The new Luzhniki, the stadium in Moscow where the opening and final matches of this summer’s World Cup football (soccer) championships will be held, hosted its first match: a friendly game between Russia and Argentina.

Select images from the Children of 1917 book and film project.

On making babushkas laugh.

On Andrei Zvyagintsev's new film, Loveless, that is sure to be seen as a sign of the times and a touchstone for current interpretations of Russia.

Russia's annual spring draft began April 1. This dinosaur gets harder to kill with each passing year.

The Zhdun meme took Russia by storm this winter. We investigate.

A football (soccer) tourney was held in Abkhazia among unrecognized and semi-autonomous states. Russian Life was there.

Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, staged a poetry slam of sorts with writer Dmitry Bykov after he published a lyrical comment about the initiative announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu: to launch a national soccer league. This poetic exchange, however, is more about Zakharova’s verbal style than the substance of the matter.

You really have to be careful who you pose for a selfie with. Unless, of course that's what you meant to do.

In response to Western sanctions, Russian counter-sanctions, and Russians' love of cheese, a northern monastery is using experience and equipment from Italy to make fine soft cheeses.

Author and journalist Alexei Bayer ruminates on chess champion and political activist Garry Kasparov, who appeared recently in New York.