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The Infographics Show, Regular Things That Are Illegal in Russia

Regular Things That Are Illegal in Russia

A Russian man, let's call him Alexi, is about to commit a crime. He's part of a gang that

deals in illegal products. He walks down a dark alleyway late at night to meet another

guy who he's been told is called Vasily. The two communicated on the phone just the

other day, with Vasily telling Alexi that his clients are desperate for a fix since

that last big bust. Alexi told him not to worry, a big shipment has just come in and

there's enough for everybody. “We're all going to make a lot of money,” said Alexi.

So, what exactly does Alexi have to sell, and what is Vasily so desperate to buy?

Heroin…cocaine…methamphetamine…MDMA? The answer is none of those things. The answer

is cheese, and on this occasion, cheddar cheese…that most wonderful

food that originates in the country of England. These two criminals are well aware that they could

do serious time for cheese dealing, so now let's have a look why, as well as other insane things

you won't believe are illegal in Russia! 10. Imported food products

In 2015, you might have read a story in the media about an organized Russian crime gang

that was arrested for importing over $20 million of illegal cheese.

Ok, you're thinking, you've heard that cheese might be slightly addictive, but c'mon Russia,

really, is cheese really that bad…is it tearing at the fabric of society. Are there infomercials in

Russia showing eggs being fried along with the words, “This is your brain on cheese”?

Well, the Russian government is indeed telling its citizens to just say no to cheese, but

not because cheese is inherently bad for people. The reason is Russia's ban on imported food

products that started in 2014. This was called a “retaliatory food import ban”, because Russia was

retaliating for sanctions being placed on it. . The problem was, while this led to cheese

production inside Russia increasing, people still wanted their delicious fix from other

cheese-making countries. People wanted real Italian Mozzarella on their pizza, with some

Russians saying the homemade version of pizza didn't quite meet their expectations. Italian

restaurant owners were up in arms about it. This didn't mean local folks were looking at

doing hard time for putting illegal French Camembert on their toast,

but criminals have been imprisoned for illegally importing various banned food products.

Right after the ban, there was a hotline people could call if they thought an illegal food dealer

was working in their area. If someone got a whiff of European cheese in their hood,

they could inform the authorities and the cheese seller could go to prison.

Those who were part of the “cheese ring” we mentioned were reported to be looking

at serving 10 years behind bars. It was serious business, with one source saying Russians were,

“buying cheese the same way people bought weed in 1980s Brooklyn...corner

stores have become black market cheese dealers”.

It wasn't only cheese of course. Illegal products could be meat, poultry, and fruits. Yep,

that means that in Russia there's such a thing as a contraband sausage.

In fact, some Russians watched in disbelief as contraband foods were destroyed live on TV.

What they beheld was the destruction of things such as Polish apples, Dutch cheese and Danish

pork. Even some ducklings were seized by the cops, and then killed and incinerated.

Some folks were pretty darn mad at the government, since millions of Russians live

below the poverty line. Others shouted, “How can you do this? It's an act of “fromagicde.”

But food is only the tip of the crazy iceberg.

9. Popular blogs So, you've been blogging for a while in Russia and you've started getting many page views per day. Damn,

you're almost internet famous and you're mighty proud of that fact. But then one day you hear a

knock at the door and it's the cops. They're not happy at all about your online celebrity status.

The reason for that is, if a blog in Russia starts getting more than 3,000 page views a day,

by law it has to be registered with the country's mass media regulator,

Roskomnadzor. This law was approved in 2014 and many Russians were not happy about it.

The law also means that bloggers cannot be anonymous and that the data must be kept on

Russian servers. If you break any of these rules you could find yourself in trouble.

Critics called the move a crackdown on free expression in Russia, stating that Vladimir

Putin was flexing his muscles making sure that no one could start criticizing him online. In fact,

Putin takes a dim view of the internet and has said before that it is a CIA project- which

is tin-foil hat level of crazy right there. But maybe there's a good reason Putin hates

the internet... 8. Memes

Have you ever seen a really funny meme containing an image of Vladimir Putin?

Of course you have, they're everywhere. The memes that likely put Putin in a silent

rage are the ones with the image of him riding a horse and not wearing anything on the upper half

of his body. There's even one with him and U.S. President Donald Trump on the back of the horse.

Kind of funny, eh…but not so funny according to Roskomnadzor. It said that making fun of people

in a meme is illegal, with a law being passed a few years ago. In its own words the agency said,

“These ways of using images violate the laws governing personal data and harm the honor,

dignity and business of public figures.” But surely the authorities wouldn't put a

person in prison just for having a bit of fun… Tell that to Maria Motuznaya, a young

Russian girl who back in 2018 was labelled an “extremist” for posting memes on the Internet.

Her memes were mostly about religion and not public figures per se, but that was enough for

the Russian government to send the cops around to her house and take her away for interrogation. One

of the memes consisted of a group of nuns about to light up cigarettes. The caption below was,

“Quick, while God isn't looking.” We thought that was kind of amusing,

but the Russian government didn't giggle. Far from it, Maria ended up in court charged with hate

speech and offending religious folks' feelings. She was looking at a possible six years in prison,

just because of a bunch of pretty harmless memes. When she got the knock on the door and realized

she was being investigated for her allegedly criminal memes she couldn't

believe the authorities were being serious. She said to the western media, “Honestly,

the first time - when I was shown the warrant - I laughed and asked: 'Are you serious?'.

I thought it was a joke of some kind, maybe it's my friends playing a trick on me.”

As her case was going on, a 19-year guy was also under investigation for posting memes.

One of his memes compared the Game of Thrones character, one Jon Snow, to the almighty Jesus

Christ. He was also called an “undesirable citizen” and he was subsequently investigated.

As for Maria, she got off in the end. The good news is that the Kremlin later

decided to change the laws somewhat and not come down so hard on meme-makers. Still,

laws are in place today that mean you could get into trouble for posting a doctored

picture of Putin riding a bear. Yep, that meme exists. Just don't share it if you're Russian.

If you think that's crazy, it's going to get crazier.

7. Censored Movies Imagine a Russian version of Quentin Tarrantino's “Pulp Fiction” playing in Moscow's theaters. How much fun would that be?

You'd hear the translation from that opening part of the movie, when Samuel Jackson is

interrogating the young men. “Say 'what' one more time!

I dare you, I double dare you…” The next word would have to be left out in

the Russian version, as would a good part of the entire script. That's because in 2014, Vladimir

Putin signed a law that banned all cursing in theater performances. Not only that, cursing is

also not allowed in movies, TV, and the media. Get caught using bad language and if you're a

company you could be fined up to $1,400. If it's just a person caught swearing,

they could be fined $70. Imagine how much cash has to be put in the Russian government's swear jar.

On top of that, if content in any form, including books, has bad language in it,

it must have a warning label on the jacket. It's said that the reason for the profanity

law is to preserve the beauty of the Russian language, even though Russians curse all the

time in real life. Specially Putin when he sees all the memes about him on the internet.

Now, let's continue to explore Russia's love/hate relationship with the internet with...

6. we're Russian There are illegal substances in Russia just like there are in other countries, but Russia has taken things a little

further and banned websites that talk about drugs. The move was to prevent young folks from getting

into drugs, but what if folks can't find the right information about such substances.

Some drug websites, such as the US-based Erowid, aren't exactly anti- or pro-drugs,

but it can serve as a useful resource if you want to know more about a certain drug.

But in Russia, this could be seen as promoting the use of drugs and

so such a website or blog would be banned. In 2015, Russian authorities blocked part of

Reddit and thought about blocking the entire site because there was a thread about growing magic

mushrooms. A Wikipedia page was also blocked for a while because it contained information

about a certain type of Indian hashish. In fact, in 2019, Russia banned a grand

total of 21,000 websites that contained information about illegal drugs. Meanwhile,

that same year Russia stood in fourth place for alcohol consumption. Booze is such a big problem

in the country that some organizations have called it a “national disaster.”

We should add, though, that Russia has been trying to crackdown on boozing. Another ban now in place

is drinking in parks and other public areas. Yep, you could be arrested for bringing out a bottle

of wine while picnicking with your lover. Some of Russia's bans though is something

we could all get behind... 5. Jehovah's Witnesses

You can be sure of one thing in Russia and that's the fact that you won't be getting a

knock on the door and when you open it there are two smartly dressed folks who say, “We're here

to talk about the only true God, Jehovah.” The U.S.-based Christian denomination has

about 8.5 million members worldwide, and those that belong to the religion have been known to

turn up at your door while you're watching TV. Not in Russia. In 2017, the country outlawed

the religion. If you belong to it, you will be labeled an extremist. Some people are

presently in prison for admitting that they are a Jehovah's Witnesses and trying to spread the word.

What does Putin think about the religion? He called it “complete nonsense”. Putin is

certainly not areligious, he's just what you call orthodox Christian. Or maybe he

hates getting his tv watching interrupted by a knock on the door as much as the rest of us.

Now we turn to the darker side of Russia. 4. Gay Pride

You won't see the rainbow flag flying on the streets of Russia this year, or next year, or for

many decades to come, and that's because in 2012 Russia banned gay pride parades for a century.

Yep, you heard that right, one hundred years. In fact, Russia has what's called a

gay propaganda law. It's not illegal to be gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender in Russia,

but it's illegal to outwardly be proud about sexuality that Russia doesn't deem traditional.

In a country that already has quite a large number of people who are prejudiced against

sexual minorities, the 2013 law only served to create more antipathy. There are plenty

of activists and reasonable people in Russia that have criticized the law, but their beliefs

have often led to bullying and harassment. In fact, in January 2020, news reports told

us that a Russian activist named Yulia Tsvetkova was placed under house arrest by the authorities.

What had she done? The answer is she had posted a drawing she had created on social media.

The drawing had a same-sex couple with their two children. The text

that accompanied the sketch said, “Family is where love is. Support LGBT+ families!”

For showing some love she was charged with disseminating pornography and she could spend

six years in prison. In an interview, she said she had posted the drawing in support of a couple who

had to flee Russia after they'd adopted two kids. In this respect, when we ask what regular things

are banned in Russia, you could say one thing is human rights.

3. Don't forget your ID When Russians reach the ripe old age of fourteen they are told they must carry an internal passport with them at all times when outside the house.

This ID is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If a person is found to be without this

document they can be held by the police. Ok, so you decide you want to see Russia

for yourself and go there on a vacation. Whether you are doing some sightseeing in

Moscow or are hiking in Siberia, you must have your passport on you at all times.

Yep, it doesn't matter where you are, if the cops stop you and you can't

show them your passport you could be fined. That's us giving you some sound advice…now

let's get crazy again. 2. Driving

Ok, so driving isn't banned for everyone, but if you are

transgender in Russia you cannot get behind the wheel. You can't ride a motorcycle, either.

What is this madness you are probably thinking? Well, the law came in just

a few years ago and was supposed to cut down on traffic accidents in the country…If

you don't know already, Russia is renowned for its number of traffic accidents and fatalities.

But what's that got to do with transgender people? The answer is that the government has stated that

trans folks have a physical or mental disability. If you're a transvestite, or a kleptomaniac,

or a fetishist, you are also barred from driving. Understandably, human rights activists have called

this utterly ridiculous. But it's only slightly less crazy than the number one

illegal thing in Russia. 1. Lacy Underwear

In 2014, Russia introduced a law that banned the sale or production of lace underwear. The same law

was also introduced in Kazakhstan and Belarus. But why, you might be thinking, and it's a good

question. The answer is because Putin wanted women wearing homemade Russian

underwear that was at least six percent cotton. Women in those three countries didn't much

like the idea of being told what they could wear and some of them said they didn't want

to go back to the Soviet days when women wore what you might call boring panties.

In fact, a group of women protested the law, with some of them wearing lacy underwear on

their heads and shouting, “Freedom to panties!” They were subsequently arrested and taken to the

police station. One guy who commented on the law said that people would just go abroad and

buy their underwear. He told the media, “I think this is just another silly law that

shows the ineffectiveness of our government.” He likely thinks the same about the cheese ban,

too. God forbid you get pulled over by the cops in Russia while wearing lacy underwear and carrying

a Danish sausage in your pocket. Now you need to watch this video,

“Russian Sleep Experiment – EXPLAINED”. Or have a look at this, “Why USSR Had No Serial Killers.”

Regular Things That Are Illegal in Russia Regelmäßige Dinge, die in Russland illegal sind Κανονικά πράγματα που είναι παράνομα στη Ρωσία Regular Things That Are Illegal in Russia Cosas habituales que son ilegales en Rusia Les choses normales qui sont illégales en Russie ロシアで違法とされる普通のこと Gewone dingen die illegaal zijn in Rusland Coisas normais que são ilegais na Rússia Обычные вещи, которые запрещены в России Rusya'da Yasadışı Olan Sıradan Şeyler 在俄罗斯非法的常规物品

A Russian man, let's call him Alexi, is about  to commit a crime. He's part of a gang that ||||||Alexi|||||||||||gang| ||||||Alexi||||||||||||

deals in illegal products. He walks down a  dark alleyway late at night to meet another |||||||||ruelle sombre||||||

guy who he's been told is called Vasily. The two communicated on the phone just the |||||||Vasily|||||||| |||||||"the guy Vasily"||||||||

other day, with Vasily telling Alexi that  his clients are desperate for a fix since ||||||||||in urgent need|||| Neulich erzählte Vasily Alexi, dass seine Kunden verzweifelt nach einer Lösung suchen, seit

that last big bust. Alexi told him not to  worry, a big shipment has just come in and |||coup de filet|||||||||grosse cargaison||||| |||police raid|||||||||||||| die letzte große Verhaftung. Alexi sagte ihm, er solle sich keine Sorgen machen, eine große Lieferung sei gerade eingetroffen und

there's enough for everybody. “We're all  going to make a lot of money,” said Alexi.

So, what exactly does Alexi have to sell,  and what is Vasily so desperate to buy? |||||||||||||verzweifelt|| |||||||||||||eagerly seeking||

Heroin…cocaine…methamphetamine…MDMA? The answer is none of those things. The answer ||méthamphétamine|MDMA|||||||||

is cheese, and on this occasion,  cheddar cheese…that most wonderful ||||||cheddar|||| ||||||cheddar cheese||||

food that originates in the country of England. These two criminals are well aware that they could ||provient||||||||||||||

do serious time for cheese dealing, so now let's  have a look why, as well as other insane things

you won't believe are illegal in Russia! 10. Imported food products

In 2015, you might have read a story in the  media about an organized Russian crime gang

that was arrested for importing  over $20 million of illegal cheese. ||||importation de|||||

Ok, you're thinking, you've heard that cheese  might be slightly addictive, but c'mon Russia,

really, is cheese really that bad…is it tearing at  the fabric of society. Are there infomercials in ||||||||déchirant||||||||publicités télévisées| ||||||||undermining||||||||TV product ads| 本当に、チーズはそんなに悪いものなのだろうか...社会の構造を引き裂いているのではないだろうか。のインフォマーシャルがあるのでしょうか? Peynir gerçekten bu kadar kötü mü? Toplumun dokusunu parçalıyor mu? Reklamlar var mı?

Russia showing eggs being fried along with  the words, “This is your brain on cheese”? ||||frits|||||||||| これはチーズを食べたあなたの脳です」という言葉とともに、卵を焼く様子を映したロシア?

Well, the Russian government is indeed telling  its citizens to just say no to cheese, but

not because cheese is inherently bad for people.  The reason is Russia's ban on imported food ||||intrinsèquement||||||||||| ||||intrinsically||||||||||| ||||von Natur aus|||||||||||

products that started in 2014. This was called a  “retaliatory food import ban”, because Russia was ||||||||de représailles|||||| ||||||||revengeful|||||| ||||||||vergeltend||||||

retaliating for sanctions being placed on it. . The problem was, while this led to cheese riposter aux sanctions||sanctions|||||||||||| responding to|||||||||||||| Vergeltung|||||||||||||| 制裁を受けたことへの報復である。問題は、これがチーズにつながったものの

production inside Russia increasing, people  still wanted their delicious fix from other ロシア国内での生産量が増えても、人々は他の国のおいしいものを求めていた。

cheese-making countries. People wanted real  Italian Mozzarella on their pizza, with some チーズの生産国。人々はピザに本物のイタリアンモッツァレラを求めていました、そしていくつかの

Russians saying the homemade version of pizza  didn't quite meet their expectations. Italian |||faite maison||||||||| 手作り版ピザが期待に応えられなかったというロシア人の声イタリアン

restaurant owners were up in arms about it. This didn't mean local folks were looking at Die Restaurantbesitzer liefen Sturm dagegen. Das bedeutete nicht, dass die Einheimischen sich die レストランのオーナーたちが大騒ぎしていた。これは、地元の人々が見ていたわけではありません。 Владельцы ресторанов были в восторге от этого. Это не означает, что местные жители смотрели на restoran sahipleri bu konuda ayaklanmıştı. Bu, yerel halkın

doing hard time for putting illegal  French Camembert on their toast, |||||||Camembert illégal français|||

but criminals have been imprisoned for illegally  importing various banned food products. ||||emprisonnés||illégalement|||||

Right after the ban, there was a hotline people  could call if they thought an illegal food dealer |||||||ligne d'assistance||||||||||trafiquant alimentaire |||||||helpline||||||||||

was working in their area. If someone got  a whiff of European cheese in their hood, |||||||||une bouffée||||||quartier |||||||||faint smell||||||

they could inform the authorities and  the cheese seller could go to prison.

Those who were part of the “cheese ring”  we mentioned were reported to be looking

at serving 10 years behind bars. It was serious  business, with one source saying Russians were,

“buying cheese the same way people  bought weed in 1980s Brooklyn...corner ||||||||||Brooklyn des années 80| ||||||||||1980s Brooklyn|

stores have become black market cheese dealers”. ||||||revendeurs du marché noir

It wasn't only cheese of course. Illegal  products could be meat, poultry, and fruits. Yep, |||||||||||volaille||| |||||||||||chicken and turkey|||

that means that in Russia there's  such a thing as a contraband sausage. |||||||||||saucisse de contrebande|saucisse de contrebande |||||||||||illegal goods| |||||||||||Schmuggelware|

In fact, some Russians watched in disbelief  as contraband foods were destroyed live on TV. ||||||incrédulité|||||||| ||||||disbelief|||||||| 実際、密輸食品が破棄される様子をテレビで生中継しているのを、信じられない思いで見ていたロシア人もいました。

What they beheld was the destruction of things  such as Polish apples, Dutch cheese and Danish ||ont vu||||||||||||| ||saw||||||||Polish apples||||| ||sah|||||||||||||

pork. Even some ducklings were seized by  the cops, and then killed and incinerated. |||canetons||saisis||||||||incinérés |||young ducks||confiscated||||||||burned to ashes |||Entenküken||||||||||

Some folks were pretty darn mad at the  government, since millions of Russians live ||||sacrément|en colère|||||||| ||||very|||||||||

below the poverty line. Others shouted, “How  can you do this? It's an act of “fromagicde.” |||||||||||||||fratricide économique |||||||||||||||from magic deed

But food is only the tip of the crazy iceberg.

9\. Popular blogs So, you've been blogging |||||bloguer for a while in Russia and you've started  getting many page views per day. Damn,

you're almost internet famous and you're mighty  proud of that fact. But then one day you hear a ||||||très fier||||||||||| ||||||very much|||||||||||

knock at the door and it's the cops. They're not  happy at all about your online celebrity status.

The reason for that is, if a blog in Russia  starts getting more than 3,000 page views a day,

by law it has to be registered with  the country's mass media regulator, ||||||||||||authority 法律により、同国のマスメディア規制当局に登録する必要があります、

Roskomnadzor. This law was approved in 2014  and many Russians were not happy about it. Roskomnadzor||||||||||||| Russian media regulator|||||||||||||

The law also means that bloggers cannot be  anonymous and that the data must be kept on

Russian servers. If you break any of these  rules you could find yourself in trouble.

Critics called the move a crackdown on free  expression in Russia, stating that Vladimir |||||répression sévère||||||||Vladimir Poutine |||||harsh suppression|||free expression|||||Putin's government 評論家は、この動きをロシアにおける表現の自由の弾圧と呼び、ウラジミール氏が

Putin was flexing his muscles making sure that no  one could start criticizing him online. In fact, Poutine||montrer ses muscles||||||||||critiquer|||| showing his power||||||||||||||||

Putin takes a dim view of the internet and has  said before that it is a CIA project- which |||vue négative||||||||||||||| |||negative|||||||||||||Central Intelligence Agency|| Putin hält nichts vom Internet und hat schon früher gesagt, dass es ein Projekt der CIA sei - was

is tin-foil hat level of crazy right there. But maybe there's a good reason Putin hates ||chapeau en aluminium|||||||||||||| |tin foil|conspiracy theory|hat||||||||||||| は、まさにブリキ帽レベルの狂気です。でも、プーチンに嫌われているのには、それなりの理由があるのかもしれません。

the internet... 8. Memes ||Mèmes internet

Have you ever seen a really funny meme  containing an image of Vladimir Putin? |||||||mème drôle||||||

Of course you have, they're everywhere. The memes that likely put Putin in a silent |||||||viral jokes|||||||

rage are the ones with the image of him riding a  horse and not wearing anything on the upper half fureur||||||||||||||||||| popular trend|||||||||||||||||||

of his body. There's even one with him and U.S.  President Donald Trump on the back of the horse.

Kind of funny, eh…but not so funny according to  Roskomnadzor. It said that making fun of people |||n'est-ce pas|||||||||||||| |||isn't it||||||||||||||

in a meme is illegal, with a law being passed a  few years ago. In its own words the agency said, をミームで表現することは違法であり、数年前に法律が成立している。同庁は自らの言葉でこう語っている、

“These ways of using images violate the laws  governing personal data and harm the honor, ||||||||||||nuire à|| ||||||||regulating||||||

dignity and business of public figures.” But surely the authorities wouldn't put a

person in prison just for having a bit of fun… Tell that to Maria Motuznaya, a young ||||||||||||||Maria Motuznaya|| ||||||||||||||Maria Motuznaya||

Russian girl who back in 2018 was labelled an  “extremist” for posting memes on the Internet. ||||||étiquetée||extrémiste||publication de mèmes|||| ||||||labelled||||||||

Her memes were mostly about religion and not  public figures per se, but that was enough for |||||||||||en soi||||| 彼女のミームは、ほとんどが宗教に関するもので、公人そのものではなかったが、それだけで十分であった。

the Russian government to send the cops around to  her house and take her away for interrogation. One ||||||||||||||||questioning or interview|

of the memes consisted of a group of nuns about  to light up cigarettes. The caption below was, ||||||||nonnes|||||||légende suivante|| |||||||||||||||"Ready to smoke"||

“Quick, while God isn't looking.” We thought that was kind of amusing, |||||||||||funny

but the Russian government didn't giggle. Far  from it, Maria ended up in court charged with hate |||||rire nerveux|||||||||||

speech and offending religious folks' feelings.  She was looking at a possible six years in prison, ||offensant|||||||||||||

just because of a bunch of pretty harmless memes. When she got the knock on the door and realized

she was being investigated for her  allegedly criminal memes she couldn't ||||||prétendument|||| ||||||supposedly||||

believe the authorities were being serious. She said to the western media, “Honestly,

the first time - when I was shown the warrant  - I laughed and asked: 'Are you serious?'. ||||||||mandat||||||| ||||||||legal authorization document|||||||

I thought it was a joke of some kind, maybe  it's my friends playing a trick on me.”

As her case was going on, a 19-year guy was  also under investigation for posting memes.

One of his memes compared the Game of Thrones  character, one Jon Snow, to the almighty Jesus ||||||||Trônes|||||||tout-puissant| 彼のミームの1つは、ゲーム・オブ・スローンズのキャラクター、ジョン・スノウ1人を全能のイエスに例えたものでした

Christ. He was also called an “undesirable  citizen” and he was subsequently investigated. |||||||||||par la suite| |||||||||||afterward|

As for Maria, she got off in the end.  The good news is that the Kremlin later ||||s'en est sortie|||||||||||le Kremlin| マリアについては、最後に降りた。良いニュースは、クレムリンが後に

decided to change the laws somewhat and not  come down so hard on meme-makers. Still, ||||||||être sévère||||||| は、法律を多少変更し、ミームメーカーをそれほど厳しく取り締まらないことにしました。それでも、

laws are in place today that mean you could  get into trouble for posting a doctored |||||||||||||||manipulé |||||||||||||||altered or fake

picture of Putin riding a bear. Yep, that meme  exists. Just don't share it if you're Russian.

If you think that's crazy,  it's going to get crazier. |||||||||plus fou

7\. Censored Movies Imagine a Russian version of Films censurés|||||| Quentin Tarrantino's “Pulp Fiction” playing in  Moscow's theaters. How much fun would that be? |de Tarrantino|Fiction pulpeuse|Fiction Pulp|||de Moscou||||||| Quentin Tarantino|Tarantino's|Sensational material||||in Moscow's||||||| クエンティン・タランティーノの「パルプ・フィクション」がモスクワの映画館で上映される。それはどんなに楽しいことだろう?

You'd hear the translation from that opening  part of the movie, when Samuel Jackson is ||||||||||||Samuel Jackson|| |||||||||||||Samuel Jackson|

interrogating the young men. “Say 'what' one more time! interrogeant|||||||| questioning||||||||

I dare you, I double dare you…” The next word would have to be left out in あえて、二重の意味で..."で次の単語が抜けてしまう。

the Russian version, as would a good part of the  entire script. That's because in 2014, Vladimir

Putin signed a law that banned all cursing in  theater performances. Not only that, cursing is |||||||jurons||||||||

also not allowed in movies, TV, and the media. Get caught using bad language and if you're a も、映画やテレビ、メディアでは許されない。悪口を使って捕まり、もしあなたが

company you could be fined up to $1,400.  If it's just a person caught swearing, |||||||||||||jurons

they could be fined $70. Imagine how much cash has  to be put in the Russian government's swear jar. |||amendés||||||||||||||bocal à jurons

On top of that, if content in any form,  including books, has bad language in it,

it must have a warning label on the jacket.  It's said that the reason for the profanity ||||||||||||||||grossièreté ||||||||||||||||Explicit Language Warning ジャケットに注意書きが必要です。冒涜の理由と言われているのは

law is to preserve the beauty of the Russian  language, even though Russians curse all the

time in real life. Specially Putin when he  sees all the memes about him on the internet. ||||Surtout||||||||||||

Now, let's continue to explore Russia's  love/hate relationship with the internet with...

6\. we're Russian There are illegal substances in Russia just like there are in other  countries, but Russia has taken things a little ロシアにも他の国と同じように物質が存在しますが、ロシアは少し物事を

further and banned websites that talk about drugs. The move was to prevent young folks from getting

into drugs, but what if folks can't find  the right information about such substances.

Some drug websites, such as the US-based  Erowid, aren't exactly anti- or pro-drugs, ||||||||Erowid|||||| ||||||||drug information site||||||

but it can serve as a useful resource if  you want to know more about a certain drug.

But in Russia, this could be seen  as promoting the use of drugs and

so such a website or blog would be banned. In 2015, Russian authorities blocked part of

Reddit and thought about blocking the entire site  because there was a thread about growing magic Reddit||||||||||||fil de discussion||| online discussion platform||||||||||||discussion post||| Reddit und dachte darüber nach, die gesamte Website zu sperren, weil es einen Thread über den Anbau von Magie gab

mushrooms. A Wikipedia page was also blocked  for a while because it contained information

about a certain type of Indian hashish. In fact, in 2019, Russia banned a grand ||||||haschich indien||||||| ||||||Indian hashish|||||||

total of 21,000 websites that contained  information about illegal drugs. Meanwhile,

that same year Russia stood in fourth place for  alcohol consumption. Booze is such a big problem |||||||||||Alcool||||| この年、ロシアはアルコール消費量が4位でした。お酒はこんなに大きな問題

in the country that some organizations  have called it a “national disaster.”

We should add, though, that Russia has been trying  to crackdown on boozing. Another ban now in place ||||||||||réprimer sévèrement||consommation d'alcool||||| しかし、ロシアは酒を取り締まろうとしていることを付け加えておく。現在、別の禁止令が出されている

is drinking in parks and other public areas. Yep,  you could be arrested for bringing out a bottle

of wine while picnicking with your lover. Some of Russia's bans though is something |||pique-niquer|||||||interdictions|||

we could all get behind... 5. Jehovah's Witnesses |||||Témoins de Jéhovah| |||||Jehovah's Witnesses|

You can be sure of one thing in Russia and  that's the fact that you won't be getting a

knock on the door and when you open it there are  two smartly dressed folks who say, “We're here

to talk about the only true God, Jehovah.” The U.S.-based Christian denomination has |||||||Jéhovah||||||dénomination chrétienne| |||||||the true God|||||||

about 8.5 million members worldwide, and those  that belong to the religion have been known to

turn up at your door while you're watching TV. Not in Russia. In 2017, the country outlawed |||||||||||||||made illegal テレビを観ていると、突然やってくる。ロシアでは違います。2017年、同国は非合法化した

the religion. If you belong to it, you will  be labeled an extremist. Some people are

presently in prison for admitting that they are a  Jehovah's Witnesses and trying to spread the word. ||||avoir avoué|||||||||||| currently||||||||||||||||

What does Putin think about the religion?  He called it “complete nonsense”. Putin is

certainly not areligious, he's just what  you call orthodox Christian. Or maybe he ||pas areligieux|||||||||| ||not non-religious||||||traditional Christian beliefs||||

hates getting his tv watching interrupted by  a knock on the door as much as the rest of us. は、ドアをノックされてテレビを見るのを中断されるのが嫌なのです。

Now we turn to the darker side of Russia. 4. Gay Pride |||||||||Fierté gay|

You won't see the rainbow flag flying on the  streets of Russia this year, or next year, or for ||||drapeau arc-en-ciel||||||||||||||

many decades to come, and that's because in 2012  Russia banned gay pride parades for a century. ||||||||||||défilés de la fierté|||

Yep, you heard that right, one hundred years. In fact, Russia has what's called a

gay propaganda law. It's not illegal to be gay  or lesbian or bisexual or transgender in Russia, |propagande homosexuelle|||||||||lesbienne||bisexuel(le)||transgenre||

but it's illegal to outwardly be proud about  sexuality that Russia doesn't deem traditional. ||||ouvertement||||||||considère comme| ||||openly||||||||consider to be|

In a country that already has quite a large  number of people who are prejudiced against ||||||||||||||préjugés contre| ||||||||||||||biased against others|

sexual minorities, the 2013 law only served  to create more antipathy. There are plenty |||||||||antipathie||| |||||||||hostility|||

of activists and reasonable people in Russia  that have criticized the law, but their beliefs

have often led to bullying and harassment. In fact, in January 2020, news reports told ||||intimidation et harcèlement||harcèlement|||||||

us that a Russian activist named Yulia Tsvetkova  was placed under house arrest by the authorities. ||||||Yulia Tsvetkova|Tsvetkova|||||||| ||||||Yulia Tsvetkova|Yulia Tsvetkova|||||||| ユリア・ツヴェトコワというロシアの活動家が当局に軟禁されたことを紹介しました。

What had she done? The answer is she had posted  a drawing she had created on social media.

The drawing had a same-sex couple  with their two children. The text

that accompanied the sketch said, “Family  is where love is. Support LGBT+ families!” |||||||||||LGBT+| スケッチに添えられた「Family is where love is.LGBT+の家族を応援しよう!"

For showing some love she was charged with  disseminating pornography and she could spend ||||||||diffusion de|pornographie|||| ||||||||spreading or distributing|||||

six years in prison. In an interview, she said she  had posted the drawing in support of a couple who

had to flee Russia after they'd adopted two kids. In this respect, when we ask what regular things ||fuir|||||||||||||||

are banned in Russia, you could  say one thing is human rights.

3\. Don't forget your ID When Russians reach the ripe old age of fourteen ||||||||mûr|||| ||||||||mature enough|||| they are told they must carry an internal passport  with them at all times when outside the house. ||||||||passeport interne||||||||| 外では常に内部パスポートを携帯しなければならないと言われています。

This ID is issued by the Ministry of Internal  Affairs. If a person is found to be without this |||délivrée|||Ministère|||||||||||| |||provided|||||||||||||||

document they can be held by the police. Ok, so you decide you want to see Russia

for yourself and go there on a vacation.  Whether you are doing some sightseeing in |||||||||||||visiter les sites| |||||||||||||tourist activities|

Moscow or are hiking in Siberia, you must  have your passport on you at all times.

Yep, it doesn't matter where you are,  if the cops stop you and you can't

show them your passport you could be fined. That's us giving you some sound advice…now

let's get crazy again. 2. Driving

Ok, so driving isn't banned  for everyone, but if you are

transgender in Russia you cannot get behind  the wheel. You can't ride a motorcycle, either. トランスジェンダー ロシアでは、ハンドルを握ることができません。オートバイにも乗れない。

What is this madness you are probably  thinking? Well, the law came in just |||folie|||||||||| この狂気は何なんだ、とお思いでしょう。さて、この法律ができたのは、ちょうど

a few years ago and was supposed to cut  down on traffic accidents in the country…If

you don't know already, Russia is renowned for  its number of traffic accidents and fatalities. ||||||réputée||||||||victimes mortelles ||||||well-known||||||||

But what's that got to do with transgender people? The answer is that the government has stated that ||||||||||||||||déclaré|

trans folks have a physical or mental disability.  If you're a transvestite, or a kleptomaniac, trans|||||||handicap physique ou mental||||travesti|||kleptomane ||||||||||||||compulsive thief

or a fetishist, you are also barred from driving. Understandably, human rights activists have called ||fétichiste||||interdit de conduire|||De manière compréhensible||||| ||||||prohibited from|||||||| やフェティシストであれば、運転も禁止されています。当然のことながら、人権活動家たちからは

this utterly ridiculous. But it's only  slightly less crazy than the number one |tout à fait||||||||||| このまったくもってバカバカしい。しかし、1番よりわずかにおかしいだけです

illegal thing in Russia. 1. Lacy Underwear ||||Sous-vêtements en dentelle| ||||Lacy lingerie ban|

In 2014, Russia introduced a law that banned the  sale or production of lace underwear. The same law ||||||||||||dentelle|||| ||||||||||||delicate fabric trim||||

was also introduced in Kazakhstan and Belarus. But why, you might be thinking, and it's a good ||||Kazakhstan et Belarus||Biélorussie||||||||||

question. The answer is because Putin  wanted women wearing homemade Russian

underwear that was at least six percent cotton. Women in those three countries didn't much |||||||coton|||||||

like the idea of being told what they could  wear and some of them said they didn't want

to go back to the Soviet days when women  wore what you might call boring panties.

In fact, a group of women protested the law,  with some of them wearing lacy underwear on ||||||ont protesté contre||||||||||

their heads and shouting, “Freedom to panties!”  They were subsequently arrested and taken to the ||||||culottes|||par la suite|||||

police station. One guy who commented on the  law said that people would just go abroad and |||||commenté sur|||||||||||

buy their underwear. He told the media, “I  think this is just another silly law that

shows the ineffectiveness of our government.” He likely thinks the same about the cheese ban, ||inefficacité||||||||||||

too. God forbid you get pulled over by the cops in  Russia while wearing lacy underwear and carrying ||interdise||||||||||||||| もある。ロシアでレースの下着をつけて携帯しているときに警官に引かれるのは神隠しです。

a Danish sausage in your pocket. Now you need to watch this video,

“Russian Sleep Experiment – EXPLAINED”. Or have  a look at this, “Why USSR Had No Serial Killers.”