Culture & Customs

"Ancient instincts work – I licked the thing."

–  Hermitage artist-restorer Galina Fedorova discovers a candy stuck to the ball gown of Grand Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, sister of Tsar Nicholas II.

A granddaughter of Father Christmas who is blonde, slim, and very kind? This year’s Snow Maiden doesn’t seem to fit the bill.

Second-class travelers on Russian trains may soon be required to take turns with their neighbors to use their compartment's table.

This is our Video of the Week. Gorgeous drone footage from across Altai.

The world's youngest female pilot to circumnavigate the globe recently stopped in Russia's Far East.

In this week's Odder News, gigolos must be stopped in Russia, Yappy might take over TikTok, and "Timothée Chalamet" promotes Russian pastries.

A deputy from Russia’s Rostov Region, who lives in a home with décor that rivals a tsar’s, is suspected of making some of his money stealing from poor kids. Oh my.

King's Cross station has nothing on the city of St. Petersburg, which is now complete with its own Platform 9 3/4, too. 

St. Petersburg's Zenit soccer team had some adorable company on the field in a recent match.

2021 is drawing to a close, which means that we have fascinating data on popular streaming trends in Russian-language music. 

One brave Russian journalist has done great service for the world’s population of domestic cats by taste-testing their vittles.

In this week's Odder News, Etsy is a threat, a reindeer tries to race a Russian train, and "The Nutcracker" is much harder to see in Russia than in the U.S.