U.S. awards were awarded to not only major Soviet military leaders and famous ace pilots, but also to ordinary privates, ...

We’re excited to announce the relaunch of Russia Beyond under the new brand ‘Gateway to Russia’! We are no longer just a media platform about Russian culture and history. Now, we are a ...

Did you know that, at the beginning of the 20th century, foreigners filmed alternative movie endings for Russian audiences? It's true: movie fans in the Russian Empire appreciated dramatic ...

Founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Knights, Königsberg became part of the USSR after World War II. In 1946, it changed its name to Kaliningrad. Here are three of its main symbols. The famous German ...

Before 1918, distances in Russia were measured not in kilometers, but in versts. Incidentally, they differ slightly from each other: one verst is 500 sazhens or 1066.8 meters. Verst posts were ...

Founded in the 12th century, Veliky Ustyug is the same age as Moscow. Today, it is home to 28,000 people and even a real Father Frost. Here are three of its main symbols. Veliky Ustyug is the ...

In the space of just nine months in 1917 Russia underwent two revolutions, changing the country's destiny forever. In February the Russian monarchy collapsed. In October, squeezing out the ...

A group of kids approach as we arrive on the main square of the legendary Soviet summer camp, Artek. Dressed in the same colorful uniform, they greet us with a chant, "Artekovtsi! Our beloved Artek!

Peter the Great brought the European tradition of formal dances to Russia. These balls left their mark not only on history, but on Russian literature, too. The glitter of jewels and the shining ...

Russian scientists have contained an outbreak of the Siberian plague, a bacterial infection known in the West as anthrax, but they believe global warming will bring back even more pathogens, such ...

True to the 'X factor' of Afghanistan's nebulous, twisting history, it took a relic of the Soviet fishing industry to bring the Western war machine to a standstill. As international forces arrived ...