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first frame-up
I'm beginning to acclimate to Moscow, and already started my internship at the NY Times. This week, I'm reporting (but not writing) on the Khodorkovsky trial, which bears some similarity to the show trials of the Stalinist Great Terror that I'm researching for my thesis.
Yesterday I had an unpleasant experience with Russian menty (cops) at the Frunzenskaia metro stop. I was stopped while walking with a Russian friend, and accused of possessing psychedelic mushrooms. Clearly, they were dropped into my bag by the menty who searched me. It played out like a professional frame-up, with good cop-bad cop tag-teaming. I felt that they could do anything they wanted with me, so I just kept talking and talking (how predictable!) When I proposed we part on "peaceful" terms, the nicer ment tried to justify what they were doing--they only earn $100 a month; the big money is made by people with the right pogony (shoulder mark/rank). I wiggled out of it after showing them my NY Times accreditation letter for the Khodorkovsky trial and giving them $40. I asked the "nice" cop about how much more corrupt melitsia is these days, and he said it's gotten worse and much more overt. Today, a BBC journalist near the courthouse told me I was lucky and paid very little--his friend was beaten and fined $1500 after menty dropped in a bag of marijuana. The NYT bureau chief suggested I shave like a skinhead (I did just get a haircut!) and register with the embassy. What a great crash course in Russian justice.
Otherwise, everything is else is quite good. I've been spending time with U Pitt grads from the Medieval Rus' course, and will go to the symphony tonight.
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antoshakartosha) wrote,
