Russian Haiku resists definition - it defies geography and structure. Bound only by its language and the internet - it finds ways to mix Russian literary tradition with Japanese style and Western logic. It is in its infancy and has yet to establish a boundary between real and imagined - self and the world. Everything is possible in this virtual thought environment. In the late ninteen nineties the Japanese Embassy in Moscow sponsored the first Russian Haiku Contest and recieved ten thousand entries. Haiku is alive and well in Russia. Personally I find there is a gentle and ephemeral quality about the Russian Haikus. Some items - transalted into English - are shown below. It would be nice if Russian members of the PH family could comment and provide some examples of their own.