With the beginning of World War I, Germanisms in the names of Russian cities became, as people would say today, toxic. That’s how St. Petersburg turned into Petrograd in August 1914, and, for example, the city of Yekaterinenshtadt in Povolzhye turned into Yekaterinograd in 1915. 

Unlike the feat of Ivan Susanin, which was reported only by word of mouth, Matvey Kuzmin's heroic feat is well documented.

Even the light fixtures in the capital's subway are often a work of art with a clearly thought-out design that differs from station to station. Let's take a look at the light in the subway through the eyes of photographer Alexandra Slon.

In 1971, Soviet Mars rover ‘Mars 3’ performed a soft landing on Mars for the first time in the history of humankind. We recount how it managed to do so.

Fancy visiting a cat museum? How about going on a gastronomical adventure? Our guide to the westernmost Russian city has got you covered!