There are about 800 bridges in St. Petersburg! But, did you know that the founder of the city, Peter the Great, forbade building them, at first?

Russian literary classics are not only dramatic plots with tragic endings, but also funny, ironic stories. We’ve picked out ...

Did you know that, at the beginning of the 20th century, foreigners filmed alternative movie endings for Russian audiences? It's true: ...

Before 1918, distances in Russia were measured not in kilometers, but in versts. Incidentally, they differ slightly from each ...

A person who pretends to be unhappy in order to make others pity them is called a “сирота Казанская” (“sirota Kazanskaya”) or ...

Most Western movies about the participation of the USSR in the war against Nazi Germany contain many cliches and distortions of history. But, ...

This Soviet biplane first took to the skies in 1947. It was actively used in the civil air fleet, cargo transportation and ...

Dear readers, We’re excited to announce the relaunch of Russia Beyond under the new brand ‘Gateway to Russia’! We are no ...

Founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Knights, Königsberg became part of the USSR after World War II. In 1946, it changed its name ...