Phony ‘Potemkin villages’ explain a lot about Russian mindset, – Marquis de Custine in...
"In the midst of the fetes of Petersburg, I cannot forget the journey of Empress Catherine into the Crimea, and the facades of vilages,...
‘Ukraine’ and ‘Muscovy’ names in a 1650 book title by French engineer Beauplan
According to Wikipedia, Guillaume Le Vasseur de Beauplan (c. 1600 – 1673) was a French-Polish cartographer, engineer and architect. Beauplan served as artillery captain for the army of the Crown of the Kingdom...
Sharp difference exists between Ukrainians and Russians, – Ivan Bunin, the first Russian Noble...
Ivan Bunin (1870-1953) was the first Russian writer awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1933. He was noted for the strict artistry with which he carried...
The Rus are a Great Nation living on the coast of the Black Sea...
al-Masudi (c. 896–956), was a historian, geographer, and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the 'Herodotus of the Arabs'. A polymath and prolific author of over twenty works on theology, history (Islamic...
‘Russians enjoy Slavery more than Freedom,’ – German Diplomat Sigismund von Herberstein in ‘Notes...
Sigismund von Herberstein (1486–1566) was a diplomat, writer, historian, and member of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Council. He was most noted for his extensive writing on...
Napoleon’s View of His Russian Campaign: only extreme and premature winter spoiled our triumph
Discourse at the Opening of the Legislative Body. Palais des Tuileries, Feb. 14, 1813. "I entered Russia. The French armies were constantly victorious on the...
Ivan Bunin describes Russian faces: no need branding them ‘Beware of Thief’
"Their voices are hollow, primitive. The women have Chuvash and Mordvinian faces; and the men have criminal features that make them look like a...
Future ‘Russians’ attacked Germany in the ranks of the Golden Horde in 1240’s
In the year 1254, King of France Louis IX sent an emissary to Batu Khan, who had his camp at the Volga River. The...
Muscovy-Russia paid tribute to Crimean Khans until the Treaty of Constantinople was signed in...
The Treaty of Constantinople was concluded on 13 July 1700. The Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire agreed on a truce set to expire...
George F. Kennan’s Essay on De Custine’s ‘Russia in 1839’: the Best Book about...
George F. Kennan (1904 – 2005) was an American diplomat and historian. He was best known as an advocate of a policy of containment of Soviet...
