Why Russians feel adrift in a post-Soviet world
Galina Kulakova, who grew up milking cows on a collective farm in the Soviet Union, left Japan with a fistful of gold. The fierce, compact woman was unstoppable on skis, winning every cross-country event at the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics.
Today you’ll find Kulakova in a tiny village 700 miles east of Moscow. The place may as well have been frozen for 42 years, with unpaved streets covered with muddy snow and ramshackle homes near piles of firewood draped in tarps.
On one street, a yellow house stands out, not just for its modern look but for the plaque identifying it as the Galina A.… Seguir leyendo »