Portal:Russia

Welcome to The Russia Portal The flag of Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, extending across eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country. Russia is a highly urbanised country including 16 population centres with over a million inhabitants. Its capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city and its cultural capital. The East Slavs emerged as a recognised group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE. The first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century, and in 988, it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated; the Grand Duchy of Moscow led the unification of Russian lands, leading to the proclamation of the Tsardom of Russia in 1547. By the early 18th century, Russia had vastly expanded through conquest, annexation, and the efforts of Russian explorers, developing into the Russian Empire, which remains the third-largest empire in history. However, with the Russian Revolution in 1917, Russia's monarchic rule was abolished and eventually replaced by the Russian SFSR—the world's first constitutionally socialist state. Following the Russian Civil War, the Russian SFSR established the Soviet Union with three other Soviet republics, within which it was the largest and principal constituent. At the expense of millions of lives, the Soviet Union underwent rapid industrialisation in the 1930s and later played a decisive role for the Allies in World War II by leading large-scale efforts on the Eastern Front. With the onset of the Cold War, it competed with the United States for ideological dominance and international influence. The Soviet era of the 20th century saw some of the most significant Russian technological achievements, including the first human-made satellite and the first human expedition into outer space. (Full article...) Featured article   Featured articles are displayed here, which represent some of the best content on English Wikipedia. In Kruger National Park, South Africa The black stork (Ciconia nigra) is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. Measuring on average 95 to 100 cm (37 to 39 in) from beak tip to end of tail with a 145-to-155 cm (57-to-61 in) wingspan, the adult black stork has mainly black plumage, with white underparts, long red legs and a long pointed red beak. A widespread but uncommon species, it breeds in scattered locations across Europe (predominantly in Portugal and Spain, and central and eastern parts), and east across the Palearctic to the Pacific Ocean. It is a long-distance migrant, with European populations wintering in tropical Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asian populations in the Indian subcontinent. When migrating between Europe and Africa, it avoids crossing broad expanses of the Mediterranean Sea and detours via the Levant in the east, the Strait of Sicily in the center, or the Strait of Gibraltar in the west. An isolated non-migratory population lives in Southern Africa. Unlike the closely related white stork, the black stork is a shy and wary species. It is seen singly or in pairs, usually in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. It feeds on amphibians, small fish and insects, generally wading slowly in shallow water stalking its prey. Breeding pairs usually build nests in large forest trees—most commonly deciduous but also coniferous—which can be seen from long distances, as well as on large boulders, or under overhanging ledges in mountainous areas. The female lays two to five greyish-white eggs, which become soiled over time in the nest. Incubation takes 32 to 38 days, with both sexes sharing duties, and fledging takes 60 to 71 days. (Full article...) Adult rainbow trout The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coastal rainbow trout (O. m. irideus) or Columbia River redband trout (O. m. gairdneri) that usually returns to freshwater to spawn after living two to three years in the ocean. Freshwater forms that have been introduced into the Great Lakes and migrate into tributaries to spawn are also called steelhead. Adult freshwater stream rainbow trout average between 0.5 and 2.5 kilograms (1 and 5 lb), while lake-dwelling and anadromous forms may reach 9 kg (20 lb). Coloration varies widely based on subspecies, forms, and habitat. Adult fish are distinguished by a broad reddish stripe along the lateral line, from gills to the tail, which is most vivid in breeding males. (Full article...) Portrait by Ilya Repin (1889) Nadezhda Vasilievna Stasova (Russian: Надежда Васильевна Стасова; June 24 [O.S. June 12] 1822 – October 9 [O.S. September 27] 1895) was a Russian educator, activist, and feminist. Stasova was born into a noble and wealthy family; Tsar Alexander I of Russia was her godfather, and she received extensive private tutoring as a child. After experiencing family tragedy and personal disappointment as a young woman, she dedicated herself to women's education and economic empowerment. Alongside Anna Filosofova and Maria Trubnikova, Stasova was one of the earliest leaders of the Russian women's movement. Together, the three friends and allies were referred to as the "triumvirate". The triumvirate founded and led several organizations designed to promote women's cultural and economic independence, including a publishing cooperative. Subsequently, the triumvirate pushed government officials to allow higher education for women, although continuing opposition meant that their successes were sometimes limited or reversed. Stasova eventually became the lead organizer of the Bestuzhev Courses in 1878, but a decade later was forced to resign under political pressure. In her final years, she continued her support for the cause of women's rights in Russia. Stasova died in 1895. (Full article...) The Siberian accentor (Prunella montanella) is a small passerine bird that breeds in northern Russia from the Ural Mountains eastwards across Siberia. It is migratory, wintering in Korea and eastern China, with rare occurrences in western Europe and northwestern North America. Its typical breeding habitat is subarctic deciduous forests and open coniferous woodland, often close to water, although it also occurs in mountains and spruce taiga. It inhabits bushes and shrubs in winter, frequently near streams, but may also be found in dry grassland and woods. The Siberian accentor has brown upperparts and wings, with bright chestnut streaking on its back and a greyish-brown rump and tail. The head has a dark brown crown and a long, wide pale yellow supercilium ("eyebrow"). All plumages are quite similar. The nest is an open cup in dense shrub or a tree into which the female lays four to six glossy deep blue-green eggs that hatch in about ten days. Adults and chicks feed mainly on insects, typically picked off the ground, but sometimes taken from vegetation. In winter, the accentors may also consume seeds or feed near human habitation. (Full article...) Olga Constantinovna of Russia (Greek: Όλγα; 3 September [O.S. 22 August] 1851 – 18 June 1926) was Queen of Greece as the wife of King George I. She was briefly the regent of Greece in 1920. A member of the Romanov dynasty, Olga was the oldest daughter of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaievich and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg. She spent her childhood in Saint Petersburg, Poland, and the Crimea, and married George in 1867 at the age of sixteen. At first, she felt ill at ease in the Kingdom of Greece, but she quickly became involved in social and charitable work. She founded hospitals and schools, but her attempt to promote a new, more accessible, Greek translation of the Gospels sparked riots by religious conservatives. (Full article...) Manuscript miniature, part of double portrait with Empress Maria, Vatican Library Manuel I Komnenos (Greek: Μανουήλ Κομνηνός, romanized: Manouḗl Komnēnós; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (Greek: Πορφυρογέννητος; "born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean. His reign saw the last flowering of the Komnenian restoration, during which the Byzantine Empire experienced a resurgence of military and economic power and enjoyed a cultural revival. Eager to restore his empire to its past glories as the great power of the Mediterranean world, Manuel pursued an energetic and ambitious foreign policy. In the process he made alliances with Pope Adrian IV and the resurgent West. He invaded the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, although unsuccessfully, being the last Eastern Roman emperor to attempt reconquests in the western Mediterranean. The passage of the potentially dangerous Second Crusade through his empire was adroitly managed. Manuel established a Byzantine protectorate over the Crusader states of Outremer. Facing Muslim advances in the Holy Land, he made common cause with the Kingdom of Jerusalem and participated in a combined invasion of Fatimid Egypt. Manuel reshaped the political maps of the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean, placing the kingdoms of Hungary and Outremer under Byzantine hegemony and campaigning aggressively against his neighbours both in the west and in the east. (Full article...) The Santiago Bernabéu (pictured in 2009) held the final. The 1964 European Nations' Cup final was a football match played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on 21 June 1964, to determine the winners of the 1964 European Nations' Cup. It was the second final of what has since been known as the European Championship, UEFA's quadrennial football competition for national teams. The match was contested between Spain and the Soviet Union, the previous tournament winners. En route to the final, Spain defeated Romania, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland over two-legged ties, before beating Hungary in the semi-finals. The Soviet Union received a bye in the qualifying round, before beating Italy, Sweden, and Denmark en route to the final. (Full article...) Nadezhda Sergeyevna Alliluyeva (Russian: Надежда Сергеевна Аллилуева; 22 September [O.S. 9 September] 1901 – 9 November 1932) was the second wife of Joseph Stalin. She was born in Baku to a friend of Stalin, a fellow revolutionary, and was raised in Saint Petersburg. Having known Stalin from a young age, she married him when she was 17, and they had two children. Alliluyeva worked as a secretary for Bolshevik leaders, including Vladimir Lenin and Stalin, before enrolling at the Industrial Academy in Moscow to study synthetic fibres and become an engineer. She had health issues, which had an adverse impact on her relationship with Stalin. She also suspected he was unfaithful, which led to frequent arguments with him. On several occasions, Alliluyeva reportedly contemplated leaving Stalin, and after an argument, she fatally shot herself early in the morning of 9 November 1932. (Full article...) Pobeda at anchor, probably about March 1904 Pobeda (Russian: Победа, lit. 'Victory') was the last of the three Peresvet-class pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy at the end of the nineteenth century. The ship was assigned to the Pacific Squadron upon completion and based at Port Arthur from 1903. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, she participated in the battles of Port Arthur and the Yellow Sea. Having escaped serious damage in these engagements, Pobeda was sunk by gunfire during the siege of Port Arthur, and then salvaged by the Japanese and placed into service under the name Suwo (周防). Rearmed and re-boilered by the Japanese, Suwo was reclassified by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as a coastal defense ship in 1908 and served as a training ship for several years. She was the flagship of the Japanese squadron that participated in the siege of Qingdao at the beginning of World War I and continued in that role until she became a gunnery training ship in 1917. The ship was disarmed in 1922 to comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty and probably scrapped around that time. (Full article...) A postcard of Poltava The Petropavlovsk class, sometimes referred to as the Poltava class, was a group of three pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy during the 1890s. They were transferred to the Pacific Squadron shortly after their completion in 1899–1900 and were based at Port Arthur before the start of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. All three ships participated in the Battle of Port Arthur on the second day of the war. Petropavlovsk sank two months after the war began after striking one or more mines laid by the Japanese. Her two sister ships, Sevastopol and Poltava, took part in the Battle of the Yellow Sea in August 1904 and were sunk or scuttled during the final stages of the siege of Port Arthur in early 1905. Poltava was salvaged after the Japanese captured Port Arthur and incorporated into the Imperial Japanese Navy. The ship, renamed Tango in Japanese service, participated in the Battle of Tsingtao in late 1914, during World War I. She was sold back to the Russians in 1916 and renamed Chesma as her original name was in use by another battleship. The ship became the flagship of the Russian Arctic Flotilla in 1917, and her crew supported the Bolsheviks later that year. Chesma was seized by the British in early 1918 when they intervened in the Russian Civil War, abandoned by them when they withdrew and scrapped by the Soviets in 1924. (Full article...) A Russian postcard of Petropavlovsk Petropavlovsk (Russian: Петропавловск) was the lead ship of her class of three pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy during the last decade of the 19th century. The ship was sent to the Far East almost immediately after entering service in 1899, where she participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion the next year and was the flagship of the First Pacific Squadron. At the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Petropavlovsk took part in the Battle of Port Arthur, where she was lightly damaged by Japanese shells and failed to score any hits in return. On 13 April 1904, the ship sank after striking one or more mines near Port Arthur, in northeast China. Casualties numbered 27 officers and 652 enlisted men, including Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov, the commander of the squadron, and the war artist Vasily Vereshchagin. The arrival of the competent and aggressive Makarov after the Battle of Port Arthur had boosted Russian morale, which plummeted after his death. (Full article...) Female near Kaktovik, Barter Island, Alaska, United States The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear and land carnivore, with adult males weighing 300–800 kg (660–1,760 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, as adult females are much smaller. The polar bear is white- or yellowish-furred with black skin and a thick layer of fat. It is more slender than the brown bear, with a narrower skull, longer neck and lower shoulder hump. Its teeth are sharper and more adapted to cutting meat. The paws are large and allow the bear to walk on ice and paddle in the water. Polar bears are both terrestrial and pagophilic (ice-living) and are considered marine mammals because of their dependence on marine ecosystems. They prefer the annual sea ice but live on land when the ice melts in the summer. They are mostly carnivorous and specialized for preying on seals, particularly ringed seals. Such prey is typically taken by ambush; the bear may stalk its prey on the ice or in the water, but also will stay at a breathing hole or ice edge to wait for prey to swim by. The bear primarily feeds on the seal's energy-rich blubber. Other prey include walruses, beluga whales and some terrestrial animals. Polar bears are usually solitary but can be found in groups when on land. During the breeding season, male bears guard females and defend them from rivals. Mothers give birth to cubs in maternity dens during the winter. Young stay with their mother for up to two and a half years. (Full article...) Dubnium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Db and atomic number 105. It is highly radioactive: the most stable known isotope, dubnium-268, has a half-life of about 16 hours. This greatly limits extended research on the element. Dubnium does not occur naturally on Earth and is produced artificially. The Soviet Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) claimed the first discovery of the element in 1968, followed by the American Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in 1970. Both teams proposed their names for the new element and used them without formal approval. The long-standing dispute was resolved in 1993 by an official investigation of the discovery claims by the Transfermium Working Group, formed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, resulting in credit for the discovery being officially shared between both teams. The element was formally named dubnium in 1997 after the town of Dubna, the site of the JINR. (Full article...) Swedish postcard of Poltava The Russian battleship Poltava (Russian: Полтава) was one of three Petropavlovsk-class pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the 1890s. The ship was transferred to the Pacific Squadron shortly after completion and based at Port Arthur from 1901. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, she participated in the Battle of Port Arthur and was heavily damaged during the Battle of the Yellow Sea. She was sunk by Japanese artillery during the subsequent siege of Port Arthur in December 1904, but was raised by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) after the war and renamed Tango (丹後). During World War I, she bombarded German fortifications during the siege of Qingdao. The Japanese government sold Tango back to the Russians at their request in 1916. She was renamed Chesma (Чесма) as her former name had been given to a new ship. En route to the White Sea, she joined an Allied force that persuaded the Greek government to disarm their ships. Her crew declared for the Bolsheviks in October 1917, but made no effort to resist when the British captured her during the North Russia intervention in early 1918. In poor condition, the ship was used as a prison hulk. Abandoned by the British when they withdrew in 1919 and recaptured by the Bolsheviks, she was scrapped in 1924. (Full article...) Holotype skeleton exhibited in Dinosaurium, Prague Viatkogorgon is a genus of gorgonopsian (a type of therapsid, the group that includes modern mammals) that lived during the Permian period in what is now Russia. The first fossil was found at the Kotelnich locality near the Vyatka River and was made the holotype of the new genus and species V. ivachnenkoi in 1999. The generic name refers to the river and the related genus Gorgonops—the gorgons of Greek mythology are often referenced in the names of the group. The specific name honors the paleontologist Mikhail F. Ivakhnenko. The holotype skeleton is one of the most complete gorgonopsian specimens known and includes rarely preserved elements such as gastralia (abdominal ribs) and a sclerotic ring (a bony ring inside the eye). A larger, but poorly preserved specimen has also been assigned to the species. The holotype specimen is about 80 cm (31 in) long, including the 14 cm (5.5 in) long skull, making Viatkogorgon a relatively small gorgonopsian. The assigned specimen is larger, with a 17 cm (6.7 in) long skull, and the holotype may have been young. As a gorgonopsian, it would have been skeletally robust with a somewhat dog-like stance, though with outwards-turned elbows. The snout was high, and the teeth were generally recurved (curved backward), pointed, and serrated. The canines (the saber teeth) were much larger than the incisors at the front and postcanines behind but relatively small for a gorgonopsian. Viatkogorgon was characterized by its unusually large eye socket and sclerotic ring. It was distinct from other gorgonopsians in that the lower end of the postorbital bar was narrow, and it had a very large sulcus (or furrow) at the back of the skull on each side. Since gorgonopsians have been described mainly from skulls, it is uncertain how widespread the postcranial features of Viatkogorgon were in other members of the group. The skeleton of Viatkogorgon was unusual in having gastralia, in that the tail was differentiated with a front and hind part, with the former less flexible, and in that some of the foot bones and its digits were reduced in size and interconnected. (Full article...) Selected picture Siberian tiger Photo: Dave Pape A female Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), a subspecies of tiger native to Central Asia, and her cub. The Siberian tiger is the largest of the extant tiger subspecies as well as the largest felid, attaining 320 kg (710 lb) in an exceptional specimen. Considered an endangered subspecies, the wild population is down to several hundred individuals and is limited to eastern Siberia. Fyodor Dostoevsky Painting: Vasily Perov Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–81; depicted in 1872) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and philosopher. After publishing his first novel, Poor Folk, at age 25, Dostoyevsky wrote (among others) eleven novels, three novellas, and seventeen short novels, including Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). Kombat Photograph credit: Max Alpert Kombat (Russian for 'battalion commander') is a black-and-white photograph by Soviet photographer Max Alpert. It depicts a Soviet military officer, armed with a TT pistol, raising his unit for an attack during World War II. This work is regarded as one of the most iconic Soviet World War II photographs, yet neither the date nor the subject is known with certainty. According to the most widely accepted version, it depicts junior politruk Aleksei Gordeyevich Yeryomenko, minutes before his death on 12 July 1942, in Voroshilovgrad Oblast, now part of Ukraine. The photograph is in the archives of RIA Novosti, a Russian state-owned news agency. Ivan Goremykin Photograph: Unknown; restoration: Adam Cuerden Ivan Goremykin (1839–1917) was a Russian prime minister during World War I. A politician with archconservative views, after some time in the Ministry of Justice, he transferred to the Ministry of the Interior in 1891. He held the rank of prime minister from May to July 1906 and again from 1914 to 1916; during both terms his effectiveness was strongly limited by opposition from the State Duma. In the aftermath of the October Revolution, Goremykin was recognized as a member of the Tsarist government and killed by a street mob. Nilov Monastery on Stolobnyi Island in Lake Seliger in Tver Province, Russia Nilov Monastery Credit: Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky This photo of the Nilov Monastery on Stolobny Island in Tver Oblast, Russia, was taken by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky in 1910 before the advent of colour photography. His process used a camera that took a series of monochrome pictures in rapid sequence, each through a different coloured filter. By projecting all three monochrome pictures using correctly coloured light, it was possible to reconstruct the original colour scene. Tauride Palace Photograph credit: Andrew Shiva The Tauride Palace is one of the largest and most historic palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was designed by Ivan Starov for Prince Grigory Potemkin, and was constructed between 1783 and 1789. After the owner's death, it was purchased by Catherine the Great, who constructed a theatre in the east wing and a church in the west wing. Many improvements were also made to the grounds, including construction of the Admiralty Pavilion, the gardener house, the orangery, glass-houses, bridges, and ironwork fences. Although the exterior of the building was rather plain, the interior was very luxurious. More recently, the building housed the first Imperial State Duma (1906–1917) and the post-revolution provisional government. French invasion of Russia Image credit: Charles Joseph Minard Charles Minard's Carte figurative (1869), which details the losses of men, the position of the army, and the freezing temperatures on Napoleon's disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia. Created in an effort to show the horrors of war, the graph "defies the pen of the historian in its brutal eloquence" and has been called the best statistical graphic ever drawn. Ivan Tsarevich Artist: Viktor Vasnetsov A painting depicting Ivan Tsarevich, one of the main heroes of Russian folklore, riding a magic carpet after having captured the Firebird, which he keeps in a cage. This work was Viktor Vasnetsov's first attempt at illustrating Russian folk tales and inaugurated a famous series of paintings on the themes drawn from Russian folklore. Lugano by Prokudin-Gorsky Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky Credit: Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky was a Russian pioneer of color photographer. This view of Lugano was most likely taken in 1909. Although James Clerk Maxwell made the first color photograph in 1861, the results were far from realistic until Prokudin-Gorsky perfected the technique with a series of improvements around 1905. His process used a camera that took a series of monochrome pictures in rapid sequence, each through a different colored filter. Prokudin-Gorskii then went on to document much of the country of Russia, travelling by train in a specially equipped darkroom railroad car. Reindeer Image credit: Detroit Publishing Co. A late nineteenth-century photochrom of a reindeer sled, Arkhangelsk, Russia. Reindeer have been herded for centuries by several Arctic and Subarctic people including the Sami and the Nenets. They are raised for their meat, hides, antlers and, to a lesser extent, for milk and transportation. Charge of the Light Brigade Artist: William Simpson; Restoration: Adam Cuerden On October 25, 1854, during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, British cavalry units charged heavily fortified Russian opposition, an action known as the Charge of the Light Brigade. By mischance, they attacked the wrong target, as the orders were unclear, and as a result suffered great casualties. Alfred, Lord Tennyson's famous poem made the charge a symbol of warfare at both its most courageous and its most tragic. A Boyar Wedding Feast Painting credit: Konstantin Makovsky A Boyar Wedding Feast is an oil-on-canvas painting created by Russian artist Konstantin Makovsky in 1883. The boyars were members of the highest rank of the feudal aristocracy of Russia in the 16th and 17th centuries, and a wedding was an important social event. In this painting, the guests are depicted toasting a newlywed couple. They stand at the head of the table, where the groom sees his bride without her veil for the first time; she appears timid and bashful as the men toast for the first kiss. Behind the couple, the Lady of Ceremony gently urges on the bride. A roasted swan is being brought in on a large platter, the last dish to be served before the couple retires to the bedroom. The work is in the collection of the Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, in Washington, D.C. Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov/Élie Metchnikoff Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov Credit: This image comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID btv1b6926750k/f1 Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov is the Russian scientist who discovered phagocytes and won the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Locomotive U-127 Photograph: Harveyqs Locomotive U-127 is a 4-6-0 steam locomotive of class U, preserved at the Museum of the Moscow Railway next to Paveletsky Rail Terminal in Moscow. Built in 1910, the locomotive was badly damaged during the Russian Civil War but restored in May 1923. The following year it hauled head of state Vladimir Lenin's funeral train from Gerasimovskaya to Paveletsky station. For the next 13 years it continued in passenger service, until it was withdrawn in 1937, restored, and preserved. Mohammed Alim Khan, Emir of Bukhara, 1911 Mohammed Alim Khan Credit: Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky An early colour photograph of the Emir of Bukhara, Mohammed Alim Khan, in 1911, taken by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky as part of his work to document the Russian Empire from 1909 to 1915. Alim Khan, a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, was the last emir of the Manghud dynasty. He reigned from 1911 to 1920, fleeing to Afghanistan when the Bolsheviks annexed Bukhara and proclaimed the Bukharan People's Soviet Republic. The Last Day of Pompeii Painting: Karl Bryullov The Last Day of Pompeii is an oil painting on canvas completed by the Russian artist Karl Bryullov between 1830 and 1833. The painting is based on sketches the artist completed in 1828 while visiting Pompeii, a city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It is now held in the State Russian Museum. Dvenadsat Apostolov Lithograph credit: Stadler and Pattinot, after Vasily Ignatius; restored by Adam Cuerden Dvenadsat Apostolov was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Russian Navy, the sole ship of her class. Launched in 1890, she entered service with the Black Sea Fleet in 1893, taking part in the failed attempt to recapture the mutinous battleship Potemkin in 1905. Decommissioned and disarmed in 1911, she was used as a stand-in for the title ship during the 1925 filming of the Battleship Potemkin before finally being scrapped in 1931. Smolny Institute Photograph credit: Andrew Shiva The Smolny Institute is a Palladian edifice in Saint Petersburg that has played a major part in the history of Russia. This photograph depicts the building's facade in 2016, with a statue of Vladimir Lenin in the foreground. Lenin Photograph credit: Andrew Shiva Lenin, a Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker, was both the world's first nuclear-powered surface ship and the first nuclear-powered civilian vessel. The ship entered operation in 1959 and worked to clear sea routes for cargo ships along Russia's northern coast. Nuclear power proved to be an ideal technology for a vessel working in such a remote area, as it obviated the need for regular replenishment of fuel. From 1960 to 1965, the ship covered over 85,000 mi (137,000 km) during the Arctic navigation season, of which three-quarters was through ice. After being decommissioned in 1989, the vessel was subsequently converted into a museum ship and is now permanently based at Murmansk. Did you know... ... that Soviet sniper Roza Shanina's (pictured) declaration "I shall return after the battle" would be paraphrased in a book title? ... that Emperor Nicholas II of Russia was billed 3,250 rubles for the Rosebud egg, the first Fabergé egg he presented to his empress consort Alexandra Fyodorovna? ... that after Peter the Great's reform of the Russian military, serf recruits were, and their children born after the recruitment were liberated, with the boys being sent to specially created Garrison schools? In this month November 1, 1612 - Polish–Muscovite War (1605–18): Russian patriots rising against the Poles recaptured the Kremlin. November 4, 1794 - Battle of Praga: Russian troops captured the Praga borough of Warsaw and massacred its civilian population. November 6, 1796 - Catherine the Great died. The throne fell to her son, Paul I. November 19, 1825 - Alexander I of Russia died of typhus. The army swore allegiance to his eldest brother, the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. Constantine, however, following Alexander's choice of successor, swore allegiance to his younger brother, Nicholas I. November 29, 1830 - November Uprising: A group of Polish nationalists attacked Belweder Palace, the seat of the Governor-General. Selected food or cuisine – Tarasun (also known as Arhi) is an alcoholic beverage drunk by the Mongol Buryats of Siberia. Apart from being the national drink of Buryatia, it is also used by the Buryats in their religious ceremonies. The Buryat and his tarasun have been compared to a Scotsman and his whisky. (Full article...) List of selected food/cuisine articles Ryazhenka Russian wine Pozharsky cutlet Udmurt cuisine Chicken Kiev Guriev porridge Oladyi Tushonka Paskha Dressed herring Shchi Stroganina Vologda butter Mors (drink) Chebureki Tula pryanik Kurnik (pirog) Peremech Krasnaya Polyana Balsam Pirozhki Pastila Coulibiac Selected biography – Tsereteli in 1917 Irakli Tsereteli (2 December [O.S. 21 November] 1881 – 20 May 1959) was a Georgian politician and a leading spokesman of the Social Democratic Party of Georgia and later Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) during the era of the Russian Revolutions. Tsereteli was born and raised in Georgia when it was part of the Russian Empire. A member of the Menshevik faction of the RSDLP, Tsereteli was elected to the Duma in 1907, where he gained fame for his oratory abilities. Shortly after entering the Duma, Tsereteli was arrested and charged with conspiracy to overthrow the Tsarist government, and exiled to Siberia. A dedicated Social Democrat who believed in the Menshevik ideology, Tsereteli was one of the leading figures of the movement in Russia. In 1915, during his Siberian exile, Tsereteli formed what would become known as Siberian Zimmerwaldism, which advocated for the role of the Second International in ending the war. He also developed the idea of "Revolutionary Defensism", the concept of a defensive war which only allowed for the defence of territory, and argued it was not being utilized. (Full article...) List of featured biographies Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Ivan Bagramyan Anton Chekhov Leonhard Euler Nikita Filatov Nikita Khrushchev Manuel I Komnenos Laika Vladimir Lenin El Lissitzky Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia Sergo Ordzhonikidze Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Dmitri Shostakovich Eduard Streltsov Sviatoslav I of Kiev Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Aleksandr Vasilevsky Nikita Zotov Vladimir Putin In the news 18 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine Ukrainian energy crisis, 17 November 2024 Russian strikes on Ukraine Ukraine re-implements nationwide rolling blackouts primarily due to the destruction of energy infrastructure by Russian airstrikes during the prior day. Odesa continues to be left without power since the onset of the attacks. (Reuters) Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure Odesa strikes Russian forces launched a missile attack on the city of Odesa at the second consecutive day, killing at least eight civilians and damaging civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings. (Ukrainska Pravda) 17 November 2024 – Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure, Ukrainian energy crisis More Did you know (auto generated) ... that sauerkraut made by members of a Russian spiritual sect in Armenia was popular in many other parts of the Soviet Union? ... that 24-year-old Mahasweta Chakraborty of Operation Ganga helped around 800 students return to India during the Russian invasion of Ukraine? ... that Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna's car was once fired on by Russian tanks? ... that in August 2022, Igor Mangushev spoke on a stage in a Russian nightclub with what he said was the skull of a Ukrainian soldier killed in the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works? ... that the 2022 essay and short story collection Kilometer 101 was published shortly after the author fled Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine? ... that Russia launched an Iranian satellite into orbit just three weeks after Putin and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowed to cooperate against the West? 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Selected quote Featured content Extended content Featured articles 2nd Red Banner Army 1964 European Nations' Cup final 2016 Irkutsk mass methanol poisoning Nadezhda Alliluyeva Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Antarctica Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and the Belyayev circle Bezhin Meadow Black stork Borodino-class battlecruiser Borscht Caspian expeditions of the Rus' Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Moscow) Diamond Dubnium Battle of Dürenstein Russian battleship Dvenadsat Apostolov Leonhard Euler William Feiner Nikita Filatov The Firebird Giovanni Antonio Grassi Gurian Republic History of Poland (1945–1989) House with Chimaeras Jeannette expedition Nikita Khrushchev Manuel I Komnenos Tadeusz Kościuszko Battle of Kunersdorf Kylfings Laika Vladimir Lenin Lieutenant Kijé (Prokofiev) Nestor Makhno The Motherland Calls Fridtjof Nansen Nansen's Fram expedition National anthem of Russia Nihonium Oganesson Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia Olga Constantinovna of Russia Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian battleship Oslyabya Pallas's leaf warbler Russian battleship Peresvet Peresvet-class battleship Russian battleship Petropavlovsk (1894) Petropavlovsk-class battleship Russian battleship Pobeda Polar bear Russian battleship Poltava (1894) Russian battleship Potemkin Battle of Prokhorovka Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and The Five Rainbow trout Russian battleship Retvizan Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov The Rite of Spring Russian battleship Rostislav Russian occupations of Beirut Russian battleship Sevastopol (1895) Shuttle–Mir program Siberian accentor Russian battleship Slava Sovetsky Soyuz-class battleship Nadezhda Stasova Igor Stravinsky Eduard Streltsov Surrender of Japan Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Tennessine 1907 Tiflis bank robbery Tiger Tintin in the Land of the Soviets Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic Maria Trubnikova Irakli Tsereteli Operation Uranus Viatkogorgon Wage reform in the Soviet Union, 1956–1962 Winter War Władysław II Jagiełło Woolly mammoth Nikita Zotov Featured lists 2014 Winter Olympics medal table Fyodor Dostoevsky bibliography First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union List of heads of state of the Soviet Union List of battlecruisers of Russia List of International Space Station spacewalks List of World Heritage Sites in Russia List of administrative and municipal divisions of Adygea List of ambassadors of Russia to Austria List of heads of government of Russia List of leaders of the Soviet Union Premier of the Soviet Union World Figure Skating Championships cumulative medal count A-Class articles 51st Army (Russia) Soviet cruiser Admiral Isachenkov Arena (countermeasure) Battle of the Kalka River Battle of Berlin Bolesław I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis Russian battleship Borodino Cho Ki-chon Evacuation of East Prussia Finnish Civil War Yuri Gagarin Russian battleship Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya SS Iowan Soviet cruiser Kalinin Third Battle of Kharkov Russian battleship Knyaz Suvorov Łódź insurrection Soviet cruiser Marshal Voroshilov Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 Operation Winter Storm Petlyakov Pe-3 Petlyakov Pe-8 Siege of Viborg (1710) Smolensk War Sukhoi Su-37 Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria First Battle of Târgu Frumos Wallachian Revolution of 1848 Yermolayev Yer-2 Good articles 5th Mechanised Corps (Soviet Union) 2005 UEFA Super Cup 2008 UEFA Champions League final 2014 Russian Grand Prix 2015 Russian Grand Prix 2016 Russian Grand Prix Russian submarine AG-22 Khachatur Abovian Russian monitor Admiral Chichagov Soviet cruiser Admiral Isachenkov Admiral Lazarev-class monitor Russian cruiser Admiral Makarov Admiral Nakhimov-class cruiser Russian monitor Admiral Spiridov Admiral Spiridov-class monitor Aeroflot Flight 593 Ivan Aivazovsky Anna Akhmatova Alexander Alekhine Alekseyev I-212 Amak Volcano Amber Room American premieres of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 Amnya complex Russian battleship Andrei Pervozvanny Andrei Pervozvanny-class battleship Andrei Rublev (film) Annexation of the Crimean Khanate by the Russian Empire Anya (Anastasia) Arab–Khazar wars Battle of Arcadiopolis (970) Operation Arctic Fox Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic Alexander Atabekian Australian contribution to the Allied Intervention in Russia 1918–1919 Elisabeth Bagréeff-Speransky Russian cruiser Bayan (1900) Operation Barbarossa Fanya Baron Basil II Battle of Bautzen (1945) Battle of the Kalka River Battle of Grunwald Battle of Kinburn (1855) Battle of Kostiuchnówka Battle of Narva (1944) Russian cruiser Bayan (1907) Bayan-class cruiser Bear Beautiful Heartache Dina Belenkaya Maxim Berezovsky Alexander Berkman Evgeni Berzin Białystok Black Sea raid Bohrium Bolesław I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis Bolshoy Ice Dome Battle of Borodino Borodino-class battleship Russian battleship Borodino Botik of Peter the Great Boz (king) Leonid Brezhnev Sergey Brin Samuel J. 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Volga Yuri Gagarin Russian battleship Gangut (1911) Gangut-class battleship Vera Gedroits Russian frigate General Admiral Russian battleship Georgii Pobedonosets German atrocities committed against Soviet prisoners of war Jacques Gershkovitch Abraham Goldfaden Golos Truda Mikhail Gorbachev Aleksandra Goryachkina Greater Germanic Reich Greek Volunteer Legion Russian cruiser Gromoboi Soviet frigate Grozyashchiy Ewelina Hańska Hero of the Russian Federation History of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1648) History of the Soviet Union (1964–1982) Ilyushin Il-6 Ilyushin Il-20 (1948) Ilyushin Il-30 Ilyushin Il-32 Ilyushin Il-40 Russian battleship Imperator Aleksandr III Imperator Aleksandr II-class battleship Russian battleship Imperator Aleksandr II Russian battleship Imperator Aleksandr III (1901) Russian battleship Imperator Nikolai I (1916) Russian battleship Imperator Nikolai I (1889) Russian battleship Imperator Pavel I Russian battleship Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya 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battleship Poltava (1911) Valeri Polyakov Stanisław August Poniatowski Poor Folk Nina Popova (official) Grigory Potemkin Prague Spring Prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine Progress M1-5 Sergei Prokofiev Ivan Provorov Bolesław Prus Punch-up in Piestany Purple heron Pussy Riot Ayn Rand Soviet frigate Razumnyy Romanian Volunteer Corps in Russia Russian cruiser Rossia Russian cruiser Rurik (1906) Russian monitor Rusalka Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 Russian Five Ivan the Russian Russian Protective Corps Russian Spaniel Russian Toy Russian citizenship law Russian language in Israel Russian military deception Russo-Georgian War Ruthenium Rutherfordium Elena Rybakina Rye Nikolai Ryzhkov Sack of Shamakhi Salyut 6 Samarium Russian submarine Sankt Peterburg Olga Sapphire Pavel Schilling Schism of the Russian Church Sea of Japan naming dispute Seaborgium Second Partition of Poland Russian battleship Sevastopol (1911) Coat of arms of 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