Syrian refugees are also streaming through Russia to Europe, only along a not very hospitable path, and are forced to make the last leg on bicycles.

The news is filled with stories of refugees, migrants and barbed wire, to say nothing of xenophobic laws and sanctions. So when we came across this award-winning comic book tale by a Yekaterinburg-based artist, we had to share it.

The Caucasus is a region rich in tradition and often impenetrable to outside understanding. The modernized ritual of “bride kidnapping” is a case in point; we asked a local journalist to guide us.

This issue's Trends section looks at the impact of inflation and the dustup over Leviathan.

There has been a proliferation of professional holidays in Russia, and those falling in the spring have a peculiar "bent" toward the military and law enforcement bodies...

It seems the more removed in time the USSR becomes, the more nostalgia grows for its symbols and traditions. Increasingly, these elements are worming their way back into Russian life. If they ever left.

Moscow is purging theaters, clubs and a media outlet that was at the forefront of covering protest actions.

Lenin statues have been taking a beating lately, especially in Ukraine.

As summer turned into fall, a series of highly public spats broke out in Russia, with celebrities and cultural figures demonstrating deeply polarized attitudes about the crisis in Ukraine, the Kremlin, and history.

On how the new smoking ban will play out.

What is the deal with Russian men locking lips in greeting? Is it a thing? Or was it just a Brezhnev thing?

A look at the recent prohibitions on smoking and foul language.