Brigid McCarthy

Jazz saxophone great Igor Butman

Growing up without religion in the Soviet Union, believing in jazz

Igor Butman grew up in the Soviet Union, where he learned jazz from listening to nightly broadcasts of the Voice of America on shortwave radio, and from bootleg records.

Growing up without religion in the Soviet Union, believing in jazz

Looking Back at the Cuban Missile Crisis

Looking Back at the Cuban Missile Crisis
The World

40 Years Ago, Soviet Gymnast Olga Korbut Dazzled the World

40 Years Ago, Soviet Gymnast Olga Korbut Dazzled the World

Documentary Film 'The Other Chelsea' Depicts a Different Ukraine

Documentary Film 'The Other Chelsea' Depicts a Different Ukraine

Tymoshenko Case: International Pressure on Ukraine Intensifies

Tymoshenko Case: International Pressure on Ukraine Intensifies
Orwell and the Refugees (Book Cover)

Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and Ukrainian Refugees

A year after George Orwell published his classic novel, "Animal Farm", it became a hit with an unexpected group — Ukrainian refugees from the Soviet Union. They understood Orwell's allegorical novel about the Soviet Union in a way that others did not.

Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and Ukrainian Refugees

Soviet Era Dark Humor Makes a Comeback

The Soviet jokes disappeared when the Soviet Union collapsed, but that brand of dark humor has made a comeback in Russia today.

Soviet Era Dark Humor Makes a Comeback
The World

Grappling With a Post-Soviet Identity

Host of a Russian history program says his series, titled Kto my? (Who Are We?), is about Russians understanding themselves.

Grappling With a Post-Soviet Identity
The World

Dealing With Money in Post-Soviet Life

After the collapse of the USSR, Russians and other ex-Soviets had to learn to face a new culture - a money culture. For many, that was a huge shock.

Dealing With Money in Post-Soviet Life

Nostalgia for the Soviet Union

The Soviet Union dissolved 20 years ago this Sunday. More than half of all Russians now regret that demise, according to a recent poll. Brigid McCarthy visited a restaurant in Moscow that lets nostalgic customers pretend they're back in the USSR.

Nostalgia for the Soviet Union
The World

The End of the USSR

Twenty years ago on Christmas Day, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Brigid McCarthy takes a look back at why the USSR came crashing down.

The End of the USSR
The World

Why Some Russians Miss the Soviet Kommunalka

The Kommunalka was a Soviet experiment in communal living. Entire families were forced to live in a single room, nevertheless some have surprisingly fond memories of the experience.

Why Some Russians Miss the Soviet Kommunalka

Stalinism Survivor Runs Gulag Museum In Moscow

Many Russians would rather forget the work camps of the Soviet past but a 91-year-old Gulag survivor keeps in trying to remind them. He runs the Gulag Museum in Moscow.

Stalinism Survivor Runs Gulag Museum In Moscow

Gorbachev, Yeltsin and the Demise of the USSR

There are many Russians who say a critical factor in the demise of the USSR was the power struggle that broke out between Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.

Gorbachev, Yeltsin and the Demise of the USSR
The World

The Soviet Coup — 20 Years Later

Twenty years ago on Friday, there was a coup aimed at bringing down Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

The Soviet Coup — 20 Years Later