Blagoveshchensk is the fifth largest city in the Russian Far East, the capital of the Amur region.

This city, located on the left bank of the Amur River, is the only administrative center in Russia standing on the state border. Chinese city of Heihe is located on the right bank of the Amur, at a distance of half a kilometer. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Blagoveshchensk

Tags: Amur oblast · Blagoveschensk city

Suzdal is one of the most beautiful old Russian towns located in the Vladimir region. First mentioned in 1024, this town-museum has a lot of historical and architectural monuments.

By the middle of the 11th century, it became a major trade and craft center. The period from the 16th to 17th centuries was marked by an active stone construction (monastery and church buildings). The architectural ensembles that have survived to the present day were formed during this period. Photos by: Andrei Kireev.

amazing ancient town

Tags: Suzdal city · Vladimir oblast

Church of the Intercession at Fili is an Orthodox church located in Filevsky Park district, in the western administrative district of Moscow (Novozavodskaya Street, 6).

This architectural monument of federal importance is a fine example of early Moscow baroque. The church was built by the boyar Lev Kirillovich Naryshkin, the uncle of Peter I, in 1690-1694. Photos by: Pavel Labutin.

beautiful church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

The Episcopal Chamber (Chamber of Facets) is an architectural monument of the 15th century located in the territory of the ancient fortress (Kremlin) in Veliky Novgorod.

This is one of the oldest surviving civic buildings in Russia included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, along with other historical buildings of Novgorod the Great.

unique jewelry exhibition

Tags: Novgorod city

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

Tags: Smolensk city

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

Tags: Murmansk city

Sunduki (meaning “chests”) is a mountain range, natural and historic monument located in Ordzhonikidze and Shirinsky districts of the Republic of Khakassia.

One of the most mysterious places in Khakassia, this mountain range got its name from the most northern mountain – “Sunduk” (“chest”), on top of which there is a rock in the form of a cube. Sunduki on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Filinin.

stone waves of Khakassia

Tags: Khakassia republic

The Pashkov House is one of the most famous classic buildings in Moscow. Today, it is owned by the Russian State Library. The building is located on a hill overlooking the western wall of the Moscow Kremlin, at Vozdvizhenka Street, 3/5, building 1.

This architectural monument, built by order of the captain of Semyonovsky life-guards regiment Peter Pashkov in 1784-1786, was designed presumably by the architect Vasily Bazhenov. Photos by: Vladimir d’Ar.

beautiful building

Tags: Moscow city

Serguei Fomine, a photographer from Russia, began his project “Russia From Above” in 2003. The project is an artistic photo shoot of the most visually attractive natural, historical and architectural sites located on the territory of the country.

A lot of his photos are unique because these hard to reach places have never been photographed before. Let’s take a look at some of these photos.

Acid lake in the crater of Maliy Semyachik volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

fly over Russia

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · Kamchatka krai · Khabarovsk krai · Krasnodar krai

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

Tags: Adygeya Republic