Author Archives: Michael Wehle

It is unfortunate, but when I checked into my hotel I neglected to inquire about the location of a windowless room with load‑bearing walls. The hotel staff however, seem to be untroubled, and are laying out what looks like a … Continue reading →

Lenin was born in Ulyanovsk, and lived in this house between 1870 and 1875. The statue is of him and his mother.

Volodymyr Ishchenko, Jacobin: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has been criticized for recent moves to centralize power. But these developments are less about the actions of a single leader and more the result of decades of state weakness following the dissolution … Continue reading →

Lots of happy people out enjoying a beautiful summer evening, as I experienced in Moscow. I was here in 2018 and had planned to return in 2020, but there was Covid and then the Special Operation. Feels good to be … Continue reading →

Lenin looks as if he’s been shoved into a corner behind the information booth, next to the metro ticket dispensers.

Quite a bit larger, less verbose than the memorial in Мінск, very organic and so less polished than the one at his crash site. Tsoi obviously retains a strong connection in people’s memory and imagination. Something that’s so interesting is … Continue reading →