Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug or simply Yugra is located in the heart of Russia – in the north of Western Siberia. It is the main oil and natural gas region of the country and one of the largest oil producing regions in the world (about 60% of Russian oil).

Yugra climate is equivalent to the climate of the Far North. This region is the native place of indigenous peoples of the Khanty and Mansi. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Yugra

Tags: Khanty-Mansi okrug

Nilov Monastery is an Orthodox monastery located on Stolobny Island and partly on Svetlitsa Peninsula, 10 km north of the town of Ostashkov, on Lake Seliger in the Tver region.

The monastery was named after Reverend Nilus Stolobensky born at the end of the 15th century. The magnificent monastery complex that you can see today was erected in the 18th-19th centuries. At that time it was one of the largest monasteries in the Russian Empire and the most visited Russian shrine. Nilov Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Denis Spirin.

very picturesque monastery

Tags: Tver oblast

Belogorsky St. Nicholas Orthodox monastery is a monastery located on the edge of the Ural White Mountain, 120 kilometers south of the city of Perm.

Holy Cross Cathedral of the monastery, built in the neo-Byzantine style on the model of St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev, is particularly picturesque in winter when the building and everything around it is covered with snow. Belogorsky monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Mikhail Turkeev.

a real winter fairy tale

Tags: churches · Perm krai

Chara Sands, a tract in Kalarsky district of the Zabaikalsky region, is a sandy area (10×5 kilometers) located in Chara valley, in the foothills of Kodar ridge, 9 km from the village of Char, between the valleys of the rivers Chara, Middle Sakukan, and Upper Sakukan.

It is a geological monument of nature surrounded by larch taiga and swamps. Novaya Chara, a station on the Baikal-Amur railway, is located 10 km from this place.

explore unique desert

Tags: Zabaikalsky krai

Lake Teletskoye is a lake located in the south of Western Siberia, in the Altai Republic, to the south-east of Gorno-Altaisk. It is the largest lake in the Altai Mountains.

Indigenous peoples call it Altyn Kol (Golden Lake). The length of the lake is 77.7 km, the width – 2-3 km, the depth – up to 325 meters.

Lake Teletskoye during snowfall

Tags: Altay Republic

The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula with a total area of about 100,000 sq. km located in the northwest of the European part of Russia, in the Murmansk region.

Almost the whole area is located above the Arctic Circle. On the north, it is washed by the waters of the Barents Sea, in the south and east – by the waters of the White Sea.

beautiful winter scenery

Tags: landscapes · Murmansk oblast

Novy Urengoy is a city located in the northern part of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region. It is the unofficial “natural gas production capital” of Russia.

This city, located on the boundary of the subarctic climate, is a great place for watching the Northern Lights. Here is an example. If you visited the territory around the city in the first half of November 2015, you would see the following beautiful scenery. Photos by: Kamil Nureev.

night landscape in shades of green

Tags: Yamalo-Nenets okrug

Tolbachik is a volcanic massif with a height of over 3,000 meters located in the east of Kamchatka, in the southwestern part of the Klyuchevskoy volcano group.

Five settlements with a total population of about 8 thousand people are situated at distances of 50-68 km from the foot of the volcano. The distance to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of the region, is 343 km. Let’s look at the last volcanic eruption of Tolbachik that occurred in 2012-2013. Tolbachik on Google Maps. Photos by: lusika33.

night of fire

Tags: Kamchatka krai

Kuandinsky Bridge over the Vitim River, located on the border of Zabaikalsky region and the Republic of Buryatia, is definitely one of the most dangerous road bridges in the world.

Construction of the bridge was not completed, although it had begun more than 30 years ago. Local residents and travelers cross it at their own risk.

bridge for risk-takers

Tags: Buryat Republic · Zabaikalsky krai

Chulyshman is a river in the Altai Republic flowing from the mountain lake Dzhulukul. There is a road running along the river.

The main attraction and, at the same time, the most difficult and dangerous place of this road is Katu-Yaryk passage, an incredibly spectacular place. The difference in height is about 800 meters. Katu-Yaryk passage on Google Maps. Photos by: Anton Petrus.

amazing natural monument

Tags: Altay Republic · landscapes