Dear All, Reminders for 3 events taking place this week: 1- Pushkin Club Zoom Event: Pushkin on People Confronting Statues – and vice-versa. Tuesday, 29 September at 6pm 2-SCRSS talk: The Society’s President Professor Bill Bowring will give a talk on Russia and the European Convention on Human Rights on Wed 30 Sep, starting at 7pm. 3– London Translators’ Group talk – Natasha Dissanayake: “What were the Russian Experiences in London? 16th Century onwards” Thursday October 1 at 19:00. And 4-Bibs Ekkel & Adrian Zolotuhin The Balalaika & and other tall stories. Livestream from Sands Films Music Room Thursday 1 Oct 2020 at 19:45 1-Pushkin Club Zoom Event: Pushkin on People…
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Pushkin Club Zoom Event: Pushkin on People Confronting Statues – and vice-versa. Tuesday, 29 September at 6pm Illustrated talk, musical interlude, theatrical-style readings in English and Russian. Please see the Pushkin House link below for more information: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/zoom-event-pushkin-on-people-confronting-statues-and-vice-versa-tickets-120237139521 Best wishes Ute
Natasha Dissanayake: “What were the Russian Experiences in London? 16th Century onwards” Thursday October 1 at 19:00. The talk will take place via Zoom. It will be in English and costs £3. This is a London Translators’ Group talk. Natasha Dissanayake has spent some 20 years researching for her book on this subject. There are some 20 different sections in her book covering major aspects of the Russian presence in London from the 16th century to the present day, and featuring a wide range of Russian characters: members of the Imperial family, aristocrats and Bolsheviks, diplomats and churchmen, musicians, painters…
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Dear All, I would like to let you know about a talk by our longstanding member Natalia Dissanayake “What were the Russian Experiences of London – 16th Century Onwards?” on Thursday 1 October at 19:00. This is a “London Translating into Russian Group event” This is a meetup with the author, Natalia Dissanayake, who will present her book about the lives of Russian emigre in London since the 16th century. Natalia Dissanayake is a Blue Badge guide and she has masterfully intertwined the lives of prominent Russian figures, aristocracy, ballet dancers, tsars, writers, scientists, sportspeople and many others with…
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Dear All, I am forwarding the below from Ralph Gibson, Hon Secretary of the SCRSS about a talk which might be of interest to you: “I am delighted to announce the SCRSS’s first online event. The Society’s President Professor Bill Bowring will give a talk on Russia and the European Convention on Human Rights on Wed 30 Sep, starting at 7pm. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the ECHR. Russia has been a member of the Council of Europe for 25 years, and of the ECHR for 22 years. Professor Bowring discusses how this has been possible, and whether the close…
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Thank you for making or requesting a ‘household’ booking to attend Yulia Khalikova’s talk on ‘Russia and The International Legal Order’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. Redacted, as only available to those who have booked You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk. It is hoped that it will be pretty straightforward. However, please bear with us: although we have…
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Dear All, This is an automated reminder for the next GB-Russia Society talk taking place on Monday 14 September at 19:00 via Zoom. (The link will be live from 18:30). Russia and the International Legal Order under the Putin Constitution – Yulia Khalikova Russia’s so-called Putin Constitution, which superseded the Yeltsin Constitution earlier this year, has attracted significant attention as a means for President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036. Less widely known or understood, however, are its serious implications for Russia’s legal system, including the country’s relationship with the international legal order. In her talk, Yulia…
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Dear All, I hope you have had a good summer? I am writing to let you know that the next GB-Russia Society talk will take place on Monday 14 September at 19:00 via Zoom. (The link will be live from 18:30). Russia and the International Legal Order under the Putin Constitution – Yulia Khalikova Russia’s so-called Putin Constitution, which superseded the Yeltsin Constitution earlier this year, has attracted significant attention as a means for President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036. Less widely known or understood, however, are its serious implications for Russia’s legal system, including the country’s relationship…
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Dear All, I am emailing you to let you know that the GB-Russia Society is looking for a web designer / administrator for the Society’s website, and Henry Pares and David Brummell have drawn up a paper with details of what we think we are looking for. Henry has already incorporated feedback from committee members. We would now also like to give members the opportunity to review/comment on the draft, particularly as we believe that within the membership there is experience and knowledge which could assist us. If anyone would like to see the document, please contact me on membership@nullgbrussia.org. …
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Dear All, Hope you are well. Please see a message from a member below: “I would like to pass on a pristine set of the ‘Bol’shaya Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya’ 3rd edition, 1970 – 1981, missing just volume 25. Free, but I suggest a donation of, say, £50 to GB-Russia funds. Anyone interested to collect from Tunbridge Wells”. If this may be of interest, please let me know on membership@nullgbrussia.org and I will pass your message on. Have a good long weekend Ute
Dear All, I am sending you this email as you may be interested to know that our member Geo Kegler will be giving a talk to the St Barnabas MG group via Zoom entitled: “Putin, the KGB and Russia’s War on the West” on Tuesday 25 August at 8pm. You may join the talk by clicking on the link below: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79921535667?pwd=RU1JUVdGRGRKZTV1V2dqdUl6eFpuZz09 If you have any questions – please contact Geo on gpkegler@nullicloud.com Best wishes Ute
Dear All, The following announcement appeared in today’s edition of the Telegraph and the Times. BEGINS Salbstein Daniel Edward OBE, at home on 12th August 2020 aged 82. Devoted husband of the late Margaret Gay. Deeply missed by David, Miriam, Richard, Emma, Gabriella and Chloe. Businessman, family historian, gracious host and admired former Chairman of the Great Britain-Russia Society. Private family funeral due to current restrictions. Donations, if you wish, to the British Heart Foundation. ENDS
A message from our Chairman: Dear All, It is with very great sadness that we learnt earlier today that our former Chairman and Talks Organiser, Daniel Salbstein, has passed away. Daniel had not been in the best of health recently, but this news is still a great shock to all of us. On behalf of the Society I have expressed our heart-felt condolences to Daniel’s daughter, Miriam, and to the whole family and have also spoken to Miriam, who appreciates how deeply saddened Daniel’s many friends in the Society will be by this news. We understand that the family are arranging…
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Dear All, Just to let you know, the BEARR Trust is recruiting a new Information Officer. The advert and job description are attached. They are also available on the website at https://bearr.org/2020/08/13/vacancy-for-a-part-time-information-and-administration-officer-at-the-bearr-trust/. Best wishes, Ute
Thank you for making or requesting a ‘household’ booking to attend Dr Martin McCauley’s talk ‘Revisiting the Brezhnev Era: why was the system so ineffective despite having so many good people?’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. Redacted as only available to those who have made bookings You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk. It is hoped that it will…
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Dear All, This is an automated reminder for the next talk in our Zoom series which will take place on Monday August 3rd at 18:30 for 19:00. We are inviting members, their guests and non-members to book for this Zoom talks in the same way they book physical talks. Those who book will receive an email from our Hon Secretary, Henry Pares, with a link to the Zoom event, one or two days before the talk, inviting them to take part by clicking on the link. The talk costs £5 per household booking. If you would like to use a credit from…
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Thank you for making or requesting a ‘household’ booking to attend Dr Sergei Guriev’s talk on ‘The impact of the COVID crisis on the Russian economy’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. Redacted as only available to those who have made bookings You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk. It is hoped that it will be pretty straightforward. However, please…
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Dear All, Just a reminder that our next talk will take place on Wednesday June 24 Dr Sergei Guriev – The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Russian Economy” at 19:00 (the link will be live from 18:30).“Above and beyond its public health impact, the coronavirus is ravaging economies across the globe. In Russia the impact is likely to be more pronounced, since the pandemic has also accelerated a substantial drop in the price of oil. Sergei Guriev, one of the most celebrated Russian economists of his generation and a highly-respected commentator on current events in Russia, joins us at the GB–Russia Society to discuss the prospects for the Russian economy…
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Thank you for making or requesting a ‘household’ booking to attend Catherine Belton’s talk ‘Putin’s People: How the KGB took back Russia and then took on the West’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. Redacted as only available to those who have made bookings You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk. It is hoped that it will be pretty straightforward….
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Dear All, Apologies – I omitted to include the start time in my previous email. The talks will start at 19:00, but the link Henry Pares sends out will be live from 18:30 on the night. Best wishes Ute
Dear All, Please see details for the next two talks which will again take place via Zoom: Thursday June 11 – Catherine Belton: “Putin’s People: How the KGB took back Russia and then took on the West” Catherine Belton is a special correspondent for Reuters, and served as the Financial Times’ Moscow Correspondent from 2007-13, and has contributed to the Moscow Times and Business Week. Her book “Putin’s People: How the KGB took back Russia and then took on the West” was published in April 2020 and is a Sunday Times best-seller. As the Soviet Union crumbled and Russia transitioned to…
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Dear All, As you know, during the lockdown we are continuing – thanks to Zoom – to hold talks which, I believe, have been appreciated by those members who have attended them. We all naturally hope that in the not-too-distant future it will be possible to resume physical meetings. It may well be, though, that even after relaxation of current social distancing measures we will consider continuing with on-line meetings in conjunction with physical meetings, to continue to enable the wider member and non-member participation that we now realise to be possible through meeting on-line. One of the particular advantages…
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Dear All The Pushkin Club have brought to our attention an on-line event to be hosted by Pushkin House on 9 June which may be of interest to members. To mark the Birthday of Alexander Pushkin, the Club are celebrating Pushkin’s ‘Boldino Autumn’ and ‘The Feast during the Plague’. The evening will open with a description (with slides) of the Boldino Autumn, which will be followed by a poetry recital in English and Russian. More details can be found in the link below:: https://www.pushkinhouse.org/events/2020/6/9/zoom-event-the-feast-during-the-plague Best wishes Ute
Thank you for making or requesting a ‘household’ booking to attend Dr. Bettina Renz’s talk ‘Russia’s Military Revival’, at which you will be most welcome. Here, for your private information as the recipient of this email, is how to attend via Zoom: please do not share this onward. information redacted as only available to those booking You should next be taken into a ‘virtual waiting room’ from which, after a short wait, you will then be ‘admitted’ to the talk. It is hoped that it will be pretty straightforward. However, please bear with us as this is only our third…
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Dear All – this is a reminder for the next talk on Tuesday 26 May, starting at 19:00 (but please click on the Zoom link 5/10 minutes beforehand). Dr. Bettina Renz: “Russia’s military revival” At the end of the Cold War the once formidable Red Army was divided up among the successor states. While Russia could boast the largest number of weapons and men under arms, corruption and demoralisation drastically reduced their effectiveness, while the US and its allies raced ahead. Only with the invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and subsequent campaign in Syria have Russia’s conventional forces begun to…
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