Russian Alphabet:"В" as in... Vladimir. Lenin, or Putin.

Russian Letter: 

The third letter of the  Russian alphabet is letter Вв - but watch it, despite looking almost identical to a certain letter of the English alphabet (or German, French, Spanish and many  other alphabets), this letter's sound is actually "V" - as in Vladimir (Putin, or Lenin

Russian Names:

Russian name Владимир, pronounced as "Vlah-DEE-meer" has a long history. Way before Putin or Lenin came along, back in the 9th century, a guy named Vladimir was the one to officially convert the pagan Eastern slavs to Christianity.

Rumor has it that he actually was leaning toward Islam... but as much as he like it's other provisions, he could not possibly expect his army - or the rest of the country - to quit drinking.  So he had to settle for the religion of the Greeks.

The diminutive for Владимир is Володя or Вова. If you are addressing a very young boy (toddler age), you can also call him Вовочка.  

Young Volodya Ulyanov,
years before he became Vladimir Lenin.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

However, I would advise you against using this variant when addressing anyone old enough to tell jokes: a boy named Вовочка is a character from a vastly popular (and for most part vulgar) joke series.

I doubt you want to address Mr. Putin as either Володя or Вова... Lenin, on the other hand, or rather his younger version, was known to all Soviet kids as Володя Ульянов (Volodya Ulyanov). 

The most common woman's name starting with the Russian letter В is probably Вика ("VEE-kah"), short for  Виктория ("Vik-TOH-ree-yah") and the best known Виктория is most likely the Nanny character form the Russian version of The Nanny sitcom. Here is an episode:

Russian Fires and other Russian News

This week I saw pictures of people in Moscow wearing masks - trying to breathe. That told me it's got to be pretty bad.  You know, during the Avian Flu pandemic (and the Swine Flu, and the annual regular flu season) with all the scary stories and such, I never saw one local in a mask.  I mean you would get into a Tokyo-style-crowded subway car, with people sneezing not covering their mouthes - yet no one wore masks... it just wasn't cool... or things were not bad enough. So seeing Muscovites in masks told me all I needed to know. Folks, it's bad. If you were planning to travel there - wait until the rains start in a month or so.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of English-language news sources for Russia:

The Voice of Russia - the link is to the English version, but you will also find it has a version in German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi and other languages, thirty-three in total (including Russian).

Russia TV - in English, Russian, Spanish and Arabic.

The Moscow Times - an English-language expat-aimed Moscow newspaper. You may find it (and its Saint Petersburg counterpart - see below) featuring opinions different from those expressed by the first two media on the list.

The Saint Petersburg Times - an English-language expat-aimed Saint Petersburg newspaper.

Russian Alphabet: Some More Letter Б Words

If you missed the first letter Б post, you can read it here.

In this second part, we will focus on the yummy words Russian letter Б stands for.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Борщ (BORSHCH),

the Ukrainian beet soup, loved and frequently served in both Russian households and restaurants.

If you are one of those people who think that nothing palatable can possibly come of beets - just order борщ next time you are in a good (the reputation and quality are of critical importance!) Russian or Ukrainian restaurant.

Image by Igor Kravtchenko; source: Wikimedia Commons

Блины (blee-NYH),

also frequently called

Блинчики (BLEEN-chih-kih),

the Russian version of crepes, if you would.

Other food words starting with the Russian letter Б are

Image by Darkone;
source: Wikimedia Commons

Банан (bah-NAHN)

which used to be hard to come by in my Soviet childhood years

Image by Horst Frank;
source: Wikimedia Commons

 Баклажан

(bahk-lah-ZHAHN),
"zh" standing for the sound of "s" in "measure"

and

Брусника (broo-SNEE-kah)

translated by various sources as cow-berries, fox-berries, lingonberries, red bilberries, red whortleberries or mountain cranberries (wow... are all of those the same?) - the botanical name being Vaccinum vitis idaea.

Whatever the name, Блинчики with Брусника are quite a refreshing combination.

Photo by Andreas Gronski;
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Oh, and don't let me forget this thing with a nasty  (in my personal opinion) sound:

Балалайка

(bah-lah-LIE-kah), the stressed syllable is the same as the English word "lie".



Well, that should be enough for now. Next week in the Russian  Alphabet series: letter B ,  not as in "boy" -  rather as in Vladimir (Lenin, or Putin).

Meanwhile, here is some more about Russian food and Russian alphabet:

Russian Spies: The James Bond of the Soviet Cinema

Oh, the Seventeen Moments of Spring....

I don't know who made it more - Vyacheslav Tichonov's Colonel Isayev, better known as Max Otto von Stierlitz, or the music of Mikael Tariverdiyev...

Far removed from the 007 movies in so many ways, this Soviet TV series is in so many other ways the same to those raised in the USSR as James Bond movies to the western world.

When asked to describe the plot or the action, I usually say that nothing really happens. For one full TV season nothing really happens - other than the main character's internal monologue.

This is not completely accurate: there are lots of events happening, in fact, there is History taking place right before our eyes.  What's more, history is being made right before our eyes - and it sometimes seems it is being made by this one person - this one that is not really doing anything other than thinking.  There is not much talking, no stunts that I remember of... there even are dozens of historical inaccuracies in the film - side by side with documentary footage. There are lots of plain blunders. And yet millions and millions of people have watched it hundreds of times.  And you know what, it's more than worth it.

James Bond and "Russian" Spy Girls

Russian Spies are still all over the internet, with comments ranging from "sexy Russian spy" for the one known as Anna Chapman ( I wonder what they would call her... "Анечка", "Анюта" or "Аннушка" who spilled the oil in Mikhail Bulgakov's novel  the Master and Margarita) to Vladimir Putin allegedly stating that they all were betrayed (chuckle) and that severe punishment is awaiting the traitor.



Incidentally, an acquaintance of mine, who used to work for a US intelligence agency, burst into laughter when I mentioned this... saying that the now-famous Russian Spies were, indeed, betrayed - by their own stupidity.  Apparently, this was one of the most poorly-trained and least professional groups of post-Soviet "intelligence".

Anna Chapman may be the Russian Spy star for the moment... and some may even associate the "sexy Russian redhead spy" with a Bond Girl... but did you know that NONE of the James Bond Girls were actually Russian? I mean, did you realize the Russian Bond Girl characters were never played by Russian girls?

See for yourself:

From Russia With Love (1963)
Tatiana Romanova, a Soviet Army Intelligence corporal assigned to the Soviet Embassy in Istanbul
Played by Daniela Bianchi, born in Italy

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Major Anya Amasova, Agent XXX, (KGB)
Played by Barbara Bach, born in the US

A View To A Kill (1985)
Pola Ivanova - a KGB agent working for General Gogol
Played by Fiona Fullerton, born in Nigeria

Goldeneye (1995)
Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova, a programmer for the Severnaya Space Control Center
Played by Izabella Scorupco, born in Poland

The only sort-of exception is the recent  Quantum of Solace (2008), where Olga Kurylenko, born in USSR (now Ukraine) plays a Russian-Bolivian agent Camille Montes.  But here is the kick: apparently, she trained with a dialect coach to perform with a Spanish accent.




Coming next: the James Bond of the USSR and Soviet spy movies.