Safe Until Further Notice

ChatGPT Image Jan 4, 2026, 01_12_18 PM

Mr. K kept two documents in his desk drawer. One was a residence card that politely promised stability until 2030. The other was a passport that politely promised identity until 2031. He treated both like adults treat seatbelts: he knew they mattered, he hated thinking about why.

On good days, he almost forgot them. He went to work, bought bread, argued with a coffee machine that refused to understand the … Read the rest

Yulia Samoylova banned from Ukraine?

The news that the Russian wheelchair-bound singer Yulia Samoylova has been given a three-year ban from entering Ukraine  — thus spoiling her chances of representing her country in the Eurovision — causes me to recall the time when  I first came to Russia. I confess — with more than a little shame now — that back then I couldn't have told you much about which country was which. I thought Read the rest