Tom Winter — A glimpse behind the scenes at Fort Russ

Now that Vice News has been citing us, referring, for instance, to a “website promoted by the Kremlin-linked accounts called Fort Russ” it may be a good time to pull back the curtain for a glimpse behind the scenes at Fort Russ.

First, of course, simply click “about” at the top of the FR home site. But I can only confess for one. Me.

We are all of us polyglots. In my case, following the news in six languages, thanks to the internet, I have long known that the US press was feeding the country something less than truth. In 2014 Kristina Kharlova was already doing something about it, making the Russian side available for English-speaking readers, with the motto "Read what Russia reads." For me, she is a hero, and I jumped to offer my services.

A volunteer translator for Fort Russ spends much more time scanning the world press than actually translating. Here is a typical morning, at the Nebraska Headquarters of Fort Russ, before breakfast....

Kremlin tools or Internet heroes?

Note: The historical Fort Ross is in Sonoma County, California on the northern coast just above the Bay Area. I have driven past it numerous times but not visited.

"Ross" and "Russ" are romanizations of the same Russian term, Россъ. Russia is a romanization of Росси́я.

Here is a picture of it from the Wikipedia article.

Fort Russ
A glimpse behind the scenes at Fort Russ

Tom Winter