Russian Federation vs Soviet Union.

[Dan D]

Great pics and stories, and i am hoping for more to come.
What I was always wondering about, is the guys here who are living in the UK and having Russian roots. Ethnic Russians living in the US or Canada do not surprise me, because those are the classic immigration countries. We also have a bunch of Russian speaking folks here in Germany, who are Ethnic Germans and thus can apply for a German passport anytime, like e.g. so-called Wolga-Germans who once moved to Russia at times of Catharine the Great. How comes that people with Russian roots move to the UK?
Is it familiy ties or is is because the UK is probably also a classic immigration country within Europe or whatever reason it is?
IF you don't mind, I would like to hear more about family backgrounds.

Part of my family were French Hugenots who settled in Prussia; so much for my family background.

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by Dan D

What I was always wondering about, is the guys here who are living in the UK and having Russian roots. Ethnic Russians living in the US or Canada do not surprise me, because those are the classic immigration countries. We also have a bunch of Russian speaking folks here in Germany, who are Ethnic Germans and thus can apply for a German passport anytime, like e.g. so-called Wolga-Germans who once moved to Russia at times of Catharine the Great. How comes that people with Russian roots move to the UK?
Is it familiy ties or is is because the UK is probably also a classic immigration country within Europe or whatever reason it is?
IF you don't mind, I would like to hear more about family backgrounds.

I'm not entirely sure, but Russians aren't really that selective as far as immigration, as long as it's West (except perhaps Israel). If you mean new immigrants - for a period in the 90's, it was really wherever you could go. I have friends' relatives in the UK - a Russian girl who married a Brit.
Then there are people with old Russian roots, most likely descendants of Russian nobility who escaped into Europe during the revolution.

Backgrounds - interesting you bring this up. I find it ironic how hard it is to figure out just what is an ethnic Russian (my general conclusion is that there's no such thing).

My own background is about 1/4 Novgorod Russian, a small proportion of 'other' (western) Russian and Ukranian, 1/4 German/Danish/Swedish (nobility), 1/4 Karel (essentially Finnish), and then about 8% of everything else including Tartar, Jewish, Turkish, Gypsy and other backgrounds.

I'm rather proud of my mix to be honest, which illustrates just how ironic many ethnic conflicts and xenophobias are.

[CptSimFreak]

nikimcbee, first pic is near St Petersburg. About 60km. Second is around 200km.



Peter The Great made this man-made river so that ships could travel when there was storm on lake Ladoga.


This is more modern. Made with same reasoning as picture before.


Usually one can find many fresh products in near store. Goat's milk is quite good.



Reminder of WW2....
(Here near a village Lipki on 12 Jan 43 during breakthrough of blockade of Leningrad, commander rota 533 CP 128CD of Volhovsk front, comsomole senior Lt Yakov Ivanovich Bogdan closed with own body enemy's hardened position)


This one is of un-named soldier. Someone placed helmet with hole on grave.

Here's a foxhole. Dill a little and you can find many things.

This maybe a command center. Or hiding spot for mortar team, or etc.


Around this swamplands, my mother's brother found a tank.





Some cranberries.

and a mushroom. Many people go during end of summer to gather mushrooms in local forests. It was one of my favorite things to do. Before family would wake up, I would check my mushroom spots so that they could eat mushrooms for breakfast (I couldnt stand eating them). The other one was gathering WW2 relics. During my last trip to this area, without even looking for anything, I found 3 rusted Mauser shells. When I was little, I found mortar rounds, grenades, rifle, bullets and such around my datchya.

(My background: I have no idea. I think I have some Fin in me, Ukrainian, some aristocrat and Russian....whatever that is.) (I think being Russian is a state of mind, not genetics)

[DanCanovas]

real good pics! thanks

[CCIP]

Great nature pics!

I have a few of my own, but I'm still catching up.

Meanwhile, I just found a few pics from back in the USSR that might be relevant -

My dad in the Soviet Army during the 1970s (Kola Peninsula; he was a radio operator):





Some scary Cold War enemies there, eh?

One funny thing about my dad: he got a perfect duty for himself when he became a radio operator. What did he mostly do during his shifts you ask?
He listened to BBC and other western radio, enjoying the 'banned' rock music from the west and news in English. Never even got caught!:p After ending his military service, he became a musician and played in 'underground' rock bands of the late Soviet era.