Classic Russian "zingers" in there: nice touch. Spotlighting the Russian sense of humor is great shorthand for placing the reader in the scenario with Andrei.
Two men are watching the forced-labor gangs digging the White Sea-Baltic Canal. The first asks “What crime did they commit to be given such a terrible punishment?”
“The ones on the left bank are here for telling jokes.”
Classic Russian "zingers" in there: nice touch. Spotlighting the Russian sense of humor is great shorthand for placing the reader in the scenario with Andrei.
Here’s a Soviet-Era joke:
Two men are watching the forced-labor gangs digging the White Sea-Baltic Canal. The first asks “What crime did they commit to be given such a terrible punishment?”
“The ones on the left bank are here for telling jokes.”
“And the ones on the right bank?”
“For listening.”