Russian Press Research Articles

Jubilee by telegraph: the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign (1887) in the mirror of the Russian press

In the article, the author presents a review of reports on the celebration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee (1887) in the leading newspapers and magazines of the Russian Empire, including The Government Gazette and Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti. Additionally, the following periodicals were consulted: “Moskovskie Vedomosti”, “Novoe Vremya”, “Novorossiyskiy Telegraph”, “Vestnik Evropy” and “Vsemirnaya Illyustratsiya”, among others. Given the plethora of literature on the period of Queen Victoria’s reign and the growing interest in jubilee practices amongst British scholars, this topic has yet to be considered from that particular perspective. The article is divided into several thematic sections, including an examination of the characteristics of Russian periodicals, a comprehensive account of the jubilee celebrations themselves, an analysis of the participation of members of the Russian imperial family in the festivities, a discussion of Britain’s role as a colonial power, and more. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, periodicals constituted the principal source of information, and thus were in high demand. On the one hand, the press facilitated the formation of public opinion, thereby serving as an effective conduit for disseminating significant domestic and foreign policy developments. On the other hand, as the number of newspapers proliferated, publishers were compelled to increasingly prioritise the interests of their readership. At that time, telegraph agencies played a pivotal role in the circulation of international news, to some extent standardising the dissemination of information. Concurrently, there were publications that could claim to have their own correspondents on the ground, thereby facilitating the acquisition of a range of exclusive information. The capital’s newspapers and magazines set the tone for the provincial press, which was often constrained to lengthy reprints. Consequently, the Russian public could access news from places as distant as Great Britain.

Indian philosophy as a precursor of the string theory of consciousness. Part 2

Introduction. The article examines the formation of the Ancient Indian philosophy and its connection to consciousness. The Indian philosophy has come a long way from its onset, in parallel with the Chinese and Ancient Greek philosophy. At the same time, the ideas of some of its branches and schools differ in a number of features. Purpose setting. By the example of the Sankhya school of philosophy, we have explored the evolution of the views of Ancient Indian philosophers on the evolution of the Universe, nature and man. We have put particular emphasis on the concept of consciousness.Methodology and methods of the study. In Sankhya system, the fundamental Prakriti and Purusha principles are identified. Other elements are supplementary. Ancient philosophers laid special emphasis on the three vibrating gunas. These are sattva, rajas, and tamas. We have revealed the functional connections between the gunas. The way they interact, in balance or dominance, determines the entire variety of material and spiritual processes. The evolution of the Universe in the Sankhya interpretation is close to the scientific theory of the Big Bang. The development of nature can be traced through the complication of atoms starting from the influence of a stimulus on unconscious chaos. The result of human evolution is the emergence of consciousness derivatives: intellect, mind and I (Ego). This allows better understanding of the behavioral characteristics of an existing personality. Yoga complements Sankhya system and makes it possible to transform consciousness in a number of states.Results. The analysis was carried out using scientific articles and monographs relatively unknown in the Russian press. Cognitive development occurs in a spiral. The scientific theory of strings appeared two and a half millennia after the emergence of the gunas concept. We have made a number of analogies between Ancient Indian gunas and contemporary string theory. And have substantiated the theory of consciousness not with quantum theory, but with a deeper string theory. The concept of consciousness is supported in line with the scientific paradigm of T. Kuhn. The leading ideas are the ideas about information of D. Chalmers and the physicist J. Wheeler.Conclusion. Thus, the phenomenon of consciousness has a silicon and biological basis. We insist on using the semantic concept of artificial consciousness instead of artificial intelligence. Therefore, between human consciousness and artificial consciousness there may be dangerous risks of dominance of the latter.

Serbian-Albanian conflict 1913–1914: perception in the Russian press

The article examines the Russian monthly and weekly periodicals’ perception of the fighting between Serbia and Albania between the end of the Second Balkan War (August 1913) and the beginning of the First World War (July 1914). These military clashes, known to contemporaries as the undeclared “Third Balkan War”, caused diplomatic complications and in November 1913 could have led to the outbreak of a major war in Europe. Throughout a year, the great powers with difficulty extinguished the conflict, that became the result of peace treaties imposed by them to the Balkan countries. In the paper, for the first time, the reaction of the Russian reviewers towards the Albanian crisis of 1913–1914 and the military operations in the region, the degree of awareness of the reading public in Russia about the situation in Albania and around it are examined. On the example of Pan-Slavist newspapers “Slavyanskie Izvestia” and “Dym Otechectva”, the liberal magazines “Vestnik Evropy”, “Ogonek”, “Russkoe Bogatstvo” and “Russkaya Mysl’” as well as opinions of Russian travelers, the growing awareness of Russian public about Albania and Albanians is shown.

The Image of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Russian Press During the Sanction Pressure on the Country, 1992–1995

The Image of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Russian Press During the Sanction Pressure on the Country, 1992–1995

“Germany and the Balkan Feud”: The Russian Press Assessment of German Policy During the Two Balkan Wars of 1912–1913

“Germany and the Balkan Feud”: The Russian Press Assessment of German Policy During the Two Balkan Wars of 1912–1913

Edgar Allan Poe's journey to Russia: fiction and reality

This study highlights the history of E.A. Poe's work on the Russian literary scene, shedding light on the cultural, historical and editorial factors that determined its existence in Russia in the nineteenth century. In analysing the translations, we have resorted to the study of existing studies on the subject, archival materials of the Russian press, literary criticism etc. The aim of the study was to reconstruct the specific context and the specific conditions under which the work of Poe penetrated into Russia, which would also allow us to illustrate the key role of translators in the presentation of Poe on the Russian, French, and world literary scene. The subject of our study was the special conditions that determined the penetration of Poe's work in Russia. The object of the study was the biographies written by different people in different eras, as well as documents that influenced his image. The main method of the study was a comparative analysis of texts that tell about Poe's life and personality. The main result of the research is the reconstruction of the ‘route’, following which Poe's work came to Russia, as well as the identification of all the key persons, without whom Poe's work would have to wait for its time. The article also contributes to our understanding of the historical and cultural context that determined the appearance of Poe on the Russian literary scene, as well as names the most important writers, researchers and translators who paved the way for Poe to come to Russia. Scientific novelty is provided by creating a synthesis of existing studies on this topic in Russian, French and English, which allows to make the most complete three-dimensional picture and chronology of the existence of Poe's work which also provides theoretical significance of the study.

From “Decisive Hostility” to “Cordial Agreement”: “The Times” on the Evolution of Britain’s Image in Russian Press at the Beginning of the 20th Century

The article deals with the reflection of the image of Britain in the analytical reviews of “The Times” newspaper on the pages of the Russian periodical press at the beginning of the 20th century.
 The study covers the period from the turn of the 19th–20th centuries until 1907, when the relations between Russia and Britain transitioned from extreme tension and rivalry in different regions of the world to an alliance within the Triple Entente. At this time, the press became truly massive and exerted a stronger influence than ever on the development of international relations. One of the leading English newspapers, “The Times”, took a largely pro-government stance and reflected the official position on foreign policy issues. It regularly reviewed the publications in the Russian press concerning Anglo-Russian relationship or British politics in general.
 As a result of the analysis of “The Times” reviews, it is possible to show the significance of the British political image, the dynamics of public opinion in the Russian Empire regarding a possible confrontation or Anglo-Russian rapprochement. The Russian press formed among readers a certain perception of Britain in the context of the Anglo-Boer War, the events in the Far East, the process of resolving contradictions, and the conclusion of the 1907 agreement, while the English press reflected on this image. The transformation of rhetoric in the press happened as rapidly as the changes in relations between the two powers.

Foreign military journalists in Manchuria in 1904-1905: features of daily activities

The author examines some aspects of the daily activities of foreign war correspondents who accompanied the Manchurian army in the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The article is based on texts published by journalists, materials from foreign periodicals, documentation from military and foreign ministries. Attention is paid both to the everyday peculiarities of the professional conditions of accredited journalists in Manchuria, and to the characteristics of the social environment, which had a significant impact on the process of collecting information in the theater of military operations. The issues of interaction of foreign correspondents with representatives of the Russian army, the local Chinese population and other reporters are touched upon, which is closely related to their possession of relevant foreign language competencies. The dynamics of the number of foreign military personnel in the theater of war and its connection with the course of hostilities are analyzed. The use of the historical and comparative method made it possible to identify common and special features in the situation of foreign reporters and other guests of Manchuria. The differences revealed in the characteristics of daily activities between foreign war correspondents and representatives of the Russian press, as a rule, were associated with a language barrier for foreigners and greater distrust of them on the part of censorship authorities. In comparison with military attaches, correspondents noted the complete independence of the journalistic corps in solving everyday issues in Manchuria. In the course of the study, several stages were identified in the dynamics of the number of foreign reporters in the theater of war. The correlation of the pace of correspondents' accreditations with events at the front has been revealed and demonstrated. It has been established that the 1904 campaign, especially its summer and autumn events, received the most attention from foreign journalists. For the first time, a range of issues is outlined for the study of which the legacy of foreign war correspondents may have the greatest scientific and cognitive value.

The coverage from Russian press agencies of the Greenland purchase story

ABSTRACT Russian media outlets controlled by the Russian state have been known to disseminate dis/misinformation or fake news, especially about rivals such as Western countries. We investigate if this was the case for an incident in which the then-President of the United States Donald Trump declared his administration’s interest in purchasing Greenland. Using Factiva, we collected and reviewed all English-language articles published on this controversy by Russian news outlet Sputnik in August 2019 and found that dis/misinformation was not at play in this instance. However, we did observe that Sputnik deployed numerous strategies to aggravate tension and confrontation between the United States and Denmark and employed specific frames to take part in informational competition with Western states, including Arctic ones. This study is important in order to identify how strategies other than outright lying contribute to Russia’s foreign policy goals, and in turn to identify how best to counter these strategies.

ACTIONS OF THE ENGLISH-FRENCH FLEET IN THE GULF OF ODESA IN APRIL 1854: FACTS AND MYTHS OF IMPERIAL PROPAGANDA

In the article the author examines the military actions of the English-French fleet in the Gulf of Odesa during the Eastern War (1853–1856) in April 1854. The main statements and assessments regarding the specified events in Russian, Soviet and modern Ukrainian literature and electronic media are identified. It is noted that starting from the Russian press in 1854, the aforementioned actions of the English-French fleet were evaluated as insidious, cruel and unsuccessful. The Allies were accused of staging a provocation in the gulf with the aim of shelling and capturing the peaceful city. Analyzing the facts and testimonies of contemporaries, the author of the article proves that the English-French fleet did not intend to capture Odesa and bombard the city. It is claimed that the Allies' aims were to avenge the Russians' shelling of a parliamentary boat and to destroy British, French and Russian merchant ships in the Gulf of Odesa (the extradition of which had previously been demanded by the Allies). These goals were generally achieved. Therefore, according to the author of the article, the actions of the indicated fleet on April 10 (22), 1854 in the Gulf of Odesa should be considered not a defeat, but a success (albeit a minor one). It is concluded that the use of the terms «defence of Odesa» and «bombardment of Odesa», which are quite common today, is inappropriate in relation to the events of April 1854 in the Gulf of Odesa. It is noted that too much attention has been paid to these events in the historical and local lore literature, although they did not have a significant impact on the course of events of the Eastern War (1853–1856). In the article the author also provides recommendations regarding transferring and changing inscriptions on monuments related to the events of April 1854 in Odesa (a trophy cannon and a monument to Archbishop Innocent), which should be done within the framework of decolonization.

Первое издание «Оправдания добра» (1897 г.): отклики современников. Часть четвертая

The article continues the systematic review and analysis of newspaper and magazine responses to the first edition of the main work of V. Solovyov on moral philosophy “Justification of Good” (1897). The fourth part of this series of articles examines critical attacks on this book by representatives of the left, presumably Populist camp of the Russian press and public thought. It describes in detail critical responses of such authors as the regular columnist of the newspaper “Novosti”, literary critic Evgeny A. Solovyov, an anonymous review published in the journal “Russian Thought”, the reviews by the positivist philosopher Pavel V. Mokievsky in “Russkoe bogatstvo” and by the religious idealist Akim L. Volynsky in the “Severnyi vestnik”. It is noted that the main tone of criticism from the left was the assertion that the philosopher took the position of a conformist acceptance of the state and the church in their existing forms. Based on the consideration of all the above responses, the article concludes that none of the aforementioned critics tried to understand the essence of V. Solovyov's views. For most of the left-wing critics, any correlation of philosophy with religion, at least in its traditional forms, was unacceptable. It is argued that certain objections of V. Solovyov's critics on the left against his concept of moral philosophy were not without persuasiveness, which the philosopher had to take into account in the second edition of his work.

A.P. Chekhov: Selected stories (1905): the first collection of Anton Chekhov's novellas and stories in Croatian

The purpose of the study is to analyze the reception of the first collection of stories and short stories by A.P. Chekhov, translated into Croatian and published in 1905. The preface of this edition, written by journalist and translator Martin Lovrenčević, holds particular importance. In his endeavor to provide a more detailed biography of the Russian writer, Lovrenčević compiles scattered information that had been regularly published in essays and articles by well-known and anonymous critics in Russian and Croatian periodicals between 1886 and 1904. Lovrenčević also relies on data published in the Russian press in 1904-1905, recollections of Chekhov's friends and relatives, and introduces Croatian readers to previously unknown facts of his personal life. The analysis showed that the biography compiled by Lovrenčević, along with his translations of novellas and stories featured in the collection, as well as his consideration of Anton Chekhov's prose and drama, represents a continuation of the efforts made by the first creative intermediaries, who since the mid-1880s introduced Croatian readers to the Russian writer and his works.

Historical Earthquake on the North-Eastern Extension of the East Anatolia Fault

Abstract—The position of the hypocenter and the magnitude of the earthquake of September 11/23, 1888 were determined based on macroseismic data published in the Russian press in Russian, Armenian and Georgian. Calculations showed that the magnitude of the earthquake was previously significantly underestimated, which is why it was not included in the catalog of strong earthquakes in the Caucasus test region [Shebalin and Tatevossian, 1997]. The accuracy of the location of the hypocenter makes it possible to identify the active fault with which the source of the 1888 earthquake is associated. The earthquake with Mw = 6.6 that occurred almost 100 years later confirms the long-term activity of the Western branch of the East Anatolian fault zone.

Образи Японії на сторінках катеринославської преси у роки Першої світової війни

The aim of the article is to analyze the reasons for the transformation of perceptions of Japan and the Japanese in Russian society from the image of an «enemy» during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 to an “ally” during the First World War and to deter- mine the components of these images based on the materials of the Katerinoslav press of 1914-1915. Results. As a result of the research, a number of articles from regional publications of the Katerinoslav region, stored in the collection of Dmytro Yavornitskiy Dnipropetrovsk National Historical Museum, and related to Russian-Japanese interactions during the First World War, were introduced into scientifi c circulation. Th e regional press of the Russian Empire, on the one hand, refl ected the government’s position, on the other hand, it was aimed at a reader who was less socially active and less inclined to analyze the geopolitical situation. Th e one who is the most interesting from the point of view of studying with the help of imagological tools, whom in the language of the time it was customary to call the term «everyman».Th e scientifi c novelty of this article lies in the fact that the analysis was based on a unique source complex of the provin- cial press, well preserved in the collection of the Dnipropetrovsk National Historical Museum named aft er D. I. Yavornytskyi. Th e provincial press is an excellent base for imagological intel- ligence regarding the generalized ideas of the most “average” representative of Russian society. Conclusions. Th e starting point for the formation of the image of Japan and the Japanese in Russian society during the First World War was the defeat of the Russian Empire in the Russo- Japanese War of the beginning of the 20th century, which was perceived very painfully, including by the people of Katerinoslav. Accordingly, Japan’s entry into the First World War on the side of the Entente (together with Russia) forced the Russian press to make a “180 degree turn” in rep- resentations of the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan appears in the provincial press of Katerinoslav as a proud country, a powerful military machine capable of opposing Germany in Tsingtao, a profi table trading partner and a supplier of weapons, which the Russian Empire desperately needed. In general, we can characterize the image of Japan through the prism of the Russian regional press as a benefi cial situational ally.

ОТТО ФОН БИСМАРК И ЕГО ВОСПРИЯТИЕ РОССИИ В ГОДЫ ДИПЛОМАТИЧЕСКОЙ МИССИИ В САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГЕ В 1850-Х ГГ.

The article deals with the problem of knowledge of the Russian language and its influence on the perception of Russia by the German statesman Otto von Bismarck. Acting in 1859-1862 as Prussian envoy in Petersburg, Bismarck studied Russian. The degree of his language proficiency remains, however, to this day a debatable topic, and the question of how knowledge of the language influenced the image of Russia in the worldview of the "Iron Chancellor" has not yet been raised in the research literature at all. The author used Russian and German sources, including the memoirs of contemporaries and the statements of Bismarck himself. The conclusion is that Bismarck's knowledge of the Russian language was limited to a relatively narrow framework necessary for everyday communication and reading the socio-political press. The idea that this knowledge was explained by the sympathies of the "Iron Chancellor" for Russia or gave rise to such sympathies is not true. The ability to read the Russian press and communicate with representatives of the Russian common people had little general effect on Bismarck's ideas about Russia. His image of Russia by and large corresponded to the images and stereotypes common in Western Europe in the middle of the 19th century.

Tadeusz Miciński, teatr polski i Polacy w Moskwie w latach 1915-1918 (na marginesie wojennej publicystyki poety)

The article analyzes the cultural life of Poles in exile in Moscow during the First World War, based on the journalism of the Polish writer T. Miciński. The article focuses on issues related to theatre and national rebirth. The research uses historical and biographical methods. The article considers two main sources. Firstly, the article analyzes memoirs of people who lived in that period. Secondly, the article looks at Miciński’s wartime journalistic texts. These texts include three of Miciński’s articles previously unknown to researchers, which were published in 1916 in the Moscow daily paper “Gazeta Polska”. The analysis has shown that Miciński’s journalism contains a lot of information about theatrical culture, and his voice in the Russian press and meetings with theatre artists could have a significant impact on the evolution of the performing arts in interwar Poland.

Teaching Russian to Cadets in the Military Universities in China

The aim of the study is to present linguistic and cultural analysis of modern methods and practices used in the process of teaching Russian language to cadets in military universities of the People's Republic of China. The task of the work is to determine the requirements for teaching Russian language to cadets of military universities, to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the existing education system, as well as the difficulties that arise in the process of comprehending Russian language. The relevance of the research topic is dictated by the communication growth between Russia and China, which requires philologists with a good knowledge of Russian. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study presents a set of applied methods of logic, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction. It is determined that in the course of teaching Russian language, Chinese cadets of military universities comprehend it in two stages at the basic and advanced levels. It has been established that the main emphasis in the learning process is focused on practical and colloquial comprehension of Russian. It was revealed that in the learning process cadets have an apportunity to study the cultural diversity of Russia, which improves the quality of teaching Russian. It has been established that improving and expanding language skills are set as the tasks for cadets and students of Chinese military universities in order to increase the level of their competence. In particular, the skills of correct reading for understanding current news in Russian press prevail on the perception of complex popular science articles and fiction. In addition, they are to pay attention to listening activities to understand news on politics, diplomacy, economics and society in the media, such as, for example, radio, the Internet and television; understand audio materials, taking into account all the difficulties that arise, similar to ones they face studying the contents of a textbook.

Первое издание «Оправдания добра» (1897 г.): отклики современников. Часть третья

The article continues the systematic review and analysis of newspaper and magazine responses to the first edition of the main work of V. Solovyov on moral philosophy “Justification of Good” (1897). In the third part of this series of articles, critical attacks on this book from the right wing of the Russian press and public thought are considered. The critical judgments by the employee of the “Historical Review”, the publicist and jurist B.V. Nikolsky and the columnist of the “Moscovskie Vedomosti” Alexey I. Vvedensky are described in detail. The article claims that Nikolsky, a long-time and uncompromising detractor of V. Solovyov, in his critical response refused to argue with the philosopher's theoretical views and limited himself to pointing out his incompetence in a number of applied issues, in particular, with the history of legal thought. It is also said that Vvedensky, though sympathizing with V. Solovyov, condemned his departure from Russian conservatism, subjected the book to more thorough criticism. It is argued that Vvedensky was able to come to a correct understanding of the title of the work, linking the “justification” of goodness with the fullness of the embodiment of the foundations of morality in the earthly life of mankind. It is hypothesized that V.V. Solovyov could have reacted indirectly to B.V. Nikolsky's article by resorting to the help of one of the authors of the newspaper “Kavkaz”, headed by a close friend of V.V. Solovyov – poet and publicist V.L. Velichko.

The Lead Paragraph is a Structural Element of the Article and a Self-contained Text

The focus of the proposed article is the introduction, or the lead paragraph, as a necessary element of any media text today. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the views of domestic and foreign media linguists and practicing journalists on the essence of the lead paragraph, its structure and classification principles. The lead paragraph is one of the first structural elements of a modern media text that a reader encounters on a newspaper page. Its task in two or three sentences is not only to interest the potential reader, but also to briefly inform him about the main content of the article. That is why the lead paragraph is considered an independent text within the text. The present study traces the development of the lead paragraph in a dynamic aspect: that is, from the moment it appeared in the middle of the 19th century to the present day. Behavioral analysis suggests that the lead paragraph is a complex branched system that should be analyzed within the framework of a general paradigm. The most attractive for perception by the target audience may be compact introductions, typical for the German and partly for the Russian press.

Looking East: Constructing an Image of Vietnam in Russian Travel Writings of the Later Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

ABSTRACT Among the numerous travelogues written about Vietnam by foreign authors, Russian travel writings make up a modest amount, and may be less known to many readers. Although sporadic information about Vietnam had appeared in the Russian press since the mid-eighteenth century, only in the second half of the nineteenth century, when France promoted colonial expansion in Indochina, did the first Russians arrive in Vietnam. Their travel writings were afterwards published in Russia in some specialised publications, introducing this distant and unfamiliar Southeast Asian country to Russian readers. From the observative position that seemed to be between colonisers and colonised, as a third party, how did the Russian travellers depict and evaluate indigenous and colonial Vietnam? By employing the conceptions of Russian Orientalism and putting Russian travel writings about Vietnam in the context of the Russian vision of Asia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, this essay aims to figure out the characteristics of Russian construction of the Oriental in the case of Vietnam.