Only a few hundred kilometers from the bustling Moscow city life goes in a completely different pace.

Let’s look at Russian countryside, for example, these tranquil rural landscapes of Yaroslavl region, located in the north of European Russia, in the center of the East European Plain. The photos were taken by Alexey Lobanov.

classic Russian province

Tags: landscapes · Yaroslavl oblast

Karachay-Cherkessia Republic is a subject of the Russian Federation (population about 470 thousand people), a part of the North Caucasian Federal District.

The region is located in the foothills of the north-western Caucasus. About 80% of Karachay-Cherkessia Republic territory is situated in mountainous terrain providing favourable conditions for development of tourism, mountaineering and resort activities. The photos were taken by Timur Agirov.

fly over the mountains

Tags: Karachay-Cherkessia Republic · landscapes

About two years ago, we published a post with beautiful photos of an amazing natural phenomenon – snow caves formed near Mutnovsky volcano in Kamchatka.

Last year, access to the cave was blocked with snow, but this year things were better and we can again see this beauty. Mutnovsky volcano on Google Maps. The photos were taken by Denis Budkov.

let’s get into the cave

Tags: Kamchatka krai

This beautiful two-storey house, located in an abandoned village of Pogorelovo (Kostroma region, about 540 km from Moscow), is a truly unique building, a fine example of wooden architecture.

The house was built over 100 years ago, in 1902-1903, and has never been subjected to restoration, retaining its authentic decor and original interior. The photos were taken by deni.spiri.

amazing house

Tags: Kostroma oblast

Brief background. Last November, one of the mines owned by “Uralkali” company was partially flooded. The mine is located near Solikamsk town (Perm region).

Later, about 3.5 km from the mine, on the territory occupied by garden plots of Solikamsk residents, a giant sinkhole (30×40 meters) was found (the first post about this event).

the situation a few months later

Tags: Perm krai

Lake Kezenoyam is a lake located on the border of Vedensky district of Chechen Republic and Botlikhsky district of Dagestan Republic. This alpine lake, situated at an altitude of about 1,800 meters above sea level, is the largest and deepest lake in the North Caucasus.

The maximum depth of the lake is 74 meters, the length from north to south – 2 km, from west to east – 2.7 km, the maximum width – 735 meters.

very scenic lake

Tags: Chechnya Republic · Dagestan Republic · landscapes

Baskunchak is a salt lake, with an area of about 115 square km, located in Akhtubinskiy district of Astrakhan region, about 270 km north of the Caspian Sea and 53 km to the east of the Volga River.

Salt extraction on the lake began in the 8th century. Lake Baskunchak was officially mentioned first time in 1627 in the first geographical description of Russia as a place “where they mine salt as pure as ice.” The view of the lake from the satellite. The photos were taken by Richard Zorge.

two in one – the lake and the desert

Tags: Astrakhan oblast · landscapes

Kurilskoye Lake, located in the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, on the territory of the South Kamchatka Federal Preserve, is the place with the highest density of bears in Russia.

The lake area is about 77 square kilometers (the third largest lake of Kamchatka), the average depth is 195 meters, the maximum depth is 316 meters.

bears, they are everywhere

Tags: Kamchatka krai

The sky over the northern regions of Russia often presents locals and tourists a colorful show. Let’s look at the beautiful views of the aurora borealis, also known as northern lights, over Murmansk region. The photos were taken by Valentin Zhiganov

the sky in a green fire

Tags: Murmansk oblast

November 18, 2014, the mine Solikamsk-2, owned by a Russian company “Uralkali”, was partially flooded. All the miners were safely evacuated, and the work was suspended. The mine is located near the town of Solikamsk in Perm region.

After some time, 3.5 km from the mine, on the territory occupied by garden plots of Solikamsk residents, a giant sinkhole (30×40 meters) was found. Risks of expansion of the sinkhole and its danger to the city are still not fully understood.

the gate to the underworld

Tags: Perm krai