Andrei Platonov was born to be a Bolshevik. And also one of the 20th century's greatest writers. He soon broke with the Party and had a tortured relationship with his art. He died in poverty.

The god-like ballet dancer Alexander Godunov defected on August 23, 1979. It was a dramatic event, riveting the world for 3 days. And Godunov did not fare so well in the US after his defection.

In the spring of 1939, world war appeared inevitable. Hitler was on the march in Europe and the Soviet Union was looking to avoid war for as long as possible. By August, Stalin had decide to cast his lot with Hitler...

Socialist Realism, a new art form devised by Stalin and Maxim Gorky, was pronounced to the world as the henceforth official path of Soviet art in August 1934. We look back...

This is the 55th anniversary of the peak period of Soviet deportation of national groups.

Russia's victory over Sweden at the Battle of Poltava was geopolitically very significant, while the feast that took place amid the carnage was obscene...

What do we really know about Sergius of Radonezh, Russia's patron saint? What is he venerated for, and why?

If we look closely at Dashkova, one of the most famous women in Russian history, we find that things are not as clear as we imagined. In fact, we get the impression that much of Dashkova's life was filled with heartbreak and sorrow.

In the spring of 1989, election fever swept through Russia - a country well experienced in elections, just not free and open ones...

It was the fate of Grand Prince Vasily III to be squeezed into history between two more famous men - one great, one terrible, and both named Ivan.

Calendar Briefs

101 years ago in January, Nobel Prize winning physicist Lev Landau was born. His life was one of great achievement and controversy.