In October 1604, an army under the command of a man claiming to be Dmitry, son of Ivan IV (the Terrible), crossed the Russian border from Poland. Dmitry – now generally believed to be the impostor Grigory Otrepyev actually succeeded. For a time.

A look back at the oft maligned Nikita Khrushchev, on the 50th anniversary of his ouster.

Late July and early August were busy times in 1914: not only was Russia's own heir apparent celebrating his 10th birthday, the world was devolving into the military chaos of World War I.
 

A second sample from Alexei Bayer's mystery novel Murder at the Dacha. Here, inspector Pavel Matushkin redeems a favor to get some information from a gangster.

July 14, 1896, is celebrated as the birthday of the Russian automobile – on this day, the first Russian-built motorcar with an internal combustion engine was introduced to the public at the Arts Exhibition in Nizhni Novgorod. 
 

Ever wonder why so many Russian Jews ended up in the US? Perhaps it was the educational quotas, or the restrictions on travel and residence, or maybe the rampant anti-Semitism and violence – and all the other miseries chronicled by Jewish writer Isaac Babel.

A century ago this summer, the War to End All Wars began. What were Russians concerned about in 1914? Not war.

There was a time when Smolensk, now so close to Moscow, was a world unto itself.

June 21, 1547 is remembered as the day of the Great Moscow Fire. The wooden city was devastated, and the destruction was later taken as an omen portending the horrors of Ivan IV's reign. 

Russia is not known as a soccer powerhouse. But it does have a devoted fan base and will host the 2018 World Cup. We look back at 1994, the first time Russia qualified for the World Cup and a Russian player made history.

Ever wonder how many arshins tall you are? Or how many verst to the nearest grocery store? Get a sense from this list of old Slavic measurements.
 

On the roller coaster biography of one of Russia's most famous composers.