I thought it might interest members of this list to see how Russian is alive and well in London. The article is from Europaica no 10, Bulletin of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions http://www.orthodoxeurope.org/europaica/
Brigid
250.000 Russian-Speaking People in Greater London, 8.000.000 in Europe
Association of Russian-Speaking Communities established in London
The Association of Russian-Speaking Communities, which was established in London in December 2002, is the first organization of its kind with mass membership. It intends, among other things, to represent actively the interests of emigrants from the former USSR in the countries where they presently live. The organisers of this enterprise are the founder of International Russian House charitable fund Vladimir Voronov, and the head of the Slavonic Bazaar company group Vladimir Bobkov.
What is new about your project?
V.V.: To my knowledge, there has not been such a congress in Europe until now. There was a Congress of Compatriots in Russia; regular round tables on these matters are held in the Moscow city administration; the Congress of Russian press has also become a regular event. But all these unifying initiatives have been directed from Moscow. Our conference is entirely the initiative of the diaspora. 15 European countries were represented; there were guests from Russia and the USA.
Do the most active members represent the last wave of emigration?
V.B.: Yes, those who left the country in the last 10 years. These people came here of their own will; they have not been persecuted or exiled. They have the opportunity to return to Russia or to move to another country. These people are mainly between 30 and 45; they are well-educated and hard-working. They are the most active part of the Russian diaspora.
How different are the aspirations of the initiators of the unifying process from those who left in the time of the dissidents?
V.B.: The representatives of the 1970