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in AsiaTHE NATION Thursday, June 7, 2018

Why Victory Day is sacred for Russia

EVGENY BELENKIY

Russian ballet In Bangkok The 20th anniversary edition of Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance and Music will showcase another Russian ballet program supported by the Embassy of Russia. The audience in Thailand will be able to witness performances from the Moscow Classical Ballet, one of the top ballet companies in Russia. The company is run by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilev, both of whom are recognized as innovators for their new forms of choreography and a different approach towards dance. The Moscow State Classical Ballet won 19 gold medals and have received 5 Prizes and 2 Grand Prix from the Paris Academy of Dance. The company has been granted the title of Academic Theatre by the Russian government and has performed in more than 30 countries around the world and in over 200 cities in Russia.

Firebird and Rite of Spring, October 5, 2018Composer: Igor Stravinsky The Firebird is based on a Russian folk tale about a powerful good spirit whose feathers offer protection. The Rite of Spring details the tale of a pagan Slavonic tribe that gathers for a sacred feast devoted to spring.

Nutcracker, October 6, 2018Composer: Petr Tchaikovsky This sparkling ballet is a family favourite for a reason: it underlines the magic of Christmas and lets the imagina-tions of the audience run wild.

The Legend of Swan Lake and the Ugly Duckling, October 7, 2018 Composer: Edvard Grieg This retelling of the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, Ugly Duckling, is the perfect opportunity for children and the family to enjoy live ballet and theatre together. Apart from the ballet dancers, this performance features 18 children from the ages of 5 to 8.

Notes from the AmbassadorDear readers of The Nation,

I am glad to present the third issue of Russia in Asia to you. This is a special edition of our supplement devoted to the Day of Russia - the National Day marked by the people of the Russian Federation on June 12. That is why I want to start with conveying my most heartfelt greetings to all Russians living and working in Thailand. Russia is celebrating this day as a strong and united nation that is inspired to reach new heights on all fronts and to make the lives of its citizens better. On March 18, 2018 we re-elected Vladimir Putin as our President with an unprecedented level of support from Russian voters. Now we have a new Government guided by a new set of goals formulated at the Address of the President to the Federal Assembly on March 1, 2018 - achieving technological breakthroughs, economic prosperity and social development throughout the country. It is hard to believe, but despite illegal Western sanctions and attempts to hamper Russia’s development our economy is on the rise. Industrial production, agricultural output and investments in the real sector are growing. Absolute figures may not be impres-sive so far, but the policy is right and the trend is irreversible. Russian cities are reinventing themselves. Moscow has acquired a new outlook turning into a truly international megalopo-lis with a modernized transportation and people-friendly environ-ment. The ‘Northern Venice,’ St. Petersburg is attracting more and more tourists and business people - thousands of them attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on May 24-26, 2018. By the way, both Moscow and St. Petersburg are Bangkok’s sister cities. Yekaterinburg is bidding to become a host city of Expo 2025. Sochi, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 2014 and welcomed Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in 2017, surprises all visitors with its sophistication and beauty. Infrastructure in Russia is developing as fast as ever. One of the latest examples is the Crimea Bridge, connecting the Crimean Peninsula with the mainland. President Putin opened it in mid-May driving a big truck from one end to another. This 19-kilometre-long bridge is the longest in Russia and in Europe. Its construction was unique due to challenging seabed conditions, hence many had considered it impossible to build. But our engineers and construc-tion workers did it, and even earlier than planned! Of no less importance is the spiritual renaissance and growing cohesion of the people in Russia. On May 9 millions of Russians flooded the streets of their hometowns in an all-nation march called the Immortal Regiment movement to pay tribute to their forefathers who fought during WWII known in my country as the Great Patriotic War. In Thailand on May 9 this year more than 1,000 people took part in colourful rallies in Pattaya, Phuket and Samui.

Needless to say that Russia is a vast, diverse and stunningly beautiful land. You will see it in this issue of the Russia in Asia as we are presenting the Seven Wonders of Russia to Thai readers. Russia always pursues an inde-pendent foreign policy. Maybe this is the reason why some countries try to punish us for our commitment to truth and justice. In a rapidly changing global environment Russia along with its allies, strategic partners and like-minded

countries, does its best to find solutions to a large number of old and new problems and challenges that the international communi-ty faces nowadays. In no way will we stop working on key issues such as combating terrorism and extremism, countering drug trafficking, the peaceful settlement of regional conflicts and achieving sustainable development. Russia has many friends abroad. Being a country that belongs to both Europe and Asia, Russia attributes special attention to promoting cooperation with the Asia-Pacific nations, more and more turning its face to this dynamic region. Moscow regards Asean as one of its most reliable and credible partners. We are willing to further strengthen the comprehensive partner-ship with all its member states including Thailand. In recent years Russian-Thai relations have gained an incredi-ble momentum. Political dialogue between our countries as well as trade and economic interaction, military ties, military-technical cooperation, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts are developing rapidly. Last year together with our Thai friends we organized more than 30 vibrant events to celebrate the 120th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Russia and Thailand. The jubilee year has concluded but celebrations are still going on. In Janu-ary 2018 famous Thai master of art photography David Lau held a photo exhibition titled ‘In the Cradle of the Russian Civilization.’ In February a magnificent contemporary Russian art exhibition named ‘Suvarnabhumi – A Golden Land’ was held. We launched the Russia-Thailand Travel Club in March. Our guests were marvelled by the Nevyansk Icon exhibition and applauded to the participants of the ‘We are Together’ Children’s Friendship Festival in May. More and more Russians choose Thailand as a travel and leisure destination. In January-March 2018 alone, 619,000 countrymen of mine visited the Land of Smiles (27 per cent more than in the same period of 2017). Another important develop-ment is the sharp increase of the number of Thai citizens visiting my country. Over 100,000 Thais travelled to Russia in 2017, and we expect more to come in 2018. Guess why? This Day of Russia will be a very special one, as in just a few days, on June 14, the FIFA World Cup 2018 will be officially inaugurated at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. What can connect people better than sports? Football as the most popular sport in the world is capable of washing away all the boundaries and overcoming all our differences. Since the moment that Russia was granted a privilege to be the FIFA World Cup 2018 host country in 2010, our government has done a lot to make this tournament the best ever. 12 stadiums and 113 training fields as well as high-quality airports, railway stations, highways and railroads were built or modernized. More than 60 new hotels were opened to accommodate football fans. Russia is all set and ready to receive around 1 million people who will arrive to watch the games. I have no doubt that it will be an incredible and unforgettable championship! And I wish all football lovers would enjoy the spectacular and fair games. This is what I wanted to tell you about my homeland today, dear readers of The Nation. We all have so much to share. Let’s share the joy of a big holiday my country is celebrating on June 12. Happy Birthday, Russia!

H.E. Mr. Kirill BarskyRussian Ambassador to Thailand

It seems that everything about the annual celebration of the World War II Victory

Day is different in Russia and in the West. Even the dates differ: our V Day is on May 9 and the Western VE Day (Vic-tory in Europe Day) is on May 8. For us the celebration of V Day is one of the most important events of the year, for some – the most important one. In the West, after the 1945 spontaneous and great outpouring of emotion, VE Day never evolved to eclipse other big national holidays while for many families in post-war Russia the emotional value of the V Day became much higher than that of any other day of the year. These differences have very natural reasons, and they must not be mistaken for any kind of bias on our part. The date dif-ference is purely technical, it only emerged because of the difference in time zones: when the Act of Capitulation was signed in Berlin it was late night of the 8th of May in Western Europe, and morning of the 9th of May in Moscow. The emphasis put in Russia on the annual V Day celebrations must also be easily understand-able to our friends and partners in the West. The impact of the war on Russia and the whole of the former Soviet Union was enormous in comparison with what other European nations had gone through, and even more so in comparison to the losses suffered in the war by the United States of America. Cel-ebrating the 9th of May is our way of commemorating our 30 million dead. This is our way of remembering the overwhelming sense of relief that embraced the whole nation on that day, May 9, 1945, after 1,418 days of suffering, fierce fighting, losses at the front line, and superhuman efforts in the war-time economy.

Lasting impact of the War For my generation of Russians the war happened yesterday. For us, born a mere 15 to 20 years after its end, the war was alive in the stories reluctantly told by our grandparents, if we pressed hard enough: they did not really like to speak of their wartime expe-riences. It was very much alive in the trenches overgrown with grass in which we played our war games in summer, in the rusty rifle rounds, artillery shells or grenades we occasionally unearthed there while playing, in our knowl-edge, at 12 years old, of how to deal properly with those danger-ous finds. With shells and grenades, we marked them and called the police. Rifle rounds we kept for the gunpowder. All the landmines had been

removed long before, most of the weapons that had fallen from dying or wounded soldiers’ hands had already been collect-ed. But still, 20 years after May 1945, the material echo of the war was so strong in the earth of the Russian countryside that when we played out the battles of the past with toy soldiers self-made from plasticine, we often filled our miniature toy cannon crafted from pieces of steel pipes with real gunpowder from wartime rifle rounds. We were careful, and there were no injuries, at least in the small gang of plasticine soldier en-thusiasts I belonged to. In high school we went twice a year to a remote area in the Smolensk Region to visit a village where in 1943 a graduate of our Moscow school had died a hero’s death to save the lives of his whole platoon. During an attack, out of ammunition and grenades, he threw himself on the slot of the enemy fortified heavy machinegun position and effectively blocked the machine-gun fire with his own body. His death gave his comrades enough time to get close to the machine-gun housed in a concrete bunker

and finish it off. In the 1970s the village didn’t have a male population. It was one of many “Widows’ Villages” of Russia, to which not a single man had returned from the war. The widows had children but they had long since left to pursue better lives in the city of Smolensk fifty miles away or much farther, in Moscow. In the winter we set up a stage at the village “club-house,” a usually empty commu-nity centre built in the 1930s, to sing, read poetry and perform short amateur theatrical plays for an audience of several dozen ageing women. In the summer we came for two or three weeks to help them stock up on hay for their horses and cows, so the animals could be fed through the next winter. For the widows of that village the war was not just “yesterday,” like it was for us. The war still dominated their lives 30 years after the last shots had been fired.

American conundrum There was one particular angle to that overwhelming sense of the war as part of our immediate past that puzzled me greatly as a teenager. At the very

height of the Cold War, when we knew the US as “the most probable enemy,” we also ac-cepted, both logically and emotionally, the wartime alliance of our country with America as an integral part of the overall picture. From the first year of the war till May 1945 the US-led Lend-Lease program provided the Red Army with vehicles, airplanes and strategic supplies, which were distributed to front-line combat units and industri-al facilities. Russians are quick with a joke, and it is general knowledge now that when the first deliv-eries of American canned food arrived at the frontline, Russian soldiers took to calling those tins of canned meat “the second front” in anticipation of the planned Allied invasion of Nor-mandy, with the actual historic Omaha Beach landing still two and a half years in the future. But the same soldiers were dead serious about climbing in the cockpits of those American aircraft and behind the wheels of those American trucks and jeeps to drive them immediate-ly into combat. The latest models of Russian fighters and bombers were state-of-the-art but in 1941 and the first half of 1942 there were simply too few of them, the steady supply of those planes only ma-terialized in the middle of 1942. Thousands of US-made trucks were used by Russian artillery, ammunition supply units, or served at hospitals, transporting the wounded from the front line to first and second echelon med-

ical facilities. Then, in 1944, the second front finally opened in France, and then was the Elbe where Russians and Americans embraced in celebration of their common Victory. No differences in the way we mark anniversaries of that Great Victory today can change or overshadow the fact that it was won by our grandfathers and great-grandfathers togeth-er. Back then, in 1945, it was clear for everyone that the war had been fought and won not over a certain nation or axis of nations but over Fascism as a system, a universal kind of evil that posed a global threat to all existing ways of life, Socialist and Capitalist alike. The years of the war became a period in our history when ideological and geopolitical differences were largely forgotten for the sake of a common war effort against a common enemy whose purpose in the war was to wipe whole societies, races and nations off the face of the Earth for the benefit of one “master” race. Today, when ideology does not stand in the way of nation-al interest any more, given all the latest developments in our relations, we probably need to revisit those days more often in our memories, to picture them in our mind’s eye, just to remind ourselves that we, Russia and the West, are fully capable of understanding each other, co-operating with each other, and more than that – when the future of the world is at stake, we are capable of forming a lasting and victorious alliance.

Laying wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the 73rd anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War – May 9, 2018.

Unique photos of the Romanovs to be shown in Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery 2018 marks 100 years since the assassina-tion of Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II and his wife and children. An exhibition dedicated to this tragic anniversary will be held at Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery (new wing) from September 13 to October 28, 2018. The gallery will exhibit photographs from the family’s archives that were taken between the 1870s and the 1910s. Many of the photos are in gold and silver-encrusted albums from imperial residenc-es such as the Gatchina Palace and the Alexan-der Palace. They were transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery between 1929 and 1932 and have never been showed to the general public. Many of the photographs were taken by well-known professionals such as Alexander Gubchevsky, Konrad Brandel and Karl Ber-gamasco, while some were snapped by mem-bers of the imperial family and people from their entourage. The exhibition is being organized as a part of the gallery’s participation in the 2018 Moscow International Photo Biennale.

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THE NATION THE NATIONThursday, June 7, 2018 Thursday, June 7, 2018in Asia in Asia2 3Cooperation Business & Technology

Photo exhibition to commemorate the Great Victory opened at UN ESCAP office

On May 9, 2018 the UN ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok) office hosted a solemn opening ceremony of the photo exhibition to commemorate the Victory of the anti-Fascist coalition in the Second World War. The exposition, jointly prepared by the embassies of Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, demonstrated major milestones of the war and depicted the heroic re-sistance of the people and atrocities of Fascist regimes. “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten” - words from the famous poem of Olga Bergholtz were chosen as a title of the photo exhibition. Several eminent guests were present at the launch, including a delegation of the War Veterans Organization of Thailand headed by Assistant Director-General Boonlert Sonjai. Ambassadors of Germany, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Egypt, the Czech Republic and senior diplomats from India, In-donesia and North Korea attended the event. Hongjoo Hahm, Deputy Executive Secretary of UN ES-CAP, Kirill Barsky, Ambassador of Russia, Lyu Jian, Ambas-sador of China, Raushan Yesbulatova, Ambassador of Kazakh-stan and Tugsbilguun Tumurkhuleg, Ambassador of Mongolia delivered their welcoming remarks addressing the guests and mass media representatives. “The victory belongs to all the mankind. Its ownership is shared by all the countries – members of the anti-Fascist coalition, and we pay tribute to their role in defeating the enemy,” Ambassador Barsky said. “But I am very proud that my country made the major contribution to the vic-tory over Nazism.” May 8 and 9 are marked in the official UN calendar as a Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation in accordance with the special UN General Assembly Resolution adopted in 2004.

Russian Honorary Consulate inauguration ceremony held in Samui

The fourth inauguration of Vladimir Putin as Russian President took place at the Grand

Kremlin Palace on May 7, 2018. The ceremony commenced with the National Flag, the President’s Standard, the Russian Constitution and the President’s Badge being brought into St Andrew’s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. In keeping with Article 82 of the Russian Constitution, Vladimir Putin took the oath to the people of Russia in the presence of the members of the Federation Council (the upper house of parliament), the State Duma (the

lower house of parliament) and the Russian Constitutional Court. Constitutional Court President Valery Zorkin announced Vladimir Putin as the new President of the Russian Federation. Afterwards, Vladimir Putin, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, reviewed the Presidential Regiment on Cathedral Square to mark his inauguration. After the inauguration ceremony, President Putin briefly met with rep-resentatives of public youth associations and volunteer organizations. Later, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

and All Russia served a thanksgiving service at the Annunciation Cathedral in the Kremlin. “I would like to thank the citizens of Russia for their unity, for believing

that together we can change many things for the better,” President Putin said in his speech during the inaugu-ration ceremony. “Let me extend my gratitude to you one more time. Thank you for the sincere support I received from the citizens of Russia at the presidential election. I view this support as a huge political asset and a reliable moral backing. This support is a sign of faith and a sign of hope that Russia will continue to build up its strength while its people will live better. This support is also essential for asserting our positions on the international stage and for taking resolute action for promoting far-reaching, positive change within the country.”

A solemn inauguration ceremony opening the Honorary Consulate of

the Russian Federation in Surat Thani province was held at the W Koh Samui Hotel on May 18, 2018. Ashwani Bajaj has been appointed as the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Surat Thani province Ramnet Jaikwang, Mayor of Samui, Muensilp Sinn Pool-sawat, Vice-Mayor, represent-atives of provincial and mu-nicipal authorities, members of the business community and

Alexiy Golovin, abbot of the local parish of the Russian Orthodox Church, were present at the ceremony. Russian Ambassador Kirill Barsky opened the ceremony with welcoming remarks. He emphasized that the establish-ment of the Honorary Consu-late in Samui is a landmark event in Russia-Thailand re-

lations manifesting the beginning of a new phase of development of tourism and expand-ing inter-regional business, cultural and people-to-people con-tacts.

He added that this decision was triggered by the continuous growth in Russian

tourist arrivals to Thailand, which in 2017 reached 1.35 million. In the first quarter of 2018 Thailand registered a 28 percent rise in tourist arrivals from Russia. In Ambassador Barsky’s opinion, this is clear evidence that the recent trend of broadening of relations and multifaceted cooperation be-tween Russia and Thailand is

gaining momentum. In his inauguration speech Ashwani Bajaj, Honorary Consul of the Russian Feder-ation in Surat Thani province assured the audience that he would do everything in his power to properly protect the rights and legitimate interests of Russian citizens in his con-sular district, to render every possible assistance to Russians residing in or visiting Samui and to facilitate implementation of Russian business projects there. In the presence of the high-ranking guests, Ambas-sador Barsky and Ashwani Bajaj cut the ribbon in front of the office of the Honorary Consul, which is located at the W Koh Samui Hotel.

Vladimir Putin sworn in as Russian President

“ I would like to thank the citizens of Russia for their unity, for believing that to-gether we can change many things for the better”

On April 7-13, 2018, a delegation of the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand visited Moscow and St. Petersburg. Members of two committees of the Thai Parliament – the Committee on Laws, Justice Procedure and Police Affairs and the Committee on Religions, Arts, Culture and Tourism – were a part of the high-profile delegation. Within the framework of the official program of the visit, the Thai delegates visited the State Duma, the Russian lower house of parliament. They held talks with the leadership of the State Duma’s Committee on Security and Countering Corruption and the Committee on Physical Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth. They also met members of the Deputies’ Group on Coopera-tion with the Parliament of the Kingdom of Thailand, and Nikolay Korolev, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Tourism. The sides reviewed bilateral ties and expressed their support for Russian-Thai cooperation in the field of law enforcement, and boosting cultural and tourist ties between the countries.

Thai parliamentarians visit Russia

On April 10, 2018, the Rus-sian Embassy in Bangkok hosted a ceremony to award outstanding teachers and students of the Russian language, as well as people pro-moting the Russian language in the Kingdom.

In the first ceremony of its kind, prizes were also given to Thai school students who won a quiz on

Thailand-Russia relations and on general knowledge of Russia that was organized by the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry in 2017 within the framework of celebration of the 120th anniversary of the estab-lishment of diplomatic ties between Russia and Thailand. The winners were Dom Roongruang, Sorathon Teerasawat and Theerapun Akaradechakorn, students of Saint Gabriel College, Prart Rochniruth, Patcharapon Wuttimayatanan and Kanathip Thankanjanakul, students of Wat Rajbophit School, and Tanyatorn Rojmahamongkol, Jirat Ngarmskunroongrote and Jiratchaya Loypipon from Triam Udom Suksa School. At the ceremony, Russian Ambassador to Thailand Kirill Barsky presented a certificate for the successful completion of a course in ‘Russian for Communication’ at the Matryshka Russian Centre to Peder Law, an Indonesian citizen. A special award for ‘Dedication to the Russian language,’ named in the memory of Thai school student Chayanon Poonsir-asin, was presented to Aebthong Kumpol Prayoon, a teacher at the Kamalasai school in Kalasin, Adul Kamlaithong, lecturer of international studies at Prince Songkla University, Thanittha Thaweedech, managing director of Ricco Star and a member of Russian and Soviet Alumni Association, Kantassa Taew, head of the Russian Studies Program at the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Thammasat University and Chanunporn Hemsakun, lecturer at the Faculty of Arts of Chulalongkorn University. The Chayanon Award was established by Ambassador Barsky in memory of the talented Thai student who tragically passed away in Russia in 2016 when he was on an exchange program. The award will be presented annually by the Russian Embassy in Bangkok to Thai teachers, students and activists for special con-tribution to the promotion of the Russian language and culture in Thailand.

Russian language scholars, academicians felicitated in Bangkok

Bridge connecting Crimea with Russian mainland opens

A bridge connecting the Crime-an peninsula with the Rus-sian mainland was opened

on May 16, 2018. The 19-kilometre Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait is the longest bridge in Europe. It begins on the Taman Peninsula, passes over a five-kilometre dam and Tuzla Island, crosses the Kerch Strait and reaches the Crimean coast. Over 10,000 people worked to complete the bridge six months ahead of schedule. The motorway section of the bridge has over 60 road signs and ten automatic systems monitor-ing compliance with traffic regulations.

On May 15, 2018 Vladimir Putin took part in the opening cer-emony of the motorway section and drove the lead vehicle of the con-struction equipment convoy. After the construction equipment convoy crossed the bridge, the head of state addressed a rally marking the opening of the Crimean Bridge motorway. Vladimir Putin also spoke brief-ly with the builders of the bridge, thanked them and congratulated them on completing the project ahead of schedule. The railway section of the bridge is scheduled to open in late 2019.

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In February 2018, a three-day Russian business mission was held in Thailand, under the aus-

pices of the governments of the two countries. It was attended by more than 50 Russian industrial companies and corporations that are looking to develop collaboration between Mos-cow and Bangkok in a wide range of areas: from helicopter manufacturing and the power industry, to medical equipment and information technol-ogies. The primary objective of the business mission was the further development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two states. Russia is not just about the 1.3 million tourists per year that visit Thailand, but is also a promising business partner. Trade and econom-ic relations between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Thailand develop actively. This is evidenced by the growth of trade between the countries - in 2017 bi-lateral trade turnover between Russia and Thailand increased by 61.2 per cent to touch $3.13 billion. In the years ahead, Moscow and Bangkok intend to bring the volume of trade to $10 billion. Now Russian industrial giants are interested in developing long-term cooperation between the countries. One of these companies is the State Corporation Rostec, which is one of the key Russian corporations and includes over 700 industrial enter-prises of aviation and automotive equipment, power plants for transport, energy equipment, electronics and software, optical systems, medical equipment and much more. One of the most striking examples of the evolution of the relationship between Rostec and Thai companies was a memorandum on cooperation between one of the holding companies of the state corporation - Russian Helicopters - and Datagate Co., Ltd. The memorandum was signed in February 2018 as part of the Singapore Airshow. In particular, the arrange-ments involve the setting up of a technical service centre for maintenance of Russian-made helicopters in Thai-land. The centre will be able to provide all types of maintenance and repair work, including fault handling and replacement of components. The centre is needed to facilitate supplies of Russian helicopter equip-ment to Thailand. In April 2017, Rostec held talks with the leadership of the Department of Disaster Pre-vention and Mitigation of Thailand and Datagate. As a result of the agreements reached, Russian Heli-copters, a part of Rostec, signed a contract with Datagate to supply two civilian-type Ka-32A11BC helicopters that are equipped with fire extinguish-ing equipment and can perform search and rescue operations. These helicop-ters are likely to be delivered this year. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation is current-ly working to create its own aviation unit capable of undertaking primar-ily fire-fighting tasks, as well as search-and-rescue operations of Thai citizens affected by natural disasters. Amid the backdrop of the forest fire in February 2018 on the island of Phi Phi Don in the south of Thai-land, during which some tourists from Brazil, Argentina and Israel were affected and actual damage reached $1 billion, the issue of equipping the rescue services

with modern helicopters is becoming more urgent. Acting through Rostec, Russia expressed its willingness to offer its technological solutions for the pro-tection and rescue of Thai citizens; for example, the Ansat, Mi-17 and Ka-32 helicopters, which have a proven global track record. Rostec in cooperation with Datagate is current-ly working on projects for promoting Russian helicopters for the needs of the Thai Ministries of Natural Re-sources and Healthcare. In Southeast Asia, there is a growing appreciation for Russian-or-igin helicopter technology. Countries in the region don’t just covet technol-ogy for the suppression of wildfires, but see helicopters from Russia as being useful in developing large-scale industrial projects in hard-to-reach areas. These sentiments are shared by many countries in different parts of the world. To maintain business connections with commercial and government partners in the Asian region, Rostec plans to showcase its newest aircraft in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and China at the end of 2018. However, Rostec's activities in Thailand are not limited to the avia-tion field. For instance, Kamaz, the largest Russian manufacturer of trucks, which is part of Rostec, is actively seeking potential partners in Thailand. The company expressed its willingness to supply four-wheel trucks with right-hand drive for the needs of the law enforcement agencies of the Kingdom, as well as for commercial

users. Cars with the 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8

wheel configurations can carry loads from 4 to 25 tons and can be used for installation of special upper structures.

Medical and life-saving equipment Recently, Russia has significant-ly diversified its product portfolio and is expanding the export of competitive civilian equipment, including high-end medical equipment. For example, one of Rostec’s holdings, Shwabe, which holds a 70 per cent share of the Russian market of optoelectronic systems, and includes the main scientific, production and service-marketing enterprises of the industry, is looking at actively strength-ening its presence in the Asian region as well as in Thailand. This has been reaffirmed by the increase in exhibi-tion activity by the holding. At the end of 2017, the company demon-strated its latest developments in the field of neonatal and cardiology equipment at the International Med-ical Fair Thailand in Bangkok. Rostec’s holding successfully cooperates with partners in Germany,

United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy in various

market segments, from special and du-

al-pur-

pose optoelectronic systems, to neo-natal and respiratory equipment. Medical equipment is one of the main products of the company in the civilian segment. Shwabe has more than 200 medical equipment products, including neonatal, intensive care, anaesthetic, ophthalmologic, gynae-cological and other equipment. Before the end of 2018, Shwabe plans to register some of its most popular global medical products in Thailand. The holding is preparing to reg-ister the medical equipment, which is now used for resuscitation, intensive care and nursing of new-born children, including infants with extremely low

body weight. This equip-

ment is used in more than 700 Russian medical institutions and in the clinics of more than 50 countries.

Information Technology Electronics and IT is another promising area for development of cooperation between Russia and Thailand. In this segment, Rostec has a unique set of solutions in various

fields — from cyber security to complex intelligent ‘smart city’ systems. At the end of last year, at the Defence & Security 2017 exhibition, held in Bangkok, the corporation presented a large range of modern cyber-security solutions for Thai cus-tomers for the first time. For example, the company demonstrated software and hardware systems that provide automatic detection and blocking of computer attacks, and identification and monitoring of IP addresses of cyber-threat sources. A software plat-form for cross-functional secure access to protected cloud resources was also presented to Thai partners. In addition, there were antivirus software solutions aimed to monitor the computer networks, which allow collecting and analysing data on cy-ber-attacks, assessing their criticality, the frequency of attacks, and the most frequent sources of threats. Such products solve the tasks of protecting computers, servers, mail, gateways, and mobile devices from cybercrim-inals to the fullest extent. During the Russian business mission to Thailand in February 2018, the RITE company, a subsidiary of Rostec and an authorized exporter of Russian IT products, presented a number of IT-projects to state-run

enterprises of Thailand.

Among them was a set of solutions for ‘e-government’, as well as ‘smart and safe city’ technology for development of the urban environment in Bangkok and other cities in the country. One such solution is the ‘Bright City’ project, which provides a wide range of equipment (energy-saving lamps, controllers, equipment and software) that automatically adjusts street lighting with IoT technologies depending on the time of day, weath-er and other conditions. Implemen-tation of such developments helps save energy costs by as much as 50 per cent.

Public security solutions One of the products that evoked intense interest was the system of intelligent video analytics, based on technology of face recognition in photo and video streams. It uses the unique mathematical algorithm FindFace, which helps recognize human faces with high speed and accuracy. With its help, the search in a database of 1 billion pictures takes less than half a second on a single processor. Due to this efficiency, at the end of 2017 FindFace became a winner of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) competition in two categories - the most accurate and the fastest algo-rithm, being ahead of competing developments from the U.S., Europe and Asia. This technology offers new op-portunities in the field of monitoring systems to ensure public safety. With the aid of video cameras installed in the streets, public places or in trans-port, it is possible to efficiently search for missing people, wanted persons or potential threats to society online. The system not only allows the au-thorities to identify an individual in the video stream almost instantly, but also to track the person’s movements, determine his or her location and even emotional state. This is one of the Russian devel-opments that can be used in the modernization project of the Uta-pao airport in Pattaya. The possibility of integrating this technology into the security systems of the airport was discussed during the February meetings. Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, and Alexei Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, who were present at these meetings, accentuated the importance of coop-eration between the two countries in the field of information technologies. Areas of cooperation proposed during the Russian business mission were supported by representatives of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) and can be implemented with-in the national strategic program ‘Technology and Innovation Devel-opment.’ Pilot projects in the IT field are estimated to be worth $8 million at the first stage. The overall budget of IT projects, where Rostec’s com-petences can be involved, may amount to about $200 million. Most of the projects are directly related to the key objects of the East-ern Economic Corridor (EEC) initi-ative. EEC is a Thai government ini-tiative that calls for the formation of an economic zone on the east coast of the Kingdom, where innovative industries will be developed in a va-riety of fields - from agriculture to medicine and advanced technologies. The government expects investments to the tune of $43 billion in the East-ern Economic Corridor over the next five years, mainly due to direct foreign

investment.

Rostec looks to boost Russia-Thailand business ties

“ Medical equipment is one of the main products

of the company in the civilian segment. Shwabe has more

than 200 medical equipment products, including neonatal,

intensive care, anaesthetic, ophthalmologic,

gynaecological and other equipment.”

in Asia4 Destination Russia 5

The Seven Wonders of RussiaThe Seven Wonders of Russia are seven of the country’s natural and historical treasures that have been selected in a national public poll, organized by the newspaper Izvestia, Radio Mayak and TV channel Russia. The competition took place in three stages from October 1, 2007 through June 1, 2008, with the final results declared in Moscow’s Red Square on June 12, 2008.

THE NATION Thursday, June 7, 2018

St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, is a church in the Red Square in Moscow. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat or Pokrovsky Cathedral. It was built in 1555–1561 on the orders of Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan.

Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing 22–23 per cent of the world’s fresh surface water. With a maximum depth of 1,642 metres Baikal is also the world’s deepest lake. It is considered among the world’s clearest lakes and is considered the world’s oldest lake – at 25–30 million years. It is the seventh-largest lake in the world by surface area.

The Valley of Geysers is a geyser field that has the second largest concentration of geysers in the world. This 6-km-long basin with approximately 90 geysers and many hot springs is situated on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East. Temperatures have been found to be 250 °C, 500 metres below the caldera ground. The valley is difficult to reach, with helicopters providing the only feasible means of transport.

The Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, a municipal town in the federal city of St. Petersburg, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These palaces and gardens are commonly referred as the “Russian Versailles.” The palace-ensemble along with the city centre is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mamayev Kurgan is a dominant height overlooking the city of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) in Southern Russia. The name means “Tumulus of Mamai” in Russian. There is a memorial complex built to commemorate the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943, during World War II), infamous as one of the bloodiest battles in the history of humankind. At the time of its installation in 1967 the statue named The Motherland Calls on Mamayev Kurgan was the largest free-standing sculpture in the world, and currently it is regarded as the world’s tallest sculpture of a woman.

Mount Elbrus, a dormant volcano, is part of the Caucasus mountain range and rises near Russia’s border with

Georgia. It is the tallest mountain in Europe. The mountain has two summits, both being volcanic domes. The taller

west summit is 5,642 metres high while the shorter one is 5,621 metres in height.

The Manpupuner rock formations are a set of seven stone pillars located west of the Ural Mountains in the Troit-sko-Pechorsky District of the Komi Republic. Their name in the Komi language means “Mountain of Idols.” The height of the rocks varies between 30 and 42 metres. About 200 million years ago at the location of the stone pillars there were high mountains. Rain, snow, wind, frost and heat gradually eroded the mountains.

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A children’s dance festival titled ‘We are Together’ was held at the S.D. Avenue Bangkok Hotel

on May 20, 2018. The event, supported by the Russian Embassy in Bangkok and the Faculty of Humanities of the Ramkhamhaeng University, was co- organized by the Katyusha Folk Dance Ensemble (headed by Ekaterina Alekseyeva), Rosinka International Ballet School (headed by Ekaterina Benderskaya) and the Russian Embassy School in Bangkok. Kirill Barsky, Russian Ambassador to Thailand, delivered a welcoming speech at the festival, addressing the young performers and numerous spectators. On the occasion of Interna-tional Children’s Day, which is marked worldwide on June 1, he stressed the importance of such events for developing the talents of children, educating them in the spirit of high culture and support-ing creative initiatives of the younger generation. Professor Art-ron Chitsumon, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of the Ramkhamhaeng University delivered his speech in Russian. He noted that dance projects like this are an important component of Russian-Thai cultural and educational cooperation. They help Thai children become familiar with Russian

culture and increase the interest of pupils and students to learn the Russian language. The professor proudly emphasized that over the 120 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Russia and Thailand have managed to forge strong friendly ties between the two peoples. He added that the countries must educate the future generation in such a way that they can cherish this friendship and mutual understanding.

The dance festival was well received by the enthusiastic and attentive audience. More than 100 children aged from 4 to 16 years demon-strated their talents on the stage. Artistic directors prepared a spectacular program consisting of more than 30 colourful multi-gen-re performances. The dances were enhanced

THE NATION THE NATIONThursday, June 7, 2018 Thursday, June 7, 2018in Asia in Asia6 7

Immortal Regiment marches

held in Thailand

Travel Living in Thailand

Can you tell us how the National Tourism Offices were established? What is your main mission?

In 2015, the Russian Ministry of Culture and Rostourism initiated the creation of the National Marketing Centre for Tourism, naming it ‘Visit Russia.’ Overseas offices were soon established. In recent years, Southeast Asia has developed rapidly and made great progress in various fields, including tourism. The Visit Russia Asia office was opened in Hanoi in the beginning of 2016 and it is in charge of seven countries: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and South Korea.

Since the opening of its first office in the region, Visit Russia Asia has been carrying out a series of activities in different countries to showcase Russia as a tourist destination to Asian visitors.

The main mission of Visit Russia Asia is to create a positive image of Russia as a country that is favourable for tourism and recreation. We would like to increase confidence in Russian travel services, as well as promote various Russian regions and different types of tourism. Visit Russia Asia also looks to promote the tourism potential of Rus-sian regions among travel companies and professionals in Asia through ex-hibitions, road shows, familiarisation trips and workshops. Such events showcase the potential of Russian tourism, provide new information, and give visitors a friendly and hospitable impression of the country - instead of what people used to think of the USSR.

In Thailand, Visit Russia Asia works closely with the Russian Embassy to host promotional events such as a pres-entation on the potential of Russian Tourism in November 2016, an exhibi-tion in connection with the 120th anni-versary of the establishment of diplo-matic relations between Russia and Thailand, and the grand opening of the Russia Thailand Travel Club. We receive a great amount of support for these events from the Russian Embassy. We believe in the great tourism potential of Russia. Through the pro-motion of Visit Russia, visitors will get a clear view of the country’s nature, culture and people. We do hope for a

significant increase in visitors to Russia. In 2017, we witnessed a 35 per cent year over year growth in arrivals from Thailand.

Russia is known for amazing his-toric architecture in St. Petersburg and the Golden Ring cities, which attract many visitors. Does Russia have other destinations or new travel products to attract tourists?

Russia is the world’s largest coun-try in terms of area with diverse terrain (spreading across two continents and 11 time zones). This diversity also extends to culture, with the country being home

to 160 ethnic groups. Russia is indeed a microcosm of the world with many attractions. The word Russia often reminds tourists of Moscow and St. Petersburg, which are undeniably two big and very attractive cities. However, there are countless other destinations that few people know about, like the Murmansk Region in the country’s northwest, which is famous for the Northern Lights. Then there’s Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, with a wide array of flora and fauna. Russia also has the world’s long-est, and arguably most famous, railway network in the world - the Trans-Sibe-rian. Visit Russia is a one-stop window for visitors and tourism companies to find information about any destination in Russia. We are sure that Russia’s uniqueness in nature, culture and cui-sine will attract visitors.

Many people in Thailand enjoy snow and temperate winter landscapes. Can you recommend some Russian destinations for the colder months?

Travel to the northernmost region of Murmansk and go dog sledding with Siberian Huskies, then drink tea in a tent with an indigenous person before watching the Northern Lights! These are amazing winter experiences in Russia. I think visitors should experience one place at a time and after getting familiar with the Murmansk Region, they can try walking on the ice-covered Baikal Lake – where you can see through the ice and watch fish swim under frozen water. You can also experience the mysteries of Siberia. There’s a lot more for visitors to explore!

Summer in Sakhalin: Whale-watching, warm lakes and water sports

The waters around the oil and gas-rich island in Russia’s Far East are blessed with an abundance of marine life.

Summer is a great season to spot western grey whales and northern fur seals, to camp near warm lakes and lagoons, and indulge in water sports. Sakhalin is geographically closer to Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong than it is to Moscow, but unlike its Asian neighbours, Russia’s largest island is still blessed with almost unspoiled nature. Infamous for frequent snowstorms in winter that lead to airport closures for days on end, the island offers its fair share of warm sunny days in the summer months. Marine life Summer is the feeding season for the endangered western grey whales, a species that is believed to be 30 million years old. The whales, which grow to a length of almost 15 metres and weigh around 40 tons, can be spotted from the eastern coast of the island. August is the best month to catch a glimpse of them, as this is when they migrate to the waters near Sakhalin to feed on shrimp and small fish. The eastern coast of Sakhalin is a short drive from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the island’s capital. The best people to guide a visitor on where to spot the whales are the staff of en-vironmental NGOs operating on the island. Environmentalists believe that there are only 100 western grey whales near the Asian Pacific coast. These majestic mammals return to the eastern Pacific Ocean in the winter months for breeding. Other marine mammals are easier to spot. Just east of the southern tip of Sakhalin

is a unique and small island that is a nursery for seals. Tyuleny (seal) Island is just 1.6 kilometres long and 19 metres wide, and hosts a large population of seals and birds. The seal

rookery is one of the most fascinating natural sites anywhere in Russia. The northern fur seals that live near the island can also be spotted off the east coast of Sakhalin and are among the most sociable species of marine life. They often approach fishing boats. A variety of sea birds here take up the spaces left vacant by the seals. In the summer

one can spot the common murre, kittiwake, crested auklets, Siberian rubythroats, red-necked stints and narcissus flycatchers, among other species. Tour operators in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk offer day trips to the island.

Warm lakes There are 16,000 lakes spread across the 948-kilometre long island. Only the lakes and lagoons in the southern part of Sakhalin are warm enough for swimming.

Tunnaicha Lake, about 30 kilometres from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, is surrounded by mountains and is one of many tranquil spots near the capital. Parallel to Tunnaicha and separated by a narrow stretch of land from the Sea of Okhotsk is Izmenchivoe Lake. Locals believe the land around the lake con-tains minerals and often take soil back with

them to use as fertilizers at their dachas. Southern Sakhalin has several lakes and lagoons that are popular with fishermen including Busse, a lagoon known for its scallops. Busse is a one-hour drive from the world’s largest gas-liquefying plant. In summer, the series of lakes in southern Sakhalin known as Teplie ozera (warm lakes) are a great place for camping and swimming. If you’re interested in Soviet history, then visit one of the largest marine collective farms

in the former Soviet Union. The Kirov collective farm near the town of Korsakov was established in May 1959 and is still in operation. The Kirov, which was formed by 15 fishing cooperatives, is one of the few collective farms that survived the demise of the USSR. You can buy salmon, pollock, cod, flounder and herring here. Sakhalin is famous for its seafood and the local cuisine reflects this richness. Many shops sell salads with shrimp, squid and crab and it is easy to find oysters, scallops, crabs and other types of fish in the markets.

Water sports Windsurfers flock to the warm lakes in the summer. The weather can be unpredicta-ble at times, but the best months are August and September. Busse is popular for kayaking and canoeing. Fishermen in diving suits row to the centre of the lake in canoes to catch scallops. There have been complaints recently that water-skiers are destroying the peace and quiet of some of the larger lakes, a consequence of the immense wealth that was created locally after the oil and gas boom. For diving head to the southernmost end of the island. In August and September the waters of Aniva Bay, north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, are warm enough for swimming. The more daring visitors swim from Sakhalin to Aniva Cape lighthouse, which was built by Japan in 1939. Swimmers are advised to exercise caution, since there have been oc-casional great white shark sightings in the bay. The warm weather in Sakhalin stretches on later than in most parts of Russia, making it an ideal place to enjoy summer into the early fall.

R ussian citizens held Immortal Regiment marches in various cities in Thailand on May 9, 2018.

The marches are held annually in Russia to honour those who gave their lives to defend the Soviet Union from Nazi Ger-many during the Second World War. Around 800 Russians took part in a procession in the resort town of Pattaya. They marched for about two kilometres by the seaside promenade, carrying national flags and portraits of their grandparents who fought during the war, which is known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia. The same evening, a concert and video link with the Immortal Regiment

march in Moscow was organised in the city. This was followed by a screening at the Central Festival shopping mall of Sobibor, a critically acclaimed Russian war drama film released in May 2018.

More than 200 people converged at the Russian Orthodox Church in Phuket to pay tribute to those who perished in the war. The Immortal Regiment procession and the concert featuring performances by both adults and children were held in front of the church. A ceremony was also held in Samui, where a commemorative ceremony was held near the Holy Ascension Church. After the requiem service a war songs

concert was held. Performers read letters from the front-line and recited poetry about the Victory. Ribbons of St. George (a symbol of the victory) were distributed while children were gifted military forage caps.

Children’s Dance Festival heldin Bangkok

Contemporary dance "Sisters" by Rosinka International Ballet School, Pattaya.

Joint performance by the Katyusha Folk Dance Ensemble and the Russian Embassy School in Bangkok.

100 gingerbread Matreshkas for the participants made by 8 Horseshoes Tavern.

by complicated gymnastic stunts and colourful costumes and decorations. Eminent cultural figures note that such events encourage the creative, spiritual and physical development of children from Russia, Thailand and other countries. Each festival participant, irrespective of age, received diplomas, medals and gifts, which were presented by the Russian Ambassador and the Ramkhamhaeng Uni-versity’s Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.

The Immortal Regiment march has now become a global event thanks to the Russian diaspora and expat community. In keeping with tradition, the Russian community in Thailand holds open-air concerts and other cultural activities, including the cooking and serving of a ‘real soldier’s lunch’ prepared on a trailer or the back of a flatbed truck. The main dish offered is buckwheat (or pearl barley) with stewed meat or Tushonka in Russian. In Russia you can buy a can of Tushonka in any supermar-ket, but it is rather easy to prepare the stew at home. We asked Chef Mikhail Ilyin to share the original recipe that is used by the 8 Horseshoes Tavern in Pattaya. Ingredients: 1.5 kg of meat (beef or pork) with a fatty interlayer 2 teaspoons salt 5 pieces of black pepper 3 bay leaves and any spices for taste (pepper, coriander seeds or mustard).

Procedure: Cut the meat into small cubes and place them in a heat-resistant dish. Add salt, pepper, bay leaves and spices. Mix, cover and put in the oven at 180 degrees for 3-4 hours. After this do not open the oven. Let the meat cool. Put the meat in glass jars. Keep it in the refrigerator. This dish is perfectly preserved in the fridge for a week. After making a week’s supply of homemade Tushonka, you can add it to many dishes. The meat can be added to a soup, mixed with porridge or pasta, put in an omelette mixture, or simply eaten cold on rye bread.Bon Appetit!

Tushonka A soldier’s lunch

Record-high turnout at the Russian Presidential election in Thailand

Russian citizens in Thailand turned up in large numbers to vote in the presidential election that was held on March 18, 2018. On Election Day, the Embassy of Russia opened polling stations in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket. This was preceded by early “field” voting in Samui on March 16 and Hua Hin on March 17. There was a record-high turnout in the Kingdom, with almost six thousand Russian citizens exercising their right to vote:

Bangkok • 497 people Pattaya • 2,288 people Phuket • 2,757 people Samui • 276 people Hua Hin • 139 people

The elections also attracted a vivid interest in Thailand with several Thai newspapers and television channels covering them.

Russia seeks more tourists from Asia

The Russian Embassy in Bangkok, on March 16, 2018, hosted the Thailand launch of ‘Globetrotting for Love and Other Stories from Sakhalin Island,’ a collection of short stories written by Indian journalist Ajay Kamalakaran. The launch was held as a part of the Russian Embassy’s ‘Intellectual Tea Party.’ At the event, Kamalakaran, who was the editor of the Sakhalin Times from 2003 to 2007, shared his impression of living and working on Sakhalin with sincere nostalgia and cordiality. Numerous guests at the event were surprised by the past and present-day tales of this beautiful island in the Far East of Russia, which is inhabited by strong but kind and caring people of different nationalities and confessions. Many eminent Thais were present at the event, including Kasit Piromya, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and former Ambassador of Thailand to Russia. Kamalakaran also conducted a lecture at the Russian language department of Thammasat University. The book is available on Amazon.com.

Book of short stories set in Sakhalin launched in Thailand

“ Environmentalists believe that there are only 100 western

grey whales near the Asian Pacific coast. These majestic mammals

return to the eastern Pacific Ocean in the winter months for breeding.”

AJAY KAMALAKARAN, RUSSIA BEYOND

An interview with Ms. Ta Thi Bich Ha, Director of the National Tourism Office Visit Russia Asia

in Southeast Asia

THE NATION Thursday, June 7, 2018 in Asia8

1. On December 2, 2010, Russia was granted the right to host the FIFA World Cup. The finals of the tournament will be held from June 14 to July 15, 2018.

2. 32 teams will take part in the competition. Russia qualified as the host nation. The other participants are Brazil, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Belgium, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Germany, England, Spain, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Poland, Egypt, Iceland, Serbia, Portugal, France, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Switzerland, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark, Australia and Peru.

3. The matches will be held in 11 cities:Moscow (The Russian capital will host the final), St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd, Nizhny-Novgorod, Saransk, Rostov-on-Don, Kalin-ingrad and Sochi

4. In October 2014, FIFA unveiled the official emblem of the World Cup. The principal theme of the World Cup Russia is a dream and cosmic outer space exploration, enlivened with folk motives featuring Firebirds, Matryoshkas and folk patterns. 5. Zabivaka™ the Wolf, designed by student Ekaterina Bocharova won the right to be the 2018 World Cup mascot. The main symbol of the tourna-ment was chosen via online voting.

6. Volunteers will be assisting in the process of managing and hosting the FIFA World Cup. They received special training for the event. The organiz-ers plan to have 17,000 volunteers at the World Cup. About 18,000 volunteers will take part in a program titled City Volunteers.

It was during the 2002 World Cup (co-hosted by Japan and South Korea) that football fans began to congregate in massive numbers to watch matches together outdoors. The first official FIFA Fan Fest Programme was launched in 2006, during the World Cup in Germany. It is customary to stage these festivals in the most “touristy” neighbourhoods: main squares and streets, parks and beaches. They draw tens of thousands of people daily. The total number of visitors to the Fan Fest grounds of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil exceeded 5 million. In addition to watching the game on a large screen, visitors can enjoy some live music, hobnob with star footballers and other VIPs, and buy souvenirs from FIFA sponsors and partners. The FIFA Fan Fests are not limited to football. Visitors will be offered a rich entertainment program, including performances by famous musicians, various interactive stands and exciting activities prepared by the 2018 World Cup partners and sponsors. Entrance to the Fan Fests will be free of charge. In Russia, the Fan Fests will be held in all 11 host cities of the 2018 World Cup. Memorable locations in the picturesque places of the central part of the cities have been chosen for the Fan Fests.

2018 FIFA Fan Fest - Confirmed Locations

Yekaterinburg, Mayakovsky Central Park of Enter-tainment and Culture (Capacity: 17,000) Located just outside the city centre in a popular and well-known amusement park. Yekaterinburg, the easternmost World Cup 2018 host city, is keeping the FIFA Fan Fest in its main city park, the customary venue for festivals, concerts and outdoor strolls.

Kaliningrad, Tsentralnaya Square (Capacity: 15,000) The historical square in the city centre, conveniently situated on the way from the city to the stadium Kaliningrad’s Tsentralnaya, or Central, Square is big enough to accommodate as many as 15,000 people a day for the FIFA Fan Fest. Contrary to its name, the square is 1.5 km away from the centre, right on the route most fans will be travelling to get to the local World Cup arena.

Kazan, Family Centre Kazan (Capacity: 25,000) The capital of Tatarstan will welcome the FIFA Fan Fest to the neighbourhood of Family Centre Kazan, on a peninsula formed by the Kazanka River, and the streets of Dekabristov and Sigbata Khakima. The Family Cen-tre Kazan, or marriage solemnization hall, built in the summer of 2013, was christened ‘The Bowl’ right away. Indeed, the building designed by artist and sculptor Dasha Namdakov, is shaped like a wok, or ‘kazan’ in Tatar. The Bowl can host more than 100 wedding cer-emonies daily in its three rooms.

Moscow, Vorobyovy Gory (Capacity: 25,000) Located by the Lomonosov Moscow State Univer-sity, situated on a hill on the right bank of the Moskva River, with an amazing view of the city, Vorobyovy Gory is one of the most scenic parts of the Russian capital, offering the best panoramic views of the city, taking in the Moskva River, Stalinist skyscrapers, Moscow City

towers and Ostankinskaya TV tower. It is close to the Luzhniki Stadium, which will host the final. Concerts and other cultural activities are staged frequently at Vorobyovy Gory. The FIFA Fan Fest will unfold in a beautiful park next to the Moscow State University’s main building.

Nizhny-Novgorod, Minina i Pozharskogo Square (Capacity: 15,000) The location chosen for the FIFA Fan Fest is the tourist heart of Nizhny-Novgorod, right by the city’s principal landmark, the local Kremlin. One of the oldest streets in Nizhny, the pedestrian Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Ulitsa incepts here, and a breath-taking view opens up on the Oka and Volga confluence below and the great expanse beyond the Volga. The plaza is surrounded by the Kremlin walls, some residential buildings, Chkalov statue and Ulyanova street, and has a capacity of 15,000.

Rostov-on-Don, Teatralnaya Square (Capacity: 25,000) The designated site of the 2018 FIFA Fan Fest, Rostov-on-Don’s main square can hold 25,000 of those wishing to watch football with some great company and feel the vibes of a real sports festival. The fan zone is located between the Gorky Drama Theatre, Teatralny Prospekt, Ulitsa Zakrutkina and Krasnoflotsky Pereulok. The large square close to the city centre is a well-known event location for the local community.

St. Petersburg, Konyushennaya Square (Capacity: 15,000) Koniushennaya Square, picked as the site of the FIFA Fan Fest in Russia’s northern capital, is very cen-tral. Koniushennaya Square at the crossing of Griboye-dova Canal, Bolshaya Koniushennaya Ulitsa and Koni-ushenny Pereulok is fit to receive a maximum of 15,000 people a day during the 2018 World Cup.

Samara, Kuybysheva Square (Capacity: 35,000) The designated fan fest site in Samara happens to be the biggest plaza in Russia and Europe. Its first ap-pearance on the city map dates back to 1853. Today Kuybysheva Square is the venue for most city festivals, as well as flash mobs.

Saransk, Sovetskaya Square (Capacity: 25,000) The main square of the Mordovian capital dates back to the 17th century, and has since undergone a few name changes. It is located in the city centre, and reg-ularly used for major city events. The 2018 World Cup FIFA Fan Fest will be able to host about 25,000 visitors.

Sochi, South Mall of the Seaport (Capacity: 10,000) One of the most moderately sized FIFA Fan Fest grounds, and the only Russian seaside fan zone, will be set up in the southernmost World Cup 2018 host city, Sochi. Adjoining the main ground will be an additional area in front of the left wing of the port building.

Volgograd, 62 Armii Embankment (Capacity: 30,000) Volgograd’s central embankment with its many landmarks – the grand stairway, riverboat terminal and Battle of Stalingrad panoramic museum – has been designated as the site for the 2018 FIFA Fan Fest. It enjoys an iconic location in the city centre, along the Volga River and connected to the main pedestrian routes. The Fan Fest will be held in area on the embankment proper, close to the grand stairway that leads to the Alley of Heroes.

FIFA Fan Fest

Sometimes it takes a scientist to create a stunning work of art...

This marvel from the Novo-sibirsk-based micro-miniature master is sure to strike a chord with anyone familiar with Nicholai Leskov’s ‘The Lefty’ (The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea). The smallest ever FIFA championship cup has emerged out of Siberia, courtesy of Vladimir Aniskin, a master of micro- miniatures, who worked tireless-ly on the tiny replica. “The cup was welded using a combination of technologies,” Aniskin told TASS. “It is composed of a dye, and sprayed with gold dust. Its height is two millimetres, and it sits on a cross section of a poppy seed.” The best part about the creation – and the hardest – was the master’s insistence on staying true to the original. We are but weeks away now from the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in Moscow, and will span 10 more Russian cities. Aniskin is a big football fan: the artist already has both the official logo, on a cross section of a grain of rice, and a 3D miniature sculpture of the official wolf mascot under his belt, both measuring no more than 1.5 mm. The official cup’s weight of slightly more than six kg makes Aniskin’s creation a tiny feat of engineering, which the master used an array of tools to forge. This is no surprise, given his job at the Siberian wing of the Russian Academy of Sciences, at the Mechanical Engineering department, where he’s been since 1999. Aniskin’s current field centres on creating microscopic chips for research in aerodynamics. First published by Russia Beyond (https://www.rbth.com/arts/328272- fifa-soccer-football-miniature-cup)

MICROMINIATURE — a rare kind of art, in which amazing creations of ultra-small forms are created under the microscope. “Particularly fine work is done between heartbeats!” says Vladimir Aniskin http://vladimiraniskin.com/

7. The 2018 FIFA World Cup and each host city will be represented by elected ambassadors - famous people who were either born in those cities, or are somehow related to them.

8. Apart from foot-ball matches, guests will also be able to visit FIFA Fan Fests - spe-cial events organized by FIFA. These fests will be held at officially dedicat-ed areas, where everyone unable to come to the stadium is wel-come to join the festivities. This is the perfect way to safely and conveniently watch live coverage of the games between the best teams in the world.

Russian engineer creates 2mm-tall FIFA cup

World Cup 2018

Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the 2018 FIFA World Cup FAN ID Distribution Centre and received their FAN IDs.

RUSSIA BEYOND

Otkrytiye Arena Stadium, Moscow.

The mini cup is 182.5 times smaller than the original. Photo by Kirill Kukhmar TASS

Teatralnaya Square, Rostov-on-Don

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Zabivaka™ the Wolf, 2018

World Cup Mascot.

8 facts about the 2018

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