During the 70 years of the existence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the number of constituent parts changed, but most of the time there were 15 of them. Here is the list. In the beginning ...

Why visit Tobolsk? Well, for one, to look at the ancient capital of Siberia, feel what the great exile Fyodor Dostoevsky and Romanovs royal family experienced here and also admire how the city has ...

We have traced how the architecture of Russian churches changed from ancient times to present day, in line with “fashion trends” and technological progress. Historically, church architecture always ...

“All over the island, one could see human flesh being ripped, cut and hung on trees. Clearings were littered with corpses.” In May 1933, over 6,000 people who were being deported to Siberia as part of ...

Lush, toasty and easy to eat on the go! This pastry has won the hearts of Russians since the Middle Ages! In old times, there were no burgers and french fries in Russia, but there was plenty of ...

Many people dream of making a journey on the world's longest railway, but spending nearly seven days looking out of the train window at the melancholic landscape and endless taiga is not easy. We ...

These so-called vory v zakone - or zakonniki (‘Thieves in Law’) are the kings of the criminal underworld. This group of respected bigshots, who control the majority of the criminal world, both in ...

From Mozart and Tchaikovsky to Abba and Vysotsky - we’ve put together Vladimir Putin’s favorite pieces of music in a single presidential playlist! Enjoy! The Russian president has declared his love ...

The newly released movie combines the epicness of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ with the heavy atmosphere of ‘The Revenant’. Filming included a genuine ...

Soviet Union, the Congress of Soviets, Soviet of Federation – the word has been and is still widely used in Russia, but what does it exactly mean? During the Soviet times, the USSR was often called ...

The experience of Soviet architects and urban planners is being reimagined in Saudi Arabia, which is launching a $200 billion project to build a new, 170-km long city. Among many architectural ...

Everything you wanted to know about the USSR’s notorious security apparatus. From its inception and until the end of the Soviet Union, the KGB was a prominent force in Soviet politics and society. Its ...