In 1976, after completing my studies at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University, I joined, as an intern, the Indian Department of the Novosti Press Agency (APN). At that time, interns were taken seriously at APN, and along with working in the editorial office, interns attended lectures delivered by leading APN journalists, who shared their knowledge and experience.

APN political commentator Heinrich Borovik, for example, spoke about how he managed to get an interview with Ernest Hemingway, impressing him with his ability to drink vodka from a bottle …

However, now I want to tell readers about lecture by Boris Korolev that impressed me most.

Boris Korolev came on stage and just read us his last article titled “If Belgium Attacks the USSR on Thursday Night.” That was the lecture that made all the interns laughing without stopping…

Photo: Boris Korolev

Korolev’s article was a response to an article published in a Belgian newspaper, and the article was titled “If the USSR Attacks Belgium on Friday Night.”
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