The English language has borrowed several words from Russian. Some reflect various aspects of Russian or Soviet history and technology. For example, words such as "pogrom", meaning a violent riot aimed at massacring Jews, or "sputnik" that refers to a space satellite — the Soviets were the first to launch one back in 1957.
And some words were borrowed probably just because of the "aww effect" they produce. "Babushka" — meaning an elderly woman, or a grandmother, with a headscarf tied be...
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Anton Shekhovtsov is director of the Centre for Democratic Integrity in Vienna, visiting professor at the Central European University, and author of three books: New Radical Rightwing Parties in European Democracies (2011), Russia and the Western Far-Right: Tango Noir (2017), and Russian Political Warfare (2023).