Something you probably did not know about the last Romanov: before he ascended the throne, he got a huge dragon tattoo in Japan.

In this week's Odder News, a military band delights a kindergarten class with songs from cartoons, Russian food might be able to make it in New York, and a Moscow nurse has had enough of this pandemic.

On the life and mysteries of one of history's most famous sleeper spies, Konon Molody.

Polina Chesnakova's family moved from Russia to Georgia, then from Georgia to Ukraine, and to the US. A cookbook author and cooking instructor, Chesnakova keeps her family traditions alive through cooking and baking, and inspiring others.

A Russian moves his family to America to avoid racism. Their experience is telling.

A death in the family not only proves the maxim that you can’t go home again, but also that home is probably not what you remember it to be.

A group of friends from Russia and the former CIS states banded together to ensure a Russian restaurant stayed safe during US protests.

The life of Rasputin's daughter, Maria, was full of twists and turns almost as dramatic as her father's, and took her deep into the American heartland.

A lovely short film on Brighton Beach's Your Highness Babushka Beauty Contest.

On Vladimir Nabokov’s little known hiatus as a farm hand.

A pair of Russian tourists were found holed up in a cave in Thailand.

The wealthiest woman on the African continent is, apparently, a Russian citizen.