Wikipedia:WikiProject Russia/Russia-related Wikipedia notice board

This board is for the announcements other than new article announcements that go to Portal:Russia/New article announcements. The Portal's own talk page should be used to discuss the portal itself. This page would be for annoucnements to call attention to any RU-related WP matters.

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URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT

NONE

WP:DYK

...that Jacob Bruce, a Russian nobleman of Scottish descent and one of the most educated people in Russia at the time, was famous among the 18th century Muscovites as an alchemist and mage? Author: User:Maxim Razin 23:29, 21 November 2005 (UTC) - Introvert ^talk 22:31, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Andrei Kobyla and Fyodor Koshka made their way to the Wikipedia:Main page as part of WP:DYK section. --Ghirlandajo 16:51, 14 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Alexander Vasiliev made his way to the Wikipedia:Main page as part of WP:DYK section. --Ghirlandajo 07:36, 16 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Nature reserves in Russia made its way to the Wikipedia:Main page as part of WP:DYK section. Please wikify the article at last. --Ghirlandajo 07:36, 16 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Petrine Baroque is featured today on the Main Page as part of WP:DYK section. --Ghirlandajo 07:36, 16 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Broadcasting in the Soviet Union is featured today on the Main Page as part of WP:DYK section. --Ghirlandajo 19:16, 19 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Bolshoi Kamennyi Bridge is featured today on the Main Page as part of WP:DYK section. --Ghirlandajo 19:16, 19 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Palace Bridge is featured today on the Main Page as part of WP:DYK section. --Ghirlandajo 18:07, 20 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

vanity fair?

I do not think so abakharev 03:33, 21 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
- Hey, is there a better way to get attention of Wikipedians to this obscure part of the world than writing articles that qualify for the front page listing? Thanks Ghirlandajo! Please, keep it up! --Irpen 03:55, 21 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
  As my previous nominations of Gherardello da Firenze and Forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union show, I put on WP:DYK every decent new article I happen to spot. At this very moment, the Main Page features my nomination of Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, an article created by a Czech newbie, whom I sought to encourage to further editing by demonstrating that the only article he contributed so far is appreciated by the community.
  
  Actually, I propose every article in need of attention from native English speakers to be listed on DYK. As long as Nature reserves in Russia and Broadcasting in the Soviet Union were linked from the Main Page, there was a flood of passer-by editors who helped raise the standard of these articles dramatically. --Ghirlandajo 07:19, 21 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Serge Chermayeff and Doshpuluur are featured today on the Main Page as part of WP:DYK section. --Ghirlandajo 18:07, 20 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

...that the In Soviet Georgia advertisements for Dannon yogurt helped to reverse negative growth in the company's United States division? - is featured today on the Main Page as part of WP:DYK section abakharev 20:35, 21 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

As we are here, I propose to archive the actual question of WP:DYK, not only the name of the article abakharev 20:35, 21 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

...that Nativity Church at Putinki was the last pyramidal church constructed in Muscovite Russia?
...that forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union was considered as part of war reparations to cover the damages inflicted by Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union during the World War II? --Ghirla | talk 16:52, 22 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
...that the Moika River in St Petersburg was originally spanned by four bridges only: the Blue, the Green, the Yellow, and the Red? abakharev 22:46, 29 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]
..that Soviet biologist Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov was trying to breed a race of human-ape hybrids? abakharev 23:12, 2 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that the fighter pilot Aleksandr Kazakov destroyed 32 German and Austro-Hungarian planes during WWI, while his formal tally of 17 is explained by the fact that only planes crashed in the Russian-held territory were officially counted? abakharev 21:09, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that the Russian singer Alla Bayanova, who celebrated the 80th anniversary of her stage performance back in 2003, recently collaborated with Marc Almond on several duets? abakharev 21:09, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that the Khreschatyk is the main street of Ukrainian capital Kiev on which Orange Revolution and other historical events mainly took place?
...that Count Orlov's Marble Palace, decorated with 32 shades of Russian marbles, currently houses the largest exhibition of Pop Art in Saint Petersburg? (Marble Palace)
...that four EU-Russia Common Spaces were articulated during the Moscow EU-Russia summit in May 2005?
...that Yaroslav of Halych's repudiation of his wife led to a popular uprising, in the course of which his favorite concubine was burnt alive?
...that many Russians celebrate the new year twice: once on the January 1 New Year of the Gregorian calendar and again on the Julian calendar Old New Year in mid-January? (author:User:Maxim Razin) - Introvert ^?^@ 21:59, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that Anatoly Durov was one of the founding fathers of the Soviet circus? by User:ISasha abakharev 03:35, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Griffin sculptures on Bank Bridge

...that sculptor Pavel Sokolov designed sphinxes for Egyptian Bridge, griffins for Bank Bridge, and lions for Bridge of Four Lions in Saint Petersburg? abakharev 22:23, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that Hussein Khan Nakhichevanski was the only muslim to be appointed General-Adjutant of the Emperor of Russia? abakharev 07:06, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that the Bulldozer Exhibition has got its name because the Soviet authorities actually used bulldozers to disperse the spectators and destroy the paintings of the participating Moscow nonconformist artists? abakharev 21:28, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that Peter the Great's eldest daughter, Anna Petrovna, died in childbirth aged 20, but all the living Romanovs descend from her?

...that Gostiny Dvor in Saint Petersburg, opened in 1785, was the largest shopping mall of the 18th-century Russia and remains one of the oldest continuously existing department stores in the world?
...that the Russian academician Aleksey Shakhmatov attempted to reconstruct the earliest Slavonic chronicle, supposedly compiled at the court of Yaroslav the Wise in the mid-11th century? abakharev 04:57, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that the British Parliament first guaranteed diplomatic immunity to foreign ambassadors in 1709, after Count Andrey Matveyev, a Russian resident in London, had been subjected by British bailiffs to verbal and physical abuse? (Andrey Matveyev)
...that the F-34 tank gun was put into service in the T-34 tank by a conspiracy of its makers, and it was only after enthusiastic tank crews had praised its merits in letters from the front that Stalin gave official permission to start its manufacture?
...that the Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi was the most prolific practitioner of Palladian architecture in Saint Petersburg?
...that the Caucasian Shepherd Dog is generally a low activity dog, seemingly lethargic when not working, but extremely agile and convincing when it feels that its family is threatened?

...that the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace accommodates 332 portraits of Russian generals who took part in the Napoleonic Wars? 10:02, 27 January 2006 (UTC)
...that the Russian Field Marshal Ivan Gudovich lost his left eye fighting the Turks in Armenia in 1807?
...that Alexander Buturlin, who was in charge of the Russian army when it took Berlin in 1760, was better known for his tall stature and good looks than for military talents? (Image:Buturlin.gif)
...that the former Automobilwerk Eisenach in Thuringia, once part of BMW, was taken over by the Soviet Union in 1945, and resumed production under the BMW logo until 1951 when BMW regained control over its trademark and logo?
...that Mikhail Gerasimov used exhumed skulls to reconstruct faces of more than 200 people, including Friedrich Schiller, Ivan the Terrible, and Tamerlane? 05:51, 31 January 2006 (UTC)
...that Chuvash dragons of Turkic myth are said to assume human form and to visit men and women at night in order to have sexual intercourse with them?
...that the Russian victory at Molodi put a stop to the northward expansion of the Ottoman Empire into present-day Russia? 23:13, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

Current events

This section is to archive Russian-related articles linked from the Wikipedia:Main page as part of Current events section.

Andrei Illarionov, an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin quits, saying Russia is "no longer free". (Washington Post) 27 December 2005 (Tuesday)

Russia-Ukraine gas dispute: Countries across Europe report reductions in gas supplies after Russia disconnected supplies to Ukraine yesterday. Russia accuses Ukraine of stealing 100 million cubic metres of gas yesterday from pipelines transiting the country; Ukraine denies this but has previously claimed the right to 15% of the gas as a transit toll. Hungary reports supplies are down by 40%, France and Italy by 30%, and Poland by 14%. Germany, Russia's principal customer, also reports reductions. Russian supplier Gazprom says that it will increase supplies and return them to normal by Tuesday night. (Sky News) 2 January 2006 (Monday)

Happy New Year!

2006

May it be safe and rewarding and peaceful — and here is to the happiest one! - Introvert ^talk 22:40, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

History of jewellery in Ukraine

Simultaneously, small colonies of north-eastern Slavs along the Volga River and its tributaries were borrowing some of the better Rus handicraft traditions. In combination with local cultural traditions as well as under the influence of Baltic people they contributed to the new culture that would later be called Russian.

I'm new on en.wikipedia.org and don't know english well. Could someone tell me is the paragraph above normal for english wikipedia or it is a propaganda?

And please tell User:Oleh_Petriv that thing in the picture on the right can not be a necklace or torc (just imagine it on your neck). It's a diadem or crown. I fail to explain it myself (maybe he just feigns incomprehension).

thanks in advance
--Decemberster 15:12, 8 January 2006 (UTC) P.S. Sorry for my english[reply]

I tried to remove the odious passage on several occasions, but was reverted, accused of "cut & paste" moves and biting newbies and even declared a "russian nazi". After that, I don't bother to edit Ukrainian topics. Hopefully you'll be luckier.--Ghirla | talk 19:12, 8 January 2006 (UTC) P.S. Your English is OK.[reply]

I choose to abstain from editing this article also because firstly, I don't know much about jewelry :) - but secondly, thinking that it might be okay to let this article settle down a bit, and revisit later perhaps. The quoted phrase certainly sounds dubious and needs correction. Prankish "necklace" wear... some merry season joke? posted a note at the article's talk on this one... - Introvert ^?^@ 08:05, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I emailed the author already. I know him as a reasonable editor and I am sure this will soon be resolved. Let's just treat each other nicely except of known trolls. While at Ukrainian topics, please check Khreschatyk, a new article. Thanks, --Irpen 08:10, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hi guys, I have answered your concerns about torc-crown in Talk:History of jewellery in Ukraine. Sorry, the pictures are not clear (they are from video. So you could not see details.--Oleh Petriv 18:11, 9 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It would have been better news if your answered our concern about the Russophobic passage in your article. --Ghirla | talk 17:34, 11 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

New pest: Russian trolls?

As if there were not enough nuisance involved in fighting the Big Three - Bonaparte, AndriyK, Molobo - there seems to evolve a new breed of Russian trolls, as represented by User:Nixer and User:Tt1. Once the community looked forward to a week of easy editing, when Nixer got blocked for another seven days, there appears Tt1, who shares with his more experienced counterpart a passion for military ranks and insignia. His self-imposed mission is to spawn stubs with the same content: "A slew of further awards, records, movie roles, and growth of popularity followed, most notably the title of People's Artist of the USSR, the highest honour that could be bestowed to a cinema artist, awarded to her". This phrase was pillaged by him from the article on Alla Pugacheva. His quest started with Valentina Leonteva, which I attempted to bring to normalcy, and continued with Klara Luchko, Lyudmila Gurchenko, Margarita Nazarova, and Ekaterina Zelyonaya. It doesn't matter to him that the last two were merely Народная артистка РСФСР. His IP 81.218.194.152 launched a silly revert war over Заслуженная артистка РСФСР Lidiya Ruslanova, neglecting the links provided by me to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. I don't want to be blocked for silly revert warring, so I let someone less irascible to speak to this guy. Sorry for my tone, I just have no patience with him. --Ghirla | talk 17:38, 11 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ghirlandajo, Tt1 is a newbee, do not bite him. abakharev 23:28, 11 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please see User_talk:Encyclopedist#Roitr_aka_Tt1. --DmitryKo 02:57, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Template:lang-ru

Template lang-ru leaves the text roman, like this Template:Lang-ru, while most of other similar templates make the text italic, like Template:Lang-de or Template:Lang-pl. In the result the Russian names look weird in the list of other language names. Is it OK if I will change the lang-ru template? Or is there special reasons not to italize Russian names? abakharev 10:59, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would oppose. I remember seeing a request somewhere to unitalicize Cyrillic text because many Cyr. letters change their shape. Humus sapiens 12:02, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would also oppose. I've seen similar complains about italics Cyrillic letters more than once.—Ëzhiki (ërinacëus amurënsis) 14:54, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would support. I never use the template, it's easier for me to enter Cyrillic letters and to italicize them. There is some glitch with the template, see the articles where it is featured. Hopefully someone will be able to fix it. --Ghirla | talk 15:08, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Never mind, the problem was with Template:langWithName and I fixed it myself. --Ghirla | talk 15:46, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding this glitch, I didn't check this discussion until right now but I did check/fix two of those glitches introduced into the lang templates earlier today, lang-ru and lang-be (sorry was my anon edit on lang-ru - I was having huge troubles in logging in, or doing anything at all and of course was able to log right in after the first save finally went through.) The question I have though, what's the point in adding interwikies to those templates? Is it a good/bad idea, anyone can help clarify? So may be the fix should have been more radical :) and the i-wikies should be deleted altogether just like User:Ghirlandajo fixed the Template:langWithName. - Introvert ^?^@ 21:50, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would also support, everyone italises the letters nonetheless with or without the use of the template, so the fact that the template does not italise the text only overcomplicates the matter, not to say creates more confusion. MureninC 15:21, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that quotations in italics instead of regular style would look more in line with other foreign-lang quotations. I too saw the prior discussion. And I am wondering whether the distortion is a general issue with Cyrillic letters, or maybe it is only demonstrating itself in a particular font face -- and if the latter, then in which one? Is it Arial-Cyr? or if it is something exotic, then maybe it'd be OK. - Introvert ^?^@ 21:45, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It happens with quite a few fonts, including the most common ones and, more important, those set as defaults in Wikipedia skins. E.g.: т→т; г→г, д→д;. It's very confusing for those who only know Cyrillic block letters.—Ëzhiki (ërinacëus amurënsis) 22:01, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Right... I see and I've just tried a few different ones myself... I agree it is confusing. Let's stay with regular style then. Thank you! - Introvert ^?^@ 22:11, 13 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sergei Lavrov

the articel does not fit with bio at Information and press department -- 172.208.228.121 02:37, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have edited it slightly trying to make it in line with the source abakharev 07:32, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Image:Slavs.jpg

Hi, just wondering if by any chance anyone here recognize this image and could tell where it came from? It is used in the Slavic peoples article, but no one seems to know where it came from, and therefore it's copyright status is dodgy. The uploader thinks it's from the cover of some book, but doesn't know what book (he found it in a public FTP archive). --Sherool (talk) 22:27, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was adding a comment below and coun dot help but notice this one. Allow me to point out that the image is misleading. The picture shows "Northern Slavs", rather than Slavs in general. Southern Slavs look quite different. Mukadderat 19:17, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We have arrived to the racist notion of who should be considered a "pure" Slav and who is a half-blood. --Ghirla | talk 09:09, 20 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Russian bell ringing

I was making a small edit in Campanology article and I think it misses something. It seems to me that Russsian bell ringing tradition differs from the two described in "Campanology": Carillon ringing and Change ringing. If I am right, then I hope to have a pleasure to see a new article. Mukadderat 19:09, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Userboxes/Political Parties#Russia

I'd like to bring to the attention that now there are some cool userboxes with Russian political parties, see Wikipedia:Userboxes/Political Parties#Russia. Enjoy! Cheers, MureninC 16:40, 22 January 2006 (UTC).[reply]

Great selection I'd say. You may also want to check this out before considering placing one on your userpage: Wikipedia talk:Proposed policy on userboxes#Note from Jimbo.—Ëzhiki (ërinacëus amurënsis) 17:32, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What matters is that they exist now and are available. :-) Chëërs, MureninC 18:46, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Second Battle of Zürich

The article traditionally featured the following sentence: "Betrayed by the Austrians but still undefeated, Suvorov heroically retreated across the Alps, performing a military feat unheard of since the time of Hannibal." Claiming this was an "unsourced POV pushing", User:Pecher repeatedly deleted it. Please comment on the issue. --Ghirla | talk 15:37, 24 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

WP:DYK archive on this board

Maybe it is better to have the archive of the Russia-related WP:DYK question in a separate file? It grows very fast and soon would be comparable with the rest of the notice board? abakharev 23:04, 24 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

History of Latvia

Currently the article is replete with unqualified and unsourced nationalist claims, e.g., "The post war Soviet occupation implemented repression and genocide against the Latvians of different ethnic nationalities". Please review and help to bring the article to normalcy. --Ghirla | talk 10:13, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Eufrosinia Kersnovskaya

The heir of Kersnovskaya, User:Chapkovski gave me permissions to download a few drawings of her for the wiki. I have downloaded quite a few actually, see commons:Category:Eufrosinia Kersnovskaya. The drawings may be useful not only for the Eufrosinia Kersnovskaya article but for many others, especially Gulag-related. Please note that the explicit attribution of the works to Kersnovskaya is required and the courtesy note to Kersnovskaya Foundation is very desirable. abakharev 02:55, 27 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]