About Russia...and not all about football

Many Russians are happy about the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Football has the power to unite people and thousands of international visitors are coming into Russia and bringing open-mindedness and vibrancy to a country that has recently been seen as on the road toward isolation. We would like to use the World Cup as a chance to provide more information about Russia. The Moscow office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation has prepared a series of texts and video materials on various topics relevant to Russia. 

Find the dossier in Russian
Stadium on Lomse Island in Kaliningrad

World Cup on a Swamp

Construction as Destruction
The decision of where to build Kaliningrad’s 2018 World Cup stadium was the subject of heated debate; indeed, some had argued against the original building site but were overruled in 2014. Rosprirodnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage) observed that the soil on the island where the stadium was to be constructed contained dangerous substances, such as benzo(a)pyrene and radon, but this observation went unnoticed.
By Aleksandra Korolyova
Open pit, Kuzbass

Government Sides With Coal Business Against Citizens

Ecology and Business
The Kuznetsk Basin, or Kuzbass, is one of the largest coal deposits in the world. In 2012 the amount of extracted coal in Kuzbass exceeded 200 million tons for the first time. It is planned to further increase the extraction up to 430 million tons by 2030. That being said, the way black coal in Kuzbass is extracted infringes upon the rights of local citizens: the right to life, freedom of movement, inviolability of the home and freedom of opinion. 
By Larisa Koynova

Sergey Novikov's personal exhibition

What goes unseen behind the glossy images of big-scale official events? Hundreds of amateur football teams who are taking part in local competitions for the many Russian regions, republics and provinces. Empty seats, no camera flashes and no sponsors is often the reality of such matches. 

“GRASSROOTS. Amateur football in Russia”

Check out Sergey Novikov's pictures

From the 8th of July, Sergey Novikov's personal exhibition “GRASSROOTS. Amateur football in Russia” is open for visitors in the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography.

During the exhibition an eventful educational programme will also take place featuring Russian and German experts in sports photojournalism, football philosophy and history of architecture. The exhibition and the educational programme are supported by the Heinrich-Boell-Foundation Russia.

Map for People

Map for People is a map for responsible consumers that provides information about places where tourists can eat, drink, buy souvenirs and clothes and, by doing this, support local projects that follow social, environmental and ethical responsibility principles. It is a research and educational project based on peer-to-peer model.

Map for People and Responsible Consumers

Find out spots on the map

Activists and experts conducted interviews with entrepreneurs in order to evaluate their compliance with the principle of responsible consumption. A map with charity shops, bars, coffeshops, restaurants and about 20 other local businesses was presented for World Cup fans, visitors and locals. This work is being continued beyond the World Cup in order to develop best practices of exchange and new solutions, rethink and popularize the notion of responsible consumption.

The first stage of this project was accomplished with support of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation in Russia.

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