June 2, 2015, Baikonur Cosmodrome, the cradle of space exploration and the largest Russian spaceport, celebrated its 60th anniversary. Over the years, a lot of different space vehicles were tested on its territory, the apex of which was the system of “Energy-Buran”. But history has chosen its path and the project died in infancy.

More than two decades ago, heavy sliding doors of an assembling and filling complex were closed cutting off two orbiting spacecraft from the sky. How ironic that the birthplace of these spaceships became their burial place.

the remnants of the Soviet shuttles

Tags: Abandoned · Soviet past

Smolensk is a city with a population of about 330 thousand people; administrative, industrial and cultural center of Smolensk region. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia celebrated its 1150th anniversary in 2013.

The city is located about 400 km west of Moscow, in the upper reaches of the Dnieper River. It has a favorable geographical position on the ways from Moscow to Belarus, Baltic States, Central and Western Europe.

scenic views of Smolensk

Tags: Smolensk city

St. Isaac’s Cathedral (the Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia) is the largest Orthodox church in St. Petersburg, located on St. Isaac’s Square.

It is an outstanding example of late classicism with a number of new directions (neo-Renaissance, Byzantine style, eclecticism). This unique architectural structure is a high-altitude dominant of the central part of the city.

architectural masterpiece

Tags: churches · Saint Petersburg city

May 1, the Universal Exhibition Expo Milano 2015 was opened in Milan, Italy. The exhibition runs until October 31. The motto of the expo is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” More than 140 countries participate in the event.

The Russian pavilion, occupying more than 4 thousand square meters, is one of the five most visited pavilions. Since the beginning of the exhibition, it was visited by more than 450 thousand people, who learned not only about the natural riches of Russia, but also tasted the national cuisine and traditional Russian drinks. Photos by: Alexey Naroditskiy.

visit the pavilion

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The Soviet Union ceased to exist for more than two decades ago, but Vladimir Lenin is still in the mausoleum on the Red Square in Moscow, and a large number of streets in Russia are still called after him. But how many?

Russian streets in numbers

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Russia is known for its craftsmen. Today, let’s look at the following pictures carved in wood by the members of Dubovik family from Bryansk.

All the pictures are done carefully, with a good prospect in unique style. The size of most of the works with frames – 60-90 сm.

nice pieces of art

Tags: Bryansk city

Altai region is a subject of the Russian Federation located in the south-east of Western Siberia. The distance from Barnaul, the capital city of the region, to Moscow is about 3400 km.

On the territory of the region you can see almost all typical Russian natural zones – steppe and forest steppe, taiga and mountains. Photos by: Alexey Kachurin.

amazing nature views

Tags: Altai krai · landscapes

In recent years, a lot new churches were built in Russia. Of course not all of them are interesting from an architectural point of view, but there are pleasant exceptions.

For example, take a look at the Church of the Holy Prince Igor of Chernigov located in the suburban village of Peredelkino in Moscow.

quite picturesque church

Tags: churches · Moscow city

The Vostochny (“Eastern”) Cosmodrome is the future Russian spaceport being constructed near the village of Uglegorsk in Amur region, in the Far East.

In September 2011, the preparatory construction work began, and, in mid-2012, the full-scale construction of infrastructure and technological facilities of the cosmodrome started. Photos by: Stepanov Slava.

walk through the unique construction site

Tags: Amur oblast

Let’s visit the vast expanses of Zabaikalsky region – the territory of about 432,000 sq. km., part of Siberian Federal District. These wonderful photos were taken near Chernyshevsk – a small urban village with a population of 13 thousand people located 389 km north-east of Chita.

It is a great place where every evening is filled with summer freshness of wildflowers and grass after the rain. Photos by: Anna Anikina.

beautiful landscapes

Tags: landscapes · Zabaikalsky krai