Are glow-in-the-dark stuff popular in Russia?

Yes--glow-in-the-dark ornaments, paint, nail-polish and party-jewellery can be found in many shops and kiosks. In fact, Russia is the world's monopoly on the glow-in-the-dark business. Let me explain why:

After several minor nuclear-related accidents (and one BIG one), many cities in Russia are contaminated with radiation. Radioactive subscances glow in the dark any anything contaminated with radiation will also glow in the dark.

Because of high leves of radiation, every Russian carries a GM-tube with him to check radiation levels around him, which depends on the wind direction and the progress of the repair of the last reactor leakage or mishap. If radiation levels are high, they don thick, protective suits. These are usually ugly grey, brown or black in colour. (In summer they don't seem to have so many accidents with nucler plants.) Radiation levels also explin why Russians are lacking in lifespan, especially in Russian men.

At night, some trees and living things glow in the dark. They are highly radioactive but very beautiful. Russians chop down these trees to get highly-prized glow-in-the-dark wood to make ornamental objects and ship them around the world under the name 'glo-in-the-dark' through foreign companies. The sap from such trees are used to make 'glo-in-the-dark' paint, used in light sticks, watch faces and other things.

In Russia they also sell ornaments in shapes of the communist star and crescent-shaped sickle in kiosks located in underpasses or train stations. The ornaments from Chernobyl are most highly-prized as they glow the brightest. Young Russians like to decorate their rooms with glo-in-the-dark stars and arrange them so that they'd look like the constallation 'Ursa Major' ('Big Bear'). Shapes of Russian space ships are also popular.