The Current Digest of the Russian Press

Weekly translations of authoritative Russian primary source materials

Published continuously since 1949, The Current Digest of the Russian Press (formerly The Current Digest of the Soviet Press, The Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press) is a leading primary source in the field of Soviet/Russian area studies. Each week, it presents a selection of Russian-language press materials, carefully translated into English, covering a wide range of issues in the post-Soviet space and the international arena. It draws from a broad spectrum of sources – pro-government, moderate, fiercely oppositionist – and features a diverse range of reporters and authors, from the Valdai Club’s Fyodor Lukyanov to Novaya gazeta’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov. Intended for use in teaching and research, the translations are thus presented as documentary materials without elaboration or commentary, and state the opinions and views of the original authors, not the publishers of the journal.

Historically, The Current Digest selected and translated content on relevant issues from the most authoritative Soviet and Russian newspapers, representing the only consistently published journal to document post-World War II history, from the testing of the Soviet atomic bomb to the collapse of an empire. In the present day, it serves as a unique, multifaceted showcase for Russian journalists’ and pundits’ views on topics that affect our whole world.

Read on below for more on what makes The Current Digest an important resource for today’s scholars. Or listen to an interview with East View Press Editor-in-Chief Larry Bogoslaw to learn more about The Current Digest and its value in today’s media landscape (full interview [26 min] | synopsis [2 min]).

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Featured Content

Current Digest of the Russian Press, Vol. 75, No. 17 – Table of Contents

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Big Talk

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‘If Russia Starts Losing, Putin Will Face Real Risks at Home’

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Current Digest of the Russian Press
  • ISSN (print): 2159-3612
  • ISSN (online): 2159-3639
  • Language: English
  • Frequency: Weekly
  • Year first published: 1949
Why subscribe to The Current Digest?

Longevity: The Current Digest is about to enter its 75th year publishing news from Russia and the surrounding countries – every week!

Quality: Every article from the original Russian is carefully translated, edited, proofread and annotated.

Breadth of sources: The Current Digest is not simply a Kremlin mouthpiece. Every issue features a wide spectrum of viewpoints on key issues, from staunchly pro-government to fiercely oppositionist, and a great deal of factual content in between.

Current media sources include: Argumenty i Fakty, Ekspert, Izvestia, Kommersant, Meduza, The Moscow Times, Nezavisimaya gazeta, Novaya gazeta Europe, RBC Daily, Republic.ru, Rossiiskaya gazeta, Sovetskaya Rossia, Trud, and Vedomosti.

More than news: In today’s media environment, where breaking stories from around the world are readily available for free from hundreds of outlets, The Current Digest does not aim to be a news feed. Instead, the publication combines detailed, on-the-ground reporting with the following content that adds value:

  • Thoughtful, informed, often passionate commentary articles from respected experts (such as Pavel Felgengauer, Aleksandr Golts, Andrei Kolesnikov, Andrei Kortunov, Yulia Latynina, Fyodor Lukyanov, Kirill Martynov, Konstantin Sonin, and Tatyana Stanovaya) that delve into the roots and implications of ongoing events
  • Interviews with Russians in the news, from military generals and parliamentary representatives to political prisoners and their attorneys (many of these are unavailable in English in free online media)
  • In every issue, the above content is grouped into “features” that examine a high-priority news story from multiple perspectives. Recent examples:
    • Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Novaya gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov
    • Russia Leaves Grain Deal, Returns Days Later
    • G-20 Final Communiqué Addresses Ukraine War
    • Turkish Forces Confront Syrian Kurds
    • Tokayev Prevails in Kazakh Presidential Race
  • Even when we cover events that are widely summarized on the Internet (for example, Putin’s appearance at an international event), we typically include more details, including inside remarks and jokes. For example, in a recent speech discussing Europe’s decision to reconsider its energy contracts with Russia, an amused Putin referenced a Russian fairy tale about a hapless wolf who goes ice fishing with his tail and ends up trapped. Quite the image, isn’t it?

Listen to an interview with East View Press Editor-in-Chief Larry Bogoslaw to learn more about The Current Digest and the value it provides for today’s researchers (full interview [26 min] | synopsis [2 min]).

Browse the complete Current Digest of the Russian Press archive with East View On Demand
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