This week’s news; illustrated

Moscow metro opens virtual library of Russian classical literature

More than 100 canonical Russian books — including novels by Pushkin, Chekhov and Tolstoy — are now available for commuters to download for free on train platforms, where scanning a QR code with a smartphone or tablet will allow users to browse the library’s virtual shelves. The project is currently being advertised in only a few of the 195 metro stations in the Russian capital as part of a trial run. A similar project has already been tried on 700 buses, trams and trolleybuses in Moscow.

US film director Oliver Stone expresses desire to shoot documentary about Putin

American film director Oliver Stone announced this week that he would like to make a documentary about the Russian president, following a meeting with him after an event at a Moscow theatre earlier this week. Stone told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that his desire to interview Putin for a documentary film was “to show the point of view that Americans don’t want to hear about”.

Mail of Russia to have its own eBay and Amazon

Mail of Russia — Russia’s official mail service — is planning to create its own online trading platform, with a service similar to the western platforms eBay and Amazon. The first company to become a partner with Mail of Russia in the new initiative is online store Biglion.

Echo of Moscow scandal over fired reporter

Alexander Plyushchev, a journalist from radio station Echo of Moscow, was fired by the media company’s owner, state-owned Gazprom-Media, this week, after he sent out a controversial tweet from his personal Twitter account about the recently deceased 37-year-old son of Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov. The tweet questioned whether “the death of Ivanov’s son, who ran over an old lady and sued her son-in-law, is proof of the existence of God?” Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of Echo of Moscow, contested the decision, but Plyuschev has since left the organisation.

Two-metre high iPhone monument to Steve Jobs dismantled after Apple CEO Tim Cook comes out as gay

A statue in memory of Apple founder Steve Jobs in St Petersburg was dismantled this week after the man who succeeded him, Tim Cook, came out as gay. The two-metre high monument, in the shape of an iPhone, was erected in January 2013. Western European Financial Union (ZEFS), who erected the statue in a St Petersburg university, published a press release accusing Cook of “promoting homosexuality”.

Cafe in Crimea has changed the name of Americano coffees to Russiano

A Crimea coffee shop changed the name of its ‘Caffe Americano’ to ‘Caffe Russiano’ in protest against the American opposition to Russia’s annexation of Crimea earlier this year. A local reporter also spotted a label covering the switch on an automatic coffee machine reading “Caffe Crimea”.

VK founder Pavel Durov returned to Russia

Pavel Durov, founder of Russian social networking site VK and messenger service Telegram, has returned to Russia. A post on the Facebook page of Durov’s former press secretary, Vladislav Tsypluhin, read: “Durov has returned to Russia. Everyday he goes to the office of Telegram, and each week the developers give a presentation report of the work done … I have only one thought: I am glad that he is back in the ranks.” Durov left Russia to gain citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis in April citing persecution, after he was fired from his position as VK’s CEO.