The Reading Junkie

“How similar are Russian and Ukrainian?” is a frequently asked question. As someone who previously knew neither language and am now studying Russian at a B2 level, I can give a good first-person answer to this question. I will just explain how I felt at each step of the process, and feel now.

Exactly 26 years ago, NATO war planes commenced 78 days of terror against Yugoslavia, deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and population centers. By the end, the “arsenal of democracy” had killed an estimated 3.5 to 4 thousand people. The largest geopolitical impact of the bombing campaign would not be felt in western circles until more than two decades … Read more

On March 22, 82 years ago to the day, the German SS and Ukrainian nationalists destroyed the Belarussian village of Khatyn along with all of its inhabitants. They herded 149 villagers, including 75 children, into a wooden shed and set it ablaze, shooting anyone who tried to escape. Over the course of the Great Patriotic War, the fascists … Read more

Recently I re-watched the Kenneth Branagh film adaption of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. This was the first time I had seen the story as an adult, and it hit me differently. Enough so that I felt the need to write something about it. Just about everyone is force fed Shakespeare as a child, and … Read more

Because I’m less than satisfied with existing English “pro-Russia” content and am feeling a little more confident in my Russian language skills (honestly I just need the practice), I have started a Substack. This will be where I post regular summaries of Russian news that I find interesting It won’t be about every random thing … Read more