12
Abandoned tanks on Shikotan Island
1 Comment · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Army, Regions, Travel
Shikotan, meaning “the best place”, is the largest island of the Lesser Kuril Islands, part of the Sakhalin region. Japan disputes Russia’s ownership of Shikotan; it sees it as part of Nemuro province, Hokkaido prefecture.
Until 1855, the island was part of the Russian Empire. February 7, 1855, according to the Russian-Japanese treaty of trade and boundaries (“Shimoda Treaty”), the island was given to Japan with the rest of the southern Kurils. In 1945, after Japan’s defeat in World War II, the islands were captured by the Soviet Union.
Tags: Abandoned · Sakhalin oblast
9
Kalacheevskaya Cave – the longest cave in Voronezh region
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Photos, Regions, Travel
Kalacheevskaya Cave, a unique structure built in the chalk hill, is located on the right bank of the Tolucheevka River (the left tributary of the Don River), in the town of Kalach, Voronezh oblast.
It is the longest cave in the region. The total length of the cave is about 1 km. The cave was probably created in the 18th-19th centuries, it was used as an underground monastery. Photos by: vmulder.
Tags: Voronezh oblast
6
The Temple of All Religions in Kazan
4 Comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Culture, Religion, Travel
In Kazan, the capital city of Tatarstan Republic, there is an amazing place that combines the world’s major religions. It is called the Temple of All Religions or the Temple of Seven Religions or the Universal Temple.
The temple combines images of religious buildings of different faiths in an attempt to achieve harmony and peaceful coexistence. Photos by: Anton Petrus.
Tags: churches · Kazan city
3
The giant sinkhole near Solikamsk tripled
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Ecology, Photos, Regions
November 18, 2014, one of the mines of “Uralkali” company, located near the town of Solikamsk in the Perm region, was flooded, all workers were evacuated. A little bit later, a huge sinkhole was found on the territory, occupied by garden plots of local residents. At that time, the hole in the ground had a diameter of 30 meters.
Over the past nine months, the sinkhole greatly expanded and its current size is 120×125 meters. The following photos were taken in August 2015. Solikamsk sinkhole from space.
the sinkhole becomes bigger and bigger
Tags: Perm krai
30
Karabash – one of the most polluted towns in the world
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Cities, Ecology, Photos
Karabash is a small town with a population of about 12 thousand people located in the southern Urals, in the Chelyabinsk region, about 90 km from Chelyabinsk. This town is one of the largest copper smelting centers in Russia, known for its severe environmental situation.
Large quantities of pollutants, mainly gases, are generated during the production of copper from copper ore. All these gases were being released into the atmosphere without cleaning for decades.
the place of ecological disaster
Tags: Chelyabinsk oblast
27
Historical and natural monuments of mountainous Chechnya
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Nature, Regions, Travel
Let’s go into a little trip to the mountains of the Itum-Kalinsky district of Chechnya. The southernmost district of the republic, it is rich in historical and natural monuments.
The district occupies an area of 2000 square kilometers, the population is about 6,000 people. The distance to Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya, is about 78 km. In the south, this district is bordered by Georgia. Photos by: Timur Agirov.
Tags: Chechnya Republic
24
A walk along the shores of the Great Pond in Tsarskoye Selo
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Architecture, History, Travel
Tsarskoye Selo is a museum-reserve located in Pushkin town, part of St. Petersburg. It includes a palace and park ensemble of the 18th-19th centuries, the former imperial country residence.
In the center of the Catherine’s Park, which is part of the museum-reserve, you can see the beautiful body of water called the Bolshoy (Great) Pond. Photos by: Yuri Yuhanson.
Tags: Saint Petersburg city
19
St. Petersburg from above. Part 2
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Architecture, Cities, Travel
Let’s continue our flight over the sights of St. Petersburg, the second major city in Russia.
The second part of photos taken from a helicopter during the flight over the city. The first part. Photos by: Stepanov Slava.
The intersection of Bolshoy Prospekt and Andreevsky Boulevard.
Tags: Saint Petersburg city
15
Beautiful scenery of Mutnovsky volcano and surroundings
No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Nature, Photos, Travel
Mutnovsky volcano is an active volcano (2322 meters) located in the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, 80 km south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
The area around the volcano is one of the toughest in Kamchatka. Most of the year powerful cyclones are raging here, bringing huge amounts of snow. Snow depth sometimes reaches 15 meters, and summer lasts for less than 2 months.
Tags: Kamchatka krai · landscapes
11
Kronstadt Naval Cathedral in St. Petersburg
1 Comment · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Architecture, Religion, Travel
The Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas is the last and largest naval cathedral of the Russian Empire built in Kronstadt (a small town which is part of St. Petersburg) in 1903-1913. It is the tallest building in Kronstadt (70.5 meters).
This majestic cathedral is a monument to all sailors of the Russian Navy. Kronstadt, founded by order of Peter I, was the main naval base of the Baltic Fleet since 1720s. Since 2013, the cathedral is considered the main church of the Russian Navy. Photos by: Yuri Yuhanson.
Tags: churches · Saint Petersburg city