Unusual Russia

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• Ilya 4:13 pm on October 29, 2025 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cars ( 5 ), laws ( 7 ), love   

  Weird News Monthly Dispatch – October 2025: From Clown Shortages to Putin Kettlebells 

  If you thought the world had calmed down, think again. October in Russia brought us everything from bizarre inventions to psychological trends and international bathroom drama. Buckle up — here’s your monthly digest of the weirdest, most wonderfully absurd headlines.

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  Soviet Spirit Meets Modern Safety: Niva Finally Gets an Airbag

  

  Photo: Lada

  The car airbag was invented in the early 1950s. But here in Russia, we like to stay traditional — Orthodox, even. For the first time, the Lada Niva will be equipped with an airbag.
  But there’s a twist: the only one will protect not the driver, but the rear-seat passenger. The sporty Niva Sport, priced at around ₽1.7 million (≈ $18,500), is set to go on sale in December.
  Because clearly, in a Niva, it’s the backseat that needs the most protection.
  auto.ru

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  A House for $1,200 — and It Comes with a Sauna

  

  The cheapest village home in Russia is up for sale in Chuvashia for just ₽110,000 (≈ $1,200). Built in 1955, this 40 m² (430 sq ft) wooden house has a stove, sauna, well, and fruit trees — basically everything you need for a minimalist dacha life.
  Wanna move in?
  ki-news.ru

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  Putin’s Head Is the New Gym Equipment

  

  Forget dumbbells — meet the Putin kettlebell. This bizarre workout accessory, shaped like the president’s head, has been spotted on Russian marketplaces for ₽8,500 (≈ $90).
  The seller claims it’s “impossible to slack off while working out, because Big Brother is watching you.”

  Meanwhile, the EU’s 19th sanctions package has banned the export of toilets and bidets to Russia, sparking outrage and memes. The Kremlin promised that Europe would “pay a high price.” Apparently, even porcelain isn’t safe from geopolitics.
  kommersant.ru

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  Send in the Clowns — Literally

  Russia is facing an acute shortage of clowns, according to veteran circus performer Anatoly Marchevsky. He says today’s audiences are too sophisticated — and it’s getting harder to make them laugh. Clown schools report low enrollment, while older performers are retiring.
  If you’ve been thinking about a career change, this might be your sign (red nose optional).
  lenta.ru

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  The Height of Insecurity

  Sales of heel and insole lifts among Russian men have skyrocketed — up fivefold in a year. Each pair costs around ₽300 (≈ $3.20) and adds up to 5 cm (≈ 2 inches) of height. The trend reportedly stems from social-media dating standards, where women openly declare they only date men taller than 180 cm (≈ 5′11″).

  At the same time, demand for penis extenders has soared by 90%. Psychologists say men feel increasing pressure from “sigma-male” culture and body-talk on social media. Doctors, meanwhile, warn that the devices can cause injuries or sexual dysfunction — a high price to pay for a few extra centimeters.

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  Gamers Get Paid: Dota 2 Tutors Earn More than Teachers

  Coaching online games has become a booming business. Dota 2 tutors in Russia are now earning up to ₽120,000 a month (≈ $1,300). They usually teach 7–10 students weekly, helping them master lanes, item builds, and rankings.
  Most clients are school or university students aged 14–25 who’d rather invest in gaming skills than math homework.
  gazeta.ru

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  Turkish Love Fever

  Single Russian women are heading to Turkey after binge-watching romantic Turkish TV dramas.
  According to surveys, 77% admitted that soap operas inspired their travels — most of them women aged 31 to 44, hoping to find love worthy of a prime-time plot twist.

  Travel agencies report a noticeable surge in solo female bookings to Istanbul and Antalya. Looks like love — or maybe Netflix — is the strongest visa motivation.

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  And that’s October for you — airbag miracles, kettlebell presidents, love migration, and a country running out of clowns. If the rest of the world ever feels too normal, you know where to look.

  Russia’s Strangest News of November: From Vibrator Boom to CS2 Grandma – Unusual Russia is discussing. Toggle Comments

   

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• Ilya 1:24 pm on August 6, 2025 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: chukchi ( 3 ), indigenous peoples, karelians, khanty, love, traditions ( 5 )   

  Unusual Love and Sex Traditions Among the Indigenous Peoples of Northern Russia 

  

  Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: Finnish Heritage Agency; National Library of Norway; Kunstkamera)

  Many of these customs can only be found in ethnographers’ academic research — and some may come as a shock. Much of this stems from the remnants of ancient magical cults that survived among some of Russia’s small ethnic groups well into the 20th century.

  Wife Swapping Among the Chukchi

  The Chukchi had a tradition called “nevtumgyt”, which ethnologists translated as “wife partnership.” Men formed a friendship pact where each had the right to sleep with the other’s wife. These unions could include more than ten couples. A man could take his friend’s wife for a few months, then return her. Sometimes, however, the guest wife stayed permanently. Children from such unions were considered shared, and the men were viewed as brothers.

  

  The Chukchi are sitting at the entrance of their dwelling.
  Photo by Sputnik

  This practice was strictly forbidden between actual relatives, even third cousins. According to a 1924 report in the newspaper Polar Star, women reportedly welcomed the practice. One local woman told an ethnographer, “It’s always more fun to ride fresh reindeer,” prompting laughter from others. In addition to formal “friendship marriages,” a Chukchi man might offer his wife to a guest and temporarily leave the house.

  The harsh conditions of the Far North gave rise to this tradition — group marriage increased genetic diversity and helped ensure children had a support network if a provider died. All children were treated as part of the extended family.

  

  Portrait of a Chukchi woman. Date taken: 1878–1880.
  Photo by Kunstkamera

  Son-in-Law and Mother-in-Law Avoidance Among the Khanty

  This tradition, known as “hiding” or “avoidance,” was observed not only by mothers-in-law toward sons-in-law, but also by brides toward the groom’s senior male relatives. Once betrothed, the bride appeared in public with her face covered by a headscarf. She had to follow strict rules: never appear barefoot in front of the groom’s elder male relatives and speak only in whispers in their presence.

  The mother-in-law’s avoidance could be extreme. Soviet ethnographer Zoya Sokolova recorded a case where a woman, lacking a headscarf, hid her face under her skirt in front of her son-in-law — despite not wearing underwear.

  

  Khanty family, 1916
  Photo by Sputnik

  The head covering related to the Khanty belief that a woman had four souls — one in her head (requiring concealment), and others in her shoulders, abdomen, and legs. Interestingly, breastfeeding in public was not taboo, as the breast was seen simply as a reproductive organ.

  

  Khanty. A woman after her childbirth inside a special chum designated for labor and caring for the newborn. Date taken: 1936.
  Photo by Sputnik

  Lembi Magic Among the Karelians

  The Karelians once followed a pagan cult called lembi, which later came to represent feminine beauty, charm, and honor. It was believed that lembi could be transferred between women. During a bridal sauna, the bride’s sisters and friends bathed with her, used the same water and birch branches, and braided their ribbons into her hair — symbolically sharing her charm.

  

  Karelian women, 1915
  Photo by Finnish Heritage Agency

  This folk magic survived into the early 20th century. To strengthen the couple’s love, the groom was served a pie made with dough mixed from water or milk used to bathe the bride during the wedding sauna.

  Source: ru.gw2ru.com