MOSCOW BRIEFING February 2005

News this month

Hatred

The old taint of anti-Semitism, which has a centuries-old history in Russia, has never gone away. On January 14th, two rabbis were beaten with bottles underneath a Moscow underpass by over a half-dozen youths. Shortly afterwards, a group of 20 parliamentary deputies signed a petition calling for the general prosecutor to ban all Jewish organisations in Russia. They accused Jews of dominating politics and finance, provoking anti-Semitism and fomenting anti-Russian sentiment. (The signatories later retracted the measure.)

A recent American-sponsored report found that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Russia; other studies have noted that the number of skinheads in Russia has grown from a few dozen over a decade ago to tens of thousands today. There may be a slim consolation for some Muscovite Jews: they are no longer the city’s most put-upon group. That burden belongs to people from the Caucasus.

It's in the water

Russians are renowned for their capacity to endure hardship, and then for their drama when they finally decide that enough is enough. Maybe it is contagious. In late January, a large group of exchange students from Guinea-Bissau invaded and occupied their country’s Moscow embassy, which is in a suburban apartment. The students reportedly claimed that their maintenance payments had not been made for 13 months, and insisted that their ambassador would not be released until they got their cash. “If we are going to starve”, one of them declared, “then we will starve together.” The ambassador apparently declined the offer of Russian help. He was eventually released, his captors’ demands having been met.

Don't get too cosy

January in Moscow came in like a lamb and went out like a snow leopard. The first ten days of the month were the warmest since weather monitoring began in 1879. As Atlantic winds created spring-like conditions, ice sculptures were placed under protective wrapping or began to melt, including the ones designed to tout Moscow’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics. On January 29th, the city then had its biggest-ever recorded one-day snowfall. A tribe of snowmen quickly took over the middle section of the Old Arbat.

Just for kicks

Moscow’s Olympic bid seems a little evanescent and half-hearted, despite the campaign's new spokeswoman: Maria Sharapova, the reigning Wimbledon champion. The International Olympic Committee selects a winner in July, and Paris is the presumed favourite. Perhaps to compensate for these slim chances, the city has also submitted a last-minute bid to host the 2012 European soccer championships. Three candidates for the football tournament will be short-listed in November, with a winner announced by December 2006.

But Moscow’s chances for hosting this event may now be compromised. Vyacheslav Koloskov, the head of the Russian Football Union (RFU), recently quit after 25 years at the post. Many believed he was forced out by the Kremlin, owing to the national team’s poor showing (particularly a 7-1 thrashing dealt by Portugal last November). But Mr Koloskov revealed that he left because rivals at the RFU had threatened his life.

Going online

Moscow police are notoriously corrupt and unresponsive. Hoping to win over a sceptical public, Moscow’s police have launched a website (www.Petrovka38.ru), named for the address of their main headquarters. The public can now submit online complaints about corrupt officers, which will ostensibly receive immediate attention (without a single bribe). The site also includes crime statistics and information on missing and wanted people.

But it will take a while to pacify Muscovites. According to one joke, a new recruit picks up his gun, truncheon and uniform, then disappears for three months. His boss catches up with him, saying, “We haven't been able to pay your salary!” The recruit replies, “Why do I need a salary? You gave me a uniform and a gun.”

Catch if you can

February 2005

Ice skating in Moscow

All winter

Snow and ice are hardly unusual for a Moscow winter (despite an unseasonably warm January). But Muscovites are getting better at making the ice work for them: several ice rinks have become seasonal destinations in the city centre. Muscovites have been skating at Patriarch's Ponds for decades—it is one of the town's most charming areas. A more cosmopolitan option is the mini-rink with ice sculptures at Scandinavia, a restaurant favoured by expats.

The lovely Hermitage Gardens, a short walk from Tverskaya ulitsa, has two rinks on its grounds; the one toward the back is more atmospheric. Three metro-stops north is the Pioneer Stadium, which boasts 10,000 square metres of top-quality ice. The smallest and most charming rink, though, is in a small courtyard a few hundred metres from the Kremlin. Set up by the Gogol Bar, you can hire skates for free and skate the night away until 5am.

Gogol, 11 Stoleshnikov pereulok. Metro: Okhotny Ryad/Kuznetsky Most. Tel: +7 (095) 514-0944

Hermitage Gardens, 3 Karetny Ryad. Metro: Tverskaya.

Patriarch's Ponds. Metro: Mayakovskaya.

Pioneer Stadium, 36 Leningradsky Prospekt. Metro: Dynamo. Tel: +7 (095) 213-0239

Scandinavia, 7 Maly Palashevsky Pereulok. Metro: Tverskaya. Tel: +7 (095) 200-4986