In the beginning there were four independent republics that signed the declaration of the creation of the USSR, or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in 1922.

Konstantin Stanislavsky’s ideas changed the face of theater as much as Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity changed the understanding of physics.

People who grew up in the USSR do not remember any wheelchair ramps or specialized restrooms designed for the disabled in Soviet cities. Disabled people were actually destined, at best, to ...

This is the only residence that officially belongs to Putin as a private individual. This 77-square-meter apartment is remarkably modest for Russia’s president.

Flour – 400 g; Kefir – 320 ml; Butter – 40 g; Salt – ½ tsp; Dry yeast - 4 g; Sugar - 1 tbsp ; Stuffing: Potatoes – 200 - 250 g; Cheese - 300 g; Butter - 30 g ...

When the Russians built a new U.S. embassy in Moscow in the late 1970s, the KGB stuffed it with bugs at the bricklaying stage. “The only way to make that building secure was to chop off the top ...

From Mozart and Tchaikovsky to Abba and Vysotsky - we’ve put together Vladimir Putin’s favorite pieces of music in a single presidential playlist!

For example, the first massive building project completed by the Gulag inmates was the White Sea–Baltic Canal. The construction was headed by the Belomorsko-Baltiysky camp department.

Tatar-Mongol invaders did not reach Pskov, so several of the local churches dating back to the 12-13th centuries have survived to our day and are now listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Bolsheviks were in at the beginning of the Communist movement in China. However, it wasn’t the followers of Mao Zedong who became the USSR’s main allies in the country. In 1949, the ...

Aleksey Kravchenko, the teenage actor who played Florya, really went through hell while filming. Director, Elem Klimov, shot Come and See in chronological order over a nine-month period. Comparing ...

In Iofan's design, the Palace of the Soviets was to become the tallest building in the world at the time (its total height was to be 495 meters/1625 feet!) and symbolize the victory of socialism.