Most Western movies about the participation of the USSR in the war against Nazi Germany contain many cliches and distortions of history. But, ...

Russian literary classics are not only dramatic plots with tragic endings, but also funny, ironic stories. We’ve picked out ...

There are about 800 bridges in St. Petersburg! But, did you know that the founder of the city, Peter the Great, forbade building them, at first?

Before 1918, distances in Russia were measured not in kilometers, but in versts. Incidentally, they differ slightly from each ...

A person who pretends to be unhappy in order to make others pity them is called a “сирота Казанская” (“sirota Kazanskaya”) or ...

Did you know that, at the beginning of the 20th century, foreigners filmed alternative movie endings for Russian audiences? It's true: ...

A group of kids approach as we arrive on the main square of the legendary Soviet summer camp, Artek. Dressed in the same colorful uniform, they greet us with a chant, "Artekovtsi! Our beloved Artek!

Founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Knights, Königsberg became part of the USSR after World War II. In 1946, it changed its name ...

True to the 'X factor' of Afghanistan's nebulous, twisting history, it took a relic of the Soviet fishing industry to bring the Western war machine to a standstill. As international forces arrived ...

Russian scientists have contained an outbreak of the Siberian plague, a bacterial infection known in the West as anthrax, but they believe global warming will bring back even more pathogens, such ...

The famous Ballets Russes took Europe and the U.S. by storm during the early 20th century. It was the brainchild of one man, Sergei Diaghilev, who surprisingly wasn't a talented artist, composer ...

Peter the Great brought the European tradition of formal dances to Russia. These balls left their mark not only on history, but on Russian literature, too. The glitter of jewels and the shining ...