December 30, 2024 • 6005 words

Russian Culture and Media

Facts about Russia

Major Tech Companies

  • Yandex - The main technology company, Yandex Search, Yandex Browser, Yandex Disk, Yandex Maps, Yandex Go, Yandex Mail, Yandex Dzen (sold to Mail.ru), Yandex Market, Yandex Алиса (language model). (Arkady Volozh until 2022)
  • Vkontakte — The largest Russian social network. Vkontakte was acquired by "Mail.ru", and "Mail.ru" was renamed to "Vk". Vk also owns Ok. Services include Vk Music, Vk Messenger, Max Messenger, Vk Video. (Pavel Durov until 2014, Alisher Usmanov)
  • Telegram: The primary messenger, used by most companies and celebrities. (Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov)

Platforms

Blogging Platforms

Literature Platforms

Forums and Q&A

Other platforms

Largest Companies in Russia

The largest Russian companies are mainly in natural resources.

Other financial specialists

Everyday Platforms

Facts

  • The Great Patriotic War (ВОВ, Великая Отечественная война) is the most important part of history in Russia, lasting from 1941 to 1945. May 9th is Victory Day, one of the most significant holidays in Russia. On this day, parades are held throughout the country.
  • Дед Мороз is like "Santa Claus". On New Year's Eve, he personally delivers gifts to children across the country.
  • The ЕГЭ (Unified State Exam) is the system for university admissions in Russia.
  • Name of places usually go after the place type: Улица Ленина, Парк Горького, Театр имени Станиславского и Немировича-Данченко, while if it is an adjective, it goes before: Красная площадь, Большой театр.
  • Цу е фа — The traditional children's game "Rock, paper, scissors".

Names

  • Male names: Ivan (Vanya), Artyom (Tyoma), Anton (Tosha), Alexey (Lyosha), Andrey (Andryusha), Alexander (Shura), Mikhail (Misha), Sergey (Seryozha), Ilya (Ilyusha), Dmitry (Dima), Vladimir (Vova), Yury (Yura), Pyotr (Petya), Evgeny (Zhenya), Daniil (Danya), Nikita (Nikitka), Igor (Igorek), Lev (Lyova), Maxim (Max), Nikolay (Kolya), Pavel (Pasha), Roman (Roma), Viktor (Vitya), Konstantin (Kostya), etc
  • Female names: Alina (Alinka), Arina (Arishka), Irina (Ira), Anastasia (Nastya), Tatyana (Tanya), Svetlana (Sveta), Yulia (Yulya), Elena (Lena), Maria (Masha), Maya (Mayechka), Darya (Dasha), Sofya (Sonya), Evgenia (Zhenya), Valeria, Kamila, Margarita (Rita), Olga (Olya), Ekaterina (Katya), Alla (Allochka), Nadezhda (Nadya), Alexandra (Sasha), Polina (Polya), Ksenia (Ksyusha), Lyudmila (Lyuda), Alyona (Alyonka), Alisa (Aliska), Miroslava (Mira), Stanislava (Stasya), etc
  • Patronymic (отчество): Usually formed from the father's name with "vich/vna" (e.g., Sergeyevich/Sergeyevna, Vladimirovich/Vladimirovna, Mikhailovich/Mikhailovna).
  • Surname (Фамилия): Many Russian surnames end in -ev(a), -ov(a), -sky(skaya).
    • Popular surnames include: Ivanov/Ivanova, Kuznetsov/Kuznetsova (blacksmith), Smirnov/Smirnova (quiet), Petrov/Petrova, Popov/Popova, Andreev/Andreeva, Morozov/Morozova (frost), Vasiliev/Vasilieva, Mikhailov/Mikhailova, etc.
    • Some surnames originate from animal names, for example, Volkov/Volkova (wolf), Medvedev/Medvedeva (bear). Some from tree names: Dubov/Dubova (oak), Lipov/Lipova (linden), Beryozov/Beryozova (birch).
    • Some from bird names: Sokolov/Sokolova (falcon), Vorobyov/Vorobyova (sparrow), Sinitsyn/Sinitsyna (titmouse), Lebedev/Lebedeva (swan).
    • Some from place names: Moskvin/Moskvina, Novgorodov/Novgorodova, Rostovtsev/Rostovtseva.
    • Interestingly, a full name can be tautological, for example, "Vladimir Vladimirovich Vladimirov" or "Andrey Andreyevich Andreev".
  • Origin: Russian surnames often have Slavic, Greek, and Jewish roots. There are other examples: Romanov/Romanova - from Latin, Akhmetov/Akhmetova - from Turkic. Some Ukrainian and Belarusian surnames include the suffixes "-enko", "-yuk" and do not change by gender. "-ian" is usually Armenian. Russia is a multinational country, so it is difficult to generalize. For example, Yakuts adopt Slavic surnames, while Koryo-saram retain their own surnames and names.
  • Names from Russia's Republics: Here are a few examples:
    • Alsu, Amina, Ruslan (Tatar/Bashkir)
    • Ramzan, Akhmat, Khabib (Chechen/Dagestani)
    • Ayyna, Sardana (Yakut)
    • Aram, Armen (Armenian)
    • Aziza, Gulnara (Central Asian)
    • Bogdan, Oksana (Ukrainian/Belarusian)

How to Address People

  • Formal (colleagues, boss, respected person): First name and patronymic, for example (Уважаемый/уважаемая - Respected) Владимир Михайлович, Татьяна Сергеевна.
  • Friendly/Informal Address (friends, classmates, peers): Full name or short form: for example, Михаил, Александр, Дарья, Миша, Саша, Даша.
  • Affectionate/Tender Address (son, daughter, grandchild, close people, romantic relationships, fans to an idol): For example, (любимый/любимая, Солнышко - my love, Sunshine) Сонечка, Настенька, Танечка, Мишенька, Сашенька, Игорёк. Foreign names usually do not have diminutive/affectionate forms.
  • Other: Addressing an audience (Дорогие коллеги и зрители, уважаемые друзья - Dear colleagues and viewers, esteemed friends), YouTube (Привет ребята - Hey guys), Addressing strangers ("молодой человек" - young man, "девушка" - young woman/girl, "мужчина" - man).

About the Language

About the Cyrillic Alphabet

  • The Cyrillic alphabet originated in Bulgaria.
  • Command line: The command clear with a Cyrillic "с" (сlear) will return an error.
  • URL: The address аpple.com with a Cyrillic "а" turns into http://xn--pple-43d.com/.
  • Cyrillic URLs: There are sites with Cyrillic domains, for example, Клуб "Лига художественной гимнастики" (Rhythmic Gymnastics Club) or Экскурсии по Москве (Moscow tours).
  • Search: Cyrillic and Latin letters produce completely different results, for example, Cyrillic "СТС"(STS, a TV program) and "CTC".

Russian Accent in English

  • They have strange "i" and "ee" sounds. Russian does not have a short "i" sound (as in the word sit), it is replaced with a long "i" (as in the word "see"): "Tiktok" becomes "Teektok", "Instagram" becomes "EEnstagram", "Did" becomes "Deed" with stress on the "ee".
  • "r" is sometimes rolled.
  • There are many different stress patterns.
  • Simply put, try writing an English word in Cyrillic and pronouncing it.

Other facts

  • Vowel alternation: спросить → спрашивать, заработать → зарабатывать, опоздать → опаздывать
  • Prefixes: в, вы, до, при, у, пере, под, от, за, про, на, раз, со
  • English words: "маркет", "интернет", "бренд", "шопинг", "лайк", "пост", "блогер", "файл". However, case endings are added to these words (интернета, интернетом, интернете).

Western Validation

There is a historical pattern of Russian westernizing themselves from Peter to Catherine, Pushkin to Tolstoy, from the VOV's unique importance of defeating Germany at a massive cost, to the chaotic 90s. It happens cross-Slavic and cross-party, in Russia (pro-democracy Liberals and the oligarchies' assets and kids), in Ukraine (Maidan), Poland (the EU flags and rejection of "Eastern Europe"). On the other hand, there is also the colonization of Caucasus, Buryatia, Yakutia, the perception of Central Asians. One exception is the well integrated Korean-sarams. Russians are statistically generally clean, well behaved in public, and mannered, with a high HDI and education, but it doesn't mean there isn't any underlying mechanism, especially above the working class.

Education

Channels by Professors/Lecturers

Development/Cloud Technologies

  • Yandex for ML: A channel about machine learning at Yandex, including Yandex Alisa.
  • Yandex for Frontend: A channel about frontend development, including Gravity UI (a frontend framework developed by Yandex).
  • DDoS-GUARD: DDoS protection, similar to Cloudflare.
  • Yandex Cloud, Vk Cloud
  • Selectel, Timeweb Cloud: Cloud services from Saint Petersburg.
  • RUVDS: VPS in many cities, including Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, etc.
  • Sber: Sberbank's channel, including the GigaChat language model.

Telegram

Here are a few examples

Artists/Music

Classical Music

Orchestras

Pianists

  • Valentina Lisitsa - Ukrainian pianist, "Queen of Rachmaninoff"
  • Anna Fedorova - Ukrainian pianist, known for performing works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff

Rock

  • Viktor Tsoi (Виктор Цой): Legendary rock musician of Korean descent, member of the band "Кино" (Kino), who died young at 28 in Latvia. There is a Tsoi wall in Arbat Street in Moscow. He had a huge influence on the generation of the late USSR. Iconic songs: "Спокойная ночь", "Кукушка", "Кончится лето", "Группа крови", "Звезда по имени Солнце", "Пачка сигарет"
  • Bi-2: Belarusian-Israeli band with hits like "Молитва", "Компромисс", "Я никому не верю", "Полковнику никто не пишет", and "Варвара", with poetic and deep lyrics.
  • Zveri: Popular Russian rock band founded by vocalist Roman Bilyk. Known for energetic rock combined with catchy melodies and the song "До скорой встречи".
  • Agatha Christie: A Russian rock band known for its dark gothic aesthetic and philosophical lyrics. Hits: "Как на войне", "Сказочная тайга", "Черная луна"

Older Generation Performers

  • Alla Pugacheva (Алла Пугачёва): Iconic Soviet and Russian singer. Known for the songs "Позови меня с собой", "Миллион алых роз".
  • Red Army Choir: A choir famous for performing Russian folk and patriotic songs, including "Катюша", "Калинка", "Подмосковные вечера".
  • Yuri Shatunov (Юрий Шатунов): Former lead singer of the group "Ласковый май", known for romantic themes. Popular songs: "Белые розы", "Седая ночь", "Звёздная ночь".
  • Zemlyane: A Soviet rock band known for space-themed songs. Iconic hit: "Трава у дома"
  • Lyube (Nikolai Rastoguyev): A popular and long-running band known for military and patriotic songs including "Давай за", "Комбат", "Там за туманами", "За тебя, Родина-мать" and folk songs like "Ты неси меня, река", "Конь", "А река течёт".
  • Lolita Milyavskaya: Known for her deep, emotional voice and dramatic performance of songs like "Марлен", "Раневская", "На Титанике".
  • MakSim: A very popular singer of the 2000s with the song "Знаешь ли ты".

Rap / Hip-hop

Modern Russian Performers

  • Aigel (Айгел): Russian electronic hip-hop duo, known for the song "Татарин" (in Tatar).
  • Pelageya (Пелагея): Known for performance of folk songs like "Дороженька" , "Ой, да не вечер", "Под ракитою".
  • Polina Gagarina: Known for her cover of the song "Кукушка", participation in Chinese shows, and a very powerful voice.
  • Moya Mishel: Modern band known for the songs "Зима в сердце", "Ветер меняет направление", "Пташка".
  • Tatyana Kurtukova: Folk singer known for the song "Матушка".
  • Palina: Belarusian singer, known for the cover of the song "Позови меня с собой"
  • Anna Asti: Ukrainian-Russian singer, also a member of the duo Artik & Asti, songs include "По барам", "Феникс", and "Царица".
  • Sasha Spilberg: Russian vlogger, singer, and actress. Became a teen idol in the 2010s, known for the songs "Всегда буду с тобой".
  • Rauf & Faik: A very popular group of brothers from Azerbaijan. They have soft, soothing voices. Hits include "Детство", "Колыбельная", "Вечера", "Я люблю тебя", "Это ли счастье?", known for repetitive lyrics.
  • Mia Boyka: Russian singer, songwriter, known for popular tracks "Ла-ла-ла", "Химия", and "Танцы под дождём"
  • Lusya Chebotina: Very popular singer, known for the song "Солнце Монако".
  • SEREBRO: A popular Russian female pop group known for their catchy hits and memorable music videos, songs include "Мало тебя", "Мама Люба".
  • Monetochka: Russian singer-songwriter and musician, known for indie-pop music with witty lyrics. A popular song is "Падать в грязь".
  • Shaman: Patriotic singer, the highest-paid singer in 2022.

Performers/Stars/Bloggers Born in the 2000s

  • Julia Gavrilina: TikToker, actress, known for the songs "Замело", "Только ты", "Хватит", "Забей и просто танцуй"
  • Valya Karnaval: One of the most popular Russian TikTokers, actress, and vlogger, with songs "Психушка", "Ромашки", "Частушка", "Истерика".
  • polnalyubvi (Marina Demeshchenko): Indie singer, known for the songs "Кометы", "Твои глаза".
  • Katya Adushkina: One of the most popular Russian vloggers, and singer.
  • Nika Zhukova (Ника Жукова): Young singer and actress, known for the song "Девочка-плакса".
  • Amirchik: Singer from Kyrgyzstan, "Эта любовь".
  • Yaroslava Degtyaryova

Performers/Stars/Bloggers Born in the 2010s

Music Festivals

Music Channels

  • МУЗ-ТВ: Interviews, podcasts, performances of singers.
  • Hype House Rus: Music videos, music concerts, drama, reality shows
  • #МУЗЫКАВМЕСТЕ: A channel where popular songs (mainly folk) are performed in turn by people from different parts of Russia.
  • Голос Дети: Voice Kids, A singing competition on Channel One featuring children and famous artists as coaches.
  • Дети поют: A channel with performances and songs sung by children.

Aesthetic Sports / Ballet

Figure Skating

  • 1tv Skate, Фигурное катание: Main website for watching figure skating competitions in Russia, including the Grand Prix series, the Channel One Cup, and the Russian Championships.
  • MainStreamFS: A figure skating channel that broadcasts children's and regional competitions.

Main Schools/Shows

  • Eteri Tutberidze Crystal: The leading figure skating school in the world. The head coach is Eteri Tutberidze. Her students in women's single skating dominated at the Olympic Games and major competitions from 2014 to 2022 (before the ban) and won all Russian championships.
  • Angels of Plushenko: Evgeni Plushenko's figure skating school. Plushenko is a former Olympic champions.
  • Navka Show: Main ice show featuring top skaters, directed by Tatiana Navka (Olympic champion in ice dancing, husband is Dmitry Peskov)

Other YouTube channels

  • Random FS Videos: This channel uploads very high-quality fancam-style videos from competitions.
  • Фигурка: A channel with commentary on figure skating, sometimes with interviews with athletes.
  • F/FS: A channel that publishes skaters' performances, sometimes in 4k resolution.
  • Mr&Mrs.Ignatov: Alexandra Trusova's channel.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Other Aesthetic Sports

Synchronized swimming

Synchronized skating

Ballet

Leading Theatres

Regional Theatres

Hierarchy in Ballet

  1. Prima Ballerina (Principal)
  2. Leading Soloists
  3. First Soloists
  4. Soloists
  5. Corps de Ballet

Schools: List of choreographic schools of the Russian Federation

Telegram

Here are a few examples.

Figure Skating

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Ballet

Chats

Diaspora

Entertainment

Interview Channels

  • Надежда Стрелец — a well-known interviewer. Her episodes feature popular entrepreneurs, athletes, actors, and singers.
  • Ляйсан Утяшева — a former rhythmic gymnast, married to TV host Pavel Volya. Her show is usually in a cooking format.
  • Fametime TV — a channel mainly about actors and entertainment.
  • Алла Шишкина — a three-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming.
  • Evgenia Medvedeva — a popular former Olympic Silver figure skater.
  • Vmeste — a channel where young influencers talk about their journey in a monologue format.
  • ПРОГОВОРИ (PROGOVORI) — an interview channel about kid actors and influencers.
  • Regina Todorenko — a channel hosted by Ukrainian-Russian singer.

Vloggers / Daily Life

Models

  • Dasha Taran — a very popular model who now lives in Korea.
  • karrambaby — a model working in China.
  • cuttteface — a model working in Korea.
  • SALAVAT KYPERE — a model who shoots many vlogs from fashion shows and photoshoots.
  • KSUSHA KREVETKA — a model working in China and Japan, shoots vlogs and shares her experiences.

Poetry Reading

Commentators

China-Related

TikTokers

Twitch

Entertainment Shows

Kids Channels

Other Channels

Russian Diaspora

Many popular English-language YouTube channels are created by Russians who have moved to the USA. There are 3 million Russians and 1 million Ukrainians living in the US. Note the typical Slavic names, appearance, and a specific "Russian" accent with different types of stress. Also, some people in tech have Russian surnames.

Channels in Russian

History

Soviet Cinema

News

Geography and Regional Channels

Federal Subjects

  • Oblasts (Области)
    • Most people live in the central part near Moscow, in the South, in the Volga region, and along the Urals.
  • Federal cities (Города федерального значения) (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Sevastopol (disputed))
  • Republics (Республики)
    • Tatarstan, Bashkortostan - relatively wealthy (oil)
    • North Caucasus (Северный Кавказ) (Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia) - Muslim, poor, mountainous
    • Tuva , Altai , Buryatia - sparsely populated, poor
    • Yakutia (Якутия) - huge territory, sparsely populated
  • Krais (Края)
  • Autonomous Oblast (Автономная область) (Jewish)
  • Autonomous Okrugs (Автономные округа) (Chukotka, Nenets, Yamalo-Nenets, Khanty-Mansi)

Rivers

  • Volga (Волга): Originates in the Valdai Hills → flows into the Caspian Sea. The most important river - the "Volga region" (поволжье) includes cities like Tver, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd, Astrakhan
  • Ob (Обь): Flows through Western Siberia (Novosibirsk)
  • Yenisei (Енисей): Flows into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean (Krasnoyarsk, Dudinka, Tuva)
  • Lena (Лена): Eastern Siberia (Yakutsk)
  • Don (Дон): (Rostov-on-Don)

A Note on Russian Cities

Russia is a country with enormous wealth inequality.

  • Everything flows to Moscow (12+ million) and Saint Petersburg (5+ million): Gazprom, Rosneft, Sberbank.
  • Kazan (Tatarstan) (~1.3 million) and Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk) (~1.5 million) are major regional centers with decent economies.
  • Places with resources: Tyumen (Khanty-Mansi, Yamalo-Nenets), Sakhalin, Magadan, Yakutia, Murmansk, Komi, Krasnoyarsk (Norilsk), Irkutsk, Karelia, Arkhangelsk.
  • The poorest parts are some of the national republics, especially in the North Caucasus and Tuva.
  • Other poor areas: Ivanovo, Kurgan, Penza, Volgograd, Pskov, Omsk, Kirov, Smolensk, etc

About Small Towns

  • A main street with some bars and restaurants.
  • A monument to Lenin and a Victory Park (or City Park)
  • A House of Culture (Дом культуры), a Kinotheatre, a Church.
  • Khrushchevkas (Хрущевки) (massive grey apartment buildings).
  • Supermarkets, Banks (Sberbank, VTB), Grand-looking Government institutions, Best hotel in the center.
  • A railway station 1-2 km from the center.
  • The outskirts are divided into districts with private houses with small garden plots, but not large-scale agriculture.
  • Typical street names: Sovetskaya (Советская), Yubileynaya (Юбилейная), Lenina (Ленина), Karla Marksa (Карла Маркса), Partizanskaya (Партизанская), Oktyabrskaya (Октябрьская), Pervomayskaya (Первомайская), Kirova (Кирова), Komsomolskaya (Комсомольская), Pushkina (Пушкина), Gorkogo (Горького).

Daily Life in 2025

Written after trip to Russia and Belarus.

  • Payment: Mir card ("Мир") / Cash. Russia is under sanctions from Visa and Mastercard. Exchanging foreign currency (USD, RMB) is easy at most banks. Getting a bank card from Yoomoney is easy.
  • Entry-level salary: A job at a supermarket/KFC in Moscow pays about 90,000 rubles, in Kazan — 60,000 rubles.
  • Prices: In Moscow, prices are 1.5-2 times higher than in other cities, and half the price of Western cities (for example, a standard combo at Burger King costs about 500 rubles, which is about 5-6 USD).
  • SIM card: It is difficult for a foreigner to get a SIM card. You need to get a notarized translation of your passport, obtain a SNILS (СНИЛС), register on Gosuslugi (Госуслуги), and submit biometrics at a bank for the SIM card to work.
  • Internet: Yandex, VK, 1tv work with minimal delay, Google — with a slight delay, most Western media (X, Instagram, YouTube) are blocked but easily accessible via VPN.
  • Airports: Expect frequent flight cancellations and the presence a large number of soldiers due to the ongoing conflict. Aeroflot still uses Boeing planes, although the screens may not work properly.
  • Entertainment: Use "Yandex Afisha". There are excursions (walking, bus, boat), masterclasses, and stand-up comedy.
  • Immigration: There are many people from Central Asia in Moscow, and some people from South Asia and Africa in hostels.

Travel / Documentaries

Telegram

Geography of Moscow

  • Moscow has the most extensive metro system outside of China. The metro was built in 1935 and has three circle lines, very dense inside the TTK (Third Transport Ring) and extends into the Moscow Oblast.
  • Moscow has several ring roads. The two inner rings — the Boulevard Ring (Бульварное кольцо) and the Garden Ring (Садовое кольцо) — are very small. Arbat (Арбат) is a historically important area. The TTK (Третье транспортное кольцо) is about the same size as Shanghai's inner ring road. The MKAD (МКАД) is the ring road around Moscow. The TsKAD (ЦКАД) is the ring road around the Moscow Oblast.
  • The Moskva River divides the city and it's quite winding. The Kremlin (Кремль) is in the city center, and the Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр) is slightly to the north. Kitay-Gorod (Китай-город) is to the east.
  • On the western bend of the Moskva River, just outside the Garden Ring, are the historic Hotel Ukraina (гостиница "Украина") and Kiyevsky railway station (Киевский вокзал). Beyond that is Moscow City (Москва-сити), a place of skyscrapers.
  • Heading south along the river, you can see Moscow State University (МГУ), tallest of the seven sister buildings, on Vorobyovy Gory (Воробьёвы горы). On a bend of the river, just outside the TTK, are the Irina Viner-Usmanova Gymnastics Palace (Дворец гимнастики Ирины Винер-Усмановой) and Luzhniki Stadium (Лужники). Further down the river on the east side, there is the Gorky Park (Парк Горького).
  • Sokolniki Park (Парк "Сокольники") is just outside the TTK to the northeast. To the northwest, about 2 km from the TTK, are CSKA and Megasport.

Western Russia

Near Moscow:

Near Saint Petersburg:

North:

Near Europe:

  • Smolensk (Смоленск) (SmolDaily Смоленск Tv)
  • Kaliningrad (Калининград) (КАСКАД ТВ): Surrounded by Litva and Poland, the former Königsberg and the birthplace of Kant. The train to Kaliningrad passes through Litva.
  • Pskov (Псков): A city near Estonia.

Volga Region (Поволжье)

  • Kazan (Казань) (ТНВ): Capital of Tatarstan (Rustam Minnikhanov - Рустам Минниханов). Near Kazan is Innopolis, a new technology city with a university.
  • Nizhny Novgorod (Нижний Новгород) (Кстати Новости Нижнего Новгорода): Known for its beautiful sunset views over Volga, Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street, and the Chkalov Staircase.
  • Saransk (Саранск): Capital of the Republic of Mordovia.
  • Ulyanovsk (Ульяновск): Birthplace of Lenin.
  • Samara (Самара) (Телеканал "Самара-ГИС"): A major aerospace and industrial center.
  • Saratov (Саратов) (Саратов 24)

South (Юг)

  • Krasnodar (Краснодар) (Kuban 24): Capital of the Kuban region, agricultural center and the heart of the Kuban Cossacks. Traditional Cossack costume include bright headscarves.
  • Rostov-on-Don (Ростов-на-Дону) (ДОН 24): Capital of the Don Cossacks and the homeland of Sholokhov's "And Quiet Flows the Don".
  • Voronezh (Воронеж) (41 канал Воронеж)
  • Volgograd (Волгоград) (Высота 102): A major industrial city that played a crucial role in the Great Patriotic War, known for the statue Mamayev Kurgan.
  • Stavropol (Ставрополь) (АТВмедиа / АТВ-Ставрополь)
  • Astrakhan (Астрахань) (Астрахань 24): Located in the Volga Delta, where it flows into the Caspian Sea.

Black Sea

Caucasus (Кавказ)

Muslim, many mountains

  • North Ossetia (Северная Осетия) (iRYSTON TV): Capital is Vladikavkaz.
  • Chechnya (Чечня) (Вести Чечни) (Ramzan Kadyrov - Рамзан Кадыров)
  • Dagestan (Дагестан) (Новости Дагестан): Rugged terrain, mountains, isolated villages, strong UFC fighters.
  • Ingushetia (Ингушетия) (Магас TV): A very conservative region.
  • Kabardino-Balkaria (Кабардино-Балкария) (1КБР)

Urals (Урал)

West of the Urals:

East of the Urals:

Siberia (Сибирь)

North (resource-rich, main money)

  • Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Ямало-Ненецкий автономный округ): One of Russia's largest gas-producing regions, a center for natural gas extraction.
  • Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Ханты-Мансийский автономный округ) (KhMAO): An oil and gas region, one of the richest federal subjects in terms of oil production.
  • Norilsk (Норильск) (Телеканал Северный город Норильск): Slightly east of the Yenisei, a heavily polluted area with rich resources (nickel, copper, palladium), where people have a low life expectancy. There is a huge company Norilsk Nickel. Workers in Norilsk receive longer vacations.
  • Salekhard (Салехард) (Новости Ямала): The end of the railway line. There was a failed project called the "Salekhard-Igarka Railway".
  • Samotlor (Самотлор) (Телеканал Самотлор): The largest oil field in Russia.

Western Siberia

Yenisei

Lena River

  • Yakutia (Якутия) (Якутия 24): Located in the Far East along the Lena River, mostly inhabited by the indigenous Yakut people. It is the coldest place on Earth, with temperatures reaching -50°C in winter. Markets sell fish like chir, omul, muksun, and nelma. The region is known for diamonds, gold, and knives. If Yakutia were a country, it would be the 8th largest in the world, bigger than Argentina.
  • Neryungri (Нерюнгри) (Вести Нерюнгринский район): A city in the Sakha Republic.

Baikal

Cities of the Far East

Belarus (Беларусь)

Other Places

About Slavic Countries

  • East Slavs, Cyrillic alphabet: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine.
  • West Slavs, Latin alphabet: Czech Republic, Poland (rejects the "Eastern Europe" label), Slovakia.
  • South Slavs: Bulgaria (Cyrillic) and the six countries of the former Yugoslavia. (A mix of Cyrillic and Latin alphabets)

South Slavic countries have some similarities:

  • Ded Moroz
  • Names: Names like Mikhail, Dmitry, Vladimir or Svetlana, Tatiana, Maria. Patronymics are formed on the same principle, and surnames often end in -ov/-ova, -ev/-eva, -sky/-skaya.
  • Regions: "Oblast" in Bulgaria and "Okrug" in Serbia.

Politics, News, Television

Interviews

Documentaries

Politics

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