Calling a freshman dorm a “cathedral of science,” on the other hand, only makes sense if you’ve never actually been to a freshman dorm. The connection to Pussy Riot, the most infamous example of young people in Russia appropriating a public space without a hint of solemnity, is to be expected. “ This is a great insult to the Ulyanovsk region, and to veterans.” And this is a cathedral of science.” The Rector of the Ulyanovsk Aviation Institute, Sergei Krasnov, agreed. I would even compare it with Pussy Riot, when they made a mockery of the cathedral. “It’s a tragedy,” declared famous aviator Magomed Tolboev. And, in a climate of increased censorship and selective prudishness, the responses from Russian officialdom were even more predictable. With the benefit of hindsight, it should surprise no one that this became a cause celebre on Russian social media. In the middle of January, freshmen cadets at an aviation academy in Ulyanovsk (a provincial town bearing Lenin’s original last name), posted a clip inspired both by the Benny Benassi’s 2002 “ Satisfaction” and a 2013 all-male British army parody, surely never intending to become the latest flashpoint in contemporary Russian culture wars. (This post is adapted from a presentation at the Davidson College Queer Russia Symposium on February 17, 2018)
