russia-insider--2020-10-13--NATO Would Probably Lose a War Against Russia

This article from our archives was first published on RI in May 2018 Shellback is the pseudonym of someone who started working for a NATO military structure in the Brezhnev years .
He does not think that the Cold War was so much fun that we should try to repeat it .
Editor 's Note : The author first published this article on Russia Insider in April of 2016 .
We are republishing it now due to its high relevance to the heightened military tension and possibility of war between the US and Russia .
Since writing this article , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stronger .
Its weapons systems have been significantly modernized and its Air Force and Navy have invaluable , ( and highly successful ) battle experience in Syria .
With the hyper-aggressive resolution just passed by the US House of Representatives we move closer to open war .
Thus what follows may be apposite .
In short , the US and NATO , accustomed to cheap and easy victories ( at least in the short term – over the long term Iraq , Afghanistan , Libya , Kosovo are hardly victories ) , will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight the Russian Armed Forces .
At the beginning of my career , in the 1970s , I spent some years engaged in combat simulations .
Most of these exercises were for training staff officers but some were done in-house to test out some weapon or tactic .
The scenario was usually the same : we , NATO , the good guys , Blue , would be deployed , usually in Germany ; that is , on the eastern edge of West Germany .
There we would be attacked by the Warsaw Pact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( The colors , by the way , date from the very first war game , Kriegspiel ; nothing to do with the Communist Party ’ s favorite color ) .
Over several years of being on the control staff I noticed two things .
Naturally both Red and Blue were played by our people , however interesting it might have been to borrow some Soviet officers to play Red .
What always fascinated me was how quickly the people playing Red would start getting aggressive .
Their fellow officers , on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slow and cautious .
The Red players just drove down the road and didn ’ t mind losing a tank , let alone a tank company .
What was really interesting ( we tested this in the office , so to speak ) was that , at the end of the day , the full speed ahead approach produced fewer casualties than the cautious approach .
The other thing – rather chilling this – was that Red always won .
Always .
And rather quickly .
I developed a great respect for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know whether it was based on traditional Russian doctrine but it certainly had been perfected in the Second World War where the Soviets carried out what are probably the largest land operations ever conducted .
Nothing could be farther from the truth than the casual Western idea that the Soviets sent waves of men against the Germans until they ran out of ammunition and were trampled under the next wave .
Once the Soviets got going , they were very good indeed .
The Soviet war-fighting doctrine that I saw in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing that was clear is that the Soviets knew that people are killed in wars and that there is no place for wavering ; hesitation loses the war and gets more people killed in the end .
Secondly , success is reinforced and failure left to itself .
“ Viktor Suvorov ” , a Soviet defector , wrote that he used to pose a problem to NATO officers .
You have four battalions , three attacking and one in reserve ; the battalion on the left has broken through easily , the one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little more effort , the one on the right is stopped .
Which one do you reinforce with your reserve battalion ?
He claimed that no NATO officer ever gave the correct answer .
Which was , forget the middle and right battalions , reinforce success ; the fourth battalion goes to help the lefthand one and , furthermore , you take away the artillery support from the other two and give it to the battalion on the left .
Soviet war-fighting doctrine divided their forces into echelons , or waves .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would the fourth battalion go to support the lefthand battalion but the followup regiments would be sent there too .
Breakthroughs are reinforced and exploited with stunning speed and force .
General von Mellenthin speaks of this in his book Panzer Battles when he says that any Soviet river crossing must be attacked immediately with whatever the defender has ; any delay brings more and more Soviet soldiers swimming , wading or floating across .
They reinforce success no matter what .
The third point was the tremendous amount of high explosives that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In this respect , the BM-21 Grad , about which I have written before , was a particular standout , but they had plenty of guns as well .
An especially important point , given a common US and NATO assumption , is that the Soviets did not assume that they would always have total air superiority .
The biggest hole , in my opinion , of US and NATO war-fighting doctrine is this assumption .
US tactics often seem to be little more than the instruction to wait for the air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trouble ( maybe that ’ s why US-trained forces do so poorly against determined foes ) .
Indeed , when did the Americans ever have to fight without total air superiority other than , perhaps , their very first experience in World War II ?
The Western Allies in Italy , at D-day and Normandy and the subsequent fighting could operate confident that almost every aircraft in the sky was theirs .
This confident arrogance has , if anything , grown stronger since then with short wars in which the aircraft all come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ luxury – they always knew they would have to fight for air superiority and would have to operate in conditions where they didn ’ t have it .
And , General Chuikov at Stalingrad “ hugging the enemy ” , they devised tactics that minimized the effectiveness of enemy aircraft .
The Russians forces have not forgotten that lesson today and that is probably why their air defense is so good .
NATO commanders will be in for a shattering shock when their aircraft start falling in quantity and the casualties swiftly mount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all , we are told that the Kiev forces lost two thirds of their military equipment against fighters with a fraction of Russia ’ s assets , but with the same fighting style .
But , getting back to the scenarios of the Cold War .
Defending NATO forces would be hit by an unimaginably savage artillery attack , with , through the dust , a huge force of attackers pushing on .
The NATO units that repelled their attackers would find a momentary peace on their part of the battlefield while the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by fresh forces three times the size of the first ones and even heavier bombardments .
The situation would become desperate very quickly .
No wonder they always won and no wonder the NATO officer playing Red , following the simple instructions of push ahead resolutely , reinforce success , use all you artillery all the time , would win the day .
I don ’ t wish to be thought to be saying that the Soviets would have “ got to the the English Channel in 48 hours ” as the naysayers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Soviets had a significant Achilles Heel .
In the rear of all this would have been an unimaginably large traffic jam .
Follow-up echelons running their engines while commanders tried to figure out where they should be sent , thousands of trucks carrying fuel and ammunition waiting to cross bridges , giant artillery parks , concentrations of engineering equipment never quite in the right place at the right time .
And more arriving every moment .
A ground-attack pilot ’ s dream .
The NATO Air-Land Battle doctrine being developed would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up again .
But it would have been a tremendously destructive war , even forgetting the nuclear weapons ( which would also be somewhere in the traffic jam ) .
As for the Soviets on the defense , ( something we didn ’ t game because NATO , in those days , was a defensive alliance ) the Battle of Kursk is probably the model still taught today : hold the attack with layer after layer of defenses , then , at the right moment , the overwhelming attack at the weak spot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Autumn Storm .
All of this rugged and battle proven doctrine and methodology is somewhere in the Russian Army today .
We did n't see it in the first Chechen War – only overconfidence and incompetence .
Some of it in the Second Chechen War .
More of it in the Ossetia War .
They ’ re getting it back .
And they are exercising it all the time .
Light-hearted people in NATO or elsewhere should never forget that it ’ s a war-fighting doctrine that does not require absolute air superiority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no cheap victories .
It ’ s also a very , very successful one with many victories to its credit .
( Yes , they lost in Afghanistan but the West didn ’ t do any better . )
I seriously doubt that NATO has anything to compare : quick air campaigns against third-rate enemies yes .
This sort of thing , not so much .
Even if , somehow , the nukes are kept in the box .
To quote Field Marshal Montgomery “ Rule 1 , on page 1 of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Do not march on Moscow ’ .
Various people have tried it , Napoleon and Hitler , and it is no good .
That is the first rule.
” ( His second rule , by the way , was : “ Do not go fighting with your land armies in China.
” As Washington ’ s policy drives Moscow and Beijing closer together ... .
But that is another subject ) .

This article from our archives was first published on RI in May 2018
Shellback is the pseudonym of someone who started working for a NATO military structure in the Brezhnev years. He does not think that the Cold War was so much fun that we should try to repeat it.
Editor's Note: The author first published this article on Russia Insider in April of 2016. We are republishing it now due to its high relevance to the heightened military tension and possibility of war between the US and Russia. Since writing this article, Russia's armed forces have become significantly stronger. Its weapons systems have been significantly modernized and its Air Force and Navy have invaluable, (and highly successful) battle experience in Syria.
Ivan Ivanovich enters Berlin
With the hyper-aggressive resolution just passed by the US House of Representatives we move closer to open war. Thus what follows may be apposite. In short, the US and NATO, accustomed to cheap and easy victories (at least in the short term – over the long term Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Kosovo are hardly victories), will have a shattering shock should they ever fight the Russian Armed Forces.
At the beginning of my career, in the 1970s, I spent some years engaged in combat simulations. Most of these exercises were for training staff officers but some were done in-house to test out some weapon or tactic. The scenario was usually the same: we, NATO, the good guys, Blue, would be deployed, usually in Germany; that is, on the eastern edge of West Germany. There we would be attacked by the Warsaw Pact, the bad guys, Red. (The colors, by the way, date from the very first war game, Kriegspiel; nothing to do with the Communist Party’s favorite color).
Over several years of being on the control staff I noticed two things. Naturally both Red and Blue were played by our people, however interesting it might have been to borrow some Soviet officers to play Red. What always fascinated me was how quickly the people playing Red would start getting aggressive. Their fellow officers, on the Blue side, were very risk-averse, slow and cautious. The Red players just drove down the road and didn’t mind losing a tank, let alone a tank company. What was really interesting (we tested this in the office, so to speak) was that, at the end of the day, the full speed ahead approach produced fewer casualties than the cautious approach. The other thing – rather chilling this – was that Red always won. Always. And rather quickly.
I developed a great respect for the Soviet war-fighting doctrine. I don’t know whether it was based on traditional Russian doctrine but it certainly had been perfected in the Second World War where the Soviets carried out what are probably the largest land operations ever conducted. Nothing could be farther from the truth than the casual Western idea that the Soviets sent waves of men against the Germans until they ran out of ammunition and were trampled under the next wave. Once the Soviets got going, they were very good indeed.
The Soviet war-fighting doctrine that I saw in the exercises had several characteristics. The first thing that was clear is that the Soviets knew that people are killed in wars and that there is no place for wavering; hesitation loses the war and gets more people killed in the end. Secondly, success is reinforced and failure left to itself. “Viktor Suvorov”, a Soviet defector, wrote that he used to pose a problem to NATO officers. You have four battalions, three attacking and one in reserve; the battalion on the left has broken through easily, the one in the middle can break through with a little more effort, the one on the right is stopped. Which one do you reinforce with your reserve battalion? He claimed that no NATO officer ever gave the correct answer. Which was, forget the middle and right battalions, reinforce success; the fourth battalion goes to help the lefthand one and, furthermore, you take away the artillery support from the other two and give it to the battalion on the left. Soviet war-fighting doctrine divided their forces into echelons, or waves. In the case above, not only would the fourth battalion go to support the lefthand battalion but the followup regiments would be sent there too. Breakthroughs are reinforced and exploited with stunning speed and force. General von Mellenthin speaks of this in his book Panzer Battles when he says that any Soviet river crossing must be attacked immediately with whatever the defender has; any delay brings more and more Soviet soldiers swimming, wading or floating across. They reinforce success no matter what. The third point was the tremendous amount of high explosives that Soviet artillery could drop on a position. In this respect, the BM-21 Grad, about which I have written before, was a particular standout, but they had plenty of guns as well.
An especially important point, given a common US and NATO assumption, is that the Soviets did not assume that they would always have total air superiority. The biggest hole, in my opinion, of US and NATO war-fighting doctrine is this assumption. US tactics often seem to be little more than the instruction to wait for the air to get the ground forces out of trouble (maybe that’s why US-trained forces do so poorly against determined foes). Indeed, when did the Americans ever have to fight without total air superiority other than, perhaps, their very first experience in World War II? The Western Allies in Italy, at D-day and Normandy and the subsequent fighting could operate confident that almost every aircraft in the sky was theirs. This confident arrogance has, if anything, grown stronger since then with short wars in which the aircraft all come home. The Soviets never had this luxury – they always knew they would have to fight for air superiority and would have to operate in conditions where they didn’t have it. And, General Chuikov at Stalingrad “hugging the enemy”, they devised tactics that minimized the effectiveness of enemy aircraft. The Russians forces have not forgotten that lesson today and that is probably why their air defense is so good.
NATO commanders will be in for a shattering shock when their aircraft start falling in quantity and the casualties swiftly mount into the thousands and thousands. After all, we are told that the Kiev forces lost two thirds of their military equipment against fighters with a fraction of Russia’s assets, but with the same fighting style.
But, getting back to the scenarios of the Cold War. Defending NATO forces would be hit by an unimaginably savage artillery attack, with, through the dust, a huge force of attackers pushing on. The NATO units that repelled their attackers would find a momentary peace on their part of the battlefield while the ones pushed back would immediately be attacked by fresh forces three times the size of the first ones and even heavier bombardments. The situation would become desperate very quickly.
No wonder they always won and no wonder the NATO officer playing Red, following the simple instructions of push ahead resolutely, reinforce success, use all you artillery all the time, would win the day.
en-alexander-enters-paris.jpg The Emperor Alexander enters Paris
I don’t wish to be thought to be saying that the Soviets would have
“got to the the English Channel in 48 hours” as the naysayers were fond of warning. In fact, the Soviets had a significant Achilles Heel. In the rear of all this would have been an unimaginably large traffic jam. Follow-up echelons running their engines while commanders tried to figure out where they should be sent, thousands of trucks carrying fuel and ammunition waiting to cross bridges, giant artillery parks, concentrations of engineering equipment never quite in the right place at the right time. And more arriving every moment. A ground-attack pilot’s dream. The NATO Air-Land Battle doctrine being developed would have gone some distance to even things up again. But it would have been a tremendously destructive war, even forgetting the nuclear weapons (which would also be somewhere in the traffic jam).
As for the Soviets on the defense, (something we didn’t game because NATO, in those days, was a defensive alliance) the Battle of Kursk is probably the model still taught today: hold the attack with layer after layer of defenses, then, at the right moment, the overwhelming attack at the weak spot. The classic attack model is probably Autumn Storm.
All of this rugged and battle proven doctrine and methodology is somewhere in the Russian Army today. We didn't see it in the first Chechen War – only overconfidence and incompetence. Some of it in the Second Chechen War. More of it in the Ossetia War. They’re getting it back. And they are exercising it all the time.
Light-hearted people in NATO or elsewhere should never forget that it’s a war-fighting doctrine that does not require absolute air superiority to succeed and knows that there are no cheap victories. It’s also a very, very successful one with many victories to its credit. (Yes, they lost in Afghanistan but the West didn’t do any better.)
I seriously doubt that NATO has anything to compare: quick air campaigns against third-rate enemies yes. This sort of thing, not so much.
Even if, somehow, the nukes are kept in the box.
To quote Field Marshal Montgomery “Rule 1, on page 1 of the book of war, is: ‘Do not march on Moscow’. Various people have tried it, Napoleon and Hitler, and it is no good. That is the first rule.”
(His second rule, by the way, was: “Do not go fighting with your land armies in China.” As Washington’s policy drives Moscow and Beijing closer together.... But that is another subject).


russia-insider--2020-10-13--Miracle in Upstate New York - a Russian Monastery and Seminary From Another World (Jordanville)

The monastery is like a time capsule , where refugees from pre-revolutionary times , and their students , have kept a tradition alive , like they were guarding an invaluable treasure , keeping a flame alive that might otherwise have been snuffed out This article from our archives was first published on RI in November 2017 This article originally appeared on a new site about the Christian renaissance in Russia , called Russian Faith .
Their introductory video is at end of this article .
Tucked away in Upstate New York , there is an obscure , small American town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other towns that are full of quiet houses , a public library and a post office .
It 's no different , that is , until one comes upon , suddenly , a sprawling , splendid green-domed Russian monastery : the legendary Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville , NY .
Built in the 1930s by monks from what had been the Russian Empire , the monastery is like a time capsule , where refugees from pre-revolutionary times , and their students , have kept a tradition alive , like they were guarding an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that might otherwise have been snuffed out .
The Seminary ( theological school ) that the monks opened on the grounds of the monastery in 1948 , differs from any other theological institutions in America in its unique legacy of staunch conservatism and the ascetic , monastic lifestyle it requires its students to lead .
For decades , the monastery has been the spiritual center of Russian Orthodox Christians who fled the Soviet Regime , a place where Russian immigrants went on pilgrimages , made friends , became monks , met spouses of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their dead .
Almost all the pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad ( ROCOR ) , whether they serve in NY , Australia or Germany , graduated from this monastery .
Even when the Russian church in Russia began to rebuild itself after the collapse of the Soviet Union , it could draw on the traditions and individuals who had kept the old traditions alive overseas , in Jordanville .
But aside from its service to the Russian people and Russian land , Jordanville Monastery also provides a long longed-for alternate reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spirituality that is informed by Christian tradition and asceticism .
For the monastery is indeed a different world , a strange , beautiful , elevated testament to the Russian Orthodox faith in what is swiftly becoming a militantly materialistic , secular world .
Here , bells continue to ring , ancient prayers continue to be chanted , and church services occur every day .
Monks in black robes quietly fulfill their obediences and young men from America , Russia , Europe , Asia and Africa wake up at 5 am each morning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begin .
And though many of the classes in seminary are now in English , the spirit of Jordanville is still infused with the prayer and teachings of the Russian monks who brought their 1000-year old spirit of prayer , asceticism and strict tradition with them into exile .
It is a world that one truly must experience .
Consider donating .
Consider visiting .
You will not regret it .
Here is the address : 1407 Robinson Road , Jordanville , NY 13361

The monastery is like a time capsule, where refugees from pre-revolutionary times, and their students, have kept a tradition alive, like they were guarding an invaluable treasure, keeping a flame alive that might otherwise have been snuffed out
This article from our archives was first published on RI in November 2017
This article originally appeared on a new site about the Christian renaissance in Russia, called Russian Faith. Their introductory video is at end of this article.
Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY.
Tucked away in Upstate New York, there is an obscure, small American town, a town no different from the other towns that are full of quiet houses, a public library and a post office.
It's no different, that is, until one comes upon, suddenly, a sprawling, splendid green-domed Russian monastery: the legendary Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.
Built in the 1930s by monks from what had been the Russian Empire, the monastery is like a time capsule, where refugees from pre-revolutionary times, and their students, have kept a tradition alive, like they were guarding an invaluable treasure, keeping a flame alive that might otherwise have been snuffed out.
The Seminary (theological school) that the monks opened on the grounds of the monastery in 1948, differs from any other theological institutions in America in its unique legacy of staunch conservatism and the ascetic, monastic lifestyle it requires its students to lead.
For decades, the monastery has been the spiritual center of Russian Orthodox Christians who fled the Soviet Regime, a place where Russian immigrants went on pilgrimages, made friends, became monks, met spouses of their same faith, and prayed for their dead.
Almost all the pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR), whether they serve in NY, Australia or Germany, graduated from this monastery.
Even when the Russian church in Russia began to rebuild itself after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it could draw on the traditions and individuals who had kept the old traditions alive overseas, in Jordanville.
But aside from its service to the Russian people and Russian land, Jordanville Monastery also provides a long longed-for alternate reality to Americans and Europeans who seek a spirituality that is informed by Christian tradition and asceticism.
For the monastery is indeed a different world, a strange, beautiful, elevated testament to the Russian Orthodox faith in what is swiftly becoming a militantly materialistic, secular world.
Here, bells continue to ring, ancient prayers continue to be chanted, and church services occur every day. Monks in black robes quietly fulfill their obediences and young men from America, Russia, Europe, Asia and Africa wake up at 5 am each morning to attend Divine Services before their vigorous classes begin.
And though many of the classes in seminary are now in English, the spirit of Jordanville is still infused with the prayer and teachings of the Russian monks who brought their 1000-year old spirit of prayer, asceticism and strict tradition with them into exile.
It is a world that one truly must experience. Consider donating. Consider visiting. You will not regret it.
Here is the address: 1407 Robinson Road, Jordanville, NY 13361
A video introducing Russian Faith:


russia-insider--2020-10-14--The Warrior Brides of the Great Russian Knights of Old (Great Illustrations)

This article from our archives was first published on RI in May 2018 About the author : For lovers of Russian culture , folklore , and history , Kotar ’ s work is a treasure .
The grandson of White Russian immigrants , the 34-year-old is an author of epic fantasy novels inspired by Russian fairy tales .
You can see his four books here on Amazon .
He is also a deacon of the Russian Orthodox Church , a professional translator , and choir director at the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville , NY , where he lives .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he writes about many aspects of Russia .
We highly recommend following it and subscribing to his email list to get exclusive material .
He has an excellent Pinterest page , and you can follow him on Facebook .
Here is an archive of his work published on Russia Insider .
As I mentioned in a previous blog post , I ’ ve been slowly hammering away at a screenplay based on the life of St. Olga of Kiev .
There aren ’ t many historical records about her , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picture of a complicated , strong , self-willed woman who was ultimately remarkable not for her manly strength , but for her wisdom .
As I was writing the first scene , I got a little hung up on showing all this in as direct a way as possible , so that the viewer could at least get the hint of what ’ s to come .
Without getting too far into the details of it , I basically fell into a cliché set by contemporary pop culture .
The “ warrior babe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to save the day.
” My fellow writer read it and said , “ You ’ ve got such a compelling character here .
Why reduce her to a caricature ?
” And he was right .
As much as people rightly complain about the damsel in distress trope , just flipping the roles isn ’ t all that satisfying either .
Turns out , there ’ s a rich tradition of warrior women in Russian folk tales and epic poetry .
And what ’ s so amazing about them is that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as in the battlefield .
Though they often have the strength to defeat ten men , they are just as likely to win a battle of wits or refrain from fighting at all .
I ’ m fascinated by the idea of the warrior woman , not least because I think every Russian woman ( no exaggeration ) is a warrior at heart .
They ’ ve had too difficult a history , and too often they ’ ve had to take up a sword to protect the hearth .
But they never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western-style feminists , especially when they write articles like this .
Anyway , if you ’ ve read my books you know that I don ’ t write about domesticated women .
Even though one reviewer called me a sexist pig once and recommended I get sensitivity training , the fact remains that strong women fascinate me .
The source of that strength and the many ways that strength is expressed—that ’ s great fodder for stories .
So today I ’ ll share my translation of an article about the most famous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poetry .
You can find the original Russian article here .
RUSSIAN VALKYRIES : MORE THAN A MATCH FOR THE LEGENDARY BOGATYRS It wasn ’ t easy for Russian bogatyrs to get married .
Not every young maid could stand having a hero around .
And so , it was often women warriors who captured their hearts .
Except , more often than not , these women demanded a wooing equal to the bogatyrs ’ most difficult labors .
Women warriors were such typical characters in Russian folklore that the word “ bogatyrka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ included in the definitive 4-volume dictionary of the Russian language compiled by Vladimir Dal ’ .
The folklorist Afanasiev includes in his collection a story that sounds like Wonder Woman—a garden filled with apples of youth is defended by a nameless druzhina of women warriors .
But not all of them were nameless .
Here are some of the most famous .
Dobrynia Nikitich , one of the legendary “ three warriors , ” is famous for his defeat of the giant dragon Zmei Gorynich .
But what happened afterward was less glorious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife , Nastasya Mikulishna , on the way home .
She challenged him to a battle and beat him soundly .
It ’ s not enough that she beat him , but she even grabbed him by his golden curls , pulled him off his horse , and stuck him in… her pocket !
Only later did she decide what to do with him .
She pulled him out again and decided to see what he looked like .
If he was pleasant to look at , she ’ d marry him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ d chop his head off .
Lucky for him , he passed the test , and they got married .
In another of the tales , Dobrynia was called to join an embassy to the Golden Horde .
Nastasya waited for him to return for twenty years , then received a false report about his death .
Prince Vladimir forced her to get married again , this time to Aliosha Popovich , the youngest of the three warriors .
She reluctantly agreed .
But during the wedding , Dobrynia returned , dressed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ran into his embrace .
Nastasya ’ s siter Vasilisa was no less impressive .
She was married to a boyar of Chernigov named Stavr .
In a scene reminiscent of The Taming of the Shrew , during a feast , Stavr started to boast about his wife ’ s many talents .
The problem was that he unfavorably compared Prince Vladimir and his warriors to his much more impressive wife .
The prince got angry and imprisoned him .
Finding out about this , Vasilisa came up with a cunning plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ youth , brought her warriors with her to Kiev , then demanded the payment of tribute and a princess as her bride .
The last was a barb directed at Vladimir , for whom it would be shameful to give a Christian princess to a heathen .
The princess in question suspected that the youth was no youth at all , and she expressed her doubts to Vladimir .
So the prince arranged a test of strength , wit , and bravery .
Of course , she bested everyone , forcing Vladimir to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the pre-wedding feast , the Tatar “ youth ” sat gloomy at the table .
Remembering that the boyar Stavr was an excellent musician , Vladimir called him to perform .
AT that point , he recognized his wife .
Vladimir was forced to admit that all Stavr ’ s boasting about his wife was nothing short of the truth .
The story of Nastasia Korolevishna , the wife of Dunai Ivanovich , is especially dramatic .
Dunai traveled to Lithuania with Dobrynia Nikitich to arrange a marriage between Apraksa , daughter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir .
Dunai , a hothead , said something rude to the king during their time there , and the king imprisoned him .
But Dobrynia gathered an army and threatened the kingdom , at which point the king was forced to give him both Apraksa and Dunai .
Apraksa had an older sister , Nastasya .
A while before , Dunai had wooed her and nearly paid for it with his life , but she bought the executioners off , giving him time to run away .
However , when he returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he paid absolutely no attention to Nastasya .
She was so mad , she decided to make him pay .
Finding him on the way back to Kiev , she challenged him to single combat , dressed as a foreign knight .
Dunai defeated her soundly and was just about to finish her off with a knife when he recognized her .
He was so impressed , that he took her back with him to Kiev , where they got married .
The end of the story is pretty horrible , as such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t translate it here .
If you ’ re curious about it , email me and I ’ ll tell you .
The most famous woman warrior in Russian fairy tales is Marya Morevna , whom Ivan the Prince wooed after being impressed with her military prowess .
Interestingly , though she was probably the better warrior , he still had to rescue her from Koschei the Deathless .
Still , this had less to do with his fighting ability , and more with the fact that he needed to atone for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the image of the warrior woman in Russian tales has to do with the early battles between Rus and the Polovetsians .
All Polovetsian maidens had to be good with the sword , and their wedding rites included single combat between the groom and the bride .
As I mentioned in a previous article , Russian princes often took Polovetsian maidens as their brides , first getting married in the Polovetsian style , then baptizing their brides and getting married the Russian way .

This article from our archives was first published on RI in May 2018
About the author: For lovers of Russian culture, folklore, and history, Kotar’s work is a treasure. The grandson of White Russian immigrants, the 34-year-old is an author of epic fantasy novels inspired by Russian fairy tales. You can see his four books here on Amazon.
He is also a deacon of the Russian Orthodox Church, a professional translator, and choir director at the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, where he lives. Here is his bio from his blog, where he writes about many aspects of Russia. We highly recommend following it and subscribing to his email list to get exclusive material.
He has an excellent Pinterest page, and you can follow him on Facebook. Here is an archive of his work published on Russia Insider.
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ve been slowly hammering away at a screenplay based on the life of St. Olga of Kiev. There aren’t many historical records about her, but the ones that we have paint the picture of a complicated, strong, self-willed woman who was ultimately remarkable not for her manly strength, but for her wisdom.
As I was writing the first scene, I got a little hung up on showing all this in as direct a way as possible, so that the viewer could at least get the hint of what’s to come. Without getting too far into the details of it, I basically fell into a cliché set by contemporary pop culture. The “warrior babe who swoops in at the last moment to save the day.”
My fellow writer read it and said, “You’ve got such a compelling character here. Why reduce her to a caricature?” And he was right. As much as people rightly complain about the damsel in distress trope, just flipping the roles isn’t all that satisfying either. Turns out, there’s a rich tradition of warrior women in Russian folk tales and epic poetry. And what’s so amazing about them is that they’re as comfortable in the kitchen as in the battlefield. Though they often have the strength to defeat ten men, they are just as likely to win a battle of wits or refrain from fighting at all.
I’m fascinated by the idea of the warrior woman, not least because I think every Russian woman (no exaggeration) is a warrior at heart. They’ve had too difficult a history, and too often they’ve had to take up a sword to protect the hearth. But they never lose their femininity either, befuddling many Western-style feminists, especially when they write articles like this.
Anyway, if you’ve read my books you know that I don’t write about domesticated women. Even though one reviewer called me a sexist pig once and recommended I get sensitivity training, the fact remains that strong women fascinate me. The source of that strength and the many ways that strength is expressed—that’s great fodder for stories.
So today I’ll share my translation of an article about the most famous warrior women from Russian tales and epic poetry. You can find the original Russian article here.
RUSSIAN VALKYRIES: MORE THAN A MATCH FOR THE LEGENDARY BOGATYRS
It wasn’t easy for Russian bogatyrs to get married. Not every young maid could stand having a hero around. And so, it was often women warriors who captured their hearts. Except, more often than not, these women demanded a wooing equal to the bogatyrs’ most difficult labors.
Women warriors were such typical characters in Russian folklore that the word “bogatyrka” (woman warrior) is even included in the definitive 4-volume dictionary of the Russian language compiled by Vladimir Dal’. The folklorist Afanasiev includes in his collection a story that sounds like Wonder Woman—a garden filled with apples of youth is defended by a nameless druzhina of women warriors. But not all of them were nameless. Here are some of the most famous.
NASTASYA MIKULISHNA
Dobrynia Nikitich, one of the legendary “three warriors,” is famous for his defeat of the giant dragon Zmei Gorynich. But what happened afterward was less glorious for him. He met his future wife, Nastasya Mikulishna, on the way home. She challenged him to a battle and beat him soundly. It’s not enough that she beat him, but she even grabbed him by his golden curls, pulled him off his horse, and stuck him in… her pocket!
Only later did she decide what to do with him. She pulled him out again and decided to see what he looked like. If he was pleasant to look at, she’d marry him. If he was so-so, she’d chop his head off. Lucky for him, he passed the test, and they got married.
In another of the tales, Dobrynia was called to join an embassy to the Golden Horde. Nastasya waited for him to return for twenty years, then received a false report about his death. Prince Vladimir forced her to get married again, this time to Aliosha Popovich, the youngest of the three warriors. She reluctantly agreed. But during the wedding, Dobrynia returned, dressed as a jester, and she recognized him and ran into his embrace.
VASILISA MIKULISHNA
Nastasya’s siter Vasilisa was no less impressive. She was married to a boyar of Chernigov named Stavr. In a scene reminiscent of The Taming of the Shrew, during a feast, Stavr started to boast about his wife’s many talents. The problem was that he unfavorably compared Prince Vladimir and his warriors to his much more impressive wife. The prince got angry and imprisoned him.
Finding out about this, Vasilisa came up with a cunning plan. She pretended to be a Tatar youth, brought her warriors with her to Kiev, then demanded the payment of tribute and a princess as her bride. The last was a barb directed at Vladimir, for whom it would be shameful to give a Christian princess to a heathen.
The princess in question suspected that the youth was no youth at all, and she expressed her doubts to Vladimir. So the prince arranged a test of strength, wit, and bravery. Of course, she bested everyone, forcing Vladimir to go through with the marriage. But during the pre-wedding feast, the Tatar “youth” sat gloomy at the table. Remembering that the boyar Stavr was an excellent musician, Vladimir called him to perform. AT that point, he recognized his wife. Vladimir was forced to admit that all Stavr’s boasting about his wife was nothing short of the truth.
NASTASYA KOROLEVISHNA
The story of Nastasia Korolevishna, the wife of Dunai Ivanovich, is especially dramatic. Dunai traveled to Lithuania with Dobrynia Nikitich to arrange a marriage between Apraksa, daughter of the Lithuanian king, and Prince Vladimir. Dunai, a hothead, said something rude to the king during their time there, and the king imprisoned him. But Dobrynia gathered an army and threatened the kingdom, at which point the king was forced to give him both Apraksa and Dunai.
Apraksa had an older sister, Nastasya. A while before, Dunai had wooed her and nearly paid for it with his life, but she bought the executioners off, giving him time to run away. However, when he returned to take Apraksa back to Kiev, he paid absolutely no attention to Nastasya. She was so mad, she decided to make him pay.
Finding him on the way back to Kiev, she challenged him to single combat, dressed as a foreign knight. Dunai defeated her soundly and was just about to finish her off with a knife when he recognized her. He was so impressed, that he took her back with him to Kiev, where they got married.
The end of the story is pretty horrible, as such tales often are, so I won’t translate it here. If you’re curious about it, email me and I’ll tell you.
THE FAIRY TALES
The most famous woman warrior in Russian fairy tales is Marya Morevna, whom Ivan the Prince wooed after being impressed with her military prowess. Interestingly, though she was probably the better warrior, he still had to rescue her from Koschei the Deathless. Still, this had less to do with his fighting ability, and more with the fact that he needed to atone for his mistakes.
Many historians think that the image of the warrior woman in Russian tales has to do with the early battles between Rus and the Polovetsians. All Polovetsian maidens had to be good with the sword, and their wedding rites included single combat between the groom and the bride. As I mentioned in a previous article, Russian princes often took Polovetsian maidens as their brides, first getting married in the Polovetsian style, then baptizing their brides and getting married the Russian way.