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.

picturesque military vehicle

Tags: Dagestan Republic · Derbent city

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.

very picturesque tourist destination

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

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.

fly over Derbent

Tags: Dagestan Republic · Derbent city

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.

fly over Norilsk

Tags: Krasnoyarsk krai · Norilsk city

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.

unique monument of today’s Russia

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

The federal highway R256 “Chuya Trakt” (The Chuya Highway) is a federal highway Novosibirsk – Novoaltaysk (access road to Barnaul) – Biysk – Maima (access road to Gorno-Altaisk) – the state border with Mongolia.

The length of this highway passing through the territory of Novosibirsk Oblast, Altai Krai and the Altai Republic is about 968 kilometers. The Chuysky Trakt on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

probably the most picturesque highway in Russia

Tags: Altai krai · Altay Republic

Kalinigrad has been gaining significant popularity as a tourist destination because it is steeped in history. Kaliningrad is extremely close to Europe, making it the ideal destination for backpackers. The city itself has an eclectic range of skyscrapers, historical landmarks, and enormous residential zones.

As well as being stacked full of culture, Kaliningrad is known for its rich export of amber, which is how it became dubbed “The City of Amber”. If you are visiting Kaliningrad for a weekend and want to get the most out of your time there, we recommend paying a visit to the following attractions.

welcome to Kaliningrad

Tags: Kaliningrad city

Franz Josef Land is an archipelago (a group of islands located close together) in the Arctic Ocean, in northern Europe. It is the northernmost archipelago of Russia stretching for 375 km from east to west and 234 km from north to south.

It is part of Arkhangelsk Oblast and consists of more than 200 islands with a total area of about 16,134 square km. Franz Josef Land on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

pristine nature of the Russian Arctic

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast

Vasilyevsky Castle (also known as Shcherbatovsky Castle) is located in the village of the sanatorium named after Alexander Herzen in Moscow Oblast, about 65 west of the center of Moscow.

It was built by the architect Peter Boitsov by order of Prince Alexander Shcherbatov in the right-bank part of his estate in 1881. Vasilyevsky (Shcherbatovsky) Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

beautiful brick castle-estate

Tags: Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast · Russian Empire

Katu-Yaryk Pass, one of the most difficult and dangerous passes in the Altai Mountains, is located on the territory of the Ulagan district of the Altai Republic.

Until 1989, there was no road descending from the Ulagan Plateau into the valley of the Chulyshman River. Residents of the surrounding villages used a steep horse trail or a waterway through Lake Teletskoye. Katu-Yaryk Pass on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin.

very picturesque pass

Tags: Altay Republic