Vlad Lario

🇷🇺 🇬🇧 Why this project exists: a Russian perspective, in English

📝 By Vlad, for Two Nations

There is surprisingly little content about Russia written or told by Russians, and even less in English meant for Western audiences. Most of the time, it's Westerners talking about Russia — with sincerity, sometimes even passion — but without always being able to grasp its deep nuances. Conversely, Russian creators most often express themselves in Russian or, at best, in English for international reach.

This project, Two Nations, was born from this absence. A kind of cultural void, almost absurd, that I want to modestly fill.

🌲Learning French... in Siberia

I should say this right away: I learned French only in elementary school. A small school lost in Siberia, literally on the edge of the forest. The simple fact that there, at that age, French was taught, says a lot about the importance this language and culture have long had in Russia.

My father studied in the same city. Forty years earlier, during Soviet times, his school even hosted French students as part of exchanges. A forgotten detail, but one that tells a lot.

💭 Today those ties are thinner. In school programs, Western languages are giving ground to Chinese. What I notice, talking to people on both sides, is that fewer of them have the language to talk to each other at all — and that affects me, because in the long run everyone loses.

🤝Beyond States: The People

Official relations between countries are the business of governments. But human relations belong to the people.

For centuries, French and Russians have influenced, inspired, visited, and fascinated each other. Russian borrowed thousands of words from French. Pushkin himself naturally used French expressions. Just a century ago, the nobility spoke more French than Russian.

And despite current tensions, this mutual fascination has never completely disappeared.

🛂 One sign among others: Westerners who today settle in Russia thanks to the so-called "traditional values" visa. The name is debatable, but the phenomenon itself is interesting and still very little studied. It's actually almost the only possibility for a foreigner to live long in Russia without knowing the language.

💬A Project of Mutual Understanding

Russia and France are two countries where international news is closely followed. The French are interested in Russia; Russians are interested in France. And paradoxically, content that allows for real dialogue is extremely rare.

So I would like to share here a simple perspective: that of an ordinary Russian. What I saw, what it cost, what I checked. Not speaking "on behalf of" anyone.

Just one more voice, different, English-speaking.

🚀And now?

I don't yet know where this project will lead or how much content there will be. But if there is at least a small audience ready to read, listen, reflect, and ask questions — then it's worth it.

If you've made it this far, thank you. 🙏 Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page: what would you like to understand, discover, or clarify about Russia today?

💡 The dialogue starts here.

— Vlad, for Two Nations ✍️

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