Russian Language and Literature

U.S. awards were awarded to not only major Soviet military leaders and famous ace pilots, but also to ordinary privates, sergeants and lieutenants, who demonstrated their bravery on the battlefield. Here are ten of them.

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?

In 1955, the careers of several prominent party figures and officials were ruined because of this incident.

Many of them were severely destroyed after the Nazi occupation. This is what they look like now.

Many of them were severely destroyed after the Nazi occupation. This is what they look like now.

People in the rear worked tirelessly to ensure that the Red Army did not need anything. At the same time, they used every free minute to enjoy their usual life: go to the theater or a concert, visit the zoo or listen to the opera.

The main reason was the reluctance to use the word ‘socialist’ in relation to an ideological enemy.

The honorary title was awarded to four pilots of the ‘Normandie-Niemen’ air regiment, who fought against the Nazis on the Eastern Front with the Red Army. And also to the first French cosmonaut.

Count Alexei Bestuzhev-Ryumin lived in Europe from a young age. In 1707, he and his brother Mikhail went to study in Copenhagen and, a few years later, moved to Berlin. He was especially good at languages: in particular, he knew French and German very well.

The Guard in 18th-century Russia loosely resembled the Praetorians of the Roman Empire. It was often up to them to decide who would occupy the throne and for how long.

Stalingrad, as the city was then called, survived one of the most terrible battles in human history. See how the city, completely destroyed, was restored and lives today.

Leningrad, as the city was then called, survived one of the most terrible sieges in world history – more than a million residents and Soviet soldiers died because of it. See what it looked like during that terrible time and what it looks like today.

Alexander Kazakov survived the Great War safely, but the Civil War that broke out after it in Russia literally broke him.

The Belgian corps fought on the Eastern Front, until the Bolsheviks took power in the country. However, they did not want to take part in the civil war that soon broke out in Russia.

The battle for the Soviet capital became one of the key ones during the war. Check out what Moscow looked like during that horrible period and what the city looks like these days.

Together with the Red Army, the 1st Polish Army stormed Berlin in the Spring of 1945. The Poles made up a tenth of all the forces that were rushing towards the “lair of the fascist beast”.

Tangerines from Morocco, processed cheese from Finland, canned vegetables from Hungary and Bulgaria – Soviet housewives knew how to make an impressive holiday table spread.

\"The delight with which the residents greeted us brings the greatest honor and glory to the Russians. From the very gates of St. John to the soldiers' quarters, both sides of the streets were dotted with inhabitants of both sexes,\" reported Lieutenant Pyotr Balabin.

The main base of the Black Sea Fleet was blockaded from land and withstood two assaults by superior enemy forces. The third, however, proved fatal for it.

The world's largest youth organization was established on October 29, 1918. Young people aged 14 to 28 joined it.

It was easy to find out the price of a product in Soviet times: it was stamped directly on it. Almost all goods were marked, except, for example, products that were sold by weight.

From the student bench to retirement in one place – the career of many Soviet citizens resembled this. But, how did they find a job during that era?

Bonaparte greatly valued and appreciated Eugène de Beauharnais.

Red Army commanders highly valued the ‘Willys’ for its excellent driving characteristics. And, after the war, provincial Soviet officials enjoyed driving it.

In those times, prices for goods were set by the state and they did not change for years. But, this did not mean that the cost of certain goods was the same throughout the country.

The 1st Separate Czechoslovak Battalion was the first foreign formation in the Red Army during World War II. Six of its servicemen became ‘Heroes of the Soviet Union’.

Young Soviet scientists would often go to construction sites to avoid waiting in line for housing. This is how the first youth housing complex appeared in the Moscow suburb of Korolev.

Euphrosinia Kersnovskaya spent almost 20 years in Gulag camps and in exile. She not only left memoirs by regularly writing down the long history of her ordeal, but also sketched everything. Now, these drawings are one of the most vivid testimonies of the Stalin-era camp horrors.

During World War I, Maria Kexholmskaya served as a nurse and the soldiers dubbed her “the saint of the saints” for her kindness and care.

It seems that there was nothing foreign made behind the Iron Curtain – only domestic. And yet, you could find almost everything, from French perfume to furniture.