Russian Accent | Blog of Nadia Sikorsky

A Realm of Darkness Without a Ray of Light

Today, the novel Return to Ostrog by Sasha Filipenko goes on sale in bookshops across Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Canada. The French translation, by Marina Skalova, has been published by the Lausanne-based Éditions Noir sur Blanc

A Violin Obsession

From January 30 to February 7, the renowned Swiss Alpine resort of Gstaad will host the international Sommets Musicaux festival for the 26th time — a place where everyone is sure to find something to delight their ear.

“Two Prosecutors”

This is the title of the film by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, presented as part of the Geneva Black Movie festival.

Musical Waves on Lake Lucerne

From 12 to 18 January 2026, the city on the shores of Lake Lucerne will host the international music festival Le Piano symphonique, whose inspirer, or “associated pianist”, is none other than Martha Argerich herself.

World Literature Through the Faces of Its Authors

The splendid album created by Luc Debraine and published by the Lausanne-based Éditions Noir sur Blanc offers us the rare pleasure of seeing the real faces of those who, for decades, have nourished our imaginations.

The “Wool Paintings” and the Russian Trace in the Alice Bailly Exhibition

Two rooms of the Kunsthaus Zürich are hosting, until 15 February 2026, an exhibition devoted to the artist Alice Bailly (1872–1938), born in Geneva and deceased in Lausanne. This presentation is the result of a collaboration between the Zurich museum and the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts of Lausanne (MCBA).

About the author

Nadia Sikorsky

Nadia Sikorsky grew up in Moscow where she obtained a master's degree in journalism and a doctorate in history from Moscow State University. After 13 years at UNESCO, in Paris and then in Geneva, and having served as director of communications at Green Cross International founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, she developed NashaGazeta.ch, the first online Russian-language daily newspaper, launched in 2007.

In 2022, she found herself among those who, according to Le Temps editorial board, "significantly contributed to the success of French-speaking Switzerland," thus appearing among opinion makers and economic, political, scientific and cultural leaders: the Forum of 100.

After 18 years leading NashaGazeta.ch, Nadia Sikorsky decided to return to her roots and focus on what truly fascinates her: culture in all its diversity. This decision took the form of this trilingual cultural blog (Russian, English, French) born in the heart of Europe – in Switzerland, her adopted country, the country distinguished by its multiculturalism and multilingualism.

Nadia Sikorsky does not present herself as a "Russian voice," but as the voice of a European of Russian origin (more than 35 years in Europe, 25 years spent in Switzerland) with the benefit of more than 30 years of professional experience in the cultural world at the international level. She positions herself as a cultural mediator between Russian and European traditions; the title of the blog, "The Russian Accent," captures this essence – the accent being not a linguistic barrier, not a political position but a distinctive cultural imprint in the European context.

Events
Most read

What can one expect from a film about real people whose fate we already know? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Over three and a half hours, the viewer follows the protagonists of Rays and Shadows, Xavier Giannoli’s latest film, along the road to hell paved with good intentions, or, more precisely, along the path from the pacifist illusions of the post-war period to active collaboration during the Nazi occupation of France.

For the first time in my journalistic career, I want to tell you about a concert I have no intention of attending. And the reason, of course, has nothing to do with the brilliant composers whose works appear on the programme, nor even with the performers. The problem is the “packaging”, which deeply shocked me.

Kunsthaus Zürich presents the first survey exhibition in Switzerland of the contemporary American artist Kerry James Marshall, organised in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris.