The Russian state received a huge territory stretching to the upper Oka and Dnepr rivers with 19 border towns, including Chernihiv, Gomel, Novgorod-Siversky, and Bryansk. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

The “Battle on the Ice” where Alexander Nevsky, a Russian prince, defeated the knights of the Livonian Order, is considered a milestone in Russian history. We explain this, and other important facts ...

The newly released movie combines the epicness of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ with the heavy atmosphere of ‘The Revenant’. Filming included a genuine, refurbished Il-2 ground-attack aircraft, as ...

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 ...

Emperor Paul I tried to change Russia in one go and forcibly. Although he only wanted the best for the country, his chaotic actions led to disastrous treason, and Paul was murdered. Here are the main ...

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 ...

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 ...

White, blue and red - the connection with the Dutch flag and shipbuilding and how the colors were interpreted at different times. As with many countries, the flag is one of Russia’s main state emblems ...

A successful merchant, collector, art connoisseur and honorary citizen of the city. How a private individual, using his own money, opened a painting gallery destined to become the most important one ...

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People in Salekhard say they prefer Arctic frosts to hot summers and believe that living in harsh conditions helps them become stronger. Locals say that the best thing about Salekhard are its people ...

Both paternal and maternal ancestors of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, have something to do with Russia and its Imperial family. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and ...