Astrakhan, the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast, is one of the largest and oldest cities in southern Russia included in the list of historical cities of the country.

This city with a population of about half a million people is located in the upper part of the delta of the Volga River, on 11 islands of the Caspian Lowland, about 80 km from the Caspian Sea. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over the center of Astrakhan

Tags: Astrakhan city

Syzran is a city with a population of about 173 thousand people located in the west of Samara Oblast, the third largest city in the region after Samara and Tolyatti.

The city is located on the right bank of the Volga River (Saratov Reservoir), at the mouth of the Syzranka River. In its central part, Syzran retained the appearance of a merchant Volga town of the 19th century. In total, there are 143 monuments of history, culture, and architecture on its territory. Photos by: Kirill Zdorov.

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Tags: Samara oblast · Syzran city

Rybinsk, first mentioned in 1071, is the second largest city in Yaroslavl Oblast located on the banks of the Volga River, about 87 km northwest of Yaroslavl and 313 km north of Moscow.

During the time of the Russian Empire, it was the country’s largest grain trading center. After the construction of the Rybinsk Hydroelectric Power Station in the 1930s, the Rybinsk Reservoir located to the north-west of the city, became the largest artificial reservoir in the world of its time. Photos by: Roman Smirnov.

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Tags: Rybinsk city · Yaroslavl oblast

Yoshkar-Ola, one of the cultural centers of the Finno-Ugric peoples, is a city with a population of about 283 thousand people located about 50 km north of the Volga River and 862 km east of Moscow, the capital of the Republic of Mari El.

The Malaya Kokshaga River flows through the city and divides it into two almost equal parts. Yoshkar-Ola is traditionally considered one of the greenest cities in Russia. Photos by: Kirill Zdorov.

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Tags: Mari El Republic · Yoshkar-Ola city

“Tsvetnik” (meaning “flower garden” in Russian) is the oldest park in the resort-city of Pyatigorsk. It was laid out on the site of a swamp formed by water from hydrogen sulfide sources in the 1820s. By 1850, this place became the recognized center of the resort life of Pyatigorsk. In June 2019, it was reopened after restoration.

In the background you can see the metal-glass building of the Lermontov Gallery (1901) – one of the main historical monuments and symbols of Pyatigorsk, as well as a concert and exhibition complex. The photos were taken by Fedor Lashkov at the end of October.

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Tags: Pyatigorsk city · Stavropol krai

Tomsk is a city with a population of about 575 thousand people located in the east of Western Siberia on the banks of the Tom River, the capital of Tomsk Oblast.

This city is the oldest educational and scientific center in Siberia. There are a lot of preserved monuments of wooden and stone architecture of the 18th-20th centuries here. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

The House of Merchant Kukhterin (1900). Lenin Avenue, 73.

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Tags: Siberia district · Tomsk city

Anadyr, the administrative center of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, is a port city with a population of about 15 thousand people located in the extreme north-east of Russia in the permafrost zone.

Today, a fish processing plant and energy enterprises are operating in the city. Gold and coal are being mined in its vicinity. Reindeer husbandry, fishing, and hunting are also developed. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Anadyr city · Chukotka okrug

Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic, is a city with a population of about 300 thousand people located in the North Caucasus in the south of the European part of Russia.

During the First and Second Chechen Wars, the city, especially its central part, was almost completely destroyed. In 2003, Grozny was recognized by the UN Commission as the most ruined city on Earth since the Second World War. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

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Tags: Chechnya Republic · Grozny city

Lermontovsky Uranium Mine #1 is a former uranium mining enterprise located on Mount Beshtau near the city of Pyatigorsk, about 200 km south-east of Stavropol. The mine was closed in 1975.

Today, it is a popular object with diggers and other extreme lovers. The official name “Mine #1” was used in the documents due to the high secrecy of this object. Mount Beshtau on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Mulder.

explore radioactive tunnels

Tags: Abandoned · Pyatigorsk city · Stavropol krai

These picturesque photos were taken on one hot summer evening in the Volga River delta somewhere in the Astrakhan region. The delta of the Volga is the largest river delta in Europe and the 8th in the world.

Due to the lowering of the level of the Caspian Sea, the delta area has increased ninefold over the past 130 years. The unique flora and fauna of the delta (sturgeon, lotus, flamingo, Siberian cranes, pelicans) are under state protection as the Astrakhan Nature Reserve. Photos by: Fedor Lashkov.

beautiful nature scenery

Tags: Astrakhan oblast