Marina Zakharova was born in Kostroma and graduated from the Yaroslavl Art School in 1987. She takes part in Russian and foreign art exhibitions. In 1998, she received an award from the President of Russia for achievements in art. The paintings of the artist can be found in the collection of Kostroma Art Museum and private collections in Russia and abroad.

Most of the paintings of Marina Zakharova are still lifes. But the author does not agree with this definition of the genre of her paintings. She says that she paints the portraits of flowers. The catalog of paintings.

Tags: artist · Kostroma city · Marina Zakharova

Nerchinsk state prison was a part of penitentiary system of the Russian Empire, the main place in Eastern Siberia for state convicts sentenced to hard labor. It was located on the territory of present Zabaikalsky krai.

The prison system in Eastern Siberia appeared in the beginning of the 18th century as a place of serving sentences for the most serious criminal offenses. The first lead-silver mines and Zerentuyskaya penitentiary began operating in 1739.

By the beginning of the 19th century, it was a system of prisons, mines, factories and other economic facilities managed by the Mining Department. The convicts were working in the mines, foundries, salt plants, construction sites.

The significance of Nerchinsk prison for the ruling system was great. During the 19th century more than one million people were exiled to this place. After the Revolution of 1905-1907 the number of political prisoners increased significantly. After the February Revolution of 1917, all political prisoners were released.

Tags: convicts · Nerchinsk · prison · Zabaikalsky krai

Krasnodar is known as the southern capital of Russia and the homeland of Kuban Cossacks.

Tags: fireworks · Krasnodar city · New Year

Kuban Cossacks (Kuban Cossack Army) is a part of Russian Cossacks of the North Caucasus, living on the territory of present Krasnodar krai, Stavropol krai, as well as the Republic of Adygeya and Karachay-Cherkessia. The military headquarters is located in Krasnodar (former Ekaterinodar).

Historically Kuban Cossacks were free militarized agricultural population. At the head of the Kuban Cossack Army was the chieftain (ataman), who was the military chief of the division and also the governor.

Cossack communities carried out various duties: military service, maintaining of postal stations, escorting prisoners, guard duty, etc. On the eve of 1914 Kuban Cossack Army numbered about 1.3 million of the Cossacks.

Tags: Cossacks · Krasnodar city

Omsk located about 2,600 km to the east of Moscow is the second largest city in Siberia. The city is standing on the banks of Irtysh river at the confluence with Om river.

The rivers connect Omsk with various coal and other mineral mining cities and towns of Kazakhstan and with oil, natural gas and lumber rich regions of Siberia. Video by Vladimir Skorokhod and Sergey Kotov.

Tags: Omsk city · time-lapse

Dagestan Republic is a federal subject of Russian Federation, part of North Caucasian Federal District, located in the North Caucasus region. The capital city and administrative center is Makhachkala.

The name of the republic is meaning “The country of mountains”. About 30 peaks in Dagestan are above 4,000 m, the highest peak Bazardyuzyu is 4,466 m. Dagestan Republic of Russian Empire was formed in 1860 after the Great Caucasus War.

Tags: Dagestan Republic · landscapes

Catherine’s Palace is the former imperial palace, one of the largest in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg. The palace is located in the town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo), 25 km south of St. Petersburg.

The architectural trends of each era the palace survived, and personal predilections of Russian rulers of the time were reflected in the history and architecture of the palace. The palace was built in 1717 under the direction of German architect Johann Friedrich Braunshtein as the summer residence of Empress Catherine I.

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Tags: Leningrad oblast · palace · Saint Petersburg city

Saratov region (oblast) is located in the southeastern part of European Russia. Main river of the region is Volga dividing the region into two parts.

Saratov oblast is traditionally an agricultural region. The oblast is the 10th among Russian regions in the amount of agricultural product. The specific feature of the region is a great number of farmers having lands under crops.

The following video showing the beautiful nature of Saratov region was made by Anton Starikov.

Tags: landscapes · Saratov oblast

Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov, NASA Flight Engineer Dan Burbank and Russian Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin launched on the Russian Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft on November 14, 2011, (November 13 in the United States) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to begin a two-day journey to the International Space Station.

Interesting video about the launch and the last preparations.

Tags: launches · Soyuz · space rockets

The State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia, State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Russia, or just the Bolshoi Theater is one of the largest in Russia and one of the most significant opera and ballet theaters in the world. The complex of theater buildings is located in the center of Moscow, at the Teatralnaya (Theater) Square.

July 1, 2005 the theater was closed for the long-planned reconstruction. On Friday, October 28, 2011 after six years of large-scale reconstruction the Bolshoi Theater was reopened.

During numerous restoration works original inner face of the Bolshoi Theatre existed in the 19th century was recreated. The elements of the interiors were restored with the help of old photographs and paintings, fragments that survived in the Soviet era. The total cost of the work amounted to about 21 billion rubles or about 700 million USD.

Tags: Moscow city · the Bolshoi Theater