August 17, 2016 Faded Memories of 1991 It's been over two decades since the coup of August 1991, and only half of Russians remember it. But that's not all... History Politics Russia File
July 25, 2016 Vasnetsov, Painter and Planet: An Art Gallery July 25 is the 155th birthday of Apollinary Vasnetsov, who is both a renowned painter of medieval Russia and a fixture in the night sky. Art Culture History Russia File
July 22, 2016 The First Canine Cosmonauts The Soviet Union’s first pair of pups launched into space on July 22, 1951, and their suborbital flight was a big pawprint in the Cold War Space Race. History Int'l Relations Science Russia File
July 10, 2016 Happy Russian Mail Day In honor of the Day of Russian Mail (July 10 this year), we offer a crash course in the history of Russian mail delivery, from the yam stations of the Golden Horde to the Russian Post of modern Russia. History Russia File
July 08, 2016 Fevronia's Day On July 8, Russia celebrates the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, a holiday aimed at promoting traditional family values, more commonly known as Fevronia's Day. What's it all about? Culture History Holidays Religion Russia File
July 01, 2016 Reliving August 1991 Visiting the new Yeltsin Museum in Yekaterinburg on before the 25th anniversary of the 1991 coup. History
July 01, 2016 In My Grandfather's Footsteps Seventy years after his grandfather’s escape from a military labor camp, photographer Michal Iwanowski retraces his steps, discovering both Russia and himself along the way. History
June 22, 2016 World War II in Russian Memory June 22nd, as any student of Soviet history knows, is the day remembered in the official histories as the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Recent TV productions have sought to keep the state sanctioned view of the war alive in popular memory. History Russia File
June 16, 2016 Rudolf Nureyev's Great Leap to Freedom Ballet great Rudolf Nureyev leapt out of Soviet jurisdiction and into the wider world of Western ballet on June 16, 1961. His leap was as much a political move as a dance move. Art Culture History Politics Russia File
June 12, 2016 The Corpse of Lenin and the Rebirth of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg is now 25: citizens voted to rename Leningrad as St. Petersburg on June 12, 1991. Lenin’s legacy was at the center of the change, and remains a hot topic 25 years later. History Politics Russia File
May 12, 2016 Questions of Life and Death On Victory Day, Russian photographers Mikhail Mordasov and Ignat Kozlov captured images of World War II veterans and young Russians who are the same age as the veterans were when they went off to fight in the war. They asked each of their subjects two questions: "What should one live for?" and "What should one be willing to die for?" History Int'l Relations Photography Russia File
May 09, 2016 Not to Be Forgotten For 45 years, the Cold War made it politically incorrect to recognize Soviet sacrifices and victories in defeating Hitler in World War II. This essay from 2010 is still relevant today. History Int'l Relations Russia File