The Valley of Geysers is one of the largest geyser field in the world and the only in Eurasia. The valley is located in Kronotsky State Biosphere Reserve in Kamchatka.

The territory of the geyser field is about 2 square km. There are around 20 large geysers and a lot of small ones that periodically emit fountains of almost boiling water (95° C) or hot steam.

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Tags: Kamchatka krai

Nizhny Tagil is a very tough city. On the roads along with the usual transport you can find battle tanks. And here are several examples.

Last weekend one driver was nearly run over by the tank that was rushing at high speed across the highway.

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Tags: Nizhny Tagil city · tanks

The pioneer camps in the USSR were educational and health institutions for pioneers of the Soviet Union Pioneer Organization named after Lenin and schoolchildren (7 to 15 years) organized usually during the school holidays by trade unions, the Communist Youth League, economic organizations, collective farms, and so on.

About 40,000 suburban pioneer camps for 10 million children were open in the USSR. The following unique photos were collected in pioneer camps that had been abandoned after the collapse of the USSR by Denis Spirin

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Tags: Soviet past

This winter in Russia is cold. Temperature fell below minus 20 degrees Celsius in many regions of the country, including the capital city. Let’s take a look at Moscow in these cold days. Photos by zubr14

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Tags: Moscow city

There is a widespread belief that Stalin’s Soviet Union was a country almost completely closed to foreigners. However, advertising of “Intourist” (organization responsible for foreign tourism in the USSR) created in 1930ies, gives somewhat different look at the issue.

The country was in desperate need of foreign currency for industrialization, so all the ways to lure wealthy foreign tourists to the USSR were used. And it was not just about the major cities – Moscow and Leningrad.

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Tags: posters · propaganda · Soviet past

Even sleeping areas of St. Petersburg may surprise you. Among the usual residential buildings of Moscow district there is a unique museum project – the largest miniature of Russia (total area is about 800 square meters).

Miniature is a collective image of Russia, which has absorbed all of its most characteristic features, and objects. You will be able to find the Moscow Kremlin, Karelian Kizhi, Peter and Paul Fortress, and other sights of Russia here.

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Tags: Saint Petersburg city

In the archives of Russia there are a lot of unique photographs. There are high-quality color photographs of the USSR before and during the Second World War.

For example, here are the photos of athletic parade in Stalingrad in May 1945 (author – Mark Redkin). The Battle of Stalingrad is considered the largest land battle of the Second World War and the key battle on the Eastern Front.

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Tags: Volgograd city

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you.
Three, four, better lock your door.
Five, six, grab your crucifix.
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late.
Nine, ten, never sleep again.

Freddy Krueger would definitely love this place! Photos by Lana Sator

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Tags: Abandoned

Dear visitors of our blog about Russia! We wish you Happy New Year and good luck in all your endeavors in 2013!

Tags: New Year

The new year is getting closer and summing up this year, I would like to share with you the following list of Top 7 posts published in our blog in 2012. They can’t compete with a number of our top posts about Soviet propaganda published earlier but are still worth seeing.

#1. In 2003, the United Nations called Grozny city the most destroyed city on the planet. It was the result of two Chechen wars. And here is Grozny city now.

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Tags: New Year