RUSSIA 2.0
On page 139 you learned the meaning of several Russian terms you might hear on the news. Here’s the second installment, comrade.
THE COLD WAR
What is it? The post–World War II period of tension (1945–1991) between the Western world and the Communist countries of Eastern Europe.
The story: The Cold War, so named because it wasn’t a “shooting war” like World War II, was led by the world’s two superpowers—the United States and the Soviet Union—and it dominated international affairs from the period immediately after World War II until the Soviet Union fell in 1991. The Cuban missile crisis, the Berlin Wall, the Vietnam War, and the threat of nuclear war were just a few of the points of conflict between America and Russia. The two countries competed fiercely in the “arms race” (building massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons) and the “space race” (an intense battle to be the first to land a man on the Moon).
GULAG
What is it? The agency responsible for forced-labor camps throughout Russia and the remote regions of Siberia and the far north. “Gulag” is short for Glavnoe Upravlenie Lagerei, which means “Main Administration of Camps.”
The story: First established in 1919 under Cheka, Lenin’s secret police, the Gulag served as the Soviet Union’s primary penal system. The camps held perceived enemies of the state—political prisoners, POWs, and religious dissidents along with its population of criminals. Conditions in Gulag camps, especially in Siberia and the far north, were notoriously deplorable, and the death rate from exposure, exhaustion, and starvation was high.
GLASNOST AND PERESTROIKA
What is it? The policy of “openness” and “reform” in General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev’s Soviet Union in the 1980s.
The story: In 1986 Mikhail Gorbachev wanted to modernize the USSR, so he introduced Soviet citizens to glasnost, which allowed freedom of assembly, speech, and religion, the right to strike, and multicandidate elections. His perestroika policies included taking steps toward decentralizing government control over business and establishing a semi-free market economy. While Gorbachev intended for his policies to strengthen Soviet ideology, glasnost and perestroika actually had the opposite effect. The people were impatient and tired of the long lines, strikes, and general civil unrest. Five years later, in 1991, the USSR broke apart, leaving Russia on its own and under the leadership of President Boris Yeltsin and his successor, Vladimir Putin.
It goes both ways: Cats can be allergic to humans. (But most of the time they’re actually allergic to soap, perfume, or laundry detergent.)
What is it? Wealthy Russians who, because of their money and connections, have a great deal of political influence.
The story: Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the government of Russia began to sell (and give away) its assets to the Russian public. Despite having had no experience with modern capitalism, the reformers believed that by spreading the wealth of Russia to its citizens, Russia could transition into a market economy. There was concern that if they held an open sale of state-owned assets, only a few well-connected individuals would end up with the lion’s share. So the reformers created vouchers that could be exchanged for shares in the enterprises slated for privatization. This would allow the citizens of Russia to share in the wealth of Russia.
Unfortunately, most people did not understand the voucher-to-share program or were so poor that they sold their vouchers for immediate money. As a result, the exact opposite occurred: the Russian mafia, the nomenklatura (influential posts in government and industry), and other well-connected individuals managed to gain control of the vouchers and ownership of shares in the largest and most strategic business sectors of Russia. It was from this that the Russian oligarchs emerged.
GAZPROM
What is it? A gas company founded in 1989, owned by Russian oligarchs and the government. “Gazprom” is the combination of the first syllables of gazovaya promyshlennost, the Russian words for “gas industry.”
The story: During the privatization of the former Soviet Union’s assets, Gazprom emerged from the Ministry of Gas as a hybrid company—it makes a profit, but also advances Russia’s national interests. At its peak, Gazprom was the largest natural gas company in the world, with production fields in the Arctic and western Siberia.
FSB
What is it? The FSB is Russia’s new police force/spy agency and is primarily responsible for domestic civilian intelligence, border security, antiterrorism, and surveillance. Federal’naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii (FSB) means “Federal Security Service.”
The story: Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the KGB was dismantled and reconstituted into several successor agencies: the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Federal Agency of Government Communications and Information, then the Ministry of Security, then the Federal Counter-Intelligence Service (FSK). In 1995 President Boris Yeltsin reorganized the FSK into the FSB and gave it the power to enter private homes and conduct intelligence services abroad. The FSB is often thought of as the equivalent of the FBI, but it is really more like a combination of the FBI and CIA. Under the direction of President Putin, the FSB is more powerful than ever, adding assassination and cyber warfare to its spy portfolio.
Company founder who appeared in the most TV commercials: Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy’s hamburger chain. (He made more than 800 appearances.)
Who is he? The strongman president of the Russian Federation, elected in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018. Self-described as a “man’s man,” publicity shots of a shirtless Putin riding on horseback and fishing and hunting pitch this ex-KGB spymaster as the “Macho President.”
The story: In 1999 President Boris Yeltsin named Putin, then director of the Russian spy agency FSB, to the office of prime minister of Russia. By the end of the year, Yeltsin had resigned and Putin completed Yeltsin’s term. Putin was elected president in 2000 and reelected in 2004. Prevented from running for a third term because of constitutional term limits, Putin got his protégé Dmitry Medvedev elected president and got himself appointed prime minister, assuring his continued control of Russian politics. When Medvedev “retired” four years into his six-year term, Putin adroitly used Russian laws of succession to return to the presidency. Russians likened the maneuver to rokirovka, or castling in chess—a move in which the rook trades places with the king to save the king. Putin was reelected in 2012…and again in 2018.
FANCY BEAR
What is it? A Russian cyber espionage group that has been operating since the mid-2000s. Also known as Advanced Persistent Threat 28, Pawn Storm, Sofacy Group, Sednit, Tsar Team, and STRONTIUM.
The story: American cyber security firms CrowdStrike, SecureWorks, and ThreatConnect have reported that the Russian hackers known as Fancy Bear all work under the Russian military agency GRU and represent a constant threat to the rest of the world. Fancy Bear is said to be responsible for cyber attacks on the White House, NATO, the 2018 Olympics, and on elections in Germany, France, and the United States. The New York Times reported in 2016 that Russia’s cyber power has proved to be “the perfect weapon: cheap, hard to see coming, hard to trace.”
Directions on a bottle of One-A-Day vitamins: “Take two capsules daily.”
When sunlight hits the Eiffel Tower, the metal heats up and expands, causing the tower to grow as much as 6 inches…