I share my experience of living in Russia and visiting other Post-Soviet countries like Ukraine and Georgia. Some laconic notes and photos of people, events, places and my views on news most discussed among Russian bloggers and in Russian-speaking Internet in whole. Politics, life and fun.

Soviet Space Dogs Gutted out of Love

Submitted by admin on August 21, 2010 - 19:58

Belka and Strelka's giddy success!

The Belka and Strelka space flight 50th anniversary is a hot topic in Russian-speaking blogs last days. Belka and Strelka are Soviet dogs which were the first living things visited space and returned alive.

These dogs were subjects of pride of Soviet citizens especially children. It is emphasized they had happy lives until died of natural causes that stressed the humanitarian nature of the Soviet system. After that, they were gutted, turned into scarecrows and displayed at the Cosmonaut Memorial Museum in Moscow (it is not reported if mice and rats accompanying Belka and Strelka won the same honors).

Tip of a day: gut stuff you love and put it in the most prominent place!

Visiting Moscow don't miss another Soviet scarecrow! I mean Vladimir Lenin, the founder of USSR, whose gutted body lies in the heart of Russia, Cremlin. Such were the Soviet traditions!

There was really the space flight cult in the Soviet Union. Space subjects became an important part of the Soviet ideological Art and were reflected in numerous images throughout the country. Take a look at a Soviet space tile picture in a former pioneer camp I took visiting Georgia.