Things in Russia are turning into a practical direction. The number of the kin's domains is growing, one group of settlers went thru a lot of red tape and finally had their village registered officially by the government as a new community with an official address, zip code etc. The name of this eco village is Kovcheg (Ark), Enthusiasts are filming documentaries about other settlements and distribute them via the Internet. I wouldn't say the price is very small for Russians (a set of DVDs is about a thousand rubles, i.e. approximately US$ 35) but the viewers response is full of admiration and excitement: those are movies about absolutely real people and places that contain a lot of energy of their special kind. One of the enthusiasts to film and distribute those documentaries is Vadim Karabinsky (he has his list serve and site but I don't have the links at the moment).
The official Anastasia site went thru some streamlining and new administrators (women) put in a lot of energy to shake it up but unfortunately they put off some of the forumers. That site had a lot of true supporters but it was also full of bla-bla-blaists (hesitant people who would prefer to talk and look for the answers in front of their PC rather than do something). Some other sites appeared where there is much less metaphysics and global considerations but much more very practical advice and tips for eco-settlers who started building their domain - from how to dig a well with just you and your second half to housing construction and animal training to raising children and independent energy supplies. You can watch members' movies and pictures there too, even though you may not understand the language, the photos and the voices will tell you enough about how things are going in Russia and Ukraine and Belarus (I guess some other neighboring countries are also featured there). Take a look at
http://www.vpomestie.ru to see all that yourselves.
Basically, the country is at cross roads with a certain number of pioneers trailing the path without ever looking back or wanting the "civilization" as we know it. I should say, however, most of the population are still in the rat race out there for coins. Yet the number of those who are building their domains is definitely growing without much publicity.
From Russia with Love
VV