In russia, especially amongst the older generations, there is a real nestalgia for thes union. And i have encountered this nostalga at the most bizarre places,. like in semi palatis, the test site area of nuclear bumps. Even there in semipolatins, and close to the test site, where there was a small village, which now was almost abandoned. And even they e nastalgic. Then about e savitinian, the missed te savitinian. Another werd place where i counted nataljan had not expected to encounter it. That was at the former arul s in usbekistan. The arul s was the fourth biggest
Tracing Russia’s vast border, which meets those of 14 other countries, helps tells the history of Russia itself. From its imperial past to Soviet-era expansions and contractions leading up to its current war of aggression in Ukraine today, the Russian border is a landscape of uneasy uncertainty for many of the country's immediate neighbours. Erika Fatland is a Norwegian writer whose work has focused on issues that range from terrorism to travel and cultural history. Her 2020 book, The Border, followed the path of Russia's border over thousands of miles in order to understand how countries approach being a neighbour to a temperamental superpower. Following the tragic events in Ukraine, the book is even more relevant and Erika joined our producer Catharine Hughes to talk about it.
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