Much like the Victor Pelevin novel, Generation "П" (known in the U.S. as Homo Zapiens and in the U.K. as Babylon), the new trailer for its upcoming film adaptation hits you with a barrage of words so dense it would be impossible to penetrate on the first try.

The Russian blogosphere conveniently, if bafflingly, revolves around LJ. Each week, Russia! scans the chatter and brings you the top five topics.

The latest cringe-worthy news from Chita, where tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky is whiling away his sentence. The imprisoned ex-head of Yukos is being sued by former cellmate Alexander Kuchma for alleged sexual harassment.

Is it a coincidence that Russia's relationship with Ukraine deteriorated after Dima Bilan was announced winner of Eurovision 2008? In fact, Ukrainian officials challenged the Russian's victory last May. Now, Moscow is hosting Eurovision 2009, and we can only imagine the political tensions that will crop up as a result.

The Russian blogosphere conveniently, if bafflingly, revolves around LJ. Each week, Russia! scans the chatter and brings you the top five topics.

Obama may have a YouTube channel, but Putin has a web-based tiger tracker. Remember that Amur tiger the Prime Minister deftly shot with a tranquilizer dart last August? Well, you can review the sequence of events at the PM’s tiger fan site.

January in Moscow can be gloomy, particularly if you have to take the subway. Fortunately, the government is doing its best to keep our spirits high with its jaw-dropping propaganda efforts. This poster, from the federal department for narcotics control, encourages you to “Take part in the fate of your friends.” How? By calling an anonymous tip line and telling them your friends are using DRUGS!

Long before pretty, anemic girls and Leonardo DiCaprio stuck their fashion-forward feet into Uggs, Russian peasants, soldiers, and pioneers were sporting unbecoming felt boots of their own. They're called valenki: woolen, seamless emblems of the nation's cold history. But Russia's current bazaar offers Italian leathers and designer footwear, with no shortage of cheaper alternatives. Why, then, are these homely things flying off the shelves at $70 per pair? Nationalism? Hipster irony? Nostalgia?

Russia Today reports that with the stocks plunging, the number of gigolos in Moscow is bulging.This, according to Moscow police. The story comes in the wake of last month’s Russian Newsweek feature about the country’s economically challenged men seeking material sponsorship from wealthy single women in exchange for, well, being men.

Protest rallies continue across Russia over a new tariff that, as of January 12, aims to bail out domestic car industry by making imports prohibitively expensive. Here's a short thing I wrote about them for The New Republic. It basically cheers the return of public protest into Russian life but warns against idealizing the protesters: "These are not harbingers of a Georgia- or Ukraine-style 'color revolution.'"