What makes the FSU so interesting?

[Gator]

I guess you are referring to the Japanese Butterfly technique.

I guess you have Ukrainian roots from your maternal lineage.
Impressed by your ability to think "outside the box". A sign of genius, so I understand.

And I thought that Moon Goddess was talking about a special Ukrainian recipe for cooking any mushroom, even making an ordinary mushroom taste like the Crown of Crowns.     Ignorant me!

[mendeleyev]

From today's Mendeleyev Journal:

Has Dorofei Medvedev (Дорофей), Russia's "first cat" decided to join the protest movement?




(In this cartoon Dorofei protests for his "freedom.")

Soaring to new highs on Twitter, Vk and Facebook, Russians are purring over the brief disappearance of the Medvedev cat with some news sources saying that police in the Moscow suburb of Gorki had been dispatched to look for the cat.

President Medvedev, who is traveling in India today, took a moment to Tweet, "About the cat. A source close to Dorofei says he was not lost. Thank you all for your concern!"

Dorofei is a Siberian breed, a rare Nevsky Masquerade, and was picked out by first lady Svetlana Medvedeva in 2003, several years prior to Mr. Medvedev running for president in 2008. The name comes from the Greek Dorotheos, or the "gift of God."

Meanwhile an outpouring of catty remarks on Twitter and other social media continues to grow. Many comments are jokes about Dorofei wishing to be free before Vladimir Putin returns to the presidency. One post features a doctored photo of Putin in a fur hat with cat's ears and the caption: "Dorofei? No, haven't seen him."



(Dorofei Medvedev greeted the Obamas at the Russian presidential residence in 2009.)

Some Twitter users were sympathetic but many joked the cat showed good sense to make a break for it. Several Twitter accounts have been set up in Dorofei's name and users are sending messages like "Run, Dorofei, Run!" and slogans from the recent election protests.

Several telephone poles in the elite Moscow suburb near Mr Medvedev's official residence are covered with fictional "lost cat" posters.
               

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal:


The Moscow Times newspaper calls him the "blonde angel with a trumpet instead of the harp" so who are we to disagree when Chris Botti comes to Moscow a week from today on Thursday, 5 April. Those of you who are fans will recognize Chris Botti as an American trumpeter and composer. In 2007 Botti was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album.



Chris Botti will be in concert, April 5 at the Moscow House of Music.Botti's solo debut, First Wish, was released in 1995 and in 1999 he toured with Sting as a featured soloist in the Brand New Day tour. His music mixes smooth jazz, chill, R&B, and pop Classical. Botti also played in Moscow last year to sold out performances.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Chris Botti is a core performer on the Mendeleyev Journal radio station, www.MyFavoriteChannel.com.






Fans can learn more about Chris and his music at www.chrisbotti.com. Botti plays a Martin Committee large bore Handcraft trumpet made in 1939, and uses a #3 silver plated mouthpiece from Bach made in 1926, and uses a Leblanc Vacchiano Harmon mute from the 1950s.

The concert will begin at 20.00 (8pm) with tickets ranging from 3300-7300 руб. Tickets should be purchased in advance by calling 730-1011, 258-0000 or visiting online at www.Parter.ru. The Moscow House of Music is home to the National Philharmonic of Russia and located at Kosmodamianskaya Embankment, 52, Building 8 (Svetlanov Hall).





Moscow's House of Music is home to the National Philharmonic of Russia and part of the Riverside Towers business and hotel complex.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Chris Botti is a core performer on the Mendeleyev Journal radio station, www.MyFavoriteChannel.com.
                               

For Russian readers:
Крис Ботти - самый популярный трубач мира. Его репертуар – это изысканный союз джаза, классики и поп музыки. На глазах у изумлённой публики он каждый раз превращает известные мелодии во что-то совершенно новое и удивительное. На сегодняшний день Крис Ботти уже продал более пяти миллионов копий своих альбомов. Его партнёры – только суперзвёзды: Стинг, Пол Саймон, Джони Митчел, Джон Мэйер, Ренди Брекер, Андреа Бочелли, Джошуа Белл, Марк Нопфлер и даже группа «Аэросмит» во главе со Стивеном Тайлером. Он входит в избранный круг мировой музыкальной элиты. Звук его трубы неподражаем и знаком миллионам поклонников по всему миру. Удивлять – в этом и есть непревзойдённое мастерство Криса Ботти. Это будет поистине незабываемый вечер и самое изысканное украшение музыкального сезона!
5 апреля 2012 года, звуками этой трубы вновь наполнится Московский Дом Музыки. В апреле прошлого года Крис Ботти уже приезжал в Россию. Это были невероятные, аншлаговые представления! Лишний билетик спрашивали задолго до подхода к Дому Музыки. Более того, сразу по окончании шоу многие пожелали купить билеты на следующее российское шоу Криса.

И вот – свершилось! В этом году легендарный трубач обещал особенно удивить своих поклонников. Его новое шоу – будет намного ярче всех остальных! Российская публика увидит совершенно новую, потрясающую программу! Специально приглашённые американские музыканты, которые выйдут на сцену вместе с Крисом, блеснут виртуозным мастерством. Скрипки, перкуссия, ударные, вокал… Modern Jazz, Classical Mainstream, R&B, Chill Out…





Космодамианская наб., д. 52 стр. 8, Moscow, Russia, 115054. Это будет поистине незабываемый вечер! Крис Ботти, дамы и господа! Самое изысканное украшение музыкального сезона!
                 

[newjason]

Mushroom-picking is a national pastime in Ukraine. Thousands of mushroomers go out into the woods every summer and autumn to gather. Chernobyl  being surrounded by sparsely populated marshland and forest, it WAS ideal country for mushroom hunting. In this country, mostly mushrooms are appreciated as a fried or pickled dish, also  as a base for healthy soup (yummy yummy  )

Favorite Ukrainian (and Russian  )mushrooms are: 

Опенок - Opyonok (honey mushroom)


Подберезовик - Podberyozovik (Rough birch stock)


Масленок - Maslyonok (Slippery jack)


Рыжик - Ryzhik (Saffron milk cap)


AND

Белый/Боровик - Bely/Borovik (Penny bun boletus)

Ghost you are a mushroomer too?  Sweet    
I actually teach an Identification Class and also guide tours in the spring and fall here in Seattle. I hold a degree in Mycology and Mycova from UW.    http://www.psms.org   



This photo of a heretofore undiscovered species of giant Psilocybe found in Florida, tentatively named Psilocybe cabanensis

LOL 
and yes it's a mycology Joke.

[Eduard]

I knew we would connect on some level, Jason )) I'm a mushroom nut! Ever since my childhood we used to pick them with the family bring home a few baskets, my mom would cook them with butter and sourcream. man nothing like fresh picked wild mushrooms! My mouth is watering as I'm writing this! Then the rest of them we would put on a thread and hand out of the window to dry in the sun so that they'll be good for the winter. In the winter my mom made mushroom soup with those dried ones and it was also delicious. Here in FL they have one kind of Boletus that is edible. I tried it but it doesn't taste nearly as good.

[newjason]

Sweet!
I love hunting for most species, but we have come a long way in technology and now you can grow them in your bathroom. Mycology is a fascinating field.
If you have such a taste for mushrooms, why not grow them yourself?
I have been doing this for years.  There is nothing better that picking and eating the fruitbodies of your own labor.
What Species did you eat as a child?
Ever tried pickled mushrooms? 
Pearl Oyster Mushrooms, pickled with garlic is just awesome.


Check this out
http://www.fungi.com/kits/index.html

6 ways mushrooms will save the world


 

[Eduard]

sure I've had pickled mushrooms many times, it's part of the Russian cuisine. In Russia I used to pick all the mushrooms on the photos above and a few other ones as well. I don't know what they are called in English except Shantarel.
So how can I get the spores of those: honey mushrooms, rough birch stock, Penny bun Boletus, Podosinovik, any kind of Boletus basically (except our Florida kind since they are not very tasty)
What do you grow them in? I could even start a little mushroom farm since I have plenty of room here! ))

[newjason]

sure I've had pickled mushrooms many times, it's part of the Russian cuisine. In Russia I used to pick all the mushrooms on the photos above and a few other ones as well. I don't know what they are called in English except Shantarel.
So how can I get the spores of those: honey mushrooms, rough birch stock, Penny bun Boletus, Podosinovik, any kind of Boletus basically (except our Florida kind since they are not very tasty)
What do you grow them in? I could even start a little mushroom farm since I have plenty of room here! ))

Everything you need is right here.


http://www.fungi.com/kits/index.html

You can buy ready made kits or "patches", that come pre - inoculated and spawned, just open the box and they start producing. After the patch is spent, it can be used to innoculate more media, perhaps in a prepared bed outside

Fungi Perfeci is the best source for anything a mushroomer could ever need.

I suggest  Shiitake
 Pernounced (She (as in He/She) Ee (as in the letter E) Ta ( as in TaTa's) Ke ( as In If you see Kay)

and Enokitake
 pernounced ( Eh ( as in good day eh) knock( as in knock your socks off) E (as in the letter E)

They even offer cloning and spawn production, so say you Find some of those mushrooms you loved as a boy,  Ship one off to them and they will, clone it, fruit it, send back samples, and with your ok, they set up cultures and spawn runs, ready to ship to your mushroom patch. 

http://www.fungi.com/cultures/cloning/index.html

Ever had Hunters Soup?

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2-1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
2 tablespoons garlic, slivered
1-1/2 pounds fresh, cleaned Trumpet Royale and Alba Clamshell mushrooms, sliced thickly
6 cups rich chicken or mushroom stock
1/3 cup amontillado Sherry
2 tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Parmesan or Asiago cheese, freshly grated
Parsley, chives, basil and/or chervil, chopped


Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan and cook the onions and garlic over moderate heat until they are lightly golden.
While onion mixture is cooking, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil in a separate sauté pan over high heat until they are cooked through and lightly browned.
Add mushrooms, and stock to onion mixture.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes.
Stir in Sherry and zest and correct seasoning with salt and pepper just before serving.
Serve in warm bowls or mugs, garnished with a good sprinkling of cheese and chopped fresh herbs.


Adding cooked meatballs is nice too.
You can also include Chopped tomatoes if you like a little more acidic soup

For everyone else..
  --Do not pick wild mushrooms unless you're an expert!!

Soups works equally well with store-bought exotic mushrooms.

[ML]

Mendy (and others who might know the actual facts);

Who were the major Moscow instigators of the house arrest of Gorbachav way back when, AND who were the major persons actually involved in the 'on the ground' operation involving his house arrest in Crimea?

What was the fate of those involved in this?  Any executions, etc.?

Was just thinking about this today for some reason and realized I had never really read much about what happened to those people.

[mendeleyev]

Wow, quite a tall order!

The coup d 'etat attempt came on 18-21 August in 1991.

In a nutshell, a group of Soviet Party hardliners were alarmed by Gorbachev's policies of perestroika (political restructuring) and perestroika (openness). Years of socialism had stagnated the economy and there were shortages, long lines at stores with near-empty shelves, and products that were available were often shoddy.

Russia declared it's own soverneignty by June of 1990 and limited the Soviet's power over the Russian Republic. By January 1991, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Georgia also declared their independence from the Soviet Union and to make matter more urgent for Gorbachev, additional republics wanted to leave. So, Gorbachev quickly went to work to win them back with a "union" treaty giving republics more freedom and less central control from Moscow.

The hardliners didn't like the union treaty either so they carried out a coup which lasted 3 long and anxious days. When Gorbachev resumed as president of the CCCP, the handwriting was on the wall.

The eight men primarily responsible for the coup are called the "Gang of 8" but officially named their project as the State Committee on the State of Emergency (Государственный комитет по чрезвычайному положению, ГКЧП).

Led by KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov, he was assisted by these officials:

- Vice President Gennady Yapavev

- Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov

- Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov (Marshall of the CCCP)

- Chairman of Soviet Defenses Oleg Baklanov

- Interior Minister Boris Pugo

- President of State Enterprises, Aleksandr Tizyakov

- Chairman of the Workers Union, Vasily Starodubtsey

Seven men were arrested and jailed but Interior Minister Pugo committed suicide (along with his wife) in order to avoid arrest. Some say they were murdered.

Three additional officials were implicated during the state investigation and were added to the list. They were:

- Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, Anatoly Lukyanov

- Secretariat of the Politbureau, Oleg Shenin

- General of the Army, Valentin Varennikov

Gorbachev went on holiday to his dacha in Foros (Crimea) on 4 August  1991. Baklanov, Boldin, Shenin and Varennikov flew to the dacha and demanded that Gorbachev declare a state of emergency or resign and name Yanayev acting president to enable them to "restore order." Gorbachev declined their offer and was confined to his dacha. Meanwhile back in Moscow the group issued a statement on August 19 saying they were saving the Soviet Union from a a national emergency and that Gorbachev was "resting" for health reasons.

However back in Moscow thousands of people took to the streets and crowds gathered outside the Russian White House on the Krasnopresnenskaya embankment in Moscow. Russian President Boris Yeltsin led the resistance, even climbing onto a tank outside the White House to appeal to the army not to turn against the people and called for a general strike.

Eventually the Army and Interior Ministry troops went home and by the end of the year the Soviet Union had disbanded.



What happened to the plotters?

The eleven were prosecuted but during the trials, which had gone on for 14 months, the State Duma offered them amnesty, and of course they accepted and so the case was closed in March 1994.
 
 However this is Russia and what is started is never really started just as what is finished is never really finished. The Presidium of the Supreme Court didn't like the amnesty deal and ordered new hearings and assigned a new judge. The new judge ended up offering amnesty to several of the group and declared the rest not guilty because they were following orders.
 
- KGB Chair Vladimir Kryuchkov was retired after prison, freed in 1994. He was a hardass, having a part in ordering the brutal killing of civilians during the Hungarian crisis in the 1960s. Died in 2007, not a day too soon.

- Yanayev served 18 months in prison and later became chairman of the department of national history at the Russian International Academy of Tourism.

- Pavlov spent time first in a hospital and then in prison. He accepted amnesty and became head of the bank that would eventually become one of Russia's largest, VTB-24. He died of a heart attack in 2003.

- Yazov spent 18 months in prison awaiting trial. He accepted amnesty and was awarded an order of Honour by President Yeltsin and until recently worked as a consultant to the Russian Military.

- Baklanov also spent his 18 months in prison, accepted amnesty, and became head of one of Russia's largest state owned enterprises.

- Varennikov refused to accept amnesty and was eventually recognized as not guilty after spending 18 months in prison during the trial period. He died in 2009.

- Aleksandr Tizyakov retired from a state industry job.

- Starodubtsey became governor of the governor of the Tula Oblast until 2005 and died this past December, 2011.

That these clowns got off so easily is mind-boggling, especially as their main defense was that supposedly Gorbachev himself had approved the coup and that it had been carried out with his approval in order to restore order. Additionally they wanted Gorbachev arrested because he had taken a vacation during the same time he had supposedly approved the coup.


Footnote:
Other than Interior Minister Boris Pugo and his wife who committed suicide, only 3 people died in the street protests during the coup. Curiously, many more would die (187 people killed and 437 wounded) during the Constitutional crisis two years later in 1993.

[ML]

Great work Mendy; thanks a lot.

Quite surprising the relative lack of punishment; and that most ended up with good jobs afterwards.

Thanks again for your thorough presentation.   

[mendeleyev]

Thank you, ML.

I share your amazement that punishment was essentially nonexistent. That was a trying time for the union and the republics and perhaps they just wanted to sweep those events under a rug and move into the future.

[ML]

Thank you, ML.

I share your amazement that punishment was essentially nonexistent. That was a trying time for the union and the republics and perhaps they just wanted to sweep those events under a rug and move into the future.

Yes, I can understand the wanting to move on;  but how they all ended up with fairly good positions, that's a real puzzle.

If we are to believe some of the movies; in the old days they  used to put such guys in an oven as I recall seeing.

[Eduard]

Thank you, ML.

I share your amazement that punishment was essentially nonexistent. That was a trying time for the union and the republics and perhaps they just wanted to sweep those events under a rug and move into the future.

Great info, Jim!!! I think that these people were probably key individuals who had all the right connections and held powers in their hands needed by the people in charge to maintain order. Basically IMO it was more beneficial to have them on board than dead or imprisoned therefore the amnesty was given.

[mendeleyev]

Today in the Mendeleyev Journal, Moscow State University students learn to practice journalism in a new era:

First year students of foreign journalism at МГУ (MGU = Moscow State University) received a visit from Gregory Pruttskov, Assistant Professor, Dept of Journalism. Here he puts marks (grades) in students personal grade books, after speaking on the relationship between objective journalism in reporting about religion and the state.


(Gregory Pruttskov, Assistant Professor, Dept of Journalism.)

Students listened and participated but after class held him for another 90+ minutes with questions about how journalists coped under the oppression of Communism. They're so young today that they have no collective memory of that era, but of course hear of it from their parents and grandparents.

The professor told students that for seventy years the Soviet reader had only one point of view of journalism - from one source. People had to understand and live in two realities. One reality - what was necessary to say at work, in a formal setting, communicating with children, so they did not accidentally cause trouble for the family if the children talked about family life at school. And the other reality was the truth that people really understood and felt but could seldom speak except behind closed doors.

As to how citizens got their news, Professor Pruttskov said that even in the newspaper "Pravda" one could read a lot of interesting things by reading between the lines, so to speak.

Foreign media was banned during the Soviet years however if one did have access to a Western paper or broadcast, much about the Soviet Union could be learned. As an example, American Kremlinologists became very good at identifying when changes were going on behind the scenes in the Kremlin. The way that members of the Politburo were seated in State media photographs revealed who was "in" and who was considered to be "out."

Russian journalists and students of journalism found ways to read forbidden newspapers. One method was to listen to the banned American broadcasts from "Voice of America" or "Freedom" radio. Another was to sneak into the giant Hotel Rossiya (Hotel Russia) where a limited number of western papers and magazines were in the lobby for the convenience of western business and diplomatic visitors.

There were risks associated with reading western materials and the Hotel Rossiya was crawling with KGB agents however so one had to use caution when picking up an English language publication. A student or journalist could be thrown out of the Young Communist League as a result, a certain career-ending move in those days.

When the Soviet system collapsed in 1987-88, western newspapers began to appear for sale in Soviet street kiosks.




Prior to the fall of Communism one could buy any communist newspaper from around the world but not a western newspaper or magazine. In fact very few Soviet citizens could read or speak English during the Soviet era but with newly discovered openness English immediately became a popular language to learn after the collapse.

By 1988 Western media was legal to be sold in the Soviet street kiosks. "The Times" cost one ruble, as an example. The government, financially bankrupt, stopped jamming Western radio stations and soon Russian publications began to publish documents from the history of the Stalinist period, often shocking even the most hardened Russian reader. 



(Vending machines for пpессa (Press) sell newspapers and magazines.)

Today newspapers and periodical in Russian and English are freely sold in street kiosks and in press vending machines in the underground "Metro" subways as shown in the photo above.
                     

[Eduard]

Prior to the fall of Communism one could buy any communist newspaper from around the world but not a western newspaper or magazine. In fact very few Soviet citizens could read or speak English during the Soviet era but with newly discovered openness English immediately became a popular language to learn after the collapse.                     

Sorry, Jim, but my experience is different. All Russian schools taught foreign languages since I can remember. Most common was English and German but some schools also taught French. There were also several specialised schools that taught English at a much stronger level. I happened to be a student at one of such schools and started learning English there in 1967. My dad also studied English in school and started teaching me some English words since age 5 or so. As far as I remember English or German was always taught at all Soviet schools.

[mendeleyev]

Sorry, Jim, but my experience is different.

I'm in agreement with you Ed, as your experience was the same as my MIL regarding English. As for my wife who is over 25 but somewhere under 47 (I have to remain alive, you know), her experience included learning German, French and some Greek during the Soviet period.

As to why Professor Pruttskov would relate this to students, perhaps he was speaking from his personal experience and thinking it to be universal. It was a rushed but very exciting time for the students. Next time I see him I'll inquire further.

[mendeleyev]

As published in today's Mendeleyev Journal, this was the second year for Chris Botti (Крис Ботти) in Moscow and what a thrilling time for Moscow jazz lovers as Trumpeter Chris Botti (Крис Ботти) appeared last night in his second straight annual concert in Moscow, held at the House of Music. The audience loved the performance.


(Chris Botti at Moscow House of Music; by Nikita Fedorov)
Always striving to be on the cutting edge of entertainment television, "Moscow 24" TV did this nice feature just days in advance of the concert:





One cool "note" in the concert is when Chris invited Tima (Joey) Federov, the young son of Nikita Fedorov (a Mendeleyev Journal reader) to play percussion during one of the songs. Tima can play the drums and for a moment seemed to freeze with stage fright but Botti's regular drummer stepped over and everything turned out alright. Proud Papa Nikita was there to film every moment and last night posted this on YouTube.


!


Botti was a class act and Moscow responded in kind. Russians are a talented people and they appreciate professional performances.

Chris Botti is fast becoming one of the best-selling jazz best-selling instrumentalists in the world and his new album/CD "Impressions" will be released in just days on the 17th of April. Impressions is a collection of songs and compositions featuring Chris along with famous musicians as pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, tenor Andrea Bocelli, country singer Vince Gill, rock star Mark Knopfler, composer and Pianist David Foster and violinist Caroline Campbell.
   

(Chris Botti at Moscow House of Music; by Nikita Fedorov)

Below: Tima Fedorov, whose parents read the Mendeleyev Journal, joined the set on stage for one song! After the concert young Tima posed with Botti as his very proud family stands nearby.



(Chris Botti at Moscow House of Music with young drummer Tima Fedorov; by Nikita Fedorov)

The number of Russian readers to the Mendeleyev Journal is growing and we thank the Fedorov family for participating in the life of the Journal as now approximately 1/3 of daily readers live somewhere in the Russian Federation.
                       

[Boethius]

Sorry, Jim, but my experience is different. All Russian schools taught foreign languages since I can remember. Most common was English and German but some schools also taught French. There were also several specialised schools that taught English at a much stronger level. I happened to be a student at one of such schools and started learning English there in 1967. My dad also studied English in school and started teaching me some English words since age 5 or so. As far as I remember English or German was always taught at all Soviet schools.

True, but very few of those students could actually speak English, or even understand it.  That includes those who studied it in universities, where party connections mattered more than intellect.
 
 

[Eduard]

True, but very few of those students could actually speak English, or even understand it.  That includes those who studied it in universities, where party connections mattered more than intellect.

I think more couldn't speak it for the lack of practice after they graduated. When you don't use it - you loose it )

[Boethius]

Ed, my husband, who was denied access to higher education, used to do the homework of all those party nominees to university.  He said he used to think "If these are the "elites" who will be moving our society, we are in a lot of trouble." 
 
 

[Eduard]

Ed, my husband, who was denied access to higher education, used to do the homework of all those party nominees to university.  He said he used to think "If these are the "elites" who will be moving our society, we are in a lot of trouble."

oh sure, there always have been brighter kids and the ones not so bright, no matter who the parents were and what position they held. Same applies to the kids anywhere in the world.

[Boethius]

 

There were risks associated with reading western materials and the Hotel Rossiya was crawling with KGB agents however so one had to use caution when picking up an English language publication. A student or journalist could be thrown out of the Young Communist League as a result, a certain career-ending move in those days.

You could not just enter the Hotel Rossiya, or any Intourist Hotel in the USSR.  One needed a “propysk" or "dopyskraz”, a pass you presented at the door (all guarded by doormen).  No pass, no admittance.  A student of journalism, which was quite a lofty position in the USSR, would've had no problem obtaining a dopyskraz, but not for a hotel in his/her home city.

Newspapers were not really lying around, as I recall (and I stayed at Rossiya in the early 1980’s).  You had to purchase the paper in the hotel, in foreign currency only (at very inflated prices).  Same with American cigarettes. 

The best, and perhaps easiest way, for a Soviet to obtain a foreign newspaper in those days was to hang outside an Intourist hotel and ask a foreigner to buy one for you, or to ask for their copy.

One method was to listen to the banned American broadcasts from "Voice of America" or "Freedom" radio. Another was to sneak into the giant Hotel Rossiya (Hotel Russia) where a limited number of western papers and magazines were in the lobby for the convenience of western business and diplomatic visitors.

Voice of America was jammed in all languages spoken in the USSR.  My husband used to listen to it in English, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, German, or French.  He could speak enough of each of these to understand, and the Soviets didn't jam the foreign language broadcasts.  Polish, he said, was almost always clear, he doesn't know why.  The only one he couldn't understand was Hungarian.
 
 I recall seeing the International Herald Tribune in Kyiv's Intourist Hotel.  When the NYT appeared, in 1985, my husband was shocked.
 

[Boethius]

that these clowns got off so easily is mind-boggling

ворон воронy глаз не выклюет

[Eduard]

ворон воронy глаз не выклюет

это точно!