Stories

    Long reads and featured stories about Russia — culture, mindset, media, everyday life. Pick a topic, or read down the list.

    Filtered by:#personal
    Panoramic view of Moscow’s Red Square in autumn. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    Why I'm doing this

    A personal note from Vlad about why Two Nations exists, its ground rules, and the wider picture of Russia it is trying to show

    Article · 4 min read
    Panoramic Moscow River and city skyline. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    How French hacked the Russian language

    And why it surprises everyone

    1 min read
    Moscow River embankment at golden hour. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    Russian nobility spoke French better than Russian

    True or false?

    1 min read
    Moscow bridge glowing at summer dusk. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    These Westerners moving to Russia

    For genuinely weird reasons

    1 min read
    Moscow city lights after dark. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    How Russians actually see Westerners IRL

    Spoiler: it's not what you think

    1 min read
    Moscow skyline along the river at golden hour. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    My Moscow: what nobody actually tells you

    The unfiltered truth

    1 min read
    Autumn park in Moscow. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    When coverage of Russia merges state and people

    A look at how the shortcut works, and what it leaves out

    1 min read
    Moscow skyline at summer twilight. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    Sanctions, and the turn toward China

    Two things that happened in the same decade

    1 min read
    Moscow city lights after dark. Photo: Vlad Lario.

    Western politics seen by a non-Westerner

    External perspective

    1 min read