• Russia officially banned gambling in 1927, but the practice flourished after the demise of the Soviet Union
• However, gambling was restricted again in 2009, but allowed in four gaming zones
• Gambling is unlikely to be legalised under Putin’s rule, despite the clear economic gains

Russia plays a major role in world politics and culture. Yet the country still remains distinctly different to Western countries in terms of laws and governance. That’s especially the case when it comes to gambling – Russia’s gambling laws are complex and vastly different to those of the USA and UK.

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The Moscow Transport Museum has a unique collection of retro models of all types of Soviet urban transport. Here you can see a lot of different cars and trucks, taxis, trams, buses, trolleybuses that carried passengers along the streets of Moscow, as well as cars of various city services: police, firefighters, ambulance.

Let’s look only at a part of the presented vehicles. The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 21:00. Address: Moscow, Rogozhskiy Val Ulitsa, 9/2. The Moscow Transport Museum on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

great technical museum

Tags: Moscow city · museum · Soviet past

This year, several dozen holiday venues are open in Moscow to celebrate the New Year 2019. Let’s take a look at how the very center of Moscow (Red and Manezhnaya squares) is decorated for the New Year holidays and still relatively free of celebrating people. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

New Year in Moscow

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The Guinness World Records has been collecting extreme records around the world since its inception in 1955. The following are the records held by Russian people and institutions.

World’s Tallest Photo Model

Ekaterina Lisina, formerly a basketball player, is the tallest photo model in the world. She was inducted into the Guinness World records in September last year. Ekaterina is 2.05 meters tall. Another record held by Lisina is having the longest legs on earth. Her lower body measures a staggering 1.32 meter tall.

Russia – the country of records

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What’s more interesting than exploring the largest country in the world? Russia is so big, it occupies the land of two continents: Northern Asia and Eastern Europe. It’s the home of the longest river Volga, and the world’s deepest lake Baikal.

The extreme temperatures only add on the appeal of the country, as it’s the coldest place outside of North Pole and Antarctica. All these things make Russia very attractive to visitors who are eager and enthusiastic enough to explore it.

Russia is a great place to have fun – especially while travelling. You get to meet new people, explore cultures and travel through towns with popular tourist attractions. While on the trip, there are number of activities that can keep you entertained if you carry a laptop and have an internet connection.

diverse Russia

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There have been a lot of strange goings on in Russia over the past decade, with supposed Russian secret agents claiming to have visited England on a special trip to see Salisbury Cathedral…

There were bizarre scenes in 2013 as well when dashcam footage captured the moment that a 66 foot asteroid crashed into Chelyabinsk. The asteroid was heavier than the Eiffel Tower and caused a stir all around the world.

Whilst this meteor crash was explained, there are plenty more incidents that have happened in Russia recently that have gone unexplained…

Russia never ceases to amaze

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“Grand Maket Rossiya”, a private museum located in St. Petersburg (Tsvetochnaya Street, 16), is a 1:87 scale model layout with a total area of 800 square meters, where typical scenes from life of different regions of the Russian Federation are combined.

This is the largest model layout in Russia and the second largest in the world (after Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany). It is very detailed, let’s look only at some of the presented mini-plots. Grand Maket Rossiya on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

amazing mini Russia

Tags: museum · Saint Petersburg city

For many travelers hoping to see large portions of Russia and head into the continent of Asia, the Trans-Siberian trek is an absolute must. There are many different routes that you can take, departing from a choice of Russian cities and lasting for a varying number of days.

Of course, the main draw of such journeys is to get out there and see more of our wonderful world, especially through Russia and the road often less traveled. You can start in the West at St Petersburg, head over to Moscow, take part in expeditions such as Siberian dog sledding, and even see “true” Russia in places like Irkutsk and Ulaanbaatar.

But what about the reality of the fact that you’re spending up to four weeks of your life on a train? Yes, you get off and stay overnight in hotels sometimes, but that still leaves a rather long time to your journey on board. Here’s how to make the most of it!

traveling around Russia by train

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Russia’s World Cup 2018 has been and gone. On the whole, it was deemed a huge success, with football fans from all four corners of the world visiting Russia for a genuine celebration of football. All 12 of the stadiums used at the World Cup 2018 were built or renovated in some way, at a cost of $2.8 billion.

Unfortunately, there is a fear that some of the stadia will become ‘white elephants’ in the months and years ahead, given over to football clubs that don’t have anywhere near enough supporters to fill them. However, there are some new stadia that will be well-used, providing the perfect legacy for generations of Russian football fans.

Let’s take a look at the biggest and best stadia that will be put to good use in Russia’s domestic season.

“Police at the Rostov Arena” (CC BY 2.0) by Maxence Peniguet

the future of the World Cup 2018 stadiums

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Now that the 2018 World Cup in Russia has wrapped up, it’s time to look back on the monumental occasion and discuss why this was one of the best footballing events in recent memory. It was packed full of shocks, excitement, and joyous celebration, and the host cities were buzzing with a carnival atmosphere.

The success of the cup has also reminded people what a wonderful country Russia is, and it should have a positive effect on tourism in the country in the immediate future.

Source: World Cup Football 2018 Russia via Facebook

success of the World Cup in Russia

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