Dear All, Please see details of a webinar organised by the BEARR Trust Best wishes Ute Supporting vulnerable people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia Webinar: Civil Society Support for Persons with Disabilities in the EECCA region 5 November 2020 at 14:00 – 15:30 GMT Register here to join the first of The BEARR Trust’s three November webinars Dear friends and colleagues, You are warmly invited to the first of three BEARR webinars exploring the impact of COVID-19 on civil society organisations (CSOs) in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia (the EECCA region) from different angles. This, the first webinar, will explore how…
READ MORE
Thank you for making or requesting a ‘household’ booking to attend Dr Robert Henderson’s talk on ‘Lenin, London, and the Russian Revolution’, 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 bear with us: although…
READ MORE
Great Britain-Russia Society: Forthcoming talks – November and December 2020 1. 1. Petr Safronov: Education after the Soviet Collapse: Is It Really Post-Ideological? – 7.00 pm, Thursday, 12 November In the Soviet Union Communism was not simply a political and economic platform, it was an all-encompassing set of normative and ideological values. Education played a crucial role in the Soviet system by embedding these values in the young. The discrediting of Communism, the Soviet collapse and the transition to the market left an ideological void in education policy, one that the Kremlin has attempted to fill over the last…
READ MORE
Lenin, London, and the Russian Revolution Dear All, We are all looking forward to Robert Henderson’s talk next Thursday (29 October) on Lenin, London and the Revolution. His talk will of course be based on his book, The Spark that Lit Revolution: Lenin in London and the politics that changed the world, was published in March 2020 by Bloomsbury/Tauris. For members who book for this talk, the publishers have kindly agreed to provide a 30% discount on the normal purchase price of the book. A discount code will be provided to you when we send…
READ MORE
Pushkin Club Zoom Event: Alexander Blok (1880-1921) – The Last Romantic – Tuesday, 20 October at 6 pm To mark the 140th Anniversary of the birth of Alexander Blok, the great poet of the Silver Age, the Pushkin Club will be devoting an evening to celebrating Blok’s life and work with an illustrated narrative in English and readings from Blok’s poetry in English and Russian. Please see the Pushkin House link below for more information: https://www.pushkinhouse.org/events/2020/10/27/zoom-event-assignment-moscow-a-talk-by-james-rodgers-ba6hs Best wishes Ute
Thank you for making or requesting a ‘household’ booking to attend Sarah Lain’s talk on ‘Making Peace in Eastern Ukraine’, 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. Please also note that this will be an off the record session conducted according to ‘Chatham House Rules’. 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…
READ MORE
Dear All, You may be interested in this talk organised by the SCRSS: Wednesday 28 October – 7pm Talk by Robert Stephenson on his book “We Are Building Capitalism! Moscow in Transition 1992-1997” Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/online-talk-by-robert-stephenson-on-his-book-we-are-building-capitalism-tickets-124992137849 The talk is free, but you can make a donation when you register About the talk Next year sees the 30th anniversary of the sudden and unexpected collapse of the Soviet Union. Few cities have undergone changes as intense and fundamental as those experienced by Moscow in the wake of this historical event. In his talk for the SCRSS , Robert Stephenson will…
READ MORE
Dear All, This is a reminder for the next GB Russia Society talk: Please note, that to take account for the time difference between London and Kyiv, the start time of this talk will be 18:00 (not the usual 19:00). Making Peace in Eastern Ukraine – Sarah Lain at 18.00 pm, Thursday, 15 October After six years of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, there has been little progress on political agreement towards sustainable conflict settlement. Although President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken an approach unlike his predecessor’s, the Minsk process still faces challenges. In her talk, Sarah Lain offers an update…
READ MORE
Dear All, Please note, that to take account for the time difference between London and Kyiv, the start time of this talk will be 18:00 (not the usual 19:00). Great Britain-Russia Society: talk by Sarah Lain at 18.00 pm, Thursday, 15 October Making Peace in Eastern Ukraine After six years of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, there has been little progress on political agreement towards sustainable conflict settlement. Although President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken an approach unlike his predecessor’s, the Minsk process still faces challenges. In her talk, Sarah Lain offers an update on the situation in eastern Ukraine and…
READ MORE
Dear All, I am delighted to be sending you details of the first two talks of the Autumn session. These will both be via Zoom. Great Britain-Russia Society: talk by Sarah Lain at 7.00 pm, Thursday, 15 October Making Peace in Eastern UkraineAfter six years of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, there has been little progress on political agreement towards sustainable conflict settlement. Although President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken an approach unlike his predecessor’s, the Minsk process still faces challenges. In her talk, Sarah Lain offers an update on the situation in eastern Ukraine and developments in the conflict resolution…
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE
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. …
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE
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…
READ MORE