Smolensk is a city with a population of about 329,000 people located in the west of the European part of Russia, the capital of the Smolensk region. This is one of the oldest cities in the country founded more than 1,150 years ago.

The city is located 378 km south-west of Moscow, in the upper reaches of the Dnieper River, on the way from Moscow to Belarus, Baltic States, the countries of Central and Western Europe. Photos by: Denis Mukimov.

explore the ancient Smolensk

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Murmansk, located in the northwest of Russia, is the largest city in the world in the Arctic Circle. The city stands on the rocky east coast of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea.

This is one of the largest ice-free ports in Russia and in the world built during the First World War, in 1915, to deliver military supplies from the allies because of the blockade of the Black and Baltic Seas. Photos by: Konstantin Antipin.

snow-covered Murmansk

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This weather happens in Moscow only a few times a year. Warm cyclone comes after heavy frosts gradually displacing icy air from the city.

At ground level, you can see only dull gray clouds, but if you climb higher, for example, at the Ostankino TV tower (340 meters), you will enjoy the following breathtaking views. Photos by: Dmitriy Chistoprudov.

Moscow from above

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Lago-Naki is a famous plateau located at an altitude of about 2,000 meters in the Western Caucasus, in Maikop district of the Republic of Adygea.

It is a place of stunning natural beauty known for its flowering alpine meadows. Almost the entire territory of the plateau is included in the Caucasian Reserve. Photos by: Vladimir Mulder.

beautiful alpine scenery

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Astrakhan is a city in Russia with a population of about 532 thousand people. The oldest economic and cultural center of the Lower Volga and the Caspian region, it is the capital of Astrakhan oblast.

The city is located in the upper part of the delta of the Volga River, on 11 islands of the Caspian depression. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Astrakhan

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Kaliningrad oblast is the westernmost region of Russia separated from the main territory of the country and surrounded by Poland and Lithuania.

The history of the city formerly known as Konigsberg has more than 760 years. In 1255, the Teutonic Knights built a castle here. Later, Konigsberg became the fortified capital of East Prussia. It was badly damaged during the Second World War. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Kaliningrad

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Yoshkar-Ola is a city in Russia with a population of about 265 thousand people, the capital of the Republic of Mari El. The city’s name translated from the Mari language means “red city”.

It was founded as a military fortification in the center of the Volga-Vyatka region in 1584. Until 1919, the town was called Tsarevokokshaisk, in 1919-1927 – Krasnokokshaisk. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over the center of Yoshkar-Ola

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Krasnodar is a city with a population of more than 800 thousand people located in the south of Russia, on the banks of the Kuban River, about 120-150 kilometers from the Black and Azov Seas.

This city, the administrative center of the Krasnodar region, is often called the capital of southern Russia. Krasnodar is located on the so-called “golden line” – the 45th parallel, between the North Pole and the equator. The climate in the area is considered to be the most suitable for life. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Krasnodar

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This beautiful wooden church, Church of the Transfiguration, was built in 1786. It is located in a small village of Posad (the central part of the village of Turchasovo) in the Onega district of the Arkhangelsk region.

To get to this village with a population of only about 100 people, you can either go by boat or over the ice in winter. Transfiguration Church in Posad on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

magnificent church

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Tsakhur is a small village with a population of about 500 people located in a picturesque place in the south of Dagestan, in the Rutulsky district, a few kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan.

The village is situated in the valley of the Samur River, Dagestan’s second largest river. From the 7th to the 16th centuries, it was the capital of the Tsakhur Khanate that avoided the Mongol conquest. Tsakhur on Google Maps. Photos by: Petr Ushanov.

explore the village

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