This week, Lukashenko turns action hero; chocolate is serious business; and a classic Russian author is proven to be right all along.

What unites Khabarovsk and Minsk?

The Mari People * Life in Isolation * Russia's Discovery of Antarctica * Raspberry Picking * Semyonovsky Revolt * Battle on the Ugra * Sergei Bondarchuk * Table Russian * Bird Language * Apple Fritters * Chicks the TV Series * Kamchatka and Belarus

Some statistics to illustrate recent trends in Russian society.

A hospital in Kursk is under investigation after a woman awoke post-surgery in the morgue.

The smallest ethnos in the Russian Federation is an Avar sub-culture in the Caucasus.

This week: cereal jingles go viral, animal crossings save critters, and paratroopers take a swim in a fountain in celebration. Sounds pretty run-of-the-mill.

This week, mammoths are ripe for the picking; fishy business practices turn violent; and a TV show is labelled a bad influence on Russian families.

This week, we're warned once again to be careful on the internet; priests use their powers for good; and criminals have never been so dang cute.

Russian lawmakers seek to boost the economy – and citizens' heart rates – by providing vouchers for workout classes.

This week, Spotify comes to Russia, Crimea is a hot tourist destination (like always), and three cases of corruption: one big, one small, and one straight out of a spy movie.

This week, Russia's government grapples with the ins-and-outs of distance learning, the Ministry of Economic Development is nonplussed by the effects of coronavirus, and we know what side of the bread a shipbuilder's head's butter is on.