November 27, 2012 in Kamchatka, after a 36-year interval, volcano Plosky (Flat) Tolbachik began to erupt. Volcanoes Plosky Tolbachik (altitude 3140 meters) and Ostry (Sharp) Tolbachik (3682 meters) are the parts of one single large volcanic massif (volcanoes location on Google Maps).

Tolbachik is located in the south-western part of the Klyuchevskaya volcano group, 63 kilometers from Kluchi village and 343 kilometers from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Previous eruption began in July 1975 and continued until October 1976. Magnificent views! Photos by Sergey Gorshkov

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Tags: Kamchatka krai

This majestic Savior Cathedral, built in the early 20th century, is standing in the center of the small village Kukoboy (population about 1,000). The cathedral is a picturesque temple constructed in high artistic style.

It is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Yaroslavl region and in all Russia. The temple impresses in its beauty and amazing proportions, rich ornamentation of white facing stone. Photos by Denis Spirin

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Tags: churches · Yaroslavl oblast

Earlier this place, located in the north of the Moscow region, was Olkhovskoye swamp. In 1936, the swamp was drained, and peat extraction began in 1955.

In 2010, one of the sites began to fill with water because of its depletion. A lot of different machines for peat extraction were left creating a very beautiful post-apocalyptic landscape now. Photos by rotweller

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Tags: Abandoned · Moskovskaya oblast

The Petrovsky Palace was built as stopover palace at the entrance to Moscow from St. Petersburg. It is an example of Russian neo-Gothic architecture.

The palace was built by the order of Catherine II in 1776-1780 after the victory in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 as a residence for nobility to rest after a long journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Photos by av_otus

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Tags: Moscow city

It seems you can find everything in Russia. For example, this unusual ship made of concrete found its last haven in the lower reaches of the Volga (Astrakhan region), a few kilometers from the Caspian Sea.

The hull of the ship is made of reinforced concrete. Those parts of the hull where concrete couldn’t be used were made of iron. This ship is not unique. In a number of countries different concrete ships were designed and built during periods of acute shortage of metal. Photos by zhgalin_photo

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Tags: Astrakhan oblast

The Solovetsky Islands (also known as Solovki) is an archipelago in the White Sea (total area is about 347 sq km) in the Arkhangelsk region. It consists of 6 large and about 100 small islands (Google Maps location of the largest island).

The archipelago, including five-kilometer area of the White Sea, is the protected area – Federal State Institution “Solovetsky state historical-architectural and natural museum-reserve.” Photos by Dmitry Mordolff

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Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · monastery

The nature of Astrakhan region is unique for Russia. Nowhere else in the country will you be able to find a territory composed of semi-deserts and deserts, where camels live, and the most famous Russian river Volga carries its waters.

Astrakhan oblast is located in the south-east of the East European Plain. The region is situated in the Caspian lowland where the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea. The region stretches over 400 km in the form of a narrow stripe. Photos by GeoSerzh

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Tags: Astrakhan oblast · landscapes

The White Sea is an inland sea located in the north of the European part of Russia (washes the shores of Karelia and Arkhangelsk region), refers to the Arctic Ocean. Of the seas surrounding Russia, the White Sea is one of the smallest. The average water depth is 67 meters. All the sea is internal waters of Russia.

The temperature of the surface layer of sea water varies greatly depending on the season in different parts of the sea. In winter the temperature of the White Sea surface water is about -1,3 … -1,7 ° C in the center and north of the sea, up to -0,5 … -0,7 ° C in the bays. Photos by borh-84

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Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · Karelia Republic

Built in 1580-1620, Astrakhan Kremlin is a fortress in Astrakhan located on the place where new city was founded by the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible who captured Astrakhan in 1556.

On the territory of the fortress you will find such architectural monuments as Assumption Cathedral (1698-1710, cubic, with five domes and a rich decor of the facade), Trinity Cathedral (16th-18th centuries), Bishop’s House (16th-18th centuries) with the home church, St. Cyril Chapel (17th-19th centuries), Prechistinsky gate (the bell tower), and others. Photos by Alexander Lipilin

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Tags: Astrakhan city

In the past it was a swamped karst chasm, and today it is one of the most polluted bodies of water on the planet known as the “Black Hole.”

The lake is located between Nizhny Novgorod and Dzerzhinsk, on the outskirts of Dzerzhinsk eastern industrial zone (coordinates 56.2635788 43.6624149, Google Maps location). The lake is surrounded by barbed wire with banning-warning labels. Photos by Lana Sator

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Tags: Dzerzhinsk city · Nizhegorodskaya oblast