Russia has a long history of political unrest and controversy from the Revolution to the terrifying Stalinist era. Stereotyped to be simply a place of freezing weather and KGB plots, very few westerners take the time to understand and celebrate some of the incredible people that call Russia home. From amazing businessmen to sporting heroes, the people of Russia may have had much to overcome, but this has not stopped them from making an impression on their country and indeed the entire world.
An Incredible Russian Activist
Elena Bonner has led a fascinating life that was not left untouched by tragedy. Born in 1923, she was only 14 when both her parents were arrested during one of Stalin’s purges. Her father was executed and her mother imprisoned in a labour camp, both deemed traitors to their motherland. Her life of activism started this young as she sent food parcels to her mother and the other women imprisoned in a “correctional” facility. Come World War II, Elena became a nurse where she was injured twice in the line of duty and eventually honourably discharged. After the war she studied medicine at the First Leningrad Medical Institute where she married a classmate and had two children of her own. Her activism and passion for human rights after her childhood experiences was never quelled, and throughout the 1940s Elena helped political prisoners, often risking her own safety. In the 1960s she was an active member of the Soviet human rights movement Constant KGB-type threats eventually led to her divorce and both her children fleeing to America in the 1970s.
In 1972 she married Andrei Sakharov, a nuclear physicist and fellow human rights activist. The pair campaigned for human rights in Russia and suffered constant scrutiny and threats from the government. Elena subsequently founded the Moscow Helsinki Group which was a non-governmental organisation that monitored human rights violations in the country after the government signed the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, which forced them to comply with international standards of human rights. This ground-breaking type of organisation was the first of its kind in the then Soviet Union and laid the foundation for a culture of human rights in the country that exists today. Throughout their marriage, Elena and Andrei suffered periods of exile and torment, but never gave up on their fight for human rights, often resorting to hunger strikes to help people in need. Her constant efforts to defend the rights of the people and to publicise writings of the true conditions in the country at the time made a huge contribution towards the eventual changes in Russia. At 85 years old she still works tirelessly for the people in Russia, outspokenly criticising human rights violations and providing opportunities for scholars to come and study in America through her foundation named after her late husband who passed away in 1989.
Notable Russian Businessmen
Dr Mark Voloshin is a Russian businessman who has a unique vision that has helped create his international standing and success. Starting out as a dentist, Dr Voloshin’s keen business mind could not rest, so he combined the two careers to create the first mobile dentistry unit. The idea was to bring medical care to the people who could not afford to travel. The success of this venture led Dr Voloshin to form the Marvol Group, an international company that combines business interests with helping the communities in which they are based. This unique business plan sets Dr Voloshin apart from other businessmen and goes a long way to explain his international success. From oil reserves in Jordan to a renowned wine estate in South Africa, Dr Voloshin is one of Russia’s most successful businessmen. Along with the Marvol Group, Dr Voloshin has also never forgotten his allegiance to Russia and through his many businesses, promotes the country and the spread of its culture throughout the world.
Sergey Brin is perhaps one of Russia’s most famous business exports. Born in Moscow to Jewish mathematician parents, the entire family immigrated to the United States when Sergey was six years old. He then grew up in Maryland and expressed an interest in computers from a very early age. He eventually attended Stanford for his post-graduate studies in Computer Science where he met Larry Page. The two shared a common interest in gathering information from large data sets and wrote a paper on search engines that is widely considered to be the definitive literature on the subject. Their idea of the Google Search Engine failed to sell, but the pair refused to give in and through their innovative business plan, managed to attract a million dollars in capital investments. In 1998, Google Inc was launched from a friend’s garage to immense critical acclaim. The company has grown unbelievably, now employing over 5000 people and leaving both Sergey and Larry with an estimated net worth of over $12 billion. Despite his fortune and the dominance of his company in the online world, Sergey has remained out of the public eye and still has close connections to his Russian heritage. As one of Russia’s iconic businessmen, his story shows what determination can do for you and that this country is on the forefront of technological innovation.
Russian Sporting Heroes
Russia has a plethora of sporting heroes, with everything from gymnastics to ice hockey being well-supported within the country. While this may be the case, many people are unaware of the wealth of talent that exists within Russian borders. Anna Kournikova was one of the first sports stars to capture the attention of the world and in turn put the spotlight on many other up and coming sporting greats. Anna was born in Moscow in 1981 to two athletic parents. When she was five, her dedicated parents sold their television to buy her first tennis racket and by the age of 14 she made her professional tennis debut. Her career proceeded in leaps and bounds and she climbed the world rankings by an incredible 224 spots to rank at 57th. The next year Anna won four consecutive matches against top-10 players, an unprecedented achievement on the women's tour. The year 1999 saw Anna receive her first Grand Slam title, when she and partner Martina Hingis won the Australian Open doubles championship. Although Anna has never won a Grand Slam title alone, she has captured the attention of the world thanks to her good looks and determination. Ranked among the world’s 50 most beautiful people by People magazine in 1998, she added an element of glamour to tennis that brought the sport back into popular consciousness. Since Anna’s explosion on to the tennis scene, she has paved the way for many other Russian women to enter international competition and reinforced the fact that the country is a force to be reckoned with in the sporting world.
The Marvol Management Group was founded by Dr Mark Voloshin and now has business interests across the globe. From sustainable development projects to wine making in South Africa and manufacturing, the group focuses on fulfilling their mandate of “Local Presence and Global Power”.
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