Culture & Customs

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

What does the rating of RuNet’s most popular blogs have to do with history textbooks? Join us on an excursion into conspiracy theories, falsified history, and government ideology – RuNet’s standard fare!

It's that time of year again: dancing toys, mice, and candy, waltzing flowers, presents coming to life... But was this time of year always so closely tied to the Nutcracker?

Explore a rich dessert named after the gourmand and minister of finance under Tsar Alexander I: Guriev Kasha.

Just beyond Krasnoyarsk is a national park catering to adventurous travelers. Recent upgrades show what Russia’s national park system could become.

In our Trends section, editor Maria Antonova looks at Twitter accounts by dead writers, sex ed through literature, and poll results at psychiatric facilities in Moscow...

We're all about public service. We just want to help you get through Halloween... You decide if the mask is scary or distinguished, awful or awesome.

Scenery, stereotypes, satire, and politics – all in a day's work for RuNet! Join us to learn about Russians arrested for riding bears, all manner of vodka infractions, and a tiny bit of election talk.

In honor of International Translation Day (September 30), we demonstrate rather graphically the value of having a good, human translator.

What has the Russian side of the internet been up to lately? Enjoying nature, getting a new angle on familiar things, and going at everything with a healthy sense of humor.

Being patriotic in the Soviet Union was a duty, a challenge, and a potential pitfall, all rolled into one. The story of one Soviet singer, Joseph Kobzon, shows how one cultural idol walked that dangerous line.