August 19, 1963 – the first cosmonauts of the world: Yuri Gagarin, Alexei Leonov, Boris Volynov, Victor Gorbatko.

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Tags: Soviet past

These photos were taken near Mutnovsky volcano, Kamchatka krai, in 2012. Last winter was not snowy, and the summer was hot. Therefore huge snow piles that never melt reduced in size greatly. As a result, a passage in the snow was opened leading to the cave underneath.

At the entrance to the cave the ceiling is not thick and sunlight breaking through it gives unique beautiful views. As you go further away from the entrance, the arch of the cave becomes thicker, and less sunlight comes through it, but you can still see various bizarre images, both in form and color.

Photo © Denis Budkov

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Tags: Kamchatka krai

The Soviet Union was spending most of its budget on various military purposes, sometimes creating projects with incredible technical characteristics.

In 1987, ekranoplan (ground effect aircraft) “Lun” was constructed – the first aircraft of the series of military missile-carrying ekranoplans weighing 400 tons.

It was armed with three pairs of cruise missiles. Volley of four such missiles is enough to destroy any ship, including the aircraft carrier.

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Tags: Soviet past

Nowadays, in Russia, bears are not only roaming the streets, but also float on the rivers. And this is not just brown bears, but polar ones! Here’s a picture of today that can be seen in Moscow.

A lone polar bear on a small block of ice was floating on the Moscow River in the morning. Rescue officers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations responded on his desperate plea for help.

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Tags: Moscow city

Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, the deepest lake in the world, the largest natural reservoir of fresh water (23615.39 cubic km which is about 19% of the world’s fresh water reserves in lakes). Local residents usually call it the Baikal Sea.

Lake Baikal is located in the center of the Asian continent on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. The lake stretches from north-east to south-west by 620 km in the form of a giant crescent. Baikal width ranges from 24 to 79 km.

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Tags: Buryat Republic · Irkutsk oblast

Architectural and Ethnographic Museum of the Vologda region “Semyonkovo” invites you into the world of the Russian village of the late 19th – the early 20th centuries. Here you can learn more about the traditions, cultural background, and mentality of the Russian people.

The museum was opened in 1979. It is a monument of national value. The museum covers an area of 12.7 hectares and has a lot of monuments of wooden architecture of the middle 19th – the early 20th centuries. Photos by Denis Spirin

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Tags: museum · Vologda oblast

Aluminum appeared in our lives only about century and a half ago, but in that short time it managed to go from being a decorative metal to the material, which allows us to move faster, to live in warmth and comfort, and enjoy all the benefits of modern civilization.

At the moment, the leader of the global aluminum industry is the Russian company RUSAL which accounts for about 12.5% of global production of aluminum that ensures the production facilities to produce 3.9 million tons of aluminum per year. Krasnoyarsk aluminum plant is owned by RUSAL. Photos by dedmaxopka

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Tags: Krasnoyarsk city

February 15, it was a frosty morning in Chelyabinsk (about -17 degrees Celsius), windless and cloudless. The previous day was very warm (the temperature was near zero), and so the next morning all the trees were covered with frost.

Photographer Marat Ahmetvaleev (marateaman) decided to take some landscape pictures on his favorite point near his home. Around 9:00 am he was at the place and made the first shots.

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Tags: Chelyabinsk city

Armed coup, organized by the Bolsheviks in the autumn 1917, that marked the beginning of Soviet power is most commonly associated with St. Petersburg (then called Petrograd).

However, not everyone knows that Moscow was the place of long and heavy fighting in those days. The Bolsheviks fired at the Kremlin and many central buildings, real battles were fought in the streets, hundreds of people were killed.

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Tags: Moscow city

Russia is a country with large reserves of various natural resources. The deposits of these resources are located mainly in underdeveloped regions of the country stretching from Siberia to the Far East.

Search for natural resources (mainly oil and natural gas) is made by special seismic prospecting crews. In these photos, taken in several regions of Russia, you can see scenes of life of these people and working conditions. Photos by donskoylis from yaplakal.com

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