There are about 800 bridges in St. Petersburg! But, did you know that the founder of the city, Peter the Great, forbade building them, at first?

Most Western movies about the participation of the USSR in the war against Nazi Germany contain many cliches and distortions of history. But, ...

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

Russian literary classics are not only dramatic plots with tragic endings, but also funny, ironic stories. We’ve picked out ...

Before 1918, distances in Russia were measured not in kilometers, but in versts. Incidentally, they differ slightly from each ...

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 ...

A person who pretends to be unhappy in order to make others pity them is called a “сирота Казанская” (“sirota Kazanskaya”) or ...

Founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Knights, Königsberg became part of the USSR after World War II. In 1946, it changed its name ...

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 ...

This turbojet made its first flight in 1963 and served as “air force one” for Soviet leaders for 30 years. Today, it is still used for cargo transportation in Belarus and for passenger ...