Ask many overseas visitors to Russia to list the country’s great cities and you’ll be hard pushed to find Kazan on a list. That’s not because Kazan isn’t great. It’s because, despite receiving 2.1 million tourists last year, Kazan is…
Will you be wearing stripes this Navy Day?
It’s Navy Day in Russia on the last Sunday in July and if there’s one thing that springs to mind when you think about Russian sailors, it’s the distinctive striped vest that’s part of their uniform. Interestingly, the origins of…
Commemorating the 98th anniversary of the death of Tsar Nicholas II
17 July marks the day almost a century ago when the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks in the city of Yekaterinburg. That day in 1918 was to change the course of Russian history…
Time for a summer picnic – it’s summer in Russia
In the UK, we may associate Russia with cold, snowy weather, but the summers are hot and sunny – and that means there’s nothing better than a picnic or an al fresco lunch in one of the many pavement cafes. …
A quick guide to Peter the Great
Happy birthday Peter the Great! Peter 1, Tsar of Russia from 1682 to 1725, was born 344 years ago on 9 June 1672. He’s considered one of the country’s great reformers, dragging Russia out of mediaeval oblivion and transforming it…