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CAT | Travel

Dec/22

27

Syktyvkar – the view from above

Syktyvkar is a city with a population of about 220 thousand people, the capital of the Komi Republic, located in the north-east of the European part of Russia.

The distance from Moscow to Syktyvkar (in a straight line) is about 1,000 km in a northeasterly direction. Its name, translated from the Komi language, means “the city on the Sysola River”. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, Russia, photo 1

fly over Syktyvkar

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The Aniva Lighthouse is an amazingly picturesque abandoned lighthouse located on Cape Aniva in the very south of Sakhalin Island in the Far East of Russia. The height of the building is 31 meters, the height of light – 40 meters above sea level.

This mysterious place is an important tourist attraction of Sakhalin. Tourists usually come here on private boats. The lighthouse is gradually destroyed by water and wind. In the coming years, it is quite possible that repairs will be carried out to preserve this unique building. The Aniva Lighthouse on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Abandoned Aniva Lighthouse on Sakhalin Island, Russia, photo 1

beautiful remote place

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Putorana is a mountain range (plateau), located in the heart of Siberia, in the northern part of Krasnoyarsk Krai.

The maximum height of the plateau is 1,701 m. Its area is about 250,000 square km, which is about the same as the area of the UK (242,495 square km). The Putorana Plateau on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Putorana Plateau, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, photo 1

stunning nature reserve

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Sviyazhsk is a very picturesque historical town-island located at the confluence of the Sviyaga River into the Volga, about 30 km west of Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. The Sviyazhsk fortress, founded in 1551, became the base of Russian troops during the siege of Kazan in 1552.

Initially, it stood on a hill, which was washed on both sides by the Sviyaga and Shchuka rivers. But in 1957, the Kuibyshev reservoir was built, the water level rose and Sviyazhsk ended up on an island. In 2008, an embankment and a road to Sviyazhsk were built. Sviyazhsk on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Sviyazhsk - a historical town-island in Tatarstan, Russia, photo 1

explore a unique town-island

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Khunzakh is a very picturesque village with a population of 4 thousand people located in the southern mountainous part of the Republic of Dagestan, 140 km southwest of the city of Makhachkala, at an altitude of about 1,700 meters above sea level.

The houses here are built on the very edge of the Khunzakh plateau, where the height of sheer cliffs reaches 100 meters. Khunzakh on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Khunzakh, Dagestan, Russia, photo 1

very picturesque mountain village

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On December 30, 2021, a Project #903 Lun missile ekranoplan was towed ashore near the city of Derbent, in the Republic of Dagestan. This is the first exhibit of the future Patriot Park, which is planned to open here in 2023. Built in 1986, it became the only fully completed vehicle of this project out of eight planned due to financial problems and dubious military expediency.

An ekranoplan is a cross between a ship and an airplane. The principle of movement is similar to an air cushion, only it is created not by forcing air, but by an oncoming flow. When the flaps are lowered, the engines force air onto the wing and the ekranoplan rises out of the water. Ekranoplan “Lun” on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Ekranoplan "Lun" - a unique military vehicle near Derbent, Russia, photo 1

picturesque military vehicle

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Gremyachiy Klyuch is a natural spring located on the right bank of the Vondiga River, about 80 km northeast of Moscow, in the Sergiev Posad district of Moscow Oblast. The temperature of the water in the spring is constant all year round (6 degrees Celsius) and is considered curative.

According to legend, the spring appeared thanks to the prayer of Sergius of Radonezh (1314-1392), one of the most highly venerated saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. Today, the approaches to it have been landscaped, a church, a chapel, a refectory, a church shop with souvenirs, and baths have been built.

Natural Spring Gremyachiy Klyuch in Moscow Oblast, Russia, photo 1

very picturesque tourist destination

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Jun/22

5

Derbent – the southernmost city in Russia

Derbent is a city with a population of about 126 thousand people located in the very south of European Russia in the Republic of Dagestan on the shores of the Caspian Sea, 127 kilometers southeast of Makhachkala.

The city stands in a narrow passage between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains. This geographical position made Derbent one of the most important points of defense for many countries, since only this 3 km wide strip of land can be used to easily bypass the Caucasus Mountains. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Derbent city, Dagestan, Russia, photo 1

fly over Derbent

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Apr/22

13

Norilsk – the view from above

Norilsk is a city with a population of about 182 thousand people located in the north of Krasnoyarsk Krai, about 300 km north of the Arctic Circle. A major center of non-ferrous metallurgy, it is the northernmost city in the world with a population of over 150 thousand people.

Climatic winter in this city lasts from the beginning of October to the end of May. The average January temperature is about minus 27 degrees Celsius. The polar day in Norilsk lasts from May 20 to July 24, the polar night – from November 30 to January 13. Free entry of foreigners to Norilsk is closed. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Norilsk, Russia from above, photo 1

fly over Norilsk

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Mar/22

23

Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces

The Main Cathedral of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or the Patriarchal Cathedral in the name of the Resurrection of Christ is a church “dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, as well as the feats of arms of the Russian people in all wars.”

It is located on the territory of the Patriot Park in the Odintsovo urban district of the Moscow region, about 50 km west of the center of Moscow. The consecration of the cathedral took place as part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War on June 14, 2020. The Patriot Park on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, photo 1

unique monument of today’s Russia

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