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work is also in evidence in the distinctive multi-
tiered iconostasis of the Annunciation Cathedral
of the Moscow Kremlin, where he worked with
Prokhor Gorodetskii and Rublev. He is also
believed to be the author of the small icon
known as the
Don Virgin,
which
DMITRII DONSKOI
carried into battle against the Mongols in 1380,
the first significant victory of Russian forces since
the
MONGOL CONQUEST
of 1237-40. The icon is
different in that it shows the Virgin Mary looking
tenderly at her son rather than at the viewer.
Believed to have miraculous powers, the icon
was said to have saved Moscow in 1571 from a
raid by Crimean Tatars. Feofan Grek is believed
to have died some time between 1405 and 1419.
and left the Soviet Union. He joined the New
Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League
(NHL) who owned his NHL rights after drafting
him in 1983. Fetisov's entry into the NHL
marked the beginning of an exodus of talented
Soviet players, at first a curiosity, given the real-
ities of cold war politics, but which continued
steadily after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
in 1991 to the extent that Russian players are
now commonly a part of North American pro-
fessional hockey. Already past his prime when
he joined the NHL, Fetisov did not really make
his mark in the league until 1995, when he was
traded to the Detroit Red Wings and joined four
other talented Russian players—Sergei Fedorov,
Slava Kozlov, Vladimir Konstantinov, and Igor
Larionov. Together they became known as the
“Russian Five” and were an integral part of the
Detroit teams that won two successive Stanley
Cups in 1997 and 1998. But as before, his per-
sonal victories were not without emotional suf-
fering. On the way home from a victory rally
after winning the 1997 Stanley Cup, Fetisov was
seriously hurt in the automobile accident that
left his teammate Konstantinov and the team
trainer with severe brain damage and paralyzed.
After his retirement, Fetisov returned to Russia,
where he coached the Russian team to a Bronze
Medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt
Lake City. He then was appointed Sports Minis-
ter for the Russian Federation, a post he cur-
rently holds.
Fetisov, Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich
(1958- )
hockey player
A celebrated hockey player in both the Soviet
Union and the United States, Vyacheslav Fetisov's
career from 1976 to 1998 reflected the impact of
a changing international political climate on the
world of amateur and professional sports. Born in
Moscow, Fetisov joined the prestigious Soviet
army team, known by its Russian-language ini-
tials CSKA, at the age of 18. For the next 13 years,
Fetisov would shine as an outstanding defense-
man, leading the Soviet army team to 13 champi-
onships while winning the annual award given to
the best Soviet player on three occasions. His tal-
ents were also recognized beyond the Soviet bor-
ders; he was named European player of the year
three times. Fetisov was also a centerpiece of the
Soviet national teams that dominated interna-
tional competitions during those years, winning
seven gold medals at the World Championships
and two Olympic gold medals. To his dismay, Feti-
sov was also on the receiving end of one of the
most celebrated moments in American sports at
the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New
York, when a plucky amateur squad defeated a
heavily favored, more talented Soviet team on
the way to a surprising gold medal.
In 1989, after a long legal battle marked by
KGB surveillance, Fetisov was awarded a visa
Figner, Vera Nikolaevna
(1852-1941)
revolutionary
Born in
KAZAN
province into the family of a
wealthy noble, Figner left Russia via an early
marriage to pursue her goal of becoming a doc-
tor. In 1872 she enrolled at Zurich University,
where she also came into contact with the émi-
gré colony of Russian revolutionaries and stu-
dents. At first she resisted pressures to join the
revolutionary movement and return to Russia to
participate in the “To the People” crusade. In
1875, however, on the verge of graduation, she
returned to Russia and worked as a medical aide
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