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Russia: Spring Cleaning in Moscow

Fabian ChristApril 28, 2011

April is time for spring cleaning. Moscow residents are reaching for their rakes, spades and paintbrushes to spruce up the city.

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This annual spring event is a remnant from Lenin's times. The revolutionary leader established the volunteer cleaning effort in 1919 to support the economy. He dubbed the clean-ups the subbotniki - a word derived from the Russian for Saturday. But in Soviet times, participation was anything but voluntary. Anyone who refused risked the wrath of the party. Today Russians are free to decide whether to participate. And thousands of men and women turn out in force for the annual event.