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Selling Grandpa's Soviet War Medals For Cash

NOVAYA GAZETA (Russia)


MOSCOW - There was a market for Soviet war medals even before the Soviet Union itself faded into history. There were thieves and collectors. But the real boom came in the 1990s, just after the fall of the Soviet Union, when many veterans looking to make some extra cash were willing to part with their honors. One collector even recalled obtaining a prized medal in exchange for a bottle of vodka.

The trade in old war medals is still illegal, but the collectors explained that the police have been looking the other way for quite some time, and that in fact collectors are usually the first to help the police in the case of stolen medals. Stolen goods, they explained, never interest serious collectors. Many expressed their hope that buying and selling old war medals would become legal.

Often, the collectors says, they appreciated the medals and the actions they represent far more than the relatives who sell them. That, at least, was certainly confirmed by Novaya Gazeta's reporter, who met with a woman selling her grandfather's war medals, but had no idea what he had done to get them.

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Economy

Soft Power Or Sportwashing? What's Driving The Mega Saudi Image Makeover Play

Saudi Arabia suddenly now leads the world in golf, continues to attract top European soccer stars, and invests in culture and entertainment... Its "soft power" strategy is changing the kingdom's image through what critics bash as blatant "sportwashing."

Footballer Karim Benzema, in his Real Madrid kit

Karim Benzema during a football match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium on June 04, 2023, in Madrid, Spain.

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — A major announcement this week caused quite a stir in the world of professional golf. It wouldn't belong in the politics section were it not for the role played by Saudi Arabia. The three competing world circuits have announced their merger, putting an end to the "civil war" in the world of pro golf.

The Chairman of the new entity is Yassir Al-Rumayan, head of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. Add to this the fact that one of the major players in the world of golf is Donald Trump – three of the biggest tournaments are held on golf courses he owns – and it's easy to see what's at stake.

In the same week, we learned that two leading French footballers, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté, were to join Saudi club Al-Ittihad, also owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. The amount of the transfer is not known, but it is sure to be substantial. There, they will join other soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo.

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