We have made a special page devoted to the upcoming 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi to gather all the interesting facts about this Olympics.

Tags: Sochi city

Chirkeisk Hydro Power Plant (HPP) is standing on the Sulak River near the village Dubki, in the Buinaksk district of Dagestan Republic. It is the largest HPP in the North Caucasus.

This power station has the second highest dam in Russia (232.5 meters). Also, it is the highest arch dam in Russia. Chirkeisk HPP is located in the narrow gorge bearing the same name.

magnificent views

Tags: Dagestan Republic

Why Russians rarely smile? This is one of the questions foreigners often ask about people living in Russia.

The following article about Russian smile and its features reveals this mystery.

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What is most unusual in Siberia and in Yakutia Republic in particular? Maybe it is the frost below minus 50 degrees Celsius, permafrost, diamonds, or cruel northern mosquitoes the size of a fist?

You will be surprised, but there is something even more unusual – the desert! Yes, the real desert in the taiga.

very unusual landscapes

Tags: landscapes · Sakha Republic · Siberia

In Russia, there is a phrase “Potemkin villages” which means fake things made to impress. It originates from a historical myth of fake villages built on the orders of Prince Potemkin along the route of the Russian Empress Catherine II during her visit in the northern Black Sea region in 1787.

In a remote region recently captured during the war with the Ottoman Empire, she saw numerous buildings, troops, prosperous population. These achievements surprised not only the Empress, but also foreigners, who were traveling with her.

centuries later…

Tags: Suzdal city

Art painting is the art of decorating any surface by paints and brush. It is considered one of the most popular types of arts and crafts.

In Russian folk art, there are many styles of art painting. You can see the most popular styles (Khokhloma, Gzhel, North-Dvina, Zhostovo, Mezen, Gorodets) with the help of these unusual pictures made by Sasha Vinogradova

really unusual but cool pictures

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The South Kamchatka Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the south of Kamchatka. These lands in the far south of the peninsula are the pristine piece of nature without the presence of human beings.

Kuril Lake is located on this territory. It is the largest breeding ground of sockeye in Eurasia. The abundance of fish attracts hundreds of bears. Kuril Lake location on Google Maps. Photos by Igor Shpilenok

bears, bears everywhere!

Tags: Kamchatka krai

Interesting set of photos of Yuri Gagarin – the first man in space. During his life and after death, Yuri Gagarin was shown as the ideal man, the symbol of communism.

But who was he in real life? These rare photos are from the life of the man by the name of Yuri Gagarin.

Physical exercise. Summer 1963.

more unique photos

Tags: Soviet past

Unique footage – the moment the Greenpeace ship “Arctic Sunrise” was boarded by Russian border guards on September 19, 2013.

Tags: Murmansk city

November 6, manned spacecraft “Soyuz TMA-11M” will be launched to the International Space Station. Liftoff will be broadcast live on screens at the famous Times Square in New York, the US.

The spacecraft will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Olympic torch in open space

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