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So you, dear readers, think that the Olympics is all about sports? Nay! It is of course all about the souvenirs! And about how a miserly correspondent is supposed to buy them in sufficient quantity for the many friends and family left behind on the "mainland" while he is "roughing it" in Sochi...

Why is it that the Twitter hashtag #sochiproblems has more followers than the Twitter feed for the games? How is it that all we hear from the Western press is negativism, while from the athletes and local observers there are only raves for the fantastic facilities? Why do pictures of double toilets and unfinished hotels continue to flood the inter-tubes? And what idiot gave the order to kill puppies in Sochi?

With the Winter Olympics set to kick off in Sochi tomorrow, we take a look back at the rich cultural legacy of the last Games Russia hosted.

Whether you are a budding translator of Russian-English texts, are reading Russian literature in the original, or just want to improve your Russian, there are countless resources waiting for you on the internet. Here's our list of the best...

Sometimes the life of a sports editor is trying: back of the bus treatment, spotty food, rough accommodations. But Sochi, as Russian Life sports editor Mikhail Ivanov reports, is a breath of fresh air for this seasoned sports reporter.

OK, so you are recovering from the Super Bowl and starting to look ahead to next weekend’s opening of the Sochi games. Which of course means a viewing party, which means food, which means Russian food!

It’s now just 7 days until the start of the Sochi Olympics and here at Russian Life we are getting pretty excited. Sure, it’s our thing to get excited about all things Russian. But it’s more than that. Here are 7 reasons we’re particularly amped.

There are many myths surrounding Russian food. Darra Goldstein, author of the cookbook, A Taste of Russia, addresses seven common ones.

Is Russia a dangerous, expensive, complicated place to travel to? Is it full of mafia, alcoholics, communists and poverty? Sounds like it's time to debunk some myths about travel to modern Russia.

When battling the White Army in 1919, Vasily Ivanovich Chapayev had no idea he would one day become the hero of one of Soviet film's greatest works.

It is a common trope that Russians never smile. Which of course is interpreted to mean they are unfriendly, gloomy, sullen – positively Dostoyevskian. This, of course, is a complete misreading of body language and cultural norms.

Start with an Armenian base, drop in some Tbilisi, some Moscow, some Kiev, stir in amazing cinematography and strong political convictions, season with a Siberian labor camp – and voila! You're getting close to the legendary filmmaker Sergei Parajanov.