Breathtaking views of #Altai! 😲 ⛰️

Video by:
t.me/matrena_struchkova25

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Why did a girl from Afghanistan decide to learn Russian?

Dina lives in Moscow and speaks so fluently, you won't believe she's only been learning Russian for less than a year! Now she is a student at the Pushkin Institute of the #Russian Language.

Video by: @pushkininstitute

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How Stalin once became the chief of the Native #American Indians

It happened in February 1942. The American Indian Confederation (AIC), which unites 27 tribes from the United States, Canada and Central America, declared the Soviet leader its… honorary chief!

There were several candidates, actually. But Stalin ended up being chosen as an “outstanding warrior”, due to the successful completion of the difficult year of 1941 by the Red Army.

At the ceremony, Paul Horn, chief of the Iroquois Mohawk tribe and member of the executive council of the confederation, presented the representatives of the American charitable ‘Russian War Relief’ with a chief’s headdress. Later, it was given to the Soviets.

The honorary gift ended up in the Moscow State Museum of the Revolution (now the Museum of Contemporary History of Russia), where it is kept to this day.

But, whether Stalin himself actually ever tried it on remains unknown.

Credit: Museum of Contemporary History of Russia

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5 facts about Russian Alaska

On March 30, 1867, the Russian Empire sold the peninsula with the nearby islands to the United States. Here are some facts about the Russian period in its history:

1. The Russians were the first Europeans to discover Alaska and the Aleutian Islands in the first half of the 18th century. The region attracted them as a rich source of furs - the "soft gold" of that era. The dense fur of sea otters was especially prized.

2. The first permanent Russian trading settlement appeared on Unalaska Island in 1772. For a long time, Alaska was developed exclusively by private companies that waged endless trade wars among themselves.

3. In 1799, Emperor Paul I established the Russian-American Company. It monopolized the entire hunting and fur trade in northwestern America and became the state's main instrument for developing the region. Despite its name, there were no U.S. citizens there.

4. In the 1820s, Russian America fell into a period of decline. Colonization was slow, the Russian population numbered only a few thousand people scattered over a vast territory. The Americans were constantly pressing from the south, and the British from the northeast.

5. In the end, the leadership of the Russian Empire decided to sell its North American possessions. The reasons were low profitability with high expenses, the impossibility of defending the region in the event of a major war with any great power, the treasury's need for finances, and the failure of the "solid establishment of the Russian element."

Credit: JeanUrsula/Getty Images

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This red brick fortress in the very center of Moscow is a unique architectural ensemble that is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List (in 1990). In addition, the most important relics for the history of Russia, jewelry and art objects from tsarist times are kept there.

But, it is important to remember that the president of Russia often also works in the Kremlin, so this is a high-security facility and it will not be possible to access it as you please.

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😳 Do you get nervous at passport control?

P.S. Catch more of my lessons on YouTube!

#russianclasses

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Juma #Mosque in Makhachkala, Dagestan, was inspired by the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul!

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Meeting dolphins in #Crimea! 🛥️ 🐬 🌞

Video by:
VK/Александр Михайленко

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Did you know that there are only 4 kilometers between Russia and the United States?!

The maritime border between the two countries runs in the center of the Bering Strait between the two Diomede Islands. Big Diomede Island (Ratmanov) belongs to the Russians, and Little Diomede Island (Kruzenshtern) belongs to the Americans.

The islands were discovered by the Russians, and before Alaska was sold to the United States in 1867, both belonged to the Russian Empire. They were named after outstanding Russian navigators Makar Ratmanov and Ivan Kruzenshtern.

No one lives on the Russian island, but there is a border outpost. About 100 Inupiat Eskimos live on the American one.

The distance between the islands is just under 4 km, but the time difference is huge. In the summer - 20 hours, at other times - 21. That is why Kruzenshtern Island is unofficially called Yesterday Island, and Ratmanov Island - Tomorrow.

Credit: Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2018/Gallo Images/Getty Images

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Were all peasants serfs in Tsarist Russia?

No. Until 1861, serfdom existed in the #Russian Empire. Serfs worked on the lands of landowners, manufactories and factories to which they were assigned and which they could not leave.

The masters could punish them, sell them or give them away. A serf had few opportunities to change their situation, except perhaps to enlist as a soldier for many years and gain freedom after service.

That said, serfdom was not widespread in the empire. By the middle of the 19th century, it prevailed mainly in the central provinces, which formed the historical core of the state. But, in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Finland, the Baltic provinces, Siberia and the Far East, it was almost non-existent.

Meanwhile, there were more than 20 million personally dependent peasants in the country. There were also about the same number of free ones – ‘state’ or ‘government’ peasants. They worked on state lands, regularly paid taxes to the treasury and could change their place of residence or move to another class.

The middle position between state and serfs was occupied by appanage peasants, who lived and worked on the lands of the imperial Romanov family. Personally free, they, nevertheless, had limited rights.

Finally, there were the so-called single-farmstead peasants, who owned land on which they themselves could keep serfs.

Credit: Alexander Zhivago/The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts/russiainphoto.ru

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Behind the #beautiful name hid hard and dangerous work, which, however, was well compensated for. But what’s the ‘gold’ they were referring to?

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Fueled by nostalgia, he retreated to his garage. Months of sketching, welding, and reworking old parts — and the animated #car of his dreams came roaring to life.

Video by:
https://www.youtube.com/@Mashinatory

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Sweet break: #bear and caramel rooster on a stick

Video by:
https://www.instagram.com/tom.bear.tom

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It is believed that the word ‘самолет’ (‘samolet’; ‘airplane’) appeared in the #Russian language thanks to poet Igor Severyanin. It, one might say, “flew” into his poems from fairy tales, where his characters flew to distant lands on flying carpets. And Vladimir Mayakovsky, meanwhile, gave us the heady expression “ежу понятно” (“ezhu ponyatno” or “it’s clear to a hedgehog”).

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What does the expression “to get into a trap” mean?

If you unexpectedly find yourself in some awkward or difficult situation, one can only sympathize – you've “попал впросак” (“popal vprosak” or “got into a trap”).

A clarifying question just begs to be asked: Where is this trap located and how did you get into it? In the old days, any peasant would have answered you, because with a high degree of probability, a “prosak” could be found in their own home. This was the name of the special machine on which ropes and cords were spun. The complex device had many hooks to which threads were attached and they were set in motion with the help of a special handle. The threads were then connected and woven into a rope.
Getting entangled in the threads of a ‘prosak’ was not only unpleasant, but also dangerous. If you got your hair or clothes tangled in there, you wouldn't be able to get them out.

Since the 18th century, the word has been used in a figurative sense, implying that “to get into a trap” means, due to one's own absent-mindedness or carelessness, to find oneself in an absurd and difficult situation.
Some #English alternatives would be: “To get into a mess.” or “To get egg on one’s face.”

Credit: Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: freepik.com)

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Russians enjoy summertime as much as other people around the world! But, we do have some unique habits for this season.

❓What do you do in summer? Share yours habits below!

Everste, vubaz, Yingko, saiko3p, gilaxia/Getty Images

#russianclasses

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Novels of a Russian prose writer and poems of a Russian poet written in English, articles, commentaries and translations of Russian classics in French and German – which Russian authors wrote in foreign languages?

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You can almost feel the serene nature! These lucky horses get to graze in the Caucasus Mountains! 🐎🌄

Video by:
t.me/gidpoosetii

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This is the ‘Air Tram’ at Moscow’s VDNKh park. A real cyberpunk journey!

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‘Khinkal’: The main national dish of Dagestan 🥘

Not a single table feast in this Caucasian republic is imaginable without ‘khinkal’, which is made in many varieties. Let's find out what it is!
It’s believed that the word ‘khinkal’ originated from the Avar language (the most widespread language in Dagestan) and means a flour dish of variable shapes without filling.

You may have heard the word ‘khinkali’ (a similar word, but with an ‘i’ at the end). This is the name of a famous Georgian dish, a kind of dumpling in the form of a tied bag, with a meat and broth filling.
But, don't get them confused! The Dagestan ‘khinkal’ is a completely different dish. Although there are similarities, because the basis of ‘khinkal’ is also made up of similar ingredients.
The most important thing in ‘khinkal’ is the boiled meat, most often lamb or beef (these days, you can also find a light version with chicken or turkey in restaurants). When the meat is cooked, pieces of dough are boiled in the broth.

Everything is then served separately on the table: the meat, the pieces of dough and the broth in a separate cup, which is usually accompanied by a homemade sauce (tomato with garlic or sour cream).
Dagestan is home to many ethnic groups and each has its own variety of ‘khinkal’. The main difference is in the shape of the dough pieces. The Avar ‘khinkal’ has large and plump dough pieces. The Lezgian ‘khinkal’ has thin pieces, the Lak ‘khinkal’ has small pieces of dough rolled up in the form of fingers and, the Dargian ‘khinkal’, the dough is rolled into a roll and cut into a snail shape. ‘Khinkal’ dough can also be made from corn flour.

📷 Vladimir Pesnya/Sputnik; Khinkal Brothers/The Federal Agency for Tourism

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How Germans fought FOR the USSR in World War II

More than 33,000 Germans served in the Red Army at the time of the Wehrmacht invasion. They were mostly descendants of colonists who had settled in the Volga River region back in the 18th century.

Soviet propaganda demonstratively emphasized the difference between the Nazis and “our Germans”, publishing articles about their exploits – and there were many of them.

For example, Brest Fortress on the border was heroically defended by Major Alexander Dulkait, the commander of the 125th Rifle Regiment, Erich Kroll, Lieutenant Colonel of the Medical Service and Sergeant Major Vyacheslav Meyer.

Colonel Nikolai Gagen’s 153rd Rifle Division held off the enemy on the approaches to Vitebsk for a week, then found itself surrounded, but managed to break through to reinforcements. It was one of the first to receive the name ‘Guards’ and its commander was awarded the ‘Order of Lenin’.

Anti-aircraft gunner Heinrich Neumann shot down four enemy bombers and was given an honorary mention in the ‘Komsomolskaya Pravda’ newspaper.

However, the Wehrmacht's advance into the USSR also changed the government's attitude toward Soviet Germans – they began to be seen as potential Nazi collaborators.

At the end of August 1941, mass deportations of Volga Germans deep into the USSR began. Servicemen of German nationality were removed from the army and sent to construction work in the rear. However, many protested and sought the right to remain in the troops.

At the same time, dozens of Nazi soldiers defected to the Soviet side and went on to fight in the ranks of partisan detachments. With their knowledge of the language, they were worth their weight in gold and they were often recruited to organize ambushes and sabotages.

The most famous of these defectors was Wehrmacht corporal Fritz Paul Schmenkel, whom the Nazis eventually captured and executed as a traitor in 1944. Twenty years later, he was posthumously awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’.

Credit: Archive photo

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Despite the incredible popularity of dinosaurs among a wide audience, Russian writers treated them with caution and distrust. But, who was not afraid to write about ancient lizards?

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#FactsabouttheRussianlanguage

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Ancient Russian city of Uglich as seen from the Volga River…!

Video by:
@nowandthenrussia

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The trail winds through dense taiga, rocky paths, steep passes, and crystal-clear streams. The landscape shifts from pine forests to open ridges with breathtaking panoramic views.

The Far East - the Land of Adventure! More travel-themed short videos here:
https://t.me/travelerdv

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On August 7, 1714, the Russian regular fleet won its first major victory!

This happened during the Great Northern War of 1700-1721 in the Gulf of Finland. The Russian army had already seized the initiative on land, but the Swedes still dominated the waters.

In July 1714, a Russian rowing fleet with more than 100 galleys and auxiliary vessels with a 15,000-strong landing force concentrated at Cape Gangut (now the Hanko Peninsula). However, a Swedish squadron of 18 battleships and frigates with a small number of galleys and sail-and-row skerries stood in its way.

Tsar Peter I, who was commanding the fleet, carried out a number of maneuvers, forcing the enemy to split their forces. On the afternoon of August 7, he attacked the separated part of the squadron – a detachment of ships commanded by Rear Admiral Nils Ehrenskjold.

The Swedes repelled the first two attacks, but, during the third, the Russians managed to break through to the enemy and board their ships. Peter I personally led the soldiers into battle.

All 10 of Ehrenskjold’s ships were captured. Including the enemy's flagship, the artillery sailing pram ‘Elefant’.

The first major victory of the regular fleet allowed it to feel freer in the Gulf of Finland and more effectively support the ground forces fighting in Finland.

In honor of the significant event, a triumphal arch was erected in St. Petersburg. It depicted an eagle sitting on the back of an elephant and the inscription: “The Russian eagle does not catch flies.”

Credit: Victor Semernev (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Question time!

What is your least understood Russian habit?

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When & where did the Russians fight the Italians?

They met on the battlefield more than once.

In 1812, Napoleon's ‘Grande Armée’ invaded the Russian Empire. It included about 22,000 Italians, mostly from the Kingdom of Italy, which was subordinate to France then.
The Italian contingent showed itself well in battle, but almost completely perished, along with Bonaparte’s entire army. Only a few thousand managed to return home.

In 1853, the Crimean War broke out, in which Russia confronted a coalition of the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The latter sought to become the center of the unification of Italy and wanted to raise its international authority by entering the war.
The Sardinian military contingent in Crimea consisted of about 24,000 men, but practically did not participate in the battles. Combat losses amounted to only a few dozen men, but more than 2,000 died from typhus and cholera.

In 1936, fascist Italy and the USSR also clashed during the Spanish Civil War. Mussolini sent about 50,000 men to help Franco's nationalists.
The Soviet contingent numbered about 2,000. Nevertheless, Soviet tankers successfully destroyed their Italian counterparts near Madrid, while I-16 fighters skillfully shot down numerous Fiat CR.32s. However, this did not help the Spanish Republicans.

During World War II, the 8th Italian Army, numbering 230,000 soldiers, fought on the Eastern Front. With the exception of the elite Alpine riflemen, it showed extremely low efficiency.
At the end of 1942, the Italians fell under the steamroller of the Soviet offensive on the Don and were completely routed. The destruction of the 8th Army was one of the reasons for the subsequent fall of Mussolini's regime.

Credit: Arkady Shaikhet/russiainphoto.ru

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Honoring the legendary Soviet clown Karandash, the streets of Staritsa became alive with giant purple snails, brass bands, and thousands of smiling faces from all over the country.

Video by: @karandashfest

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They didn't even have children, but, in the public consciousness, they were entrenched as "grandfathers". To whom and for what was this "status" assigned in Russia by contemporaries and descendants?

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Ride through pine groves, rocky headlands, misty hills, and clear lakes. The landscape changes every hour, offering a rich mix of terrain and views — making every segment of the route feel like a new adventure.

The Far East - the Land of Adventure! More travel-themed short videos here: https://t.me/travelerdv

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How the USSR reacted to the atomic bombings of Japan

On the morning of August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped a uranium bomb dubbed ‘Little Boy’ on Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion killed 80,000 people instantly, while another 160,000 soon died from the fallout. Three days later, a similar fate befell the city of Nagasaki.

The world had entered the nuclear era, but ordinary Soviet citizens did not realize it yet. The Soviet press reported on the atomic bombings dryly and briefly, without going into any description of the scale of what had just happened.

At the same time, the country's leadership was shocked. Thanks to its sources inside the ‘Manhattan Project’, it had long known that the Americans were developing weapons of destructive power. But, it did not fully understand the scale.

Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva recalled that, during the bombings, she and her father and his closest associates were at their country house: "Everyone was preoccupied with this and my father paid little attention to me."

The Kremlin immediately ordered the acceleration of work on creating its own atomic weapons. And, on August 20, 1945, a special committee was created to manage "all work on the use of intra-atomic energy of uranium" headed by Lavrentiy Beria.

Stalin and Beria demanded that the scientists make the bomb as powerful as the American one. The ‘Fat Man’ that was dropped on Nagasaki had 21 kilotons of TNT.
Then, on August 9, 1949, in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan, the USSR tested its first ‘RDS-1’ bomb with a power of 22 kilotons of TNT.

Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

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Exhilarating twists, sparkling wings and pure adrenaline—“Wings of Parma” made aviation dreams soar over Perm!

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How many Russian dishes starting with 'Х' do you know?

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#FactsabouttheRussianlanguage

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Exactly 110 years ago, on August 6, 1915, Russian soldiers staged the ‘Attack of the Dead’ against the Germans!

This incredible event occurred during the siege of the Russian fortress of Osowiec by German troops. The enemy had used poison gas against the garrison, against which the Russian gas masks were powerless.

When the German infantry approached the forward fortifications, they hoped to see a pile of corpses there. But, instead, real horror awaited the Germans.

Dozens of exhausted Russian soldiers in dirty rags, coughing up blood and wheezing terribly, were moving towards the enemy. It seemed as if they had died and literally risen from the dead to go on their last attack.

In 1915, the ‘Pskovskaya Zhizn’ (‘Pskov Life’) newspaper published the memoirs of one of the participants in the defense of Osowiec:

“I cannot describe the bitterness and fury with which our soldiers went against the German poisoners. Heavy rifle and machine gun fire and densely exploding shrapnel could not stop the onslaught of the enraged soldiers.”

The remnants of the 13th company took part in the ‘Attack of the Dead’ – about 60 men, in total. Under their onslaught, the stunned enemy began to retreat until they fled in panic. The Russian reserves that arrived in time, meanwhile, eliminated the gap in the defensive positions.

During the battle, Lieutenant Vladimir Kotlinsky, who led the attack, as well as a number of officers were killed. The losses among the soldiers remain unknown.

Despite the heroism of the garrison, the fortress soon had to be abandoned. And, on August 25, 1915, the German army successfully occupied Osowiec.

Credit: Vasily Nesterenko

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Marzipan is a cure for all diseases, Tatar ‘chak-chak’ is always served at weddings and Tula gingerbread differs from others by the absence of pepper and ginger in the recipe. Why is this so? These museums will tell you!

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Quiz time again!

❓How many words with the letter ‘У’ do you know?
Tell me in the comments!

#russianclasses

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Diaghilev’s Les Saisons Russes sparked a century-long global fascination with Russian culture. A documentary highlights modern outposts—a Dutch ballet school, a Danish art gallery, and a French winery—preserving this legacy.
Figures like Eifman, Gergiev, Shemyakin, and Spivakov explain why Russian and Soviet artists remain timeless, proving culture transcends borders.

From Russia with Art / 2020
#Russia

➡️ Watch more documentaries like this on our platform en.arteldoc.tv

Dutchman Peter has been living in Sakhalin for 23 years. And his biggest surprise was not meeting whales or bears, but the harsh, snowy winter:
"It didn't snow for a long time that year. But then, suddenly, a snowstorm came and, in an hour and a half, everything was snowed in! All roads were closed for four days. But, I understood everything right away," Peter recalls.

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Short but spectacular — Karelia’s summer is pure adventure! Pristine lakes, thrilling ATV rides, and long, dreamy sunsets are waiting for you.

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