Now that the weather has turned frigid in the United States, my thoughts return to past visits to Russia about this time of year. Russia was known then as the Soviet Union, or the U.S.S.R., The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
During these trips I found the Churchillian quote “Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” to be accurate if not quite an a understandable description of the country and its society. I did discover though, that ordinary Russians tended to be proud of their country, patriotic, secretive, cautious, impetuous, cowed by authority, and a genuinely earthy lot once you got to know them. They appeared to love sustained repetitive hard work, social gatherings, and their addiction to alcohol and tobacco is of course legendary as well as nationally debilitating. The Russians feel their harsh environment has made them a sturdy, self-reliant, and an…
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