The Kremlin Will Get You If You Don’t Watch Out

There are a number of reasons for visiting Russia. If yours is that you would like to bask on the beaches of Yalta, Sochi or Sukhumi— don’t bother. There are as good beaches elsewhere and you are only giving aid and comfort to the enemy by spending your money there. But if you really want to inform yourself of the nature of the adversary or even to act as an apostle for the West, there are certain things you should know, certain precautions you should take.

To get to know much about Russia you must at least be conversant in some language, preferably in Russian or Ukrainian. German has some advantages: It is understood by all those who speak Yiddish and by many of the older and middle-aged people who were either in German slave-labor camps or were posted to Germany during the Second World War. Knowledge of English is a lot more widespread today than it has been. At any rate, go to the trouble of learning a few short phrases in Russian—and a command of the Cyrillic script, which will at least allow you to tell the men’s from the ladies’ rooms, would be no end helpful.

JP

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Josef Powiansky

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There are a number of reasons for visiting Russia. If yours is that you would like to bask on the beaches of Yalta, Sochi or Sukhumi— don’t bother. There are as good beaches elsewhere and you are only giving aid and comfort to the enemy by spending your money there. But if you really want to inform yourself of the nature of the adversary or even to act as an apostle for the West, there are certain things you should know, certain precautions you should take.

To get to know much about Russia you must at least be conversant in some language, preferably in Russian or Ukrainian. German has some advantages: It is understood by all those who speak Yiddish and by many of the older and middle-aged people who were either in German slave-labor camps or were posted to Germany during the Second World War. Knowledge of English is a lot more widespread today than it has been. At any rate, go to the trouble of learning a few short phrases in Russian—and a command of the Cyrillic script, which will at least allow you to tell the men’s from the ladies’ rooms, would be no end helpful.