Like it or not, McDonalds and Russia have a long history. The American fast food chain actually opened its first restaurant in Moscow a couple of years before Russia was even an independent country. Here you can read the full story of McUSSR – The first McDonald’s in the Soviet Union. Nowadays there are about... Continue Reading →
I've got good news and bad news. Bad news first: if you are looking for a post on the delicious beluga caviar, this is not it. The good news, on the other hand are that this is another incredible, but true! story (about Soviet icebreakers and beluga whales) and that if you are still thinking... Continue Reading →
A couple of years ago, I wrote a post about the surreal views you can get in Saint Petersburg during the navigation period on the Neva (from April to November), when 22 bridges across the river and main canals are drawn at night to let ships pass in and out of the Baltic Sea and right through... Continue Reading →
The other day I was walking by a recently constructed apartment building. Like most new residential construction, it has a playground for the children who are going to be living in those apartments. What caught my eye is the "decoration" that was chosen for the playground. As you can see in the picture above, there... Continue Reading →
If you haven't already done so, please read Part I and Part II of this incredible, yet absolutely true story before proceeding. No one would have ever thought to look for a deserter in a secret military base. And no one did. Pyotr slept through the day and when the sun set he again got... Continue Reading →
If you haven't already done so, please read Part I of this incredible, yet absolutely true story before proceeding. «That night - Pyotr recalls - I knew I couldn't go back to the unit. I would get maimed or killed. It was as simple as that». The celebrations, after a day's work, happened right around... Continue Reading →
Two people are enjoying a relaxed evening swim in the Black Sea. The setting sun has been warming up the water for the whole day and it is the perfect moment to enjoy it. The year is 2019 and the sea is calm, friendly and easily accessible to all. The situation was very, very different... Continue Reading →
One of the most bizarre and short lived military campaign in the history of Russia was the plan to try to conquer India in 1801. Russia and Britain were allied during the French Revolutionary Wars of the 1790s. In 1799 they even attempted to invade the Netherlands together. When this operation failed, the Russian Emperor Paul I... Continue Reading →
When I was growing up in Italy, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, many people started believing in an urban legend that, as it is most often the case, proved to be completely phony. The legend said that if you were to hang a CD on a piece of string from your inside rearview... Continue Reading →
Russia Through The Lens 