On the bank of the Volga River near the town of Tutaev (Yaroslavl oblast) you can see the remains of a very beautiful building, known as Sorokin’s dacha.

It is believed that the house in the Moorish style was bought by Yaroslavl merchant Sergei Nikolayevich Sorokin at the fair in Nizhny Novgorod. The house was built in 1868. Also there was a park with a pond, fountains and pavilions around the dacha. Photos by vj_jjic

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Tags: Abandoned · Yaroslavl oblast

This mosque was officially opened in Saint Petersburg on February 22, 1913, on the second day of celebrations to mark the 300th anniversary of the reign of the Romanovs. The building of the mosque was constructed in 1909-1920.

The design of the mosque was based on Gur-Emir Mausoleum located in Samarkand. From 1927 to 1930 and from 1940 to 1956, the mosque was closed. In 1956 the mosque was returned to the Muslims. Photos by Yura Osinin.

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Tags: Saint Petersburg city

The next stage of combat training of units of the Marine Corps of Russian Pacific Fleet began in the new academic year. After winter combat training large-scale tactical exercises with firing began at the landing firing ground “Klerk” located near Vladivostok, the capital city of Primorye krai.

The exercises involved 122-mm self-propelled artillery “Gvozdika”, 82-mm battalion mortars, antitank guided missile systems “Fagot” and infantry flame throwers “Shmel”.

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Tags: Primorye krai · Vladivostok city

Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is the largest theater of Novosibirsk and Siberia. The theater building, located on the main square of Novosibirsk is Russia’s largest theater building.

Because of its large size the theater is called “Siberian Coliseum”. The theater building is the pride and symbol of Novosibirsk. Today about 900 people are working there. Photos by Stepanov Slava.

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Tags: Novosibirsk city · Siberia

Russia is rich in deposits of various natural resources, but for the most part, they are located in wild and undeveloped areas of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East.

Driving a car or even a truck in these areas is very dangerous because of the lack of normal roads; drivers have to cross numerous rivers, etc. A lot of people died on these roads, the number of lost vehicles can’t be counted.

Tags: Siberia

Picturesque view of Saint Petersburg is determined by architecture: straight streets, large squares, gardens and parks, rivers and numerous canals, embankments, bridges, monuments and decorative statues.

Among the other interesting places of Saint Petersburg are the fountains. Saint Petersburg is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Gulf Stream causes humid sea climate in Saint-Petersburg. Most days in the year are cloudy and gloomy. Photos by Sergei Nagorny.

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Tags: Saint Petersburg city

“Under Yesteryear’s Snowfall” is an animated film made in 1983 by the Soviet filmmaker Alexander Tatarsky based on a script of Sergey Ivanov. The cartoon is performed in the technique of plasticine animation.

It is a funny psychedelic Christmas story about a peasant going to forest in search of a Christmas tree.

The cartoon is distinguished by the fact that the aphoristic remarks of the characters, full of absurdist humor, turned to folk sayings.

Tags: cartoon · Soviet past

Novosibirsk is the third city of Russia by population after Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city is business, cultural, industrial, scientific, trade and transport center of Siberia.

Novosibirsk was founded in 1893. The population of the city reached one million in 1962 making it the world youngest city with such a large population.

Tags: Novosibirsk city · time-lapse

Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan with the population of 1.1 million people. In 2005 the millennium of Kazan was celebrated. In 2013 the city will host the 27th World Summer Universiade, and in 2015 – World Championship of Water Sports.

Today Kazan is the center of Tatar people culture. Kazan Kremlin is among UNESCO world heritage and a 1000 year history of Kazan makes it one of Russian cities most often visited by tourists. Photos by Stepanov Slava.

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Tags: bird's eye views · Kazan city · Tatarstan Republic

Saint Petersburg is located in northern Europe, in the north-west of Russian Federation, on the shore of Finnish Gulf and on Neva River. It is the only city in the world with the population over 1,000,000 located so far in the north.

Saint-Petersburg is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, being an important center of tourism in Russia. In 18th-20th centuries the city was the capital of Russian Empire.

Tags: Saint Petersburg city · time-lapse