Kul Sharif Mosque is standing on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin. It is the main mosque of the Republic of Tatarstan and Kazan.

Construction of the mosque began in 1996. It was a re-creation of the legendary mosque of the capital of the Kazan Khanate that was destroyed during the storming of Kazan by the troops of Ivan the Terrible in October 1552.

the symbol of Tatarstan

Tags: Kazan city · Tatarstan Republic

Today, Staraya Ladoga (until 1703 – Ladoga) is a small village (population about 2,000) located in the Volkhov municipal district of the Leningrad region of Russia. But prior to 1703, Ladoga had a status of a town.

In 2003, the 1250th anniversary of Staraya Ladoga was celebrated and the village was called “the ancient capital of Northern Russia.”

beautiful historic place

Tags: Leningrad oblast

This morning four tugs have taken the cruiser “Aurora” (a famous museum ship in Saint Petersburg) to Kronstadt for dock repairs.

During the repair, the historical parts of the hull and machinery of the ship will be fully preserved. The cruiser will return to the historic berth in 2016. Photos by Mikhail Roskin published in drugoi

one interesting fact

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Kamchatka is a peninsula located in the north-eastern part of Eurasia in Russia. It stretches from north-east to south-west for 1200 km.

In general, the landscapes and nature of Kamchatka are very similar to the open spaces of southern Siberia, the main difference – volcanoes. And another big difference is climate.

beautiful land

Tags: Kamchatka krai · landscapes

Novorossiysk sea port is the largest in Russia and the fifth port in Europe by cargo turnover. The port handles about 20% of the total volume of goods exported and imported through the sea ports of Russia.

It is located on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea in the ice-free Novorossiysk (Tsemes) Bay. During the year, more than 4500 ships come to Novorossiysk sea port. Photos by Stepanov Slava

the largest Russian port

Tags: Novorossiysk city

Peschanaya (Sandy) Bay is one of the most beautiful and well-known places on Baikal Lake. Unique taiga slopes with picturesque groups of rocks together with a clean sandy beach of semicircular form (length – 750 meters, width – 15-20 meters) are very picturesque.

The only way to reach this place is to go by water from Listvyanka or Irkutsk. In July and August, you can swim in the lake though the water is pretty cool (about plus 13 degrees Celsius). Peschanaya Bay on Google Maps. Photos by borh_84

a lovely place to stay

Tags: Irkutsk oblast · landscapes

Russia is rich in numerous places with incredibly beautiful and still pure nature. Zabaykalye – the natural and geographical region located to the east and south-east of Lake Baikal – is one of such places.

Just look at these ridges, the valley with a swift river, the sky before the storm and freely grazing horses! This place is located somewhere in Buryatia Republic. Photos by Sergey Anashkevitch

beauty of wild nature

Tags: Buryat Republic · landscapes

The cathedral of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God or simply Vladimirskiy Cathedral is an Orthodox church standing on Vladimir Square in St. Petersburg.

It is dedicated to one of the most revered icons in Russia. This five-domed church is a monument of architecture of the transitional style from baroque to classicism. Photo by Ilya Melikhov

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Sunflower is a major oilseed crop in Russia. In 2013, the gross yield of sunflower seeds amounted to about 10.2 million. tons – 3 times more than in 1990 during the Soviet period, and by 27.7% more than in 2012.

Russia occupies a leading position in the world in this area, together with Ukraine (10.0 million tons of oilseeds in 2013). Blooming sunflower fields look very picturesque. The following wonderful pictures were taken in Lipetsk region by Petr Ushanov

beautiful field of sunflowers

Tags: landscapes · Lipetsk oblast

On the vast expanses of Russia you can find a lot of abandoned facilities. Most of them were built in remote and sometimes very picturesque areas for military purposes during the Soviet period and after the collapse of the USSR were abandoned.

For example, look at this abandoned storage of nuclear warheads built in the 1960s in the depths of the granite mountain and located somewhere in the northern part of Russia. Photos by Lana Sator

explore the base

Tags: Abandoned