someone claims a culinary triumph. Alexei Evstafiev, a Russian who has lived in London for eight years, outlines his mother’s recipe for spit roasted chicken. The secret? A coating of mayonnaise. Baldry adds it when baking biscuits or chocolate cake; she also puts it in soup.
edited 21st Nov '14 7:31:03 AM by Achaemenid
Schild und Schwert der Partei