SUPERPUTIN

Sergei Kalenik, the writer of the comic strip “SuperPutin, A Man Like Any Other” in English, has introduced a satirical way to provide even more coverage of the Russian president. His first strip, published in 2011, depicts Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev performing various duties to characterize themselves as heroes.

After blowing up the headquarters of al-Qaeda, Putin rushes to save a bus headed for Moscow containing a bomb. The terrorists had recently watched the movie, “Speed,” and so Putin is tasked with commandeering the bus so the bomb does not blow. Medvedev appears costumed as a bear, and uses his skills with technology to locate and destroy the bomb. 

As they enter Moscow, a traffic jam forces them to use the “nano-flasher,” a blue light that allows them to enter a twilight zone and dodge the jam. However, they can only make it through if they survive the blue-bucket wearing zombies that wish to eat their brains. A clear reference to the Blue Bucket Brigade, these zombies threaten the lives of our heroes and innocent civilians on the bus, yelling “Give us back NTV” and “Let us elect our own governors!” 

The tandem heroes, of course, manage to fight their way through the zombies only to be faced with a giant troll that wants to kill the civilians. Putin, however, challenges the troll to a duel and the comic ends with the two in a face-off.

One can come to his or her own conclusions about the politics of the comic strip, but we can all agree that it is fantastic. Kalenik has made three more strips following the same story of the first, but the worlds have transformed. Unfortunately, it seems that the domain for the site has recently expired, and one can only hope that it will be resurrected in the future.

The site, which once featured both English and Russian translations, was found at www.superputin.ru

The Monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia, Bulgaria has been vandalized several times over the last few years.

The monument was built in 1954 for the 10 year anniversary of the Red Army's "liberalization" of Bulgaria in 1954. It features statues of soldiers in various war scenes as well as scenes with Bulgarian peasants. 

It all began in 2011 when the first major act of vandalism occurred when the soldiers were painted as American superheroes. The meaning of this graffiti is not necessarily politically oriented, but many interpretations have been offered.

This pink graffiti was in 2013 in apology for Bulgaria's involvement in the Prague spring.

In 2014 one soldier was painted in Ukraine's colors to support Ukraine during Maidan. An inscription read, "Glory to Ukraine."

An acknowledgement and solidarity toward Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea painted in 2014. 

Although there has been lots of pressure from Russia to stop the vandalism and introduce more security to the monument, obviously the graffiti continues. This could be because Bulgarians are split in their feelings toward the monument but there has not been enough action on either side to have a permanent effect. 

PHOTO CREDIT: RUETERS

Veselchaki

The film "Veselchaki," produced in 2009 and directed by Feliks Mikhailov, was one of the first to focus specifically on sexual minorities in Russia. Following five men who perform in drag across the country, the film depicts their journey and backgrounds in terms that expose the struggle that drag artists and the LGBT community face. The film is comedic, and through humor it can successfully reach a broader audience while maintaining the delivery of the message it intends.

SPOILER ALERT:
Although it is a comedy, a tragic ending is what really drills the struggle of the LGBT population into our heads. The men are faced with the violence of homophobic thugs, and ultimately perish by their hands. The destructive homophobic tendencies of society were exposed through this film by eliminating characters that we grew attached to, and subsequently raised awareness of the situation.

Since it was produced before the 2013 law on LGBT propaganda, the film was able to enjoy some popularity. Although its release was delayed somewhat due to fears that it would be received poorly, it was eventually praised and taken seriously by the press. We can only imagine the suppression it would have received had it been released after the law was passed, but luckily this was not the case.

Russia and Eurovision

Beginning in 1956, Eurovision is the longest running international TV song competition. In this competition, each country submits an original song preformed on live television and then each country casts votes for other countries songs. This contest is even now broadcasted in the United States.

Eurovision Participation Map

Russia debuted in 1994 along with Estonia, Lithuania, and several other countries. They have participated since then with the exception of 1998 and 1999. They won in 2008 and earned the opportunity to host in 2009. In 2009, Georgia entered song, “We Don’t Wanna Put In,” but this song was banned by Eurovision because it was deemed a criticism of Vladimir Putin. Russia has finished in second place four times. in 2015 Eurovision Poina Gagarina participated for Russia and earned second place. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2gbKglCL5s)

Eurovision 2016 is set for May 10- May 14 in Stockholm.