Kristina Brazhnikova acquaints us with the southern city of Voronezh, which straddles its reservoir (once a river).

Dmitry Shostakovich created classical music that spoke to modern times. Read up on his life story and listen along to some of finest works along the way. 

Election aftermath, polar bear attacks, why drivers are against Russia's version of Uber, and maybe even a state secret or two. 

Anton Unitsyn takes us to Solvychegodsk, where the Stroganovs got their start (thanks to salt) and where today sulfurous mud reigns supreme.

This week brings you not just news, but also striking images of the latest discoveries in natural rock formations and mammoth hunting in Siberia. Also, election season. 

Alexander Gaivoron and his wife Anastasia took their pre-wedding honeymoon on Kamchatka, land of bears and volcanoes. And they invite us along!

Olympics featuring dead goats, world records with feta cheese, blood-red rivers, and how to set up your business in a pit of slime. 

Why are calendars so great? Give me a few minutes, and I will blow your mind.

Olya Virich takes us to the Kuban, more specifically Krasnodar, the capital of Russia's breadbasket.

Performance art turned into meaty meals and politicians turned criminals or corpses. Oh, and Vladimir Putin gets arrested. 

Sixty years ago, bureaucrats and journalists on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain came to a remarkable agreement that led to the founding of Russian Life...

It's a tough week for transport in Russia, with a tractor parade, a smugglers' road, a bear on the loose, and an unwieldy matryoshka to top it all off.