Petrozavodsk is a city with a population of about 280 thousand people located in the north-west of European Russia, about 430 km northeast of St. Petersburg, the capital of the Republic of Karelia.

In 1703, by decree of Peter the Great, an arms factory was laid on the shore of Lake Onega. Around this factory a settlement began to form, which eventually became a city. The name “Petrozavodsk” literally means “Peter’s factory.” Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Petrozavodsk

Tags: Karelia Republic · Petrozavodsk city

Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery, founded in 1479, is an Orthodox monastery located in the village of Teryayevo in the north of the Moscow region, about 25 km north-east of the town of Volokolamsk.

In the 15th century, the first stone cathedral was built. In 1688-1696, a new church was built in its place in the style of Moscow Baroque – the cathedral church of the Assumption of the Mother of God. Most of the preserved buildings date back to the 16th-17th centuries. Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

picturesque monastery

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Kiev (Kiyevsky) Railway Station is one of the nine railway stations of Moscow. Built in 1914-1918, it is a monument of architecture and engineering art, an object of cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia of federal importance.

The motifs of the Patriotic War of 1812 (the French invasion of Russia) were used in the architectural concept of the station, in the paintings of the halls, sculptures. The station was built in the Neoclassical style with elements of the Empire style. Kiev Railway Station on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

probably the most beautiful station in Moscow

Tags: Moscow city

Kemerovo is a city with a population of about 560 thousand people, the administrative center of the Kemerovo region located in the south-east of Western Siberia, in the northern part of the Kuznetsk coal basin (Kuzbass).

It is an important administrative, economic, scientific, cultural, transport, and industrial center of Siberia, the largest city of the Kemerovo region. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Kemerovo

Tags: Kemerovo city

• Russia officially banned gambling in 1927, but the practice flourished after the demise of the Soviet Union
• However, gambling was restricted again in 2009, but allowed in four gaming zones
• Gambling is unlikely to be legalised under Putin’s rule, despite the clear economic gains

Russia plays a major role in world politics and culture. Yet the country still remains distinctly different to Western countries in terms of laws and governance. That’s especially the case when it comes to gambling – Russia’s gambling laws are complex and vastly different to those of the USA and UK.

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Chita, founded in 1653, is a city with a population of about 349 thousand people located in the central part of Transbaikalia in Eastern Siberia, the administrative center of the Zabaykalsky region.

This city is an important transportation hub on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The historic center has retained a rectangular grid of streets according to the plan of 1862. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Chita

Tags: Chita city · Zabaikalsky krai

Veliky Novgorod, one of the oldest cities in Russia, is located in the north-west of the European part of the country. The main attraction of the city is the preserved complex of its medieval fortifications – the Novgorod Kremlin.

Located on the left bank of the Volkhov River, this architectural monument of federal significance as part of the historic center of Veliky Novgorod is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

explore the old Russian fortress

Tags: Novgorod city

Ufa, a city with a population of about 1.1 million people, is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan – the first national autonomous republic on the territory of today’s Russia located on the western slopes of the Southern Urals.

This city is one of the largest economic, cultural and scientific centers of the country. The length of Ufa from north to south is 53.5 km, from west to east – 29.8 km in the widest part. It is the fifth longest city in Russia after Volgograd, Sochi, Novyy Urengoy, and Perm. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Ufa

Tags: Bashkortostan Republic · Ufa city

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity is a picturesque Orthodox church located in the west of Moscow on the territory of the former estate of Troitse-Lykovo on the right high bank of the Moscow River.

The church was built in 1694-1697 (according to other sources – 1698-1703) and became one of the first church buildings constructed in the style of the so-called Moscow Baroque, a synthesis of western Baroque and old Russian national style. Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Google Maps. Photos by: Vladimir Dar.

magnificent stone church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

The Moscow Transport Museum has a unique collection of retro models of all types of Soviet urban transport. Here you can see a lot of different cars and trucks, taxis, trams, buses, trolleybuses that carried passengers along the streets of Moscow, as well as cars of various city services: police, firefighters, ambulance.

Let’s look only at a part of the presented vehicles. The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 21:00. Address: Moscow, Rogozhskiy Val Ulitsa, 9/2. The Moscow Transport Museum on Google Maps. Photos by: Stanislav Konstantinov.

great technical museum

Tags: Moscow city · museum · Soviet past