August curse
Encyclopedia
The August curse is a perceived phenomenon in Russia
, in which tragic events are felt to occur unusually often in the month of August. Many possible explanations have been presented for the phenomenon.
It has been pointed out, that the fact that many people take vacations in August may be a factor: the vacations leave a power-vacuum which terrorists and malefactors can then exploit. Yevgeny Nadorshin, chief economist at Trust Bank has pointed out, that for many of the events the fact that they take place in August is only a coincidence, but for some the phenomenon can be explained. For example, Nadorshin said that vacation and inattention were certainly key factors in the 2009 Nazran bombing
.
Some have also presented supernatural
explanations for the August curse. Astrologist Yelena Kuznetsova said in 2009, that the chaos will likely continue until mid-September because of the relative positions of Saturn and Uranus, and that Russia's horoscope is directly connected to the annual August turmoil.
The usually hot weather
of August has also been named as an explaining factor.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, in which tragic events are felt to occur unusually often in the month of August. Many possible explanations have been presented for the phenomenon.
Overview
Many journalists and experts have noted that, beginning in 1991, the most tragic events in Russia tend to take place in August. Examples include many deadly accidents and incidents, terrorist attacks and two major wars.Explanation attempts
There has been a lot of speculation in Russian media about possible explanations for the perceived phenomenon.It has been pointed out, that the fact that many people take vacations in August may be a factor: the vacations leave a power-vacuum which terrorists and malefactors can then exploit. Yevgeny Nadorshin, chief economist at Trust Bank has pointed out, that for many of the events the fact that they take place in August is only a coincidence, but for some the phenomenon can be explained. For example, Nadorshin said that vacation and inattention were certainly key factors in the 2009 Nazran bombing
2009 Nazran bombing
The 2009 Nazran bombing occurred on 17 August 2009, when a suicide car bomber attacked police headquarters in Nazran, the largest city of the Republic of Ingushetia. At least 25 people were killed and 164 injured...
.
Some have also presented supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
explanations for the August curse. Astrologist Yelena Kuznetsova said in 2009, that the chaos will likely continue until mid-September because of the relative positions of Saturn and Uranus, and that Russia's horoscope is directly connected to the annual August turmoil.
The usually hot weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
of August has also been named as an explaining factor.
Examples
- 19–21 August 1991: Soviet coup d'état attempt
- 29 August 1996: Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 was an international charter flight that, on 29 August 1996 at 10:22:23 Central European Summer Time, crashed in Operafjellet, Svalbard, Norway. All 141 people aboard the Tupolev Tu-154M were killed during the approach to Svalbard Airport, Longyear, making it the...
crashes in NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, killing everyone on board - 31 August 1996: The First Chechen WarFirst Chechen WarThe First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
ends, with the Chechens declaring victory. - 17 August 1998: Russian financial crisis
- 2 August 1999: Invasion of Dagestan, begin of Second Chechen WarSecond Chechen WarThe Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
- 31 August 1999: The first attack of the Russian apartment bombingsRussian apartment bombingsThe Russian apartment bombings were a series of explosions that hit four apartment blocks in the Russian cities of Buynaksk, Moscow, and Volgodonsk in September 1999, killing 293 people and injuring 651. The explosions occurred in Buynaksk on 4 September, Moscow on 9 and 13 September, and...
. - 12 August 2000: Sinking of the Kursk submarineRussian submarine Kursk explosionOn 12 August 2000, the Russian Oscar II class submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea after an explosion. The investigation showed that a leak of hydrogen peroxide in a torpedo led to explosion of its fuel, causing the submarine to hit the bottom which in turn triggered the detonation of further...
, 118 dead. - 19 August 2002: Crash of a military helicopter in Chechnya, 115 dead.
- 1 August 2003: Suicide bomber drives a truck with explosives into a military hospital in North Ossetia. 44 dead, 79 wounded.
- 24 August 2004: 2004 Russian aircraft bombings, 89 dead.
- 22 August 2006: Flight 612 plane crash, 170 dead.
- 13 August 2007: Bomb attack on a train between MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and St. Petersburg - 7–12 August 2008: 2008 South Ossetia war2008 South Ossetia warThe 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
- 17 August 2009: Two planes collide during rehearsals for an air show in Moscow, 2 dead, 3 injured.
- 17 August 2009: Terrorist bombing in Nazran2009 Nazran bombingThe 2009 Nazran bombing occurred on 17 August 2009, when a suicide car bomber attacked police headquarters in Nazran, the largest city of the Republic of Ingushetia. At least 25 people were killed and 164 injured...
. - 17 August 2009: Accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydro plant2009 Sayano-Shushenskaya hydro accidentThe 2009 Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station accident occurred at 00:13 GMT on 17 August 2009, when turbine 2 of the Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station broke apart violently...
. - 29 July 2010 - 13 August 2010: 2010 Russian wildfires2010 Russian wildfiresThe 2010 Russian wildfires were several hundred wildfires that broke out across Russia, primarily in the west, starting in late July 2010, due to record temperatures and drought in the region...
.